Reservation Dogs - General Discussion

[possibilities]

Elora stole her grandma's car, didn't she? That's cold. Then again, her grandma seemed pretty cold, too.

Bear's assumption that his unfinished business was to get revenge for the beat down said a lot, especially in combination with his complete lack of urgency to work things out with Elora or be honest with his mom.

The thing is, both Bear and Elora are stewing in their anger. They're handling it in different ways, but they have that much in common.

 

I am glad the show was renewed, but I wish we didn't have to wait for the new episodes.

 

 

 

 

[MisterGlass]

It made sense that Willie Jack would opt to stay.  She's the most self aware character, and has a happy home for the most part.

The Oklahoma dirt on the grandma's car windshield made me smile.

[mledawn]

I laughed so hard when Leon was singing along with "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights". I would absolutely watch a show all about Willie Jack and her parents. Is she an only child? Loving another Podemski sister playing Willie Jack's mom.

They've done a good job of setting up a second season with storyline options. 

[thuganomics85]

Interesting: looks like Devery Jacobs will be joining the writing room next season as well (along with a few others.)  Judging from Sterlin Harjo's comments in the article, it sounds like she really took an active role when it came to Elora's character development and writing, so I'm glad that he and whoever else was involved in this decision recognized that and are getting her an official writing role for next season.  Curious to see how this all goes!

[meep.meep]

Pure speculation on my part but I don't think Elora's car will even get out of the state.

[AngieBee1]

Good on Devery joining the writing staff. Dallas Goldtooth who plays Spirit is also joining the writer's room.

Harjo gave a very brief interview to Deadline and it seems S2 wants to expand on the denizens of the town more. He said he wants to see more of Big, Bucky (Wes Studi) and Uncle Brownie.

[possibilities]

Burr was on Late Night with Seth Meyers. He talked briefly about this show, and basically gushed about how fantastic it is and how wonderful his experience was with it.

[AngieBee1]

The series received two Gotham Awards nominations: Breakthrough series and Outstanding Performance in a New Series (Devery Jacobs). Me, I would have went with Willie Jack but I am glad they are being recognized.https://www.indiewire.com/2021/10/gotham-awards-2021-nominations-1234673141/

[aghst]

Good show, offbeat, quirky.

Not sure how realistic the depiction is but believable that the Indian kids would be into the same popular culture as other kids, though Bear's father's rap video is may satire?

Also get that Elora would want to get out of there, though they want to keep the show on for a few more seasons, she'll be stuck since this show is specific to this milieu?

It's got to be scary for these kids to leave home and go to some unfamiliar culture.  They have some grandiose ideas about what "California" may mean.

Being poor in CA is probably no better than being poor in OK.

Willie Jack didn't have a specific plan other than some fantasies about being an MMA fighter and some other things.

You would hope Elora has a plan.

By the end at least one of them make it out?

Or is the reality that some kids leave but have to return and have the same life as their parents, which they wanted to avoid/

 

[ProudMary]

Recognition from the Independent Spirit Awards! 

Also some Blue Carpet photos of a few of the stars of the show.

 

[ProudMary]

These are from Deadline BTW.

Last one. I think these kids are stars. And they look great!

[mledawn]

The eagle on Paulina's shoes are beaded - really cool. I saw a bit of Devery Jacobs at the mic - she is well spoken. 
The Hollywood Reporter article has some fun quotes, including Taika Waititi's commentary on how he's presenting an award to himself, essentially.

[peachmangosteen]

Season 2 premieres August 3rd.

[ProudMary]

Reservation Dogs won a Peabody Award! 🎊Award presentation and acceptance video here:

https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/reservation-dogs/

[AngieBee1]

The trailer for the second season is wonderful. Can't wait ti have them back https://youtu.be/-xjKgOnf1w4

[peachmangosteen]

Oh man, that's a great trailer. So excited for this to come back!

[luckyroll3]

And it's back!

Let's ride! (But we can't even ride! 😂) 

[Juneau Gal]

Season 2 starting off strong! So glad this show is back.

[thuganomics85]

About time!

Loved seeing the gang again and the majority of the supporting cast being back too.  In particular, I'm pleasantly surprised Bucky was featured as heavily as he was because Wes Studi is awesome as always.  Added bonus of them diving into the history between him and Uncle Brownie (including that hilarious fight scene), so we got to see Studi and Gary Farmer play off one another.

