Sumith Prasad
Spencer Dutton forms an admirable bond with Luca, an Italian refugee who flees to the United States, in the second season of Paramount+’s Western series ‘1923.’ The World War I veteran protects the young man from a vicious criminal and saves his life after he decides to kill himself. Luca returns the favors by leading Spencer to Sal Maceo, his cousin and a prominent businessman in Galveston, Texas. In the second episode of the sophomore installment, the latter gives the two friends an illegal assignment, which tragically threatens the Italian man’s life in the next episode! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Luca Dies Following a Shootout
In the third episode of the second season of ‘1923,’ Spencer and Luca encounter a group of officers who are inspecting vehicles on their way to Fort Worth from Galveston. The sight of the officials changes the World War I veteran’s mind, as he decides that he does not want to put his life on the line for the sake of a consignment of whiskey, especially when his loved ones are eagerly awaiting him at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. However, Luca is not ready to give up on the plan. He reminds his friend that they have a gun to kill the officers if they cannot be bribed with money and move ahead with the assignment.
Still, Spencer does not change his decision. He even tries to change Luca’s mind, telling him that the latter does not need to do everything his cousin asks him to do. The war veteran cannot tolerate Sal using his friend, but that is not how the Italian refugee approaches the predicament. He clarifies that he is ready to do anything to support his family, just like his companion wants to do after arriving in Montana. Spencer then stays out of the way of Luca, who decides to drive the consignment to Fort Worth alone. He asks his friend for a gun, which the latter gives him hesitantly.
As Spencer predicts, the officers confront Luca and his consignment, forcing him to start firing his gun. Unfortunately, the officials easily outnumber the Italian man and rain bullets on the latter. Even though the episode does not explicitly confirm the character’s death, his motionless body can be seen in a wide-angle shot. After getting shot numerous times, there is no possibility of him surviving the attack, especially considering that the officers don’t really care about his life or death.
Andy Dispensa’s Exit From 1923
As of now, neither Paramount+ nor Andy Dispensa has formally announced the departure of the actor from ‘1923.’ However, Luca’s death is enough to conclude that we may not need to expect ‘The Chosen’ fame to appear in the upcoming episodes of the Western drama. Even though the show is rooted in the history of the Duttons, there aren’t many flashback sequences in the series for us to anticipate Andy to feature again in the period drama. Furthermore, since his relationship with Spencer hasn’t grown enough for the war veteran to see the Italian man in his potential dreams or visions, we may have seen the last of the latter in the show.
Luca’s death opens interesting narrative avenues in the series, which justify his tragic demise. The Western drama is focused on depicting the hardships both Spencer and Alex have to face before they set up their family in the Dutton Ranch. The death of the war veteran’s companion is one such hardship. The untimely demise may also pave the way for Spencer’s encounter with Marshal Mamie Fossett, which is teased in the official trailer of the show’s second season. Now that Luca is dead inside the vehicle Sal gives them, the veteran may become forced to complete his journey alone, leading him to the marshal.
Read More: Are There Any Real Cowboys in 1923?
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