I’m a city native, I didn’t grow up around my culture and the only person that was connected was my grandma and we don’t have a good relationship, but this show made me feel more native then I ever had in my life, it made me feel acknowledged and excited to reconnect with my culture!
Bear is thick-headed because he’s a young man. Similar to Victor, he tries to act how he thinks a “native man” should act, and it’s very realistic. The show highlights the feeling of being a walking dichotomy. Eating hot Cheetos while herding sheep. Chopping wood with some nikes on. Listening to Peyote songs while driving to McDonald’s. This line is one that these kids walk between and across everyday, and that’s what I resonate most with while watching.
I love how Deer Lady influenced Bigs Career and how he sees his job as fighting bad people, rather than fighting crime. He looks at the Big picture and at the heart behind the behavior.
Willie Jack's episode WRECKED ME. Leon's a lot like my own Native dad- quiet, good-humored, really concerned about his kids (even when they aren't HIS kids). Seeing those scenes in the woods with Leon and Willie Jack just being there for each other was like a replay of when I left home. I had to call my Dad afterwards.
Also Wes Studi in Come and Get Your Love was a real, lovable character to me. I treasure he and Brownie's characters as reliably weird old dudes. The kind that'll help you jump your car while they tell you about an alien abduction that happened to their cousin or something.
I think you missed the point of the scene where bears mom hooks up with that racist white guy is the fact indigenous women have to navigate a world where we're fetishized and deal with conflicts of dating our own men who often abandon us and then are subject to balancing our culture and our basic needs as women . I love your commentary. Keep feeding us this good medicine aaayyyye
Oh I understand what they were trying to say in that scene, however, I was more confused of what it had to do with the overall story and flow of the episode. But upon watching it again, and seeing season 2 so far, I'm getting a better feel for how the show is flowing.
Loved the vid! I personally loved Willie Jack's episode. She really showed her range in that episode. She wasn't resigned to her typical self and we got to see her open up and come to terms with her grief. Also I think it was really nice too see a native relationship like Willie Jack's parents being portrayed. Not perfect, but healthy and both present in Willie's life. To often we don't see that. Especially a native father that isn't absent or abusive. Can't wait to see your rutherford falls content!
I agree, that’s something I really did appreciate about her family. Her dad is typical dad. Haha! I really appreciate showcasing that functional families for natives do exist.
“What About Your Dad” to me, was a lot about the extra hurdles Native women go through, and how poverty and racism can affect “strong women” in such a visceral and painful way. The line “We have to work while they go out and play” is applicable to women across racial boundaries but the specifics of how that dynamic plays our made sense to me especially when the credits play with a female cover of the fetishizing, tacky song Bear’s father performs at the start (“Greasy Fry Bread” showing shots of women in the kitchen, zooming in on their butts, etc). I would love to see Native women’s reaction to that episode and what they thought about it.
Willie Jack's episode was the best for me, and not just because I love her so much and she's very me. I enjoyed her dynamic with her dad (and as others have said, how refreshing to see healthy portrayals of child-parent relationships in non-white cultures) and it's very blink and you'll miss it, but Leon talked to Daniel when he was walking home after having gone to the honky tonk with Elora. Leon is probably one of, if not the last, person to see Daniel alive and he's wrestling internally with, "I should have known something was up and I should have done more." I love the care and attention this show pays to its characters, their arcs and growth.
@@samanthab1923He and Willie Jack exchange two theories in the episode. Leon thinks it was Tall Man, essentially Bigfoot, he is a spirit sometimes linked to death but for the most part he is seen as a protector of the forest, Willie Jack thinks it might have been Daniels ghost
Gosh I can hardly begin saying how excited I am for native representation! I am as excited to see your (native) reactions as I am to see all the new work. I keep thinking of the interviews I've watched so far with talent from Prey and ResDogs talking about all the new energy in native social media and I am moved to tears. I identify as black Caribbean (in reality I'm just very mixed). In the Caribbean we feel profoundly the loss of native cultures that were really completely wiped out and we have always been fascinated to know about the North American tribes but never have I felt so viscerally that my happiness is dependent upon yours. I think the world knows that it's happiness is dependent on your happiness though. So frickin' happy for you and so moved I can hardly write. So happy to see all these comments from beautiful native people! It's not everyday that I want to read every comment on a video so thank you guys. Thank you to Native Media Theory! I hurried through the first season of Res Dogs so that I could watch your review but also because I LOVE RES DOGS! Funnily enough apparently for all the same reasons you do which makes me so happy! And every time I watch a video from the channel I come away with new stuff to check out. I'm so excited I'm wondering how I can get involved and lend some support.
