Reservation Dogs
Several months ago I started watching a new streaming series, Reservation Dogs. It's a slice-of-life comedy/drama about Native American teens living in, and trying to leave, a tribal town in rural Oklahoma. The name of the show is a play on the name of Quentin Tarrantino's bloody debut movie, Reservoir Dogs.
The series is unusual in that it's not just about Native Americans but by Native Americans. The creators, the writers, and most of the cast are Native people. Beyond simply giving opportunity to underrepresented people in show business- which matters- this is great because it empowers the show to portray accurately Native life and culture. Online sites I've read are full of positive reviews from people who identify as native, praising the show for getting so many things right. That makes it fascinating to me, a white American descendant of European immigrants, because it's one show that's free of the standard tropes the media commonly fall into, portraying native people and native life as either all poverty and misery, or noble savages.
So what's the show about? Like I said in the first paragraph, it's nominally about four teens living in a small, rural tribal town. They're tired of the lack of opportunity where they live and aspire to escape to magical, semi-mythical California. Season 1 starts with them committing some crimes to gain money to travel. This criminal start is part of the play on Reservoir Dogs... though the rather than become hardened, career criminals like in Tarrantino's violent thriller, the teens of Reservation Dogs discover they suck at crime and decide not to try it again. Mostly. (Two characters commit an assault, albeit under duress, and then a theft early in Season 2.)
The show's a little hard to like, IMO. One naturally sympathizes with the teens in their yearning for a better life than the limited, dull, and somewhat grim existence around them. They make some poor choices, though, in trying to find something better.
On the one hand, the kids remain sympathetic despite their bad choices because it's hard to fault them. The adults in their lives set so few examples of making good choices. The kids are having to learn by trial and error. The best guidance a few of them get comes in the form of a comic-relief spirit, who both embodies Native American media stereotypes while simultaneously poking fun at them.
On the other hand, the crummy adult role models the kids are stuck with are a big part of what makes the show hard to like. So many times I'm left wondering, "Is there anyone here who isn't a fool or hasn't just given up?"
Ultimately that's part of what makes the show appealing, in a bittersweet way. The teens yearn to leave because they want more from life than the limited options their town offers. People in their parents' generation who yearned for the same... well, they're already gone. The town's a sad place because everyone with aspirations either left already or gave up hope.
The series is unusual in that it's not just about Native Americans but by Native Americans. The creators, the writers, and most of the cast are Native people. Beyond simply giving opportunity to underrepresented people in show business- which matters- this is great because it empowers the show to portray accurately Native life and culture. Online sites I've read are full of positive reviews from people who identify as native, praising the show for getting so many things right. That makes it fascinating to me, a white American descendant of European immigrants, because it's one show that's free of the standard tropes the media commonly fall into, portraying native people and native life as either all poverty and misery, or noble savages.
So what's the show about? Like I said in the first paragraph, it's nominally about four teens living in a small, rural tribal town. They're tired of the lack of opportunity where they live and aspire to escape to magical, semi-mythical California. Season 1 starts with them committing some crimes to gain money to travel. This criminal start is part of the play on Reservoir Dogs... though the rather than become hardened, career criminals like in Tarrantino's violent thriller, the teens of Reservation Dogs discover they suck at crime and decide not to try it again. Mostly. (Two characters commit an assault, albeit under duress, and then a theft early in Season 2.)
The show's a little hard to like, IMO. One naturally sympathizes with the teens in their yearning for a better life than the limited, dull, and somewhat grim existence around them. They make some poor choices, though, in trying to find something better.
On the one hand, the kids remain sympathetic despite their bad choices because it's hard to fault them. The adults in their lives set so few examples of making good choices. The kids are having to learn by trial and error. The best guidance a few of them get comes in the form of a comic-relief spirit, who both embodies Native American media stereotypes while simultaneously poking fun at them.
On the other hand, the crummy adult role models the kids are stuck with are a big part of what makes the show hard to like. So many times I'm left wondering, "Is there anyone here who isn't a fool or hasn't just given up?"
Ultimately that's part of what makes the show appealing, in a bittersweet way. The teens yearn to leave because they want more from life than the limited options their town offers. People in their parents' generation who yearned for the same... well, they're already gone. The town's a sad place because everyone with aspirations either left already or gave up hope.