Warning: this article contains spoilers forAmerican Primeval.
Netflix’s new thrilling Western series,American Primeval, has already become massively popular with audiences due to its action andinspiration from real events in the history of the American West. Particularly, the series creates stories stemming from characters who survived the Mountain Meadows Massacre, including Mormons participating inthe Utah Warand a mother and son trying to make their way across the territory. Despite the often grim events,American Primeval’s castdoes a great job of displaying compelling characters that audiences can’t help but root for.
Because of the series' dark plot and complex characters, deciphering the motivations of different groups can often be confusing. In fact,American Primevalhas five main groupsthat have their own best interests at heart, and they are happy to kill to protect those interests. The Mormons, who are willing to kill their own in order to keep their land in Utah from falling into the hands of the US government, are some of the most ruthless of all.Brother Jacob Pratt and his wife, Abish, learn this all too quickly, later leading him to murder Cook as his own form of revenge.
Why The Watch Led To Pratt Killing Cook
In one of the most horrifying and gory scenes,Jacob Pratt is left nearly dead after being partially scalpedin the Mountain Meadows Massacre. He is also the only person left alive at the scene, though several, including his wife, have disappeared. For the majority of the season, Jacob Pratt attempts to locate his wife with the help of Mormon leaders and the US military. Since Pratt is a Mormon himself, his initial instinct is to trust them, though the audience knows thatthe Mormons were actually behind the massacre and are doing everything possible to cover their tracks.
After realizing that the watch belonged to a dead man and could only have been stolen directly after the massacre, Pratt knows that Cook was one of the killers.
While the Mormon leaders' plan works for a while, Jacob Pratt’s paranoia and worsening mental and physical health lead him to be suspicious of his fellow traveler, Cook. Cook helped perpetrate the massacre and is traveling with Pratt to hide the truth. However, Cook’s theft of a watch, which Pratt had previously seen on someone killed in the massacre, gives him away. After realizing that the watch belonged to a dead man and could only have been stolen directly after the massacre,Pratt realizes that Cook was one of the killers. Motivated by this, he kills Cook out of revenge.
Pratt Killing Cook Set Up His American Primeval Ending
The Murder Showed His Declining Mental State
As American Primeval season 1 progresses, Brother Pratt’s mental state deteriorates further and further. By the time of his decision to murder Cook,Pratt is consumed by his need to find his wife despite not knowing if she is even alive. While Cook’s murder is partially straightforward revenge, it also points to Brother Pratt’s lack of control over his emotions and actions. This problem continues to grow in the later episodes ofAmerican Primeval, leading toJacob Pratt and Abish’s sad ending.
American Primeval Ending: Isaac & Sara’s Fates In Netflix Western Series Explained By Stars & Director
Director Pete Berg and series lead Taylor Kitsch discuss the fates of Isaac and Sara Roswell on Netflix’s Western miniseries, American Primeval.
American Primeval’s ending sees Jacob and Abish join opposing sides in the war for Utah’s land. Ultimately siding with the Mormons, Brother Pratt accidentally shoots and kills his wife, Abish, thinking that she is a member of the Shoshone Tribe. When he realizes his mistake,Jacob Pratt decides to end his own life because he feels he has nothing left without her. While this ending is certainly shocking, the murder of Cook and Pratt’s desperation to help provide context for his tragicAmerican Primevalending.
American Primeval
Cast
American Primeval is a Netflix limited series that follows the lives of several men and women in the middle of the expansion of the American West. Social dynamics clash as men and women battle for a piece of the new world against rivals and each other.