Nya:weh for the video, and commentary. I don't know which rez you're from, but I'm from one where the number of Natives and whites are pretty much 50/50. From having grown up here, the interactions between Natives and whites on the rez are very spot on for the entire show, especially when it comes to both Bill Burr's, and Kirk Fox's characters. Let me say, you were 100% with your review of Kirk Fox's character, so I have nothing to add there. With Bill Burr's, there's a sense conveyed that's like he understands it's a different culture, but really loved people from it. He connected with Elora in that way where he knows he can't quite empathize with her on a spiritual level even though he knew her mom for decades before she was even born, so while he can grieve over her death together, he knows he can't feel the same type of connection. That comment will probably make more sense with context below because the connection I'm talking about isn't just a mother/daughter one. The part you said about Bear's dad... the thing is that character is 97% accurate to things that happen here which is actually what made me comment. Bear's dad's character might be a little played up, but really not too much. I friggin' hear people chant "greasy frybread, greasy greasy frybread" almost every day because they identify with it so much. I can name at least a dozen guys who are all tatted up, west coast gangster wannabes who left their families to try to start a rap career, never seeing their kids, never paying child support, never paying alimony, i.e. deadbeat dads. That's actually a pervasive theme in the show, and in Native American culture that I think is amazing they hit on here in the way they did without being preachy. You mentioned other Native centered media like Smoke Signals where the main father figure left his kid behind, so it's not like this is the only show that recognizes that fact. Native American fathers being absent is VERY common. Even if they don't physically leave, they emotionally leave. I honestly do not know many other Natives who have strong connections with their dads (although that could be partially because we Haudenosaunee are taught to be closer to our mothers), but our fathers are just largely just unavailable for whatever reason. The connection between Bear and his dad is very poignant, and revealing of what it's like to be a kid growing up on the rez with only a mom to even just hug him when he needs. The whole thing with Daniel is that everyone on the rez knows a person who has left. Suicide is unfortunately common as you mentioned, but people just straight up leave never to be heard from again. I think that the amount of Daniel in the show is perfect because he's meant to be more like smoke which I think is artistically pointed out when they cleanse themselves with sage as his remembrance. It's not that he didn't matter, completely the opposite, it's that he mattered so much that all of the characters can only think of him in small bits without breaking down crying. With the last episode, I thought it brought everything together very nicely. Again, your experience is probably way different from mine, but I thought the main theme of the entire show isn't just that these kids want to leave the rez, it's that EVERYONE wants to leave the rez. That's the nuance of the story of them trying to leave while not only struggling with leaving the land, but also leaving their people behind. That's the entire story. Everyone wanting to leave a place they've been connected to for a hundred generations. In real life, literally everyone wants to leave the rez as soon as they're old enough. We all talk about about, we all make plans, we all save up money to do it and such while still feeling that connection with the land and people. We don't fully understand it, then have that realization. It is so extremely common for people to leave the rez for however long then return because they have the same realization the show defines. That's the heart of the whole thing here. At the possibility of sounding racist which I'm really not trying to, Europeans do not have the same connection to this country as Natives do. They've been here for a few hundred years, sure, and all kids everywhere in the world want to get out of their hometowns on their own, but it's just different. There are people all over the world who have deep connections with their homeland, and who would be able to identify with this feeling, but in the US specifically since it's really only a couple generations old, Natives are the only ones who have been in this country long enough to really feel that. That's where this gets to which is why it's so important that everyone chooses their land and people over something completely unknown in the end, and the speeches Cheese and Willy Jack make in the church basement are so great even though Cheese's is way less touching than Willy Jack's. They both get to the same place. I like what you said about relating to moments of this being like your childhood, and other points of the series. I know you said there are problems with the writing and such which I think I've covered in my critique of your critique.... but for me, almost everything in the show is almost like a documentary including the scenery, characters, writing, humor, storyline, etc. If I haven't known a character exactly like one of those in the show, especially the IHS workers and Big, I could imagine everyone living the lives of them. Even the vision William Knifeman, he's the epitome of Native humor to me, he's not a hyperbole at all even though he might seem like it. I've had every single one of his conversations with other Natives way funnier than me where they just crow like him while intertwining really insightful things at the same time. You're right, we don't always have to be "stoic and spiritual all of the damn time." Speaking of Smoke Signals, my favorite thought about it is thinking how Thomas and Victor aren't actually two people. They are representations of the two different personalities the world perceives us as, and it's the combination of both where we actually find ourselves. Anyway, I'm way too far into the oral tradition by now. Again, nya:weh for the review, I really enjoyed it, and I'm sorry for writing a wall worth of text, lol.
Thanks, good review. Loved this show, as an Oklahoman of 68 years I liked seeing people I grew up with and places with which I am familiar, especially refreshing from a native perspective not same old stale and inaccurate stereotypes.
NMT, thanks for your thoughts about this series. As a white woman I wondered how this fell for Natives. I've done a lot of research on native history, the wars, the gains, the mega losses. Been alive during the Wounded Knee occupation and Standing Rock fight. As a teacher, bringing native voice, real history and experience into my classroom is of the utmost importance to me; helping my mostly white students understand their place in all of this and the role their ancestors played. And to give them hope, too, that we do the best we know how to do, but when we know better, we do better. (go Supaman!). I'm so heartened to finally see this Native presence, the recognition and understanding of my Native brothers and sisters spreading out far and wide. Aho.
I hope there will be another season, I loved this show. I am so happy that Indigenous peoples are finally getting the recognition they deserve. have you ever seen the show Mohawk Girls? It brought out some interesting ideas, such as how much pressure is on girls to marry native. I never thought of it before, but it is so true that a people can breed themselves out of existence, which is pretty much what my family did. It is pretty much all a female perspective, it was interesting.
Hey man, only through owning up to our garbage and explaining to others why it's wrong and how you're going to do better is how we grow. Not only as viewers and film theorists, but just as people. Her work in Letterkenny alone made me so excited when she was cast as Deer Lady (says some paleface lady). But yeah. So, don't beat yourself up too hard, you've just grown as a person.
