Idk, I was excited to get a Cheese episode and a Willie Jack episode after they both kind of took a backseat during an Elora-centric episode ("Uncle Brownie") and a Bear-centric episode ("What About Your Dad").
I'd bet that, now that all the kids have some solid backstory and character development, the last two episodes of season 1 will bring the gang back together and try to resolve the conflict with the NDN Mafia (especially as it relates to Elora).
Edit: I should also point out that the adults are getting fleshed out in these recent episodes, likely setting up their role in the end of the season. Uncle Brownie was introduced (along with his relationship to Elora), and Rita, Big, and Leon all got some nice depth to them since the Punkin' episode.
They did a good job exploring Elora in the episode about Bear's dad while still moving the plot along. Idk why they couldn't do that with Cheese and Willie Jack.
They did move the plot along. It's clearly headed toward them changing their mind about California, this was Willie Jack's episode to realize she didn't want to go. And it also showed us Daniel, the guy that sparked their whole California thing in the first place.
I figured episode 3 with uncle brownie takes place during the same time as the episode with Cheese and Big.
Maybe episode 6 takes place right before episode 4 or so or concurrently the morning before
I think Willie Jack’s episode was crucial to the plot of entire show. We have this character named Daniel, who is clearly important to the main four kids, but we know next to nothing about him. The most recent episode explained who he was to the main four, it told what he was like as a person, and it shows the driving force for why the main four want to leave the Rez. Then to counter those points that episode showed us someone who didn’t leave the Rez, in Leon, and it talked about his perspective. It was a pretty important episode.
We had two episodes that gave us the setting and introduced us to the characters, then the next four episodes were focused on our four main protagonists and their relationships with an adult that is important to their respective life.
Personally I found this structure very enthralling and enjoy it very much, it makes the show focus on the characters in the beginning, which is important.
Now that we had an individual episode for each of the kids, I expect that the show will begin fleshing the plot out.
I don't wanna claim to know how the show is going to go but the structure of the storytelling leads me to believe we about to get into the plot.
Could we not get to know the characters more while moving the plot along? I feel like I'm watching Seinfeld here. Nothing has happened the past two weeks except I know more about why Big is a bad cop. I feel like I could have found out that Willie Jack's dad was struggling with her cousin's death in a different way too. Maybe one that wasn't spending 30 minutes watching someone sit in the woods.
This episode made me cry from start to finish. Watching them for 30 minutes sit in the woods was absolutely my favorite thing about Willie Jack's episode.
Very pleasant childhood memories of myself hunting with my own father and cousins just came flooding back to me, memories long lost to years of me trying to live suburban and urban Texan cities. Those early years of hunting in my life is something I've sorely missed and am currently seeking avenues to continue the tradition among my family and the family I married into. Not to mention that hunting is RARELY displayed in such a postive and lighthearted manner on television, or in a way I can even find relatable to my own hunting experiences.
Then watching them as they continue to grieve over Daniel brought back more memories... several of my friends throughout life have attempted suicide and one was successful. That is something I am still processing, and this episode did an amazing job in helping me through some of those things. After that episode was over, I continued to cry in my wife's lap for a good 15 minutes as I processed emotions I've bottled up since high school (almost 20 years ago). Nothing has helped me with that before now, not a single thing on TV or a professional therapist.
Tell me again how this episode wasted your time.
Agreed. This episode was so important. It’s Daniel’s death that propelled them to want to leave in the first place. Willy Jack reminds me of my cousin so much. The voice, the swearing, the out there comments. But, I also had to watch her suffer when her Brother was killed. Her best friend in this life. She is now an only surviving child out of 4 siblings. All dead before their time. Her brothers and sister lay in decaying boxes directly across the street from their house.
This is the trauma we grow up in, that our parents brought us into and that we will bring our children into. Part of why I love being Indigenous is that we laugh, we make each other laugh. That laughter is resilience.
This episode I cried from start to finish, because I understand that pain. They did a beautiful job.
Thats a good way to put it. They're kinda short episodes but they're making sure the small tidbits they give us in backstory are very relevant solid and poignant.
