Why Lucy Shot James Sykes In Horizon: Chapter 1

Kevin Costner’s long-gestating epic Western movie series kicked off with Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, and one of the most intense story lines in its three-hour runtime centered around Jena Malone’s Lucy and her attempted murder of the villainous James Sykes. Set during the time period directly before, during, and after the American Civil War, Horizon: An American Saga is set to weave a series of intertwining stories together over the course of one cohesive four-part narrative. Horizon’s talented cast boasts a mix of Hollywood A-listers, familiar faces, and newcomers portraying a diverse set of characters.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, which is now streaming on Max, introduced several vastly different stories, all of which will be continued in some capacity in Chapter 2 and beyond (assuming the planned third and fourth chapters are ever made). The most interesting plot focuses on Jena Malone’s character Lucy, a mysterious woman who changes her identity as a way of hiding from her past. Like most of the stories in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, her tale covers a large swath of time, and it begins with her attempting to kill a man in the Montana territory.

Lucy Shoots James Sykes Because Of His Abuse (& To Save Her Child)

The Details Of Her Relationship With James Are Not Revealed

Jena Malone’s Lucy (a.k.a. Ellen Harvey) is one of the most intriguing characters in Chapter 1, largely due to how much is still unknown about her. She is introduced to the overarching narrative with an attempted murder, as she shoots James Sykes in his home in the Montana territory and flees south with her son Sam, who appears to be a product of her abuse at James’ hands. The true nature of Lucy’s relationship with James before the events of Horizon isn’t revealed, but it’s clear she had been mistreated if she was driven to vengeful murder.

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 sets up the Sykes family and their outlaw organization as the primary villains in the movie series, which should lead to further exploration of their misdeeds in Chapter 2. Lucy’s reasons for attempting to kill James and free her son from the Sykes family will almost certainly be addressed in the next chapter. From the looks of it, the psychopathic Caleb and lecherous James Sykes may only be the tip of the dastardly spear for the greater Sykes family outfit, and they will likely become a bigger factor in the grand narrative.

Does Lucy Herself Die In Horizon?

Lucy’s Ultimate Fate Is Not Revealed In Chapter 1

Lucy’s fate is left undecided at the conclusion ofHorizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, along with most of the other characters introduced in the movie. After she and Walter are baited into a trap where the Sykes brothers are waiting, Lucy is either taken captive by the Sykes family or killed. It isn’t made entirely clear what happened to Lucy after Walter was killed and she was taken, but after her attempted murder of James Sykes, the entire Sykes family surely has bad intentions for her.

The fact that Lucy was not shown being killed in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is a pretty good indication that her story is not over. It also seems unlikely that Kevin Costner would have cast someone of Jena Malone’s caliber to play a one-and-done character like that, so audiences can likely expect her to return in some capacity in Chapter 2. Chapter 1 reveals very little about her relationship with James Sykes and the greater Sykes family before she shot him, so there is still plenty of backstory to unravel and conflict to explore.

What Happens To The Other Sykes Family Members

They Don’t All Survive The Events Of Chapter 1

While James Sykes might have survived the ending of Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, that wasn’t the case for all members of the Sykes family. Caleb Sykes, played with delightful menace by Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things), is dispatched by his brother to retrieve baby Sam, Lucy’s son (potentially by James Sykes). Caleb has the misfortune of falling into the path of Kevin Costner’s Hayes Ellison, and once Hayes recognizes the threat that Caleb poses to both Sam and his caretaker (Abbey Lee’s Marigold), the two men have a gunfight, and Caleb is killed.

Caleb’s older brother Junior and his men take Lucy away from their encounter at the fake land sale, and he was likely on his way to bring her back to the Sykes family outlaw organization in the Montana territory. His plans change when news of his brother’s death reaches him, and it’s likely Junior will continue to lead the hunt for Hayes that was started in Chapter 1. The general plan for Horizon: An American Saga is to have the various storylines intersect, and it seems likely that Lucy and Hayes will find themselves aligned against the villainous Sykes clan.