This show was awesome. I really enjoyed it. We do not get enough Native American media like this. I posted somewhere else that when this show came out, it spurred on a lot of questions from my son, including why we do not see more Native American media, or even restaurants, which led to an illuminating (for him, and me actually) conversation that included some research. Although I may have inadvertently sent my 10 year old white son into a bit of an existential crisis lol...
my non native thoughts are that it is an amazing show and seems like they put some actual effort in creating something entertaining and kind of relatable for the youngers generation coming up.
Such great points, it was nice to hear you talk about this wonderful series. I missed seeing more of Daniel too but I felt like it was the show keeping him from the audience on purpose, like making us experience the loss. Like we didn’t know him in life so we don’t get the privilege of such easy access to his memory when his best friends have to suffer through missing him so much. But I can see your point that for you it affected the story telling and missed building that connection more. Thanks for the video.
I grew up with the proud Mescalero Apache people here in New Mexico. My best friends are natives and when you make a native friend he's a friend for life. You could be missing half your face and they could recognize you across the Walmart in a crowd..........over there. This show captures a lot of things that I have seen in real life on the rez. Natives are natural comedians. Bust a gut laughing sesh everytime we get together. You got a sub and a like from me.
I'm just seeing this for the first time. I don't know what it is about our culture, tbh... we just love to laugh, we love laughing almost more than anything while a lot of people think we're just stoic all the time. I'm appreciative that you've caught on to our humor though because it's probably the one thing I'm most proud of in this series. The humor is 100% spot on.
@@robertgordon5977 I'm grateful to have the pleasure of laughing till it hurts from Native sense of humor. Some of if not the best off the cuff humor with great delivery. The comebacks are the best!
@@roosterj2599 It's on the wind, it's the sound of the river lapping on the shore talking to us... ... and we also have nothing to do on the rez but watch Netflix comedy specials.
One of the things you hit on is the 100's of little things which represent our lives. The owl one is a good one for sure. The "protect your hair" message we have grown up with. Bad medicine will come back on you, and so on. Love the show. No criticism from me at all.
Don’t worry about mistakes, just remember when doing an “initial reaction” mention it’s an initial reaction…. You aren’t supposed to do research for an initial reaction so a mistake is both understandable and inevitable…. And continue to cover previous mistakes when you learn of them. They make great teaching moments. Good video! EDIT: The blessing with weed smoke….. I don’t even know what I want to say about that….. it’s humorous, but it speaks to so many other things as well….. the writers hit such a home run with that scene…..
I get where you're coming from as creator yourself, but some of the things I love the most are how it breaks the expectation of how episodes are classically supposed to be structured, that the tone and story arc aren't forced into a cookie cutter, and that we don't get everyone's full backstory/personality/relationship dynamic crammed into some awkward exposition at the beginning. I'm happy for the bigger picture to unfold subtly and gradually. That said, I'm relieved that we do get payoff in the season 2 on some of the things you're craving.
what about your dad was so sad for me. I've been through a similar thing to bear and my mom told me the exact same thing that I don't have to see my dad if i don't want to. it made me cry so much.
I liked that there was an explanation or implications for why everyone acted the way they did. The way they acted at a certain point in time isn't their whole personality it's just who they are at that moment which is alot more realistic, and helps keep the series light hearted but grounded.
i am on a marathon and love it. RD is the most, realistic show I have seen in a long, long time. as for bear, he is a young adult, and guys can be dense and not to much together at that age.
I'm looking forward to your take on Star Wars. My own sister told me about her Native take on the series, especially The Mandalorian. I'm a little more on the fence though.
New fan of your content. Reservation Dogs brought me here. I recently read the Whullemooch story of the firebird which is the legend of how fire came to the people of Puget Sound. The bird refused to give its fire to anyone who could not prove that they had done good. Many tried to catch it, but they were shown to be liars and thieves. Finally, the bird gave its fire to a humble woman who spent all her time and effort caring for the elderly. So deer woman punishes people for doing bad; firebird rewards people for doing good. I wonder if this is why they chose firebird as the vehicle for deer woman?
"Hey Victor!" Btw, just to share, the term "HO-LAH!" that comes from the movie when the traffic reporter guy is giving his report is something that has become a thing with basically all Natives across the country. It's not really a word, it's just an exclamation of "Holy!!!" most of us use. So, next time you feel excited, or scared, or even just like you have too much on your shoulders say "HO-LAH!" like "Boss gave me another assignment today... HO-LAH.. I have a lot on my plate now as if I didn't before..."
Well done. You had some solid takes. I look forward to seeing your season 2 review. Also, I thought it was pretty brave of you to hold yourself accountable to the white lady comment. Lesser reviewers would have glossed it.
speaking of string theory...well actually, I am studying string theory somewhere in the universe. Enjoyed this The UA-cam tv machine. Keep up and more string theory content.