Elora and Jackie's trip to California is certainly hitting some snags, to put it mildly.  I don't even want to know what was going with that overly "friendly" guy who pick them up: definitely was giving off some suspicious vibes there.  Have to imagine something is going to come out of them stealing that woman's car.  Doubt they got Megan Mullally for that small of a role.

Bear definitely seems to be at an all time low mentally now, but I'm curious about him maybe actually finding a job after-all and trying to be legit.

Willie Jack and Cheese continue to be the best.

The Spirit continues to crack me up.  Was the actor also voicing that fortune telling contraption that Jackie was messing with in the gas station?

Hope we get some good stuff with Big.  Not sure when this show's filming aligned with the shooting of Dark Winds, but hopefully Zahn McClarnon was available to do a few things this season too.

Welcome back, Reservation Dogs!

[possibilities]

I watched the first ep of S2 and I can't remember what the

Spoiler

curse

is from S1 that Willie Jack is so worried about. 

[mledawn]

Willie Jack asked Uncle Brownie for help with the gang. Uncle wouldn't help her with "that bad magic", but it is implied that one of the townie guys at the bar did.

[luckyroll3]

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Added bonus of them diving into the history between him and Uncle Brownie (including that hilarious fight scene), so we got to see Studi and Gary Farmer play off one another.

My favorite part was the one-upping prayer and the exchange afterwards between Willie Jack and Cheese:
"What the fuck was that?"
"These elders have some complicated histories."

[Juneau Gal]

3 hours ago, possibilities said:

I watched the first ep of S2 and I can't remember what the

  Hide contents

curse

is from S1 that Willie Jack is so worried about. 

She collected some of Jackie’s hair to have a curse put on the Indian Mafia crew. 

[mledawn]

I loved how the wire figures on Bucky's dash was a bit of a throw back to Big finding them throughout the community in S1

[possibilities]

So... the curse wasn't something we saw in Season 1, it's just something they were referring to now? I'm glad I didn't just forget a major plot point.

[luckyroll3]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

So... the curse wasn't something we saw in Season 1, it's just something they were referring to now? I'm glad I didn't just forget a major plot point.

We saw Willie Jack put the curse in place in the last episodes of Season 1. 

[Zaffy]

I really like this show, and the young cast is amazing.
But this is not a comedy. At best maybe dramedy. This is pure drama,  sometimes I even find it depressive.
I am not an American, I might lost something on translation, but still I just do not get it why it is supposed to be in comedy category.

[possibilities]

I think it's very funny, but the humor doesn't come from the plots as much as from the interactions between the characters. The humor is less situational than... wry.

[possibilities]

An example would be the prayers/fight in the 2nd episode of  S2 (at lakeside).

Also, "Hard Nips" (the spirit who died in battle because his horse's foot got caught in a gopher hole).

The entire atmosphere is saturated with these kinds of little things, that aren't really plot drivers so much as examples of the humor of the community and how they handle the tragedies of their lives.

In the tornado episode of S1, the ax-waving ritual ended with a naked guy coming to in the field, because the spirits "gave you what you asked but had to take something in return and we decided your clothes would be better than your life". 

Everything that happens is very serious. But, still... old men prayer-battling, being naked in payment for divine intervention, negotiating about alphabetizing movies in exchange for allowing you to watch one... the dragging of a cart behind the riding lawnmower because they don't have a 2nd seat for the kid when Uncle decides to intervene in his rival's magic... it's serious business, but it's also funny.

[pasdetrois]

Many Native Americans have very dry senses of humor, and it's grounded in the harsh reality of their lives and their shared traumatic history.

Edited August 4, 2022 by pasdetrois

[Pallida]

One of my favorite aspects of this show is that it’s written by insiders for insiders, so outsiders may not catch everything. They help us outsiders to some degree, like the recurring owls, but it’s not being explained to us. 

[possibilities]

Some of the cast was on The Tonight Show earlier this week. 

http://latenightfeud.com/video/the-cast-of-reservation-dogs-on-auditioning-and-sharing-native-american-humor-the-tonight-show/

[pasdetrois]

On 8/3/2022 at 4:07 PM, thuganomics85 said:

we got to see Studi and Gary Farmer play off one another.

