TV Review - Reservation Dogs

Sterlin Harjo is a filmmaker who is a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. Harjo is Native American or descended from the Indigenous people of what is now known as the United States. Harjo befriended future Oscar-winner Taika Waititi (JoJo Rabbit and Thor: Ragnarok) who is himself descended from the Indigenous people of what is now known as New Zealand. Harjo and Waititi co-created this series, which follows four Indigenous teenagers, living in rural Oklahoma. I don't think there has ever been a series like this, not on American television. Technically, there still isn't. This series is only on a streaming platform, but it's a monumental step-forward in representation. It's clear that Harjo is bringing a tremendous amount of authenticity to this project. In so many ways, it is refreshing to see a genuine and honest look at an Indigenous community and young Indigenous characters, living in the modern era, dealing with modern-day problems.

D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai stars as Bear Smallhill, the leader of a group of teenagers. He's 16. He lives with his single mother. He doesn't have any siblings. He likes a particular type of flaming chips. He especially loves catfish. He and his friends are trying to save up money so they can move to California. They want to do this in the wake of the death of a friend named Daniel. It's implied Daniel committed suicide. Bear wants people to think he's tough but in reality he's not. Bear has his fears and insecurities. A lot of it stems from the fact that his father isn't around. He's in contact with his father who is a musician. Bear looks up to his father and wants to spend time with him, but he keeps getting let down. This perhaps has him questioning his leadership abilities among his friends, as well as questioning other things.

Devery Jacobs co-stars as Elora, one of the teenagers in Bear's gang. She's around the same age as him. She likes flaming chips and catfish too, but she also has a thing for backstrap, especially when it comes from deer meat. However, of all the people in their group, she's the one who wants to leave the most. She's super-focused on it. She really wants to go to California or at least get out of Oklahoma. She's increasingly becoming detached from the others because their resolve isn't as strong as hers.

Paulina Alexis also co-stars as Willie Jack, the teenager who's probably the most gangster of them all. Namely, she's the toughest. She literally knows how to shoot a gun because her father is a hunter who raised her to shoot and kill wildlife. Despite being a girl, she's probably the most masculine of all the people in their group. She tells her dad she wants to be a MMA fighter, but she also has dreams of being a chef or other things. Her resolve to go to California is probably just as strong as Elora's, but she's still connected to Oklahoma.

What we learn is that Daniel was a relative of Willie Jack. Daniel's death completely affected Willie Jack and her father in particular. Suicide among Indigenous people is a serious problem as rates are higher than among other ethnic groups. It's amazing that this series is dealing with it from the perspective of young people. I hadn't clued into that issue until seeing Adam Garnet Jones' Fire Song (2016). That film though delved into the issue of a same-sex romance among two young Indigenous people. This series doesn't appear to have much romance on its mind.

Lane Factor plays Cheese, the other teenager in Bear's group or gang. It's strange because Cheese helps the others do something illegal in the first episode. However, in the fifth episode, which is named after the Redbone song "Come and Get Your Love," Cheese goes on a ride along with their neighborhood's tribal police officer. The tribal police officer is known as Lighthorse. Cheese's Lighthorse is named Big, played by Zahn McClarnon (Westworld and Into the West). It's strange because by the end it seems as if Cheese is interested in becoming a police officer too. At first, the attraction might be he gets power over the kids who bullied him. Later, it becomes about helping people in his community.

The criticisms I have with this series is that of all the characters here, Cheese gets the most short-shrift. You almost forget he's a part of this story. Secondly, the idea of the characters going to California never feels real. It's simply floating as this ephemeral thing or lofty goal that never feels solid. We know that Bear and his gang are saving up money, but they never say how much money. They say they're going to California, but California is a big state. Where in the state are they going? Los Angeles? San Francisco? Sacramento? Where? We never learn what they'll do when they get there. None of them have graduated from school, so it's never clear what kind of life they think they'll have. It makes their California goal seem like it's not being taken seriously or it's setting them up for failure.

Rated TV-MA-LV.
Running Time: 30 mins. / 8 eps.

Available on Hulu.