Throughout the show I don’t think they really show characters realizing how traumatizing it is for Elora, who was dating Daniel, but more so saw him hanging first hand. They just brush it like “he was my friend too”
wonder why i never heard of this despite all its accolades. if it wasnt for the season 2 trailer on a youtube trailer channel, i would still not know of its existence. someone at the marketing department is sleeping
I enjoyed your review and agree with you on most points. However I disagree on the episode about Officer Big and Cheese. Calling episodes like this filler really does them a disservice. For me this type of episode is very important for getting to know the characters and what makes them tick. I didn’t think of any of the episodes as filler. They all added something important to the overall big picture of the series.
re; Daniel character, and not seeing more of the friendships with his friends: I think it is intentional. Yes, he is the glue which binds them together, but he is gone. He. is. gone.
heres something Im curious about. as a white dude who knows nothing about what its like to live on a reservation or Native culture would I enjoy the show? it almost to me looks like a Native version of LetterKenny sort of commenting on what its like to live in that scenario if you know what I mean
I’d say there are things that are objectively funny for a general audience, but I would also say that there are things that are fairly specific to a modern native audience. Both in humor and in basic cultural norms. Kind of in the same vain as Atlanta. But I think it can still be enjoyed general audiences.
Awesome show and as you say yourself I think you‘re a bit too hard to it regarding character motivations and stuff like this. I don‘t think every character needs the same depth or that every motivation must be clear. But of course I‘d love more seasons where the authors explore the other characters more. As someone who is grown up with stereotypes and pretty far away from native american cultures this is such an interesting show and nonetheless I can connect to a lot of things because some topics are just globally very similar, like growing up in poverty without a perspective…
I need a "Modern Natives Guide for White People"! There are so many things I don't know and more probably overlooked. The internet always sucks, even worse for natives.
“I’m being too critical”. You are. This is one of the best seasons of TV in recent memory. Native or not, it’s a near- perfect season, so words like “filler” and “forced” are way too strong. And dismissing Cheese and Bear feels like you’re not paying attention. If this isn’t 5 stars, what is? PS: glad you’re checking Letterkenny. A lot of Native representation/ lreferences in that show, as well as Shoresy.
It simply boils down to taste in my opinion, I just liked Elora and Willie Jack more than Bear and Cheese. Just me. I've personally liked Rutherford Falls a little better than this now, doesn't mean it's bad.
appeciate the video but you sould do your homework, half was you explaining that you didn't know who any of these actors were when most have had very significant roles as natives and non-natives. idk get better.
I think the show has one foot in reality. The other is comedic forced maybe. It's A car full of character, that's for sure.. > THE PROBLEM is does anyone care where the car is going? Ergo, Gimmie the remote! What else is on ....
@@templeravenlots of natives are mixed Why are you so exercised She’s native, she looks native, she grew up on the rez, she has a native name and a native family Tf more do you want, bro? You here trying to blood quantum everyone like Mr. Hitler? I cannot with people like this.
Hey everyone! I have an updated review on Season 2! Give it a watch here!
ua-cam.com/video/sYvu5bSINBI/v-deo.html
2 season ending was quite touching especially the last episode. I had tears when they came together at the beach for Daniel.
I’m a city native, I didn’t grow up around my culture and the only person that was connected was my grandma and we don’t have a good relationship, but this show made me feel more native then I ever had in my life, it made me feel acknowledged and excited to reconnect with my culture!
Embrace your culture. It’s one of my most favorite of all the cultures. Embrace tf out of it. ❤
The hunting episode is the one I (white) chose to show my adult son (white) how cool this series is. He got it.
Bear is thick-headed because he’s a young man. Similar to Victor, he tries to act how he thinks a “native man” should act, and it’s very realistic. The show highlights the feeling of being a walking dichotomy. Eating hot Cheetos while herding sheep. Chopping wood with some nikes on. Listening to Peyote songs while driving to McDonald’s. This line is one that these kids walk between and across everyday, and that’s what I resonate most with while watching.
I love how Deer Lady influenced Bigs Career and how he sees his job as fighting bad people, rather than fighting crime. He looks at the Big picture and at the heart behind the behavior.
Willie Jack's episode WRECKED ME. Leon's a lot like my own Native dad- quiet, good-humored, really concerned about his kids (even when they aren't HIS kids). Seeing those scenes in the woods with Leon and Willie Jack just being there for each other was like a replay of when I left home. I had to call my Dad afterwards.
Also Wes Studi in Come and Get Your Love was a real, lovable character to me. I treasure he and Brownie's characters as reliably weird old dudes. The kind that'll help you jump your car while they tell you about an alien abduction that happened to their cousin or something.
What did her dad see in the woods?
@@AstheCrowTries I love that
I think you missed the point of the scene where bears mom hooks up with that racist white guy is the fact indigenous women have to navigate a world where we're fetishized and deal with conflicts of dating our own men who often abandon us and then are subject to balancing our culture and our basic needs as women . I love your commentary. Keep feeding us this good medicine aaayyyye
Oh I understand what they were trying to say in that scene, however, I was more confused of what it had to do with the overall story and flow of the episode. But upon watching it again, and seeing season 2 so far, I'm getting a better feel for how the show is flowing.
You're full of shite. Whatever you gotta do to justify your bs ways.
Loved the vid! I personally loved Willie Jack's episode. She really showed her range in that episode. She wasn't resigned to her typical self and we got to see her open up and come to terms with her grief. Also I think it was really nice too see a native relationship like Willie Jack's parents being portrayed. Not perfect, but healthy and both present in Willie's life. To often we don't see that. Especially a native father that isn't absent or abusive. Can't wait to see your rutherford falls content!
I agree, that’s something I really did appreciate about her family. Her dad is typical dad. Haha! I really appreciate showcasing that functional families for natives do exist.
