by Chantal Ashford, Contributing Writer
Sometimes, I tell myself that I will get into a show and finally watch it. There was one particular show everybody talked about and told me to watch. Of course, I said I would, and almost a year after the series premiered, I caught up with Reservation Dogs before its second season on Hulu.
In season two, we’re back on the Rez with Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Elora (Devery Jacobs), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), and Cheese (Lane Factor), and we pick up exactly where we left off after season one ended. The tornado has passed (thanks to Gary Farmer’s Uncle Brownie), and the gang is scattered: Elora and Jackie (Elva Guerra) are on their way to L.A., while the rest are still on the reservation.
The new season keeps the same continuous storyline, while blending new stories along the way with our favorite “sh*t asses.” Yes, the plot is about Rez dogs keeping their promise to make it to L.A. for their late friend Daniel, but we also see new and familiar faces. My favorite moments are whenever the gang is back together. They make it worth your while whenever they’re on the screen. This charismatic foursome always makes good television.
The standout this season for me is Willie Jack. Sarcastic with the laidback attitude, we get to see Willie Jack soften a few times. In the ninth episode, “Offerings,” Willie Jack, along with Bear, is close to graduating high school. When they were freshmen, they wrote letters to their future selves, and Willie Jack received her cousin Daniel’s unread letter. For some guidance, she visits someone in prison in hopes of finding these answers. She comes off stubborn, but finally lets her guard drop and finds peace and clarity. Willie Jack shows vulnerability; those are her best moments of the season.
Elora is another standout for me. The responsible one who always seems to pick up the pieces, she has her world around her falling apart. After the first L.A. trip is a bust, Elora deals with her grandmother’s sudden illness. The young teen takes a lot on her shoulders, still reeling from Daniel’s death; the group scattered, all while trying to get out of their small town. It’s not an easy feat. Within the 10 episodes of the season, Elora falls and gets back up, just to fall again to get back up. It’s a vicious cycle, but she still comes up on top.
Bear is still a favorite. The young man is still lost, but trying to grow into a responsible teenager by getting a job and taking accountability. Whenever he gets “advice” from his guide, William “Spirit” Knifeman (Dallas Goldtooth), it’s always a highlight.
Cheese, the most chill of them all, had his run-in with the law this season, thanks to his “cousin uncle,” and ends up in a group home. I wanted to protect him. Seeing him connect with other teenagers is fun, but Cheese belongs with the Dogs.
Also, I would love to see Jackie with the Dogs. She helped them even though they still bump heads, but she fits right in with them. The NDN Mafia will be alright without their former leader.
I wasn’t feeling the season in episode five, “The Aunties,” and episode eight, “This is Where The Plot Thickens.” They are like fillers and don’t have much to do with the season. They are still good, but I didn’t care for them like the rest, especially episode eight. It is trippy, and a moment in the woods with catfish heads… That’s all I will say about that.
In the last episode, “I Still Believe,” the Rez Dogs pulled on my heartstrings and had me quietly crying in the dark. It is beautiful and heartbreaking, but also healing. To watch our favorite foursome come full circle with their promise to their late friend (but with a slight twist at the end) makes me thankful this series has been renewed for a third season.
The second season is solid and one of the year’s best shows. I would love to see some accolades for the cast and the show itself because it’s definitely due time. Reservation Dogs should still be on everyone’s watch list as we wait for the third season.
Score: 9/10
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