Elsa Dutton’s death on the “Yellowstone” prequel series “1883” made Tim McGraw cry, but actor Isabel May has a more positive outlook regarding her character’s fate. Even though the teenager met the business end of a poisoned arrow and died in her father’s arms, May feels that the character lived life to the fullest, which lessened the blow of her tragic demise.

While speaking to Newsweek in 2022, May explained that Elsa got to experience love before she passed away, and that’s beautiful. Her first romance is with a sweet young cowboy named Ennis (Eric Nelson), whom she meets on her journey from Tennessee to Montana.

Unfortunately, Ennis gets killed and it breaks her heart, although she finds another soulmate in Sam (Martin Sensmeier), a Comanche warrior who saves her life on a couple of occasions before she dies. Neither relationship gets a happy ending, but May believes the good parts overshadow the pain of Elsa’s death:

“So I think it’s a really beautiful trajectory. She gets to fall in love twice. Madly and deeply in love before she goes. That’s all you can ask for, for a character that you love.”

Of course, many “1883” fans shed tears as they watched Elsa’s dad cradle her as she passed away before her life truly began. In a way, though, the character never truly died, as she keeps popping up in Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” franchise.

Elsa Dutton’s spirit lives on

Paramount Network

Elsa Dutton’s story was a short one, but the character’s spirit lives on courtesy of “1923,” where she narrates the Dutton family’s story as they face new struggles and tragedies. She can be heard in most episodes of the 20th century-set “Yellowstone” prequel series, so in a way, it feels like she never really went away. What’s more, her monologues add some meat to each episode, ensuring that she still has a meaningful presence in the franchise.

Sadly, Elsa is largely absent from “Yellowstone,” which is probably down to the fact this series was made before the “1883” spin-off came to fruition. However, she returns in the “Yellowstone” season 5 finale and explains that the latest generation of the Dutton family has forgotten about its ancestors. Still, her narration creates more synergy between all three shows and gives off the impression that her spirit roams the prairies, keeping an eye on her kin.

With Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) set to star in another “Yellowstone” spin-off series, there will be more opportunities for Elsa to return in some capacity. That isn’t the only spin-off that’s currently in the works either, as “6666” and “The Madison” have also been confirmed, suggesting that this franchise will be around for a while yet.