What did her dad see in the woods?
“What About Your Dad” to me, was a lot about the extra hurdles Native women go through, and how poverty and racism can affect “strong women” in such a visceral and painful way. The line “We have to work while they go out and play” is applicable to women across racial boundaries but the specifics of how that dynamic plays our made sense to me especially when the credits play with a female cover of the fetishizing, tacky song Bear’s father performs at the start (“Greasy Fry Bread” showing shots of women in the kitchen, zooming in on their butts, etc). I would love to see Native women’s reaction to that episode and what they thought about it.
That's a very good point, I would love to know a Native woman's reaction to that episode. Thanks for the insight.
Willie Jack's episode was the best for me, and not just because I love her so much and she's very me. I enjoyed her dynamic with her dad (and as others have said, how refreshing to see healthy portrayals of child-parent relationships in non-white cultures) and it's very blink and you'll miss it, but Leon talked to Daniel when he was walking home after having gone to the honky tonk with Elora. Leon is probably one of, if not the last, person to see Daniel alive and he's wrestling internally with, "I should have known something was up and I should have done more." I love the care and attention this show pays to its characters, their arcs and growth.
What did her Dad see in the woods?
@@samanthab1923He and Willie Jack exchange two theories in the episode. Leon thinks it was Tall Man, essentially Bigfoot, he is a spirit sometimes linked to death but for the most part he is seen as a protector of the forest, Willie Jack thinks it might have been Daniels ghost
@@WhiteRose2002 Gotcha, thanks 👋
Gosh I can hardly begin saying how excited I am for native representation! I am as excited to see your (native) reactions as I am to see all the new work. I keep thinking of the interviews I've watched so far with talent from Prey and ResDogs talking about all the new energy in native social media and I am moved to tears. I identify as black Caribbean (in reality I'm just very mixed). In the Caribbean we feel profoundly the loss of native cultures that were really completely wiped out and we have always been fascinated to know about the North American tribes but never have I felt so viscerally that my happiness is dependent upon yours. I think the world knows that it's happiness is dependent on your happiness though. So frickin' happy for you and so moved I can hardly write. So happy to see all these comments from beautiful native people! It's not everyday that I want to read every comment on a video so thank you guys.
Thank you to Native Media Theory! I hurried through the first season of Res Dogs so that I could watch your review but also because I LOVE RES DOGS! Funnily enough apparently for all the same reasons you do which makes me so happy! And every time I watch a video from the channel I come away with new stuff to check out. I'm so excited I'm wondering how I can get involved and lend some support.
Nya:weh for the video, and commentary. I don't know which rez you're from, but I'm from one where the number of Natives and whites are pretty much 50/50. From having grown up here, the interactions between Natives and whites on the rez are very spot on for the entire show, especially when it comes to both Bill Burr's, and Kirk Fox's characters. Let me say, you were 100% with your review of Kirk Fox's character, so I have nothing to add there. With Bill Burr's, there's a sense conveyed that's like he understands it's a different culture, but really loved people from it. He connected with Elora in that way where he knows he can't quite empathize with her on a spiritual level even though he knew her mom for decades before she was even born, so while he can grieve over her death together, he knows he can't feel the same type of connection. That comment will probably make more sense with context below because the connection I'm talking about isn't just a mother/daughter one.
The part you said about Bear's dad... the thing is that character is 97% accurate to things that happen here which is actually what made me comment. Bear's dad's character might be a little played up, but really not too much. I friggin' hear people chant "greasy frybread, greasy greasy frybread" almost every day because they identify with it so much. I can name at least a dozen guys who are all tatted up, west coast gangster wannabes who left their families to try to start a rap career, never seeing their kids, never paying child support, never paying alimony, i.e. deadbeat dads. That's actually a pervasive theme in the show, and in Native American culture that I think is amazing they hit on here in the way they did without being preachy. You mentioned other Native centered media like Smoke Signals where the main father figure left his kid behind, so it's not like this is the only show that recognizes that fact. Native American fathers being absent is VERY common. Even if they don't physically leave, they emotionally leave. I honestly do not know many other Natives who have strong connections with their dads (although that could be partially because we Haudenosaunee are taught to be closer to our mothers), but our fathers are just largely just unavailable for whatever reason. The connection between Bear and his dad is very poignant, and revealing of what it's like to be a kid growing up on the rez with only a mom to even just hug him when he needs.
The whole thing with Daniel is that everyone on the rez knows a person who has left. Suicide is unfortunately common as you mentioned, but people just straight up leave never to be heard from again. I think that the amount of Daniel in the show is perfect because he's meant to be more like smoke which I think is artistically pointed out when they cleanse themselves with sage as his remembrance. It's not that he didn't matter, completely the opposite, it's that he mattered so much that all of the characters can only think of him in small bits without breaking down crying.
