Why do audiences enjoy first-person narratives in series and films? Why are stories of cowboys with guns blazing and sweating horses so appealing to viewers? Why, even though these works typically refer to a distant time, 150 years ago for example, do audiences perceive them as if they were stories happening in the next town over? What makes the series titled 1883 one of those must-see shows that will help you reconnect with what's truly important in life?

So what exactly are we talking about when we talk about 1883? According to screenwriter and series creator Taylor Sheridan, 1883 is a film told in 10 episodes, which, from beginning to end, captivates the viewer and constantly surprises them with its poetic tone, combined with the violent context of the Wild West—that is, the land that North Americans conquered as they moved from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast during the second half of the 19th century, and which, in the case of 1883, is related to the survivors of the Civil War. So what is it? Just another story of whites killing Indians? No, although there are cowboys, soldiers, whites, African Americans, and Native Americans—that is, all the ethnic groups that define the Western genre—this series always feels fresh and makes the audience feel like they are experiencing life as a teenager discovering the world.

So what is it then? 1883 is a Western, or a Western series, the same kind of story we call a "cowboy story," with bandits who steal cattle, farmers who defend themselves with revolvers, gold prospectors, settlers who arrive in Indian lands in wagons, soldiers who survived the war, prostitutes, schoolteachers, mothers, duels under the midday sun, dusty streets, Indians with feathers who speak languages that whites don't understand and with whom they communicate with gunfire, and horses and more Indian horses spotted with large freckles. In these narratives, the protagonists are men who deal with the world through force and the law of an eye for an eye, but 1883 is different, and it's worthwhile that it is. Why? Because it offers something truly beautiful. The protagonist is a young woman, transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, ready to fall in love with every breath, who has been raised in a refined environment and who enters the primitive universe of "the frontier," where the law is invented with the footsteps of horses that break history with the blow of their hooves.

So what are the keys to 1883's popularity? The first is its protagonist, Elsa Dutton, who narrates the story in the first person, in her own voice, as if writing a teenage diary in cursive script. In each sentence, she discovers the astonishing world unfolding before her eyes. Her narrative represents the defense of her right to romantic love and erotic passion, as well as her decision to risk her life, as men do, to live or die by force of arms, upholding the rules dictated by her hormonal surge. Such is the quality of the storytelling that the audience is captivated, because each person identifies with the young person they are or with the young person within, who takes control of their body with each episode. This is why first-person narratives are so effective at connecting with viewers: they draw them into the story, make them feel part of it, and make them believe they are the protagonist.

Now, let's answer this: if the story of 1883 took place over a century ago, why doesn't it feel outdated? The reason is that its context is fundamentally current, and that's another key to its success. 1883 is a story about immigrants pursuing the dream of freedom in a land they believe they will discover and that therefore belongs to them, even though the truth is that it has owners: the indigenous people, the Native Americans, who are prepared to defend it with arrows and teeth until death. This drama is as relevant today as the news about those crossing from Colombia to Panama to travel through Central America and reach the United States. What's unique is that, in the case of the cowboys conquering the West, there was a discourse spearheaded by the expression "manifest destiny," which served to support the idea that North Americans were predestined to colonize all the land between the two oceans, as if it were the word of God to his chosen people, like when the people of Israel found the promised land. Thus, the migration from east to west, with its war and its cruelties, found the necessary blessing to evade shame and become a legend, to be immortalized on paper with literature and in the press with newspapers and then in film and now on television with 1883.

So what makes 1883 one of those must-see series for reconnecting with what's truly important in life? It's a must-see because it affirms that love should be embraced wholeheartedly, body and soul, even unto death if necessary. And while it's often said that no one dies of a broken heart, it's perfectly acceptable for film, television, and art to use it as a pretext for storytelling. From a formal, aesthetic, and cinematic perspective, it's a must-see because it's a journey through time where each actor and actress embodies the cowboy, gunslinger, or rider that their character demands. Its creator, Taylor Sheridan, is himself a cowboy, and when he writes about the West, he does so because he practices many of the activities a cowboy is expected to do. The series possesses a sense of realism, rawness, and spectacularity that makes the landscapes and shootouts breathtaking. So if your lifestyle is more related to the sofa, dreaming of yourself on horseback with your heart in love for the first time and with arrows whizzing in your ears or bullets grazing your body, is the plan you need to change your bright and well-groomed hairstyle. Don't miss it, because in the end, perhaps, you will be a better person.