Reservation Dogs: Season 3 (Final)
Created by: Sterlin Harjo & Taika Waititi
Written by:
Sterlin Jarjo, Dallas Goldtooth, Tazbah Chavez, Sterlin Harjo, Erica Tremblay, Tommy Pico, Bobby Wilson, Migizi Pensoneau, Ryan RedCorn, Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, Chad Charlie
This wonderful show has maintained its quality wit and authenticity for all three seasons!
I initially didn't want to watch it because the trailers made it look like a shallow comedy-- just people being stupid for the sake of being stupid. But I'm glad I chose to give the first season a try because the real humor was in its intellectual satire. The show effectively makes fun of misconceptions whites have about indigenous culture and makes fun of how indigenous culture really is.
Despite being an episodic (as in, each episode stands alone) slice-of-life series, there's an overarching plot across the three seasons that gives the characters purpose and allows the third season to effectively bring the series to a close. A year before the start of the first season, a teenager named Daniel ends his life. The show is about Daniel's friends (the main cast: Elora, Bear, Cheese, and Willie Jack, collectively the "rez dogs") processing his death, coming to terms with how it affects them and their community, honoring him and their way of life, and moving on and finding their own futures. Season 3 begins with these four friends in California, having made their way there in the season 2 finale as a way of honoring Daniel by fulfilling his own dream of doing the same. This was a perfect way to begin the final season, exemplifying the fact that the four of them have made their peace with Daniel's legacy, honored him, and are now ready to begin moving forward. It simultaneously sets the pace for the final season. What are these friends going to do next? How can they choose a healthy and fulfilling path forward, despite their surroundings, which can sometimes feel oppressive?
One standout episode early in the season ("Deer Lady," written by Sterlin Harjo) stars the titular figure (portrayed by Kaniehtiio Horn), who picks up a stranded Bear and offers him a ride back home. The episode is a major departure from the rest of the series both in story and tone, but pays homage to indigenous lore and shines a necessary light on shared indigenous trauma brought on by Christians. The episode is largely from the deer lady's point of view and spends heavy screentime on flashbacks of her at a Catholic boarding school where she witnesses her friends being beaten and killed, before she runs away and is rescued by a deer spirit. After picking up Bear, she drives to the home of the former head of this boarding school and exacts revenge, which Bear is forced to come to terms with.
Several episodes in the season focus on the rez dogs or their family reconnecting with passed or estranged members of their community in order to process the loss (or reconnect!) and move on with their lives. Notable examples include "Wahoo" written by Migizi Pensoneau, "Elora's Dad" written by Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, and "Send it" written by Sterlin Harjo and Ryan RedCorn. Each of these episodes were powerful and important parts of the rez dogs' journey, allowing them to make peace with their community and foster healing so they can be empowered to move on and move forward with their lives. While the episodes encourage a sense of progress for the rez dogs, the progress notably comes not by leaving their reservation community behind and disconnecting, but instead uplifting and strengthening their community as they uplift themselves.
By the end of the series, Elora has announced she is departing their reservation to attend college, and Rita (Bear's mother; portrayed by Sarah Podemski) has announced she's also leaving the reservation to accept a job promotion. While neither of these is groundbreaking on its own, each of them exemplify the idea of moving forward and moving toward better things. With the strong focus on community in adjacent episodes, it's a perfect mix of tone: love and honor your community, but also improve yourself and move toward a better future.
All in all, I don't think the series' final season could have been better. In between all the heart I've focused on in this review (because that's what I love), there was plenty of satire, deadpan wit, and outrageous comedy. Every episode was a joy to watch and I loved how it helped me learn more about reservation culture and history, even as the series didn't take itself too seriously. I wish there could be more seasons, but three ended up being perfect to round out the story of the rez dogs.
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