With the last episode, I thought it brought everything together very nicely. Again, your experience is probably way different from mine, but I thought the main theme of the entire show isn't just that these kids want to leave the rez, it's that EVERYONE wants to leave the rez. That's the nuance of the story of them trying to leave while not only struggling with leaving the land, but also leaving their people behind. That's the entire story. Everyone wanting to leave a place they've been connected to for a hundred generations. In real life, literally everyone wants to leave the rez as soon as they're old enough. We all talk about about, we all make plans, we all save up money to do it and such while still feeling that connection with the land and people. We don't fully understand it, then have that realization. It is so extremely common for people to leave the rez for however long then return because they have the same realization the show defines. That's the heart of the whole thing here. At the possibility of sounding racist which I'm really not trying to, Europeans do not have the same connection to this country as Natives do. They've been here for a few hundred years, sure, and all kids everywhere in the world want to get out of their hometowns on their own, but it's just different. There are people all over the world who have deep connections with their homeland, and who would be able to identify with this feeling, but in the US specifically since it's really only a couple generations old, Natives are the only ones who have been in this country long enough to really feel that. That's where this gets to which is why it's so important that everyone chooses their land and people over something completely unknown in the end, and the speeches Cheese and Willy Jack make in the church basement are so great even though Cheese's is way less touching than Willy Jack's. They both get to the same place.
I like what you said about relating to moments of this being like your childhood, and other points of the series. I know you said there are problems with the writing and such which I think I've covered in my critique of your critique.... but for me, almost everything in the show is almost like a documentary including the scenery, characters, writing, humor, storyline, etc. If I haven't known a character exactly like one of those in the show, especially the IHS workers and Big, I could imagine everyone living the lives of them. Even the vision William Knifeman, he's the epitome of Native humor to me, he's not a hyperbole at all even though he might seem like it. I've had every single one of his conversations with other Natives way funnier than me where they just crow like him while intertwining really insightful things at the same time.
You're right, we don't always have to be "stoic and spiritual all of the damn time." Speaking of Smoke Signals, my favorite thought about it is thinking how Thomas and Victor aren't actually two people. They are representations of the two different personalities the world perceives us as, and it's the combination of both where we actually find ourselves.
Anyway, I'm way too far into the oral tradition by now. Again, nya:weh for the review, I really enjoyed it, and I'm sorry for writing a wall worth of text, lol.
Thanks, good review. Loved this show, as an Oklahoman of 68 years I liked seeing people I grew up with and places with which I am familiar, especially refreshing from a native perspective not same old stale and inaccurate stereotypes.
NMT, thanks for your thoughts about this series. As a white woman I wondered how this fell for Natives. I've done a lot of research on native history, the wars, the gains, the mega losses. Been alive during the Wounded Knee occupation and Standing Rock fight. As a teacher, bringing native voice, real history and experience into my classroom is of the utmost importance to me; helping my mostly white students understand their place in all of this and the role their ancestors played. And to give them hope, too, that we do the best we know how to do, but when we know better, we do better. (go Supaman!). I'm so heartened to finally see this Native presence, the recognition and understanding of my Native brothers and sisters spreading out far and wide. Aho.
I hope there will be another season, I loved this show. I am so happy that Indigenous peoples are finally getting the recognition they deserve. have you ever seen the show Mohawk Girls? It brought out some interesting ideas, such as how much pressure is on girls to marry native. I never thought of it before, but it is so true that a people can breed themselves out of existence, which is pretty much what my family did. It is pretty much all a female perspective, it was interesting.
I haven’t I’ll have to check it out. Is it new? Older? Where could I find it?
@@nativemediatheory It is maybe 4-5 years old, it is on Peacock, I liked it, but don't know how others will , if you find it, I hope you enjoy it.
Hey man, only through owning up to our garbage and explaining to others why it's wrong and how you're going to do better is how we grow. Not only as viewers and film theorists, but just as people. Her work in Letterkenny alone made me so excited when she was cast as Deer Lady (says some paleface lady). But yeah. So, don't beat yourself up too hard, you've just grown as a person.
Human beings make mistakes…
it’s if and how you own them that counts.
Much admiration here.
I hope they develop Cheese character in the new episodes...he is a talent.
This show was awesome. I really enjoyed it. We do not get enough Native American media like this. I posted somewhere else that when this show came out, it spurred on a lot of questions from my son, including why we do not see more Native American media, or even restaurants, which led to an illuminating (for him, and me actually) conversation that included some research. Although I may have inadvertently sent my 10 year old white son into a bit of an existential crisis lol...
Kaniehtiio is a revelation, she shined on screen in Letterkenny, I can't wait to see her in more things. That Oka Crisis photo is legendary.
I absolutely love this show! Thanks for for the reviewing such a monumental show for Natives.
my non native thoughts are that it is an amazing show and seems like they put some actual effort in creating something entertaining and kind of relatable for the youngers generation coming up.
Such great points, it was nice to hear you talk about this wonderful series. I missed seeing more of Daniel too but I felt like it was the show keeping him from the audience on purpose, like making us experience the loss. Like we didn’t know him in life so we don’t get the privilege of such easy access to his memory when his best friends have to suffer through missing him so much. But I can see your point that for you it affected the story telling and missed building that connection more. Thanks for the video.
I grew up with the proud Mescalero Apache people here in New Mexico. My best friends are natives and when you make a native friend he's a friend for life. You could be missing half your face and they could recognize you across the Walmart in a crowd..........over there. This show captures a lot of things that I have seen in real life on the rez. Natives are natural comedians. Bust a gut laughing sesh everytime we get together. You got a sub and a like from me.
I'm just seeing this for the first time. I don't know what it is about our culture, tbh... we just love to laugh, we love laughing almost more than anything while a lot of people think we're just stoic all the time. I'm appreciative that you've caught on to our humor though because it's probably the one thing I'm most proud of in this series. The humor is 100% spot on.