I watched it three times and laughed. Gary Farmer is having the time of his life. I kept peeking at the two young actors standing behind them, trying not to laugh.

The scene with the kid eating catfish while receiving life wisdom was also great.

The road trip is not quite doing it for me, although I loved seeing Megan Mullally (the lonely woman who gave the girls shelter).

[Juneau Gal]

On 8/4/2022 at 11:39 AM, pasdetrois said:

Many Native Americans have very dry senses of humor, and it's grounded in the harsh reality of their lives and their shared traumatic history.

I always call it gallows humor. I lived on the Pine Ridge Reservation and I love this show for the dry humor. Native humor is so funny and mostly observational; really playing up and mocking the realities of life. 

[groddeck]

More owl stuff (in addition to the pixelated owl face at Bronwie’s) - in episode 2  Elora turned over an owl potholder at the dinner table so that it was facing down. 

[MisterGlass]

I chuckled at Bucky sweeping up his own hair after the haircut when he heard the aunt gave them hair for a curse.  I was not prepared for the outrageous combination of Bucky and Brownie trying to out-pray each other with not at all subtle beefs thrown in. 

I needed that to make up for the utter terror of the cliffhanger between episode 1 and 2.

I loved everything about the confrontation with Bear at the diner. 

[possibilities]

1 hour ago, MisterGlass said:

I loved everything about the confrontation with Bear at the diner. 

That was great. I wondered how they got away with that heist. Great continuity, as well as great everything else.

[CrazyDog]

Season two is off to a great start. I don't know if Elora will end up back with the other kids any time soon, but at least Willie Jack and Cheese are a great pair. Willie Jack's reactions to everything, like her meeting Jackie's crew and asking for something of Jackie's was a quietly hilarious scene.

On 8/5/2022 at 5:29 AM, pasdetrois said:

I watched it three times and laughed. Gary Farmer is having the time of his life. I kept peeking at the two young actors standing behind them, trying not to laugh.

That was awesome. Cheese was definitely laughing a couple of times.

Bucky casually sweeping up his own hair after hearing about the curse...gold.

The chase scene at the beginning of ep 2 was horribly tense. Thank goodness the rednecks left, though I was surprised they did. The observations of the eagle that was actually a buzzard really summed up their trip so far.

I do like seeing Jackie having a bit more depth.

Maybe it's other shows I've been watching lately, ha, but I was worried about Elora and Jackie eating the food the lady prepared, and I was worried they'd end up locked in the rooms or something. Her prayer was great though. But after her bitter little comment as she saw them leaving with the truck, I don't think that's the end of it.

[mledawn]

2 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

I do like seeing Jackie having a bit more depth.

The actor is also in Dark Winds with Zahn McClarnon (Big) and plays a different character altogether there. I really enjoyed the H!ITG! moment.

[CrazyDog]

Mind blown...I didn't even recognize her as the young woman in Dark Winds. Kudos to her, they're such completely different characters.

[possibilities]

I can't really blame the woman for being upset they stole her vehicle, and wanting to get it back. So I do think that's not the end of it. What I'm not sure yet, is whether she will want revenge, or if she will just want the vehicle back, or maybe even something else. She seems like a real wildcard, to me. 

This is my favorite show, maybe ever. Every episode is fantastic. 

[CrazyDog]

I spent the entire episode wanting to harness them all in while they were working on the roof. Bear sliding down was so tense. That might be my own fear of heights though.

All of the characters are so damn engaging. 

The spirit continues to be the absolute best.

Bear's conversation with Daniel's father was so moving. Danny acting as a friend, teacher, and father figure, in those moments. 

I honestly don't remember Elora's grandmother from S1. That's a heartbreaking turn though. She just keeps getting hit after hit. 

I didn't think I'd be saying this after S1, but I hope we see Jackie again. 

[thuganomics85]

Looks like it might be similar to last season where we have standalone episodes that only feature one of the kids in it.  While it's obviously great when all four of them are together, I do like how it fleshes out the characters more and expands upon its supporting cast as well.

Nice seeing Beat get a "legit" job, although roofing certainly seems to have its perils with the unharnessed roof climbing/walking and putting up with a few jokes and pranks from your meat-headed, if well-meaning, co-workers.  But I liked how Danny/Daniel's dad was one of them and the scenes between him and Bear were really well done.  Glad he told Bear not to blame himself for not seeing Daniel's suicide coming, because that is a lot of guilt for a kid to carry, and he really isn't at fault for not noticing the signs.