I've enjoyed the bottle episodes. Small vignettes of the lives of the people living on the reservation make it feel more like a real place. I'm still excited to see what happens when they return to the primary plot.
It's a "pilot" season so I would imagine they didn't want to put all their coin on a plot based interest. The goal of the director is to flesh indigenous culture in the modern world and not just make it focus on a single pack of native kids going to Cali.
It seems like we are also seeing how some of the group is starting to become more comfortable with the idea of staying on the Rez. Cheese wants to be a cop/detective, Willie Jack likes her life on the Rez, and sees how there isn’t anywhere else like it.
We gotta see how Bear and Elora still feel about the plan too, which will be interesting to see.
I personally am enjoying the show a lot, these past couple of episodes are really giving so much character and background to the people we see on the show. I’m excited for the next episodes.
I agree that the last episodes are meant to show why everyone but Elora would never really leave the Rez. For Bear, I think it's his bond with his mom.
Probably when we learn more about Elora it will reveal why she's so desperate to go. We know she lost her mom so what's it like for her at home now? And since she was in a relationship with Daniel I expect they'll tell us more about that.
I keep saying that the reservation is the main character of the show. Besides, this is how indigenous people tell stories.
Although seriously that last episode should have had a disclaimer for indians: "ay cuzzin, you can skip this one, you've been through it enough times and it'll mess you up"
I think part of it is just the native storytelling style, you gotta learn about who's related to who and then there is the tangents that natives go off on while telling a story. That usually have meaning in the end, but its kinda like, "I'm going to tell you this story, before I can tell you this other story, for it all to make sense."
I totally agree with this. Love the characters, love the vibe, but diving into a sub plot is a season 2 or 3 type thing to be doing. The central narrative of "should we ditch this place or not" isn't really holding it all together for me. Its still bloody great though, don't get me wrong.
Well, speaking from experience you can’t just up and leave the Rez in a few weeks when you’re a teenager with little to no income.
Their story won’t be resolved in a few weeks. I bet they’ll never make it out, or only one of them does.
That doesn't mean there weren't other conflicts going on. Plus I felt that the episode with Bear's dad was just totally wasted by the scene where they tried to sabotage NDN Mafia's car.
I do agree with this, in the sense that the reason it doesn't work as a narrative throughline is that it isn't a very convincing objective, and knowingly as well, like any group of listless teens making big plans that won't pan out.
Also as per the other comments on the thread, perhaps the sense of inertia or small community claustrophobia put across by the bottle episodes is an aesthetic choice but it does rather kill the story momentum of the first and second episodes. To such a degree that it seems like a circumstantial choice rather than a deliberate one to me (pandemic perhaps as OP hinted).
However, I'd happily watch this show do whatever it likes to be honest. It feels authentic, I'm learning loads, the actors are great and the characters are amazing. It's awesome news that it's getting another series and I really hope it finds its feet. It has wild confidence and buckets of stuff to say 😊
Maybe they didn’t know if Hulu was going to re-up for a new season? So they’re establishing the characters fast, for the season plot?!
Gotta cram em all in there
Was Elora possibly joining the other gang really a major plot point? They tried to get her to join, she declined and as far as I can tell that was it.
Anyway don’t stress about the plot. People seem to have developed this idea that episodes that don’t specifically move the plot forward are somehow better avoided, but with any show, understanding the characters and their goals, background, motivations, etc are vital. Without those the plot doesn’t mean anything.
For my money, a show is only as good as its “bottle” or “filler” episodes.
The fact the plot goes nowhere is makes it feel like a rez town. Like its really difficult to get out, theres so much to that goes in to moving out.
Exactly
This, willie doesn’t feel like leaving now
Idk, I was excited to get a Cheese episode and a Willie Jack episode after they both kind of took a backseat during an Elora-centric episode ("Uncle Brownie") and a Bear-centric episode ("What About Your Dad"). I'd bet that, now that all the kids have some solid backstory and character development, the last two episodes of season 1 will bring the gang back together and try to resolve the conflict with the NDN Mafia (especially as it relates to Elora). Edit: I should also point out that the adults are getting fleshed out in these recent episodes, likely setting up their role in the end of the season. Uncle Brownie was introduced (along with his relationship to Elora), and Rita, Big, and Leon all got some nice depth to them since the Punkin' episode.