@@robertgordon5977 I'm grateful to have the pleasure of laughing till it hurts from Native sense of humor. Some of if not the best off the cuff humor with great delivery. The comebacks are the best!
@@roosterj2599 Comebacks are way easier to have when your people have been genocided... lemme tell you. :D
@@robertgordon5977 I'm a quarter Yaqui myself. I've noticed that the humor must be genetic. My family is funny like this. My uncle's are hilarious.
@@roosterj2599 It's on the wind, it's the sound of the river lapping on the shore talking to us...
... and we also have nothing to do on the rez but watch Netflix comedy specials.
Hey, because of your video I'm watching "Reservation Dogs", I'm just finished the second episode of season 2 and I love this show! Thank you
One of the things you hit on is the 100's of little things which represent our lives. The owl one is a good one for sure. The "protect your hair" message we have grown up with. Bad medicine will come back on you, and so on. Love the show. No criticism from me at all.
Don’t worry about mistakes, just remember when doing an “initial reaction” mention it’s an initial reaction…. You aren’t supposed to do research for an initial reaction so a mistake is both understandable and inevitable….
And continue to cover previous mistakes when you learn of them. They make great teaching moments.
Good video!
EDIT: The blessing with weed smoke….. I don’t even know what I want to say about that….. it’s humorous, but it speaks to so many other things as well….. the writers hit such a home run with that scene…..
I get where you're coming from as creator yourself, but some of the things I love the most are how it breaks the expectation of how episodes are classically supposed to be structured, that the tone and story arc aren't forced into a cookie cutter, and that we don't get everyone's full backstory/personality/relationship dynamic crammed into some awkward exposition at the beginning. I'm happy for the bigger picture to unfold subtly and gradually. That said, I'm relieved that we do get payoff in the season 2 on some of the things you're craving.
also glad we get cameos of almost all the 1491s...think Ryan Red Corn is the only one I haven't spotted on screen (writing credit notwithstanding)
what about your dad was so sad for me. I've been through a similar thing to bear and my mom told me the exact same thing that I don't have to see my dad if i don't want to. it made me cry so much.
I liked that there was an explanation or implications for why everyone acted the way they did. The way they acted at a certain point in time isn't their whole personality it's just who they are at that moment which is alot more realistic, and helps keep the series light hearted but grounded.
i am on a marathon and love it. RD is the most, realistic show I have seen in a long, long time. as for bear, he is a young adult, and guys can be dense and not to much together at that age.
I got a Atlanta vibe from this show and I love it
Love this, thanks for sharing! Easily one of my favorite shows of all time. 🧡
this was such a good video!! I beg the yt gods that this (and RD) pops off
Thank you! And me too!
Aww yeah, I've been waiting for a good review of RD
I'm excited to see where it goes in season 2.
I'm looking forward to your take on Star Wars. My own sister told me about her Native take on the series, especially The Mandalorian. I'm a little more on the fence though.
I can foresee a lot of connections to culture, trauma, appropriation, family, and identity. At least thematically.
A great video. Loved watching to get your perspective on this series.
My great grandmother was full blooded Chickasaw born in the late 1870s. My grandmother was born in 1912.
At least you apologize and admit when wrong. That’s a breath of fresh air. Too many people screamed racism about this show.
New fan of your content. Reservation Dogs brought me here. I recently read the Whullemooch story of the firebird which is the legend of how fire came to the people of Puget Sound. The bird refused to give its fire to anyone who could not prove that they had done good. Many tried to catch it, but they were shown to be liars and thieves. Finally, the bird gave its fire to a humble woman who spent all her time and effort caring for the elderly. So deer woman punishes people for doing bad; firebird rewards people for doing good. I wonder if this is why they chose firebird as the vehicle for deer woman?
Hey there! Would love to hear your thoughts on the second season now that it's out! Stay creative, man
Great video! I’m a huge fan of Reservation Dogs. ❤️
This whole show in Atlanta with Indians
I'm mixed. I think it's perfectly fine for mixed people to identify as such
Thoughts on Echo in MCU? I'm working on something on The Show and Her
I’m really curious to see what they do. I know they’re casting for extras right now.
i love smoke signals. sigh SUCH A GREAT FILM
"Hey Victor!"
Btw, just to share, the term "HO-LAH!" that comes from the movie when the traffic reporter guy is giving his report is something that has become a thing with basically all Natives across the country. It's not really a word, it's just an exclamation of "Holy!!!" most of us use. So, next time you feel excited, or scared, or even just like you have too much on your shoulders say "HO-LAH!" like "Boss gave me another assignment today... HO-LAH.. I have a lot on my plate now as if I didn't before..."
"It's not just superstition, it's a reality" oof that's poignant.
Thanks so much for this video. Really enjoyed hearing your perspectives amd analysis!
I LOVE THIS SHOW! Great review!
Well done. You had some solid takes. I look forward to seeing your season 2 review. Also, I thought it was pretty brave of you to hold yourself accountable to the white lady comment. Lesser reviewers would have glossed it.
