“Reservation Dogs,“ the remarkable Indigenous American television series crafted by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi for FX Productions, continues to redefine storytelling with its exploration of the lives of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma. The show explores themes of identity, relationships, and the challenges of a disenfranchised community while chronicling their days of defiance and crime. On August 2, 2023, the third and final season of the show debuted, and viewers were treated to the spellbinding episode “House Made of Bongs,” which expertly weaves together the characters’ past and present.
The most recent Reservation Dogs episode, “House Made of Bongs,” takes us on a nostalgic trip to 1976 in the Okern universe. Viewers get a fascinating look into their favorite characters’ teenage years in this imaginative time-travel episode, which highlights their goals, relationships, and the experiences that shaped them.
Reservation Dogs Season 3 Episode 5 Recap
The first scene of the show introduces us to Maximus (Isaac Arellanes), who at this point prefers the name Chebon. Bear’s distant cousin Maximus has a tense relationship with Fixico (Josiah Wesley Jones), who would eventually turn into a medicine man. Maximus and his friends—younger versions of characters we are familiar with, like Mabel (Shelby Factor), Irene (Quannah Chasinghorse), Brownie (Nathan Alexis), and Bucky (Mato Wayuhi)—start the adventure on their last day of St. Nicholas Training School.
Maximus, who would ultimately become Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs)’s grandmother, has a crush on Mabel, and he struggles with the difficulties of teenage love. The relationships between the pals show their future goals and aspirations. Brownie wants to start a dojo, Irene wants to join AIM so she can be politically active, Mabel wants to have NDN children, and Bucky wants to be a scientist. Chebon, as he is known at this age, wants to be a movie director, which makes his classmates laugh.
The episode explores the dynamics and vulnerabilities of the gang as they set out on a party-filled adventure. The aspirations of the characters reveal their current selves by charting the course of their life’s journey. Bucky (Wes Studi), who once envisioned himself as the pinnacle of science, now leads a very different existence as a folk artist. Irene’s political aspirations continue, despite the fact that she is still hanging about Okern, and Brownie’s casual attitude has remained constant over time.
Maximus/Chebon, however, is the episode’s main focus. His effort to fit in, his discontentment with his family, and his sense of loneliness are all things we see. Chebon and his buddies’ drug experiments turn the episode surreal and cause a chain of bizarre occurrences. The distinction between reality and hallucination is blurred in Chebon’s encounter with a UFO and an alien form, causing viewers to wonder about the nature of the experience.
The final seconds of the episode capture the essence of the narrative. Because of his singular encounter with the star person, Maximus stands out and reveals his yearning for connection and belief. Maximus is left alone in his singular experiences and perceptions when he encounters a mysterious meeting with a Star Person but his buddies reject it as a delusion. The effects of this incident on his mental health become startlingly clear as the story moves from 1976 to 2023.
The episode poses interesting concerns regarding how the characters view reality and how their past experiences have affected them in the present. It looks at issues like loneliness, connection, and the weight of unrealized potential. The emotional journey of Maximus/Chebon serves as a devastating reminder of the difficulties of growing up on a reservation, even though the supernatural parts are still up for interpretation. With its distinctive voice and provocative storytelling, “Reservation Dogs” holds viewers’ attention as the series moves closer to its finale.
In addition to providing a compelling look into the pasts of the characters, “House Made of Bongs” also helps us comprehend their current challenges. We gain an understanding of the origins of their personalities and the occasions that have influenced their trajectories via the prism of the 1970s. The episode stands out as a notable episode in the Reservation Dogs series thanks to its smart writing and compelling character development.