We learn that The Spirit can apparently poop as well.  Good to know!

I like that they are continuing the idea that Rita is crushed on by almost all of the men on the Rez.  I'm remember Big totally trying to hit on her last season.

For a second, I thought Elora was some kind of hallucination and was Bear's way to finally say what he always wanted to about her abandoning him, but it looks like she actually is back because her grandma is sick?  Curious to see how this plays out.

[mledawn]

Bear - and the other men - on that roof were giving me a heart attack. Construction site, no steel toes, no hard hat, no fall arrest... jeeez! Also, the slowest roofers I've ever seen. Nails by hand? Wut.

Here's Bear's shirt he was wearing under the flannel which is fitting, since it's a frybread truck.

In the background, on the wall of the port-a-potty "Go Washington Foreskins", the Spirit doing the sign of the cross with some extra flair, throwing around "pedagogy"  - that guy is always good for a few laughs.

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

For a second, I thought Elora was some kind of hallucination and was Bear's way to finally say what he always wanted to about her abandoning him

Same. Elora's grandmother was mean but if she's Elora's only family, that's tough.

Bear get your shoes off your bed, wtf.

[angora]

Even though Bear is a kid who very understandably has a lot of anger and pain about being abandoned by his dad, I like that we're seeing how many men around the rez care about and are rooting for him. Last week, we had the guys at the diner and the delivery driver, telling Bear how they had him and his friends dead to rights on stealing the van but didn't see the value in seeing more young men locked up, urging him to be better instead of turning him in. And now we have Danny (and the other construction guys, in their "shitass" way,) giving Bear some guidance about both work and manhood. Obviously, Bear's mom is all the way in his corner as well, loving and looking out for him, but Bear craves that paternal attention, and he's been getting it in places he didn't expect it.

[possibilities]

Bear also has the constant support from "Hard Nips"-- even though he's kind of goofy, he does give serious advice sometimes, and Bear is never really alone. He has that attachment to his father, but if he lets that go, he has a lot more rewarding options.

It shows, though, how a wound that never heals just festers and blocks progress in your life. Obsessing about the wrong thing keeps you from being nourished by what's actually available. Bear's not alone in that pattern, but he makes a good example of it.

Look at all the adults who actually do care and are around. The show has portrayed the kids as being in a kind of bleak reality sometimes, but a lot of it is because they define themselves that way, and the second they let it go, the richness of the environment actually supports them. 

There are lots of examples. I like that the show gives us a window into the point of view of the kids, without saying that's the only way to see things. It's respectful of them, but it's also not 1 dimensional about it.

[bilgistic]

The roofer in the burgundy sweatshirt is Nathan Apodaca aka Doggface, the viral Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry-drinking, Fleetwood Mac-lip-syncing, skateboarding sensation!

Edited August 11, 2022 by bilgistic

[Catfi9ht]

I absolutely did not like Daniel's dad getting the fatherly treatment this episode. He abused his family and was probably one of the main factors why Daniel committed suicide. As someone who grew up in an abusive household, it feels pretty dismissive of what he did. 

I have such a crush on Dallas Goldtooth. He's a scene stealer as the spirit in this show and is a great addition to Rutherford Falls season 2. The characters are very different but just as funny. His comedic timing is excellent.

[possibilities]

6 hours ago, Catfi9ht said:

I absolutely did not like Daniel's dad getting the fatherly treatment this episode. He abused his family and was probably one of the main factors why Daniel committed suicide. As someone who grew up in an abusive household, it feels pretty dismissive of what he did. 

I don't remember the details on what led up to Daniel's suicide. That's the 2nd major plot point from S1 that I've apparently totally forgotten. I should go back and re-watch. 

[AngieBee1]

I like that Bear and Danny connected - it's something they both needed as I don't think either one has properly dealt with their grief over Daniel's death. Bear wants to escape, Danny closed himself off.

By what Bear intimates and by Danny's own admission and by him giving up drinking, we can gather he wasn't a good father, but I don't rest Daniel's suicide on him. Mental illness / depression is real and there was a whole episode where we saw that Daniel was showing signs of both.