Reservation Dogs (Season 3 Finale) Episode 10: After three seasons of wonderful storytelling, Reservation Dogs on Hulu is coming to an end. It began as a story of a group of Native American friends navigating their lives in a part of Oklahoma. Over time, it became a maturely written coming-of-age comedy-drama that feels universal despite being rooted in a specific milieu. The final season was not just an aftermath of the return of Rez Dogs to their home, but it was also a wider look into the way our roots define our identity – but need not limit it.
Every character gained emotional maturity in one or the other way. They rose above their petty differences toward their journey into early adulthood. Now, the final episode of season 3, aka the series finale, is a heartwarming culmination of all that the show stood for. Folks across generations gather together to pay their respects to Old Man Fixico. The sense of community is stronger than ever. But that does not come in between the characters making liberating choices instead of limiting themselves.
Spoilers ahead!
Reservation Dogs (Season 3) Episode 10 “Dig” Recap:
The series finale of Reservation Dogs begins with some aerial shots from Oklahoma with a radio announcement playing in the background. It feels like how the old-school films used to initiate a narrative about their big changes. We see Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) meeting Hokti (Lily Gladstone) inside the prison. Their previous meeting began awkwardly since Hokti felt like she should not get attached to someone. But now, the two seem like close pals. If you have seen their last interaction from the previous season, you know that Hokti asks for Flamers in exchange for what Willie Jack wants to talk with her about.
Willie Jack & Hokti
Now, Willie Jack & Hokti already have a few packets lying on their table before even starting the conversation. Willie Jack informs about Old Man Fixico’s death. Hokti gets emotional. Willie Jack regrets not getting enough time to spend with him before he passed away. Hokti keeps seeing the spirit of her sister around her. Upon hearing Willie Jack’s concern, she says that Fixico will always be there with them in a way. To explain, she lays out the food packages on the table to represent different people from their lives. Then, she takes out chips and places them upon each packet, one after the other.
What Hokti means is – the knowledge Old Man Fixico shared with them will stay with them despite he has left the word. He will stay alive through the teachings that he passed on to many people, including Willie Jack. Hokti tries to make Willie Jack understand what the old man taught her with the time she volunteered for help. She speaks about strengthening the sense of community and how every coming generation will need to take the baton forward to preserve the sense of togetherness as they move forward.
The Work
Willie Jack takes charge of the rituals of Fixico’s burial and makes sure everyone is in their place. Rita (Sarah Podemski) and Bev (Jana Schmieding) join other women in the town, whereas Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) and Cheese (Lane Factor) help Leon and Danny carry the structure. Grandma Irene (Casey Camp-Horinek) has Maximus (Graham Greene) sit aside, waiting. Bear and Willie Jack bring them some food. But the old souls refuse to eat white people’s food like doughnuts. They also advise the younglings to dig and starve. But the two get fairly hungry by then.
Maximus stays busy telling Irene some stories from his past. White Steve (Jack Maricle) drives Elora (Devery Jacobs) and Bone Thug Dog (Jude Barnett) to the ground. He is concerned about the door of his brand-new car. Uncle Brownie (Gary Farmer) also arrives there with Bucky (Wes Studi) to meet their friend Maximus after years. They eventually gather in a room to pay their respects to Fixico. Big (Zahn McClarnon) is about to go on and on about an old story. Alas, he stops rambling and keeps a book on the body. Leon takes it while walking back himself.
The Futures
The elders keep asking for several cups of coffee and say that it is to keep the spirits away. Maximus sees the white boy, Stvee, and tries to scare him off. Big arrives in the room where women are cooking a meal. He offers a big zucchini to Bev, and almost everyone understands the sexual innuendo. Dana takes it from her to prepare something. Meanwhile, Teenie (Tamara Podemski) takes a week off from her work to join them. Big tells her that he has started dating someone else.
Teenie walks inside and tries speaking with Elora about her dorm room. Turns out, Elora got the admission to the college. But she chooses not to tell others right away. It feels like she does not want to get into that topic with others before telling Bear that she will be moving away from the town. Teenie asks Rita if she is taking her new job, and she says ‘Yes’. Rita says that Elora would be back in their town to keep a watch on Bear. So, Elora senses the pressure Bear would feel since both she and his mother will be leaving the town. So, she decides to finally share the truth.
Bear takes a moment to reflect on it, which worries Elora. However, right after, he says that he is okay with it and is proud of her for deciding to go to college. It puts a smile on her face. He mentions that she had it harder than anyone else. She says that she will come back on the weekends to meet. They both express their love for each other and hug.
Reservation Dogs (Season 3 Finale) Episode 10 “Dig” Ending Explained:
At the burial ground, Vinny (Justin ‘Jud’ Gauthier) chooses a place for the dig. The elders give Willie Jack the shovel to dig the ground first. They start taking turns one after the other to dig deeper. Eventually, Kenny Boy (Kirk Fox) arrives there with Ansel (Matty Cardarople) and offers a bunch of shovels to help in the work. By the night, the elders sit together while the younglings get tired of the work. Bear walks away to take a piss. The elders tell him not to whistle as it might attract the spirits. But Bear can’t help but whistle. The Spirit (Dallas Goldtooth) of William Knifeman sneaks up on him and scares him a bit. They meet months after Bear told him to leave him alone.
Nevertheless, the spirit feels good that his nephew is doing well. He tells Bear to accept other people’s love and let them be a part of his life instead of fearing any sense of attachment – as a result of his bad experiences in the past. Bear mentions that he will stay back and figure some stuff out. Finally, the two hug, and the Spirit leaves. The next morning, Willie Jack pays her respects to Old Man Fixico in an emotional speech. Bear and Jackie (Elva Guerra) help Rita pack her stuff for her travel. The Rez Dogs also hug each other before Elora leaves for her education. In the end, we see the elders sitting together, saying that they did well for Fixico and saying – ‘Until the next time.’ It shows an acceptance of the cycle of life without malice while staying together as a community.
