Out of the TV series I’ve watched this year, I think this is the one that had me experiencing the largest array of emotions. At its core Reservation Dogs is a comedy TV series, but contains many aspects of other genres. The series was created and produced by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the latter known for his work on films like Jojo Rabbit and Thor: Ragnarok.  Reservation Dogs is three seasons in length and aired on FX through Hulu in 2021 before concluding this past September.

As the name would suggest, Reservation Dogs follows a group of young Indigenous teens who are residents of the Muscogee Nation in Okern, Oklahoma. Over the course of the show, our four protagonists Bear, Elora, Cheese, and Willie Jack will experience numerous challenges as they struggle to find a place within their community and navigate through life’s trials.

Season one is most likely the weakest of the three seasons. It serves to introduce our key players and establish the recurring cast of characters. Our key conflict involves the rivalry between the “Rez Dogs” themselves and a rival gang calling themselves the “Indian Mafia.” Additionally, we learn that the crew has a dream to go to California as it was the wish of their friend Daniel who sadly passed away due to unknown circumstances. In order to accomplish this, the gang often commits robberies and petty crimes to raise funds.

While there are still some strong episodes here, the pacing is somewhat sporadic and the core plot lacks focus at times. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the overall tone and found the setting to be quite refreshing. Reservation Dogs is one of the few depictions of Native American culture within a modern setting, and I enjoyed how the story often pokes fun at the stereotypical image presented by Hollywood and other media.

Season two is where things started to click for me. Episodes come together to deliver some truly thought-provoking plot lines that will have you laughing one second and then touching your heart in the next. Although Taika Waititi didn’t direct many episodes personally, his particular brand of humor is present within many of the recurring gags and editing choices. Bear interacts with a spirit named William Knifeman who died at the battle of Little Big Horn, and cryptids like Bigfoot often appear to cause mayhem and create wacky scenes. It’s a style that meshes surprisingly well here and is a welcome palette cleanser to contrast the heavier episodes and sensitive topics addressed.

This season has a big emphasis on grief as the full circumstances surrounding Daniel’s death are brought into the light. Our characters grow apart and within that distance, the side characters take center stage and receive some strong character moments that help to flesh out the community even more. This all culminates into a wonderful finale that feels almost as if it could close the entire series.

However, season three proves that there is certainly still a few more stories to tell. Here, the major theme becomes the relationships between generations and the parallels between them. It’s this idea along with the recurring theme of community, that I believe gave me the most accurate picture of Native American culture. When you learn about marginalized groups, it can be easy to come out of the experience feeling angry, frustrated, or even pity. Nonetheless, these are emotions that aren’t conducive to producing real change in worldviews, as the core issue is rooted in an inaccurate picture of inherent differences between races and the rejection of cultural contrasts.

I love how although this show is focused on a mistreated group living in abject poverty, our characters still have as much joy as any other person found within a powerful sense of community. That’s something that everyone can relate to no matter your background. At the end of the show, I found myself incredibly attached to these characters as if they were my own friends or family despite not sharing any world experiences. In my eyes, that’s the sign that you’ve done something right as a storyteller and even though not every episode of Reservation Dogs is perfect there’s still a lot here to love.

On top of some charming, quirky characters you have some fantastic performances from the cast across the board along with engaging cinematography and editing. Check Reservation Dogs out if you’re looking to laugh and maybe also cry.

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Reservation Dogs

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Great acting and characters
• Engaging setting
• Quirky humor
• Perfect ending
• Strong themes

Cons

• Some episodes are weak, unfocused
• First season is rocky
• Pacing can be sporadic at times