NDN Clinic is the second episode of the first season and second episode overall of Reservation Dogs.
Synopsis[]
A new crew threatens the Reservation Dogs while they try and make some money selling meat pies outside the local IHS Clinic.
Plot[]
Bear is walking around listening to music when three members of NDN Mafia come up behind him. Jackie has White Steve throw a bottle at him. It hits the ground near Bear's feet, startling him. The three of them surround him, followed by a fourth member. Bear prepares to fight them. They knock him to the ground and start kicking him. Danny Bighead pulls up on his bike and see this, but just shakes his head and keeps riding. As they go to leave, Steve comes back to kick Bear one more time.
Bear has another vision of William "Spirit" Knifeman. He tells Bear he should have run. Bear claims he got some good shots in. He tells Bear to go to the clinic because his nose is messed up.
As they unload their stuff to start selling Willie Jack's meat pies outside the Okern Indiana Health Clinic, Bear has Elora check his nose to see if it's broken. He tells her he's going inside to get it checked and she says they'll be outside when he's done.
As he fills out paperwork, blood drips from Bear's nose onto the page. Bev, the receptionist, pulls the clipboard back and tells him to start over on a fresh page. Bear is surprised they don't have his information as he's been to the clinic before and his mom works there. Bev asks what he's there for and he says he got into a fight and busted his nose. Again, he says he got some good shots in. Bev asks if he told his mom and he says he didn't. He asks her not to either. He asks how long the wait is and she says if he's been there so much, he should know.
Big tells a story of holding his gun on someone and having Creator ask if he really wanted to shoot his old best friend. Rita asks if he's there to see the doctor or if he has some bad guys to chase. He gets up and walks out.
Outside Old Man Fixico sells "real medicine" at his table, which is set up next to Willie Jack's meat pies. Elora offers him one, but he turns it down. He tells them to watch out on Mondays because lots of people come in, which means lots of bad medicine.
Cheese takes candy out of the bowl inside the clinic. Natalie spots him and says they're free, but for patients only. He puts the candy back, but she says she was just kidding. She asks if he has good eyes. He thinks he does, but struggles to read even the top line of the eye chart. She can probably work him in because they had two cancellations. She asks if he has any family they can call. He says he lives with his uncle Charley Johnson. Natalie knows Charley. He texts her all the time. She pulls out her cell phone.
Danny asks if the meat pies are any good. Willie Jack says they are. It's her grandma's recipe. Danny buys some and says he'll let her know what he thinks, but she doesn't care. He says he saw Bear get beat up on his way to his auntie's. Once he's gone, Elora grabs her stomach and says it hurts. She didn't eat any of the meat, though. Willie Jack asks Fixico if he has anything for Elora's stomach and he says no. She has to go into the clinic.
Elora signs in and tells Bev her stomach hurts. Bev asks if she tried going to the bathroom, but Elora knows that's not it. Bev types that into her computer and says they'll call her. Before she walks away, Elora tells her they're selling meat pies outside. Bev says the girl with stomach pains is selling meat pies. No one wants any.
Dr. Kang prepares to put drops in Cheese's eyes. It'll be unpleasant, but he has to.
Bear gets a soda out of the vending machine. Big sees this and says sugar is the white man's bullets, invented to kill them. Bear asks Big what he's getting and Big says an energy drink.
Bear comes out to the table and says the vibes in the clinic are weird. Elora says it's always weird there. Bear asks if his nose looks all right and Willie Jack says it looks messed up. She and Elora tease him about it. They watch as the NDN mafia drive by slowly in their car. Elora thinks they must be looking for Bear, but he doesn't know why they would be, since he got good shots in. Willie Jack says Danny Bighead told them he cried, which Bear denies. Bear says it's tough being the leader. Elora and Willie Jack laugh at the idea as Bear gets called in to reception.
Bev tells Bear his address doesn't match up with the national database. She can't tell him what address they have. He has to remember it before he sees a doctor. He says his mom works there and says Bev could just call her. Bev goes to do that, but Bear stops her. He says it's 231 Martha Drive. Bev tells him to sit down and someone will call him soon. He's surprised to see Elora get called back and asks Bev why she's being seen first. Bev just smirks.
