Willie Jack is feeling down about everything that’s been going on recently. She says that it’s all her fault.
When Willie Jack enlisted a “white wizard” to put a curse on Jackie in the last season, she wasn’t thinking about how often curses can come back to bite those who initiate them. In this case, she’s convinced this curse has a hold on her community–and she’s determined to reverse it.
The protagonist, a young girl, is struggling to find help for her mental health issues. Cheese is along for the ride until he gets distracted by Uncle Brownie’s DVD collection. Uncle Brownie is too busy trying to be a “holy man” and Bucky wants to help but isn’t necessarily capable. ..
Elora spends her days wandering the woods, hoping to find a way to cross the ocean. One day, she meets a bear who tells her about a curse that has been put on her by Willie Jack. Eventually, Elora realizes that she is more alone than ever and decides to give up on her quest. ..
The curse of the road has hit Jackie and Elora hard. First, their GPS goes out; then their car breaks down.
The three girls, ages 16, 17, and 18, were traveling with salesman Vincent when he took a turn into the middle of nowhere. When they realized what was happening, they fought back and Vincent was stabbed in the back. ..
They stumble out of the car without their bags and with only a small fraction of their money. Jackie confesses that she carries a similar pain to Elora’s. Her brother died. He was cool, she says–like Daniel.
Jackie suggests stealing a car to help them get to LA, but going for the first car they lay eyes on–in broad daylight–doesn’t exactly work out for them.
The robbers run as fast as they can, but the guys on wheels are faster. They shoot at the robbers, and one of them is hit. The robber falls to the ground, and the other ones start running away.
The Episode Review
The Rez Dogs are back, and they’re not all united in proximity. After the heart-wrenching backstories that were revealed in season 1, it’s fascinating to see how much the shared pain that united them could also drive them so far apart. Each dog has learned to process their respective trauma in ways unique to them, but they all remain bonded by their shared pain.
After the tragedy, Willie Jack and her friends are still processing what happened. She is probably the most proactive of them, looking for a reverse curse to fix everything. I feel that Willie Jack’s search for a curse will prove a lesson for her in the end- that sometimes you can’t fix everything, but you have to deal with consequences. Still, I can’t help but hope she’ll be justified in her quest. It would be a sweet lesson indeed for those who didn’t believe in her, who should have bonded together as a community after the communal trauma. ..
Reservation Dogs is a show that takes its time in exploring the complicated lives of its characters, and I appreciate that. It’s also a show that’s always concerned about depicting unique individuals and their stories, even if those stories sometimes don’t quite fit into the mold of what the writers are used to seeing on television.
The reservation has always been a key factor in the relationship between Elora and her Rez Dogs. But will all the Rez Dogs see that?