NMT, I think you're right to expect a lot. It has a lot of catch up. When there are more shows, .outlying native to see, then it can 'relax'. 👍💖🥰✌
A young native samwell tarley 😂😂 I love your analysis, even when I don't agree. Great job here. Loved your whole series about this show. Thank you!
speaking of string theory...well actually, I am studying string theory somewhere in the universe. Enjoyed this The UA-cam tv machine. Keep up and more string theory content.
I was watching a video on Afro surrealism and it almost feels like the writers were trying to give us some of that same representation
Eeeee love the ATLA/ Gran Gran shout out!
Wes Studi is a man among men
Like the new format !
Throughout the show I don’t think they really show characters realizing how traumatizing it is for Elora, who was dating Daniel, but more so saw him hanging first hand. They just brush it like “he was my friend too”
wonder why i never heard of this despite all its accolades. if it wasnt for the season 2 trailer on a youtube trailer channel, i would still not know of its existence. someone at the marketing department is sleeping
9:13 He was great in the movie Mystery Men!
I wonder if there's any one that still has Roots to the name of Justice in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
Put this on Netflix please the people of North America need to know more About indigenous people's
I wish! Haha!
love this show and love the channel.
I enjoyed your review and agree with you on most points. However I disagree on the episode about Officer Big and Cheese. Calling episodes like this filler really does them a disservice. For me this type of episode is very important for getting to know the characters and what makes them tick. I didn’t think of any of the episodes as filler. They all added something important to the overall big picture of the series.
re; Daniel character, and not seeing more of the friendships with his friends:
I think it is intentional. Yes, he is the glue which binds them together, but he is gone. He. is. gone.
Ms Horn is blowing up, I found out about her first on Letterkenny, Rutherford Falls, and Reservation Dogs
Is the kid with the hair from cobra Kai?
I'd love to watch the episodes with you. I do have some insight.
In that love hate space we need to see more indigenous creators creator
Who is that pops in at 16:00 with the mask on?! Damn.
Super analysis. Thanks
Wes studi will always be colonel Sagan from street fighter
Thank you. Jesus loves you and your soul is priceless!
heres something Im curious about. as a white dude who knows nothing about what its like to live on a reservation or Native culture would I enjoy the show? it almost to me looks like a Native version of LetterKenny sort of commenting on what its like to live in that scenario if you know what I mean
I’d say there are things that are objectively funny for a general audience, but I would also say that there are things that are fairly specific to a modern native audience. Both in humor and in basic cultural norms. Kind of in the same vain as Atlanta. But I think it can still be enjoyed general audiences.
Dark Wind is CRAZY
Soooo freaking funny. I love the Spirit.
Awesome show and as you say yourself I think you‘re a bit too hard to it regarding character motivations and stuff like this. I don‘t think every character needs the same depth or that every motivation must be clear. But of course I‘d love more seasons where the authors explore the other characters more. As someone who is grown up with stereotypes and pretty far away from native american cultures this is such an interesting show and nonetheless I can connect to a lot of things because some topics are just globally very similar, like growing up in poverty without a perspective…
There's always a Kenny Boy!
Great Info but clean you chair broham
Thanks for the review
Everytime they said, okay white Jesus, I laughed
I love this show!!!
I need a "Modern Natives Guide for White People"! There are so many things I don't know and more probably overlooked. The internet always sucks, even worse for natives.
Let's go alexis nakota sioux
I liked and subscribed
Man I'm native i wish I had a cool native name but mine is just John😑
“I’m being too critical”. You are. This is one of the best seasons of TV in recent memory. Native or not, it’s a near- perfect season, so words like “filler” and “forced” are way too strong. And dismissing Cheese and Bear feels like you’re not paying attention. If this isn’t 5 stars, what is?
PS: glad you’re checking Letterkenny. A lot of Native representation/ lreferences in that show, as well as Shoresy.
It simply boils down to taste in my opinion, I just liked Elora and Willie Jack more than Bear and Cheese. Just me. I've personally liked Rutherford Falls a little better than this now, doesn't mean it's bad.
Love uncle Brownie
What is dripping down his chair😂
🤣
First!!!
Bro...Tanis, So Hot.
Deer woman going to Carnegie lol
❤️let’s give everyone over 13 the guaranteed minimum income of $1,500ish USD/month. The Universal Basic Income. Let’s fight homelessness!
Deer lady would forgive you.
appeciate the video but you sould do your homework, half was you explaining that you didn't know who any of these actors were when most have had very significant roles as natives and non-natives. idk get better.
"Don't be sorry, be better" - Kratos
Thanks for watching, and yeah I've learned alot since posting this one.
How did you just assume a character was white before even doing research before a review? 😂
Because it was a reaction and not a review and people make mistakes.
Tico with a TT sucks
I think the show has one foot in reality. The other is comedic forced maybe. It's A car full of character, that's for sure..
> THE PROBLEM is does anyone care where the car is going?
Ergo, Gimmie the remote!
What else is on ....
I didn't like it at all, yeah there was some parts here and there... my favorite part was bobby lee only.
You looked at that woman and thought she was white?
Really?
I did, and honestly it still haunts me that I did. Big mistake on my part.
I think her bio states that Ms. Horn is mixed - her father is White European, mother is Iroquois Mohawk. So you were partly correct.
@@templeravenlots of natives are mixed
Why are you so exercised
She’s native, she looks native, she grew up on the rez, she has a native name and a native family
Tf more do you want, bro? You here trying to blood quantum everyone like Mr. Hitler?
I cannot with people like this.