Reservation Dogs (Season 3) Episode 4: In this new season, ‘Reservation Dogs’ shows its teenage characters slowly realizing the challenges of adulthood. While others return to Oklahoma with Aunt Teenie, Bear is left behind in California. Luckily, his surprising meeting with Deer Lady helps him back to his hometown – even if that meant he had to witness her enter a house for a gnarly murder. Before that, he also met Maximus, who made him realize and accept the good things about his life and get past the unpleasant stuff.
Now the new episode shows our rez dogs getting punished for going to California. Everyone has to face one or the other challenge – whether it is doing a boring chore or accepting the new aspects of their lives. We see the gang become more mature, as if their trip liberated them and began the process of healing a part of their trauma.
Spoilers ahead.
Reservation Dogs (Season 3) Episode 4 ‘Friday’ Recap:
The episode begins with Rita (Sarah Podemski) getting bored sitting at a local group activity. Clinton (Warren Queton) still enthusiastically makes his small crowd excited for the bingo game. Eventually, Rita gets so bored that she walks out of the room. Meanwhile, Big (Zahn McClarnon) finds Old Man Fixico (Richard Ray Whitman) looking at the sky. The old man mentions he is looking at the clouds and says that the rain coming soon. Big jokes about this local ‘weather predictor’ and ends this small talk.
Rez Dogs’ Punishment
Rita, Bev (Jana Schmieding), and Leon (Jon Proudstar) gather the rez dogs together to teach them a lesson. They want the kids to know what they did is not right. The kids should not have gone to California without informing. So, the adults decide to discipline them. They ask the kids to accept that they are shitasses. Only Cheese (Lane Factor) says that he is because of his general obedience. Anyhow, Leon appoints Elora (Devery Jacobs) to trash duty. He then asks Bear (D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai) and Jackie (Elva Guerra) to clean the mops together.
The kids defend themselves saying that nothing bad happened. But that does not matter. The adults still want to punish them for their irresponsible behavior. Even if Jackie did not go to California, Bev plans to discipline her as a ‘probably cause’! She disciplines her merely out of suspicion. While others try to get out of their boring and unpleasant punishments, Cheese asks for a task by himself! Leon tells Cheese and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) to clean a graphic wall graffiti on the front entrance. Willie feels sad that she has to clean her masterpiece.
Rez Dogs on Duty
Anyhow, Cheese cleans the graffiti wall by himself while Willie Jack stands next to him, eating a pack of snacks. She sees Fixico on a nearby chair gazing at the sky. He says that a ‘lot of rain is coming their way, metaphorically.’ Willie pretends to understand what he said. Mose (Lil Mike) and Mekko (Funny Bone) come up to the old man to get protection meds to battle their online haters. After Fixico offer them something, Willie Jack asks him how he always knows what to give to people. Fixico says he offered the men stinkweed as always. That’s when Cheese says he is done cleaning the graffiti. But Willie Jack sees that it is only partially faded. She realizes that Cheese did not go take his prescribed glasses, which is affecting his vision. While he goes to get them, she decides to clean it herself.
Leon joins Elora at trash duty. She talks about how their trip to California allowed them a chance to do something for Daniel. Leon believes Daniel appreciated their efforts. While he plans to ground Willie Jack for a while, he still feels good that the rez dogs went on that soul-cleansing adventure. Later, he brings her to an employers-only room from IHS. That’s when he offers Elora a chance to be her successor to leave his duties. She deflects, saying she is busy. Since she is practically jobless, he tries to sway her mind. But Elora plans to resume her education. He still tries to show her the perks of this job and suggests she can simultaneously go to a nearby college while studying.
Bear’s Adventure Tales
Jackie cannot believe that Bear actually met the Deer Lady. So, she asks him about it during their moping duty. Bear says he freaked out seeing Deer Lady’s hooves – but then, she gives him an apple pie. Jackie finds it impossible to believe. Bear then reveals that he also met a conquistador and came across Star People and eggplants in his solitary adventure. Jackie finds all of it silly and mostly imagined. Bev notices these two kids gushing from her desk. She instantly thinks that they will end up together. So, she even tells Rita to be ready to be a grandmother. While Jackie calls Bear a liar, Rita fears if what Bev says is true – whether her life so quickly reached this turn.
Reservation Dogs (Season 3) Episode 4 ‘Friday’ Ending Explained:
Welcoming Adulthood
In the hospital, Big lies on his stomach, with his pants lowered for some medical inspection. Bev hears him speak to himself and ends up noticing him half-naked. Later, when he walks out to her desk, she apologizes to him. He coyishly says how he felt violated in his confidential moment. She ends up praising what she sees, which makes Elora uncomfortable. Once Big leaves, Elora asks Bev if she can get her records since she wants to go to school to probably learn psychology. Because of this choice, Bev calls her ‘master manipulator’! After receiving her docs, she finds her father’s name to be Rick Miller. Since she already told Bev that she is 18 and can leave if she wants, maybe she plans to locate her father.
A white kid, Steve (Jacke Maricle), wins the bingo game and becomes another white person to take something away from the others! Cheese goes to the optometrist’s office to find Natalie (Nathalie Standingcloud) trying to record a dance video while sitting on her chair. She sees him and asks him to shoot her dance. After helping her with it, Cheese finally gets his glasses and starts seeing things clearly.
Meanwhile, Willie Jack spends some time with Fixico. He says he believes he will be gone soon. So, she asks if she can be his successor and carry forward his medicine business. Willie Jack notes how she is serious when she wants to be. He agrees to let her learn for the time being and says he will tell them ‘when the time is right.’ She calls it ‘Empire Strikes Back’ shit! Then, Cheese comes back and introduces himself with his new pair of glasses. Everyone welcomes him with open arms and helps him get over his nervousness.
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