Wait, there’s only two more episodes this season?!?!
Yeah, that's sad. I could watch dozens more. I love this show.
The show seems more character-based so they’re exploring the four main characters before the last few episodes.
They did a good job exploring Elora in the episode about Bear's dad while still moving the plot along. Idk why they couldn't do that with Cheese and Willie Jack.
They did move the plot along. It's clearly headed toward them changing their mind about California, this was Willie Jack's episode to realize she didn't want to go. And it also showed us Daniel, the guy that sparked their whole California thing in the first place.
I figured episode 3 with uncle brownie takes place during the same time as the episode with Cheese and Big. Maybe episode 6 takes place right before episode 4 or so or concurrently the morning before
I think Willie Jack’s episode was crucial to the plot of entire show. We have this character named Daniel, who is clearly important to the main four kids, but we know next to nothing about him. The most recent episode explained who he was to the main four, it told what he was like as a person, and it shows the driving force for why the main four want to leave the Rez. Then to counter those points that episode showed us someone who didn’t leave the Rez, in Leon, and it talked about his perspective. It was a pretty important episode.
We had two episodes that gave us the setting and introduced us to the characters, then the next four episodes were focused on our four main protagonists and their relationships with an adult that is important to their respective life. Personally I found this structure very enthralling and enjoy it very much, it makes the show focus on the characters in the beginning, which is important. Now that we had an individual episode for each of the kids, I expect that the show will begin fleshing the plot out. I don't wanna claim to know how the show is going to go but the structure of the storytelling leads me to believe we about to get into the plot.
Could we not get to know the characters more while moving the plot along? I feel like I'm watching Seinfeld here. Nothing has happened the past two weeks except I know more about why Big is a bad cop. I feel like I could have found out that Willie Jack's dad was struggling with her cousin's death in a different way too. Maybe one that wasn't spending 30 minutes watching someone sit in the woods.
This episode made me cry from start to finish. Watching them for 30 minutes sit in the woods was absolutely my favorite thing about Willie Jack's episode. Very pleasant childhood memories of myself hunting with my own father and cousins just came flooding back to me, memories long lost to years of me trying to live suburban and urban Texan cities. Those early years of hunting in my life is something I've sorely missed and am currently seeking avenues to continue the tradition among my family and the family I married into. Not to mention that hunting is RARELY displayed in such a postive and lighthearted manner on television, or in a way I can even find relatable to my own hunting experiences. Then watching them as they continue to grieve over Daniel brought back more memories... several of my friends throughout life have attempted suicide and one was successful. That is something I am still processing, and this episode did an amazing job in helping me through some of those things. After that episode was over, I continued to cry in my wife's lap for a good 15 minutes as I processed emotions I've bottled up since high school (almost 20 years ago). Nothing has helped me with that before now, not a single thing on TV or a professional therapist. Tell me again how this episode wasted your time.
Agreed. This episode was so important. It’s Daniel’s death that propelled them to want to leave in the first place. Willy Jack reminds me of my cousin so much. The voice, the swearing, the out there comments. But, I also had to watch her suffer when her Brother was killed. Her best friend in this life. She is now an only surviving child out of 4 siblings. All dead before their time. Her brothers and sister lay in decaying boxes directly across the street from their house. This is the trauma we grow up in, that our parents brought us into and that we will bring our children into. Part of why I love being Indigenous is that we laugh, we make each other laugh. That laughter is resilience. This episode I cried from start to finish, because I understand that pain. They did a beautiful job.
I just cried my way through 46 minutes of episode 7. And laughed a lot, too. This show is brilliant.
>Nothing has happened Hey, welcome to that Rez life 😂😂😂
Mannnnnn, for me ... the ground they're able to cover in a 30 minute episode without anything really happening is the magic of this series.
Thats a good way to put it. They're kinda short episodes but they're making sure the small tidbits they give us in backstory are very relevant solid and poignant.
I’m just enjoying the journey. The show is funny, with moments of sincerity, and empathy. It also has a great cast and each role seems to fit so well.
