Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo’s Reservation Dogs stakes its place among the year’s best comedies
Playful and poignant, this FX coming-of-age dramedy debuts with style to spare
TV Reviews Sterlin Harjo
In recent years, we’ve seen coming-of-age stories on TV through the lens of the adventure-comedy (Netflix’s On My Block), the horror/sci-fi hybrid (Stranger Things), and the teen sex romp (Sex Education). Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo might make the boldest play with the “bildungsroman by way of a heist film” approach of Reservation Dogs. Ahead of its premiere, the new FX series was hailed, and rightly so, for its commitment to Indigenous talent, on and offscreen. Even the photographer for the show’s gallery images (an example of which you’ll find below) is Native American: Ryan RedCorn, who’s from the Osage Nation. Reservation Dogs is making important strides, not least of which is being one of the best new shows of the year.
The series premieres with two episodes, “F*ckin Rez Dogs,” which introduces the four misfits of Okmulgee, the capital of the Muscogee Nation (Harjo is from Holdenville, OK), and “NDN Clinic” (sound out the first word for a colloquialism). Harjo and Waititi teamed up to write the script for the pilot, which establishes a sense of place with great efficiency and whimsy. A radio DJ in Indian Territory (the northeastern part of Oklahoma) jokes that The Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” sounds like a “shapeshifter song” just before we’re dropped smack-dab in the middle of a daytime heist run by four teens barely old enough to drive: Bear (D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai), Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), and Cheese (Lane Factor). Willie Jack muses about how “badass” they must look pulling off their caper. Bear doesn’t care; he insists Elora buckle her seatbelt before they roar off in the truck. Young Cheese is just along for the ride. They keep their cool as they sell the truck to Kenny Boy (Kirk Fox), who runs a salvage yard that’s also the center of a meth operation. But as Kenny counts their cash, they’re not thinking of California, their dream home. They want to know if they can keep the Flaming Flamers—spicy chips—that are in the truck.
It’s a sweet and funny reminder that, despite their knack for petty crime, these are just teenagers. And just a few minutes in, we already have a sense of this group’s dynamic. Bear is the de facto leader, though, as time goes on, that will require willfully overlooking the quiet authority emanating from Elora. Willie Jack is smart, but a wild card, while Cheese is the sweet and abiding one. The foursome is prepared to do whatever it takes, including stealing trucks midday, to make the money to travel to California—not a specific city or town, just the state, which holds some ineffable allure. It could really be anywhere, as long as it’s not the rez, their home and the place they blame for the death of their friend Daniel one year prior.
The two-parter doesn’t elaborate on how the rez led to Daniel’s death, but it does explore why these kids are straining to get away. That’s one of the most powerful elements of the series early on, the way it captures the push-pull of home. How many teenagers have pondered leaving home, whether due to tragedy or the sense of restlessness that comes with a shifting identity? How many have wanted to leave knowing perfectly well they can’t? Reservation Dogs lets those feelings breathe, along with the anger and grief welling up in Bear, Elora, Cheese, and Willie Jack. A push comes from local cop Big (Zahn McClarnon, goofing it up with aplomb), who all but tells the kids he’s watching them, followed by the pull of Rita (Sarah Podemski), Bear’s mom who is still trying to nab a “lawyer dad” to help look after her son (and, as she admits, herself). When Bear sneaks some of his ill-gotten gains into his mom’s wallet, he’s not waffling on the move or thinking he’s getting one over on his mom; he’s conflicted in the same way so many other kids his age are, particularly Indigenous kids and other young people of color. Leaving home can be so much more loaded—it’s a rejection, not just a move. It’s why, even after recommitting to their plan to get away, Bear and his friends swear to be “vigilantes” and look after their home.
That’s far from the only dilemma Bear and his friends will face throughout the season; in the first episode alone, they struggle with the consequences of their heist and a “gang” called the Indian Mafia. A rivalry springs out of nowhere between the Rez Dogs (a name that comes about as an afterthought) and the Indian Mafia, culminating in a drive-by shooting that bears Waititi’s mark, just as sure as Bear wears the paint from the pellets fired at him and the group. Reservation Dogs smartly plays with our expectations of any coming-of-age story that takes place outside of the pasty suburbs.
