‘Reservation Dogs’ Makes A Dramatic Episode Without Drama
by Frank Martin
Writers are often told that stories need drama. It’s conflict and an inciting incident that provides plot for characters to follow. A life without drama isn’t interesting. Something needs to go wrong in order to captivate audiences’ attention and make them take notice. So it’s very interesting to see a profound episode of Reservation Dogs take a completely different approach to one of its most emotional moments.
This episode takes place right before the series finale when Elora (K. Devery Jacobs) finally goes in search of her father (Ethan Hawke). She doesn’t do this because she’s interested in him. She does it because she needs his signature to apply for financial aid. Her dad isn’t even expecting her. She just kind of shows up and stalks him until he realizes someone is following her. From there, Elora takes a very cautious and standoffish approach with him, even though he carefully invites her into his life. Elora is unsure about what to make of his kindness, but she accepts it anyway. She visits his house, accepts a picture of her as a baby, and even meets his three other children. The five of them go out for pizza before Elora leaves on a promising note that she might visit in the future.
This episode is exceptional because of its lack of obstacles. People often think of drama in a negative light, that something bad has to happen in order to make a story engaging. But this episode is the exact opposite of that. The drama is built into the premise of Elora reconciling with her father (somewhat) even though that wasn’t her intention. Throughout the episode there are constant moments that the other shoe could drop. Her father could secretly be abusive or try to turn Elora’s visit into something menacing. He could have even been mean to her. But none of those things happened. The man apologized and regretted his awful behavior of the past, and it’s obvious by the way he’s raising his three kids that he’s trying to make up for it. This episode was notable because it lacked of the usual dramatic hooks, opting for a wholesome and positive message instead. It’s a lesson more storytellers should take note of.
Reservation Dogs is now streaming on Hulu.