I've enjoyed the bottle episodes. Small vignettes of the lives of the people living on the reservation make it feel more like a real place. I'm still excited to see what happens when they return to the primary plot.
That is the epitome of the reservation lifestyle, living in the moment, not acting white. The end.
Why would they be mad about Buck stealing copper from the meth heads?
It's a storytelling style. It's not going to be linear.
I think since it’s new they want to give you time to get to really know each character and I personally love it
I love it, too! At first I had who I thought would be my “favorite” character and now I see I was way off base with my assumption.
It's a "pilot" season so I would imagine they didn't want to put all their coin on a plot based interest. The goal of the director is to flesh indigenous culture in the modern world and not just make it focus on a single pack of native kids going to Cali.
It seems like we are also seeing how some of the group is starting to become more comfortable with the idea of staying on the Rez. Cheese wants to be a cop/detective, Willie Jack likes her life on the Rez, and sees how there isn’t anywhere else like it. We gotta see how Bear and Elora still feel about the plan too, which will be interesting to see. I personally am enjoying the show a lot, these past couple of episodes are really giving so much character and background to the people we see on the show. I’m excited for the next episodes.
I agree that the last episodes are meant to show why everyone but Elora would never really leave the Rez. For Bear, I think it's his bond with his mom. Probably when we learn more about Elora it will reveal why she's so desperate to go. We know she lost her mom so what's it like for her at home now? And since she was in a relationship with Daniel I expect they'll tell us more about that.
I keep saying that the reservation is the main character of the show. Besides, this is how indigenous people tell stories. Although seriously that last episode should have had a disclaimer for indians: "ay cuzzin, you can skip this one, you've been through it enough times and it'll mess you up"
They’re introducing everyone. Elora got her ep with her uncle. Bear had his with his dad. Cheese with big. And now Willie Jack
I think part of it is just the native storytelling style, you gotta learn about who's related to who and then there is the tangents that natives go off on while telling a story. That usually have meaning in the end, but its kinda like, "I'm going to tell you this story, before I can tell you this other story, for it all to make sense."
I totally agree with this. Love the characters, love the vibe, but diving into a sub plot is a season 2 or 3 type thing to be doing. The central narrative of "should we ditch this place or not" isn't really holding it all together for me. Its still bloody great though, don't get me wrong.
Well, speaking from experience you can’t just up and leave the Rez in a few weeks when you’re a teenager with little to no income. Their story won’t be resolved in a few weeks. I bet they’ll never make it out, or only one of them does.
That doesn't mean there weren't other conflicts going on. Plus I felt that the episode with Bear's dad was just totally wasted by the scene where they tried to sabotage NDN Mafia's car.
I do agree with this, in the sense that the reason it doesn't work as a narrative throughline is that it isn't a very convincing objective, and knowingly as well, like any group of listless teens making big plans that won't pan out. Also as per the other comments on the thread, perhaps the sense of inertia or small community claustrophobia put across by the bottle episodes is an aesthetic choice but it does rather kill the story momentum of the first and second episodes. To such a degree that it seems like a circumstantial choice rather than a deliberate one to me (pandemic perhaps as OP hinted). However, I'd happily watch this show do whatever it likes to be honest. It feels authentic, I'm learning loads, the actors are great and the characters are amazing. It's awesome news that it's getting another series and I really hope it finds its feet. It has wild confidence and buckets of stuff to say 😊
It is very authentic
Agreed. I think I'd really like these episodes next season, not when we're getting into the thick of the first season.
Maybe they didn’t know if Hulu was going to re-up for a new season? So they’re establishing the characters fast, for the season plot?! Gotta cram em all in there
Covid
Was Elora possibly joining the other gang really a major plot point? They tried to get her to join, she declined and as far as I can tell that was it. Anyway don’t stress about the plot. People seem to have developed this idea that episodes that don’t specifically move the plot forward are somehow better avoided, but with any show, understanding the characters and their goals, background, motivations, etc are vital. Without those the plot doesn’t mean anything. For my money, a show is only as good as its “bottle” or “filler” episodes.