The indie film aesthetic that Harjo and Sydney Freeland, who direct “F*ckin’ Rez Dogs” and “NDN Clinic,” respectively, bring to the show could just as easily be used to frame a tragicomic tale. But while the show is steeped in the reality of life for Indigenous people in the U.S., it’s just as committed to highlighting the humor that’s been essential to their survival. Mose and Mekko (rappers and comedians Lil Mike and Funny Bone) ride around town, providing wit and levity in the aftermath of confrontation. When Bear is “shot” or beaten down (as he is in “NDN Clinic,” necessitating the trip to the eponymous medical center), he’s visited by the spirit of William Knifeman, a Native warrior felled by an ornery horse, who’s no more competent in the afterlife.
Reservation Dogs subverts Native stereotypes, much like Peacock’s Rutherford Falls, another winning 2021 comedy. The two series share a few actors, too, including Jacobs and Jana Schmieding, who plays a smartass intake receptionist in “NDN Clinic.” The second part of the premiere reveals more about the kids’ home lives and sharpens their characterizations. After the Indian Mafia jumps Bear, he tries to put on a brave face for the group, which they immediately see through. They know each other too well to dissemble well, though it’s also just fun for Willie Jack to tease Bear for “crying” after the beating. Willie Jack also shows how enterprising she is, selling meat pies outside of the clinic, thereby emptying out her grandmother’s freezer. It’s one of the many subtle references to the kids’ individual family dynamics, which all look different. Bear has a mom and estranged dad; Willie Jack, a grandmother; Cheese, an uncle, possibly; we’ll have to wait to learn more about Elora’s. We’ll no doubt learn more about their relatives as the season unfolds, but this is another poignant reminder of how complicated the concept of home is.
During a panel for the 2021 TCA summer press tour, Harjo cited movies like Friday, with its low-turned-high-stakes and its underseen setting, as influences for the show. Reservation Dogs makes a cohesive dramedy out of the group’s solemn mission—honor their friend by getting out of the place they believe claimed his life—and their tendency to be, you know, kids. When they declare their intention to protect the town, they walk together (in suits, in one of several references to Reservoir Dogs, the series’ sorta namesake) while lightheartedly arguing over everything from the label of “vigilantes” to the name of their “gang” to who gets to be Mr. Camouflage. Waititi and Harjo’s writing is key, but what holds everything together right now is this young cast. Woon-A-Tai, Jacobs, Factor, and Alexis are believable as friends and kids who might be in over their heads; they’re sweet and formidable, naïve yet all too aware of how the world works. You can already feel that this show is just the beginning of their bright and varied careers (it had better be, Hollywood).
With its playful and stylish two-part debut, Reservation Dogs is already on track to be one of the best comedies (and shows) of the year. As much as I want to keep these kids safe, I can’t wait to see what other scrapes they get into.
Stray observations
- Welcome to Reservation Dogs coverage! I’m still figuring out the schedule/shape this will take, but after watching the first four episodes, I knew I didn’t want to just write a pre-air review and then forget about the show until finale time.
- The teen cast is phenomenal, but I also want to recognize Schmieding, Podemski, and McClarnon’s work. It’s tough to be the buzzkill adults, who so often represent the opposition for teens, but they manage to shade that role with some humanity.
- Still, I felt serious secondhand embarrassment for Elora when Schmieding’s receptionist observed how ill-advised it was for her to try to hawk her meat pies when she’s complaining about a stomachache.
- McClarnon is so funny in Big’s most serious moments, like when he warns Bear away from the “white man’s bullets,” i.e., sugar, while getting ready to drink an “organtic” energy drink.
- These kids already remind me so much of family members in New Mexico and Oklahoma, but then Willie Jack said “what’s up, putos?” and brandished a chancla at the Indian Mafia…
- Bets on whether Bear will ever tell William Knifeman to “piss off, ghost?”
- There is really so much Native talent behind the scenes, including Tazbah Rose Chavez, Blackhorse Lowe, Migizi Pensoneau, Dylan Brodie, Tommy Pico, and Bobby Wilson (of The 1491s, the sketch comedy group co-founded by Sterlin Harjo).
- The Lactaid at Daniel’s shrine was a nice, poignant touch.
- Cheese might seem like he has his head in the clouds, but when he observes just how many Indigenous people suffer from depression, he’s just speaking facts.
40 Comments
Ep 1 reminded me a little of The Train Job from Firefly.
Sounds really great! also, do they reference Willow directly?
Yep, multiple times
Then the Universe makes sense. Thank you.
Let’s hope this unrolls better than the awful rez plots in the latter seasons of Longmire.
Psyched that you’re reviewing (in whatever format you decide) this gem!
I definitely identified with that yearning to get out out out, no matter how underdefined or mythologized the destination. But I was glad to see the show didn’t hide from the consequences of the Rez Dogs’ cannibalizing their grubstake from their already struggling community.
This was pretty good. The young cast seems really solid, very funny without feeling like they’re trying to hard for it. I’m on board.Somebody involved in this sure loves Willow.
I’ll be a little disappointed if the ‘Which way do we go? That way!’ exchange doesn’t make an appearance at some point.
“it’s a ron howard joint” made me laugh out loud
I watched the first episode a second time after my housemate expressed interest, and noticed that the salvage yard is called “Burglecutt’s Salvage”.
Im glad someone else caught it. There are some sites (not these sites) claiming to list all of the pop culture references and totally missed that one. Fucking amateurs…
I realize my myopic privilege is shining through, but when I saw the title of this series, I honestly thought it was going to be a comedy about maître d’s at fancy restaurants. I’m glad I was wrong.
I enjoyed the first ep enough that I was excited to see the second was available immediately on Hulu and watched it also. One of my favorite TV premiers in recent years.
I’ll give it a couple of episodes. The first episode wasn’t very funny (except the spirit of the hapless warrior whose name I forget, very much a Taika character), but all of the actors were good, and the premise has future promise.
Really digging this. About time for more indigenous representation on TV. Love the chemistry between the teenaged actors.
Devory Jacobs … she’s “The Order” royalty!!
This is shaping up to be my favorite new TV series of the year. I love the feeling of encountering something that’s better than I expected (the promos made me think this was going to be more of a broad, straightforward comedy), and immerses me in a world I haven’t seen a zillion times. The storytelling is so deft and confident — I can’t wait to enjoy the rest of the ride. My only complaint is that I can’t binge the entire season at once, since the show has such a strong indie movie vibe.One question I had (spoilers for the first episode): what happened with the poor schmuck whose truck the kids stole? I know the kids were going to buy back the truck, only to find that it had been stripped, but I was confused as to whether they actually handed over the money only to be screwed over, and if they still had the money, if they gave it to the truck driver or not.
Elora puts a roll of currency back into her pocket just after Ansel–the nitwit with a pool cue–says, “I thought it was `Hakuna matata.’” They’re not shown finding the driver or giving him anything, and I don’t think we’re supposed to infer they did it off camera.
I really enjoyed the first two episodes, and each of the four teenagers are great for their own reasons. I didn’t laugh while watching, so I’m not sure if this is a true comedy. Maybe it’s a comedy in the way Shameless was a comedy (the first few seasons at least).I wonder if Elora is eating all those chips because she has nothing else to eat?And Willie Jack is probably my favorite character so far. Sarcastic and bold and pushy. What’s not to love?
Did you not laugh because you didn’t find it funny (which, fair enough) or because you felt it was inappropriate to laugh?
I didn’t think it was laugh out loud funny. I grew up very close to that area of Oklahoma and in a similar poverty level, so to me it more normal than humor. I still enjoyed it though! It just didn’t make me laugh like What We Do In The Shadows makes me laugh.I remember watching that documentary Jesus Camp and not understanding why everyone was so up in arms because it was just so everyday normal to me, so maybe my perception is screwy.
I can totally see that. My impression was that the poverty was largely treated matter-of-factly and not for laughs (I think there were one or two jokes that seemed to be specifically about them being poor, which I found kind of uncomfortable). It seems a lot like Atlanta to me in that it deals with serious issues, but surrounds them with a lot of absurd humor.I felt like the laugh out loud parts came from the absurdity, the accurate depiction of universal teenage shit-headedness, and Bobby Lee.
Huge Atlanta vibes. First two episodes were firecrackling good.
My favs are the little rappers, so cool.
When they first announced this show I was so excited – more Native/Indigenous representation! And so far, I’m loving it. I appreciate the authenticity and actually laughed out loud a few times, which hasn’t been happening a lot recently. It was the line delivery and their facial expressions that really sold some of the comedy. I look forward to your coverage!sidenote: why is no one covering Tuca &Bertie this season? It’s been on fire (in a good way) and it’s difficult finding indepth recaps
Filming took place in Okmulgee, but I feel it’s important to get Harjo’s hometown right. He’s from Holdenville, Oklahoma.
This show is dynamite. I found it laugh out loud funny and the cast is superb. Very excited to see the rest of the season. Glad AV Club is gonna do reviews!
It’s been corrected, thanks!
Thank you so much for doing weekly coverage!! I want EVERYONE to watch this show and I want it to start a new wave of Native representation on screen. We need more stories like this !!!!!!!!
It was great – most shows at some point I’m doing mental math to calculate how much time is left in the episode. Not so with either of these – seemed like they flew by. Excellent all around. William Knife-man made my son and I crack up every scene. Is it intended to be a full-on multi-season series? If so that’s great news as I had heard it was a 4e and done mini.
This sounds awesome. Will give it a shot.Is there any Tarantino connection? I don’t mean writing/producing…but like pop culture references and allusions? The title, and shot of them walking in suits seem pretty obvious…but the article doesn’t mention QT once.
The principle cast dress in the iconic suits at a memorial for their friend and are shown walking down an alley in an obvious nod to the Tarantino film. But the references seem more like suggestions so far than any overt connection.
Thanks!
Bear has a Reservoir Dogs poster in his room too.
I caught this on Hulu last night and thought it was pretty good. Not laugh out loud funny but the slow burn think about it comedy. I think they only had the first 5 episodes, so I’m looking forward to the remainder if I can remember to watch Hulu, I have the plan with commercials (got it free). Watching Paul McCartney 1,2,3 now that’s good, real good if you are a fan of any type of music and how it’s made.
The very last shot of episode 2, with Cheese and his grandma, was my favorite moment of the two episodes.
Whats great, is that isn’t his grandmother. Just a lady who thought he was her grandson.
Thank you for the recap, hopefully you do this show week by week, I feel it would be worth it as the show appears to be quite excellent.
Absolutely loving these first two episodes. I’m a total mark for anything that starts off with a Stooges needle drop…the Willow references (both enthusiastically pro and con) that seem to be Waititi’s signature…the foul mouthed (aka realistic) kids…it’s all very endearing.
I think they’ve done a fantastic job at balancing tones without whiplash in these first two episodes. The only time I feel like that stumbles a bit is how thick they laid it on that that track driver basically had his entire life fall apart as a direct consequence of their actions, which was all articulated within earshot of the kids in one convenient exposition dump. Unless we’re going to see more of the kids trying to do right by the poor guy (which seems an unlikely arc, though I could be wrong), it seems like a LOT to hang on them right from the outset. But on a show this good, that’s something I’ll find easy to forgive.
Im loving this show. There’s not much say that hasn’t already been said but wanted to contribute my love for it. I also get a very slight Letterkenny vibe but in an ‘other side of the coin’ where the show is about Tanis (the obvious First Nations/Native American parallel). Obviously different shows so don’t @ me. Also, the young cast are all young expect Devery Jacobs, who is 28 years old?! She looks just as young as the rest of the cast. But I think her age lends itself to her character and gives her underlying maturity and weariness.
How strange to cite the quote “what’s up, putos?”, which means “what’s up, faggots?” as some sort of feel good comment and not acknowledge the hateful word.I love the show, and in the show, that’s how people speak, no problem. But to repeat the quote yourself is offensive.