Mose and Mekko buy some meat pies. Big asks if there are onions in the meat pies. When Willie Jack says yes, he says they make him gassy. Mose and Mekko see Cheese's sunglasses and ask if he went blind. He says no, that his eyes are just dilated. Big sees the chips he's eating and asks where he got them. Mose covers for him, saying he gave them to Cheese and got them from Rob-n-Cleo's. Big grabs the bag and says he better not hear that Cheese is buying them black market.
Cheese is walking through the clinic when a woman, Grandma Irene, calls him grandson. He tries to tell her he's not her grandson, but then just plays along. She tells him she'd like to be home in the country. She misses it. She didn't sign up for lying in a hospital bed.
Bear goes to see Leon and asks him for fighting tips, as he used to do martial arts. Leon tells him to stop blocking punches with his face to start. Bear again says he got some good ones in. Bear goes over to look at some photos Leon has on the wall and sees one he hasn't seen before of them with Daniel. Leon says Bear can take it, because he can print another one.
Dr. Kang comes in to see Elora. He asks her if she ate something weird and she says no. He says her stomach lining is inflamed, so she must be eating something. Elora says she eats a lot of chips, like ten bags a day. He tells her she needs to stop eating the chips and take it easy.
Bear gets called back to a room. On the way back, he sees Spirit in a room, but ignores him and puts on his headphones. Dr. Kang comes in. Bear asks if he isn't the eye doctor and he says he's the everything doctor. He remembers Bear. He's seen him a lot. Bear says he was in a fight and asks Dr. Kang not to tell his mom. Dr. Kang asks about Bear's mom and Bear says he's not around a lot. Dr. Kang asks if Rita has re-married. Bear says he got jumped because he's the leader of a gang and that comes with big responsibilities. Dr. Kang says to wait until he's an adult and then he'll know. He didn't want to be still at the clinic after ten years. He has nothing. No family. He loves Native American people, but he just wants to go back to where he's from. Bear asks if he means China, but he's San Diego and he's Korean. Dr. Kang gives him a prescription for ibuprofen and says he'll be fine. Bear asks if that means he shouldn't fight for a while and Dr. Kang tells him to fight all he wants.
Dr. Kang tells Rita her kid is sweet, but she doesn't believe that. It must have been hard raising him without a man around to show him things like hunting and fishing, but Rita says she can do both those things. Dr. Kang continues awkwardly. Rita asks why he's talking about Bear. Dr. Kang says he was just in the clinic because he'd been punched in the face. Rita races out of the room.
Bear asks how it went and Willie Jack says they made $50. Bear then shows her and Elora the picture he got from Leon. They look up when they hear car doors close and see the NDN Mafia leaning on their car. The two groups approach each other and goad each other until Rita breaks it up. Big then comes out and tells them to break it up or he'll run them all in. After they all go their separate ways, Big looks at the meat pie in his hand as his stomach gurgles.
Cheese takes Grandma Irene out in a wheelchair. He passes a confused Bear in the hallway and tells him she's his grandma.
Dr. Kang smokes and eats chips behind the clinic.
Cheese parks Grandma Irene outside and sits next to her.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan Postoak
- D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear Smallhill
- Lane Factor as Cheese Williams
- Paulina Alexis as Willie Jack Sampson
Guest Starring[]
- Zahn McClarnon as Big Hill
- Sarah Podemski as Rita Smallhill
- Bobby Lee as Dr. Kang
- Jana Schmieding as Bev
- Casey Camp-Horinek as Grandma Irene
- Jon Proudstar as Leon Sampson
Co-Starring[]
- Lil Mike as Mose
- Funnybone as Mekko
- Jude Barnett as Bone Thug Dog
- Keland Lee Bearpaw as Danny Bighead
- Xavier Bigpond as Weeze
- Dallas Goldtooth as Spirit
- Elva Guerra as Jackie
- Jack Maricle as White Steve
- Emily Northcutt as Nurse
- Nathalie Standingcloud as Optometry Receptionist
- Richard Ray Whitman as Old Man Fixico
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
See Also[]
A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
Season 1 | |||||
#01 | "F*ckin' Rez Dogs" | #04 | "What About Your Dad" | #07 | "California Dreamin'" |
#02 | "NDN Clinic" | #05 | "Come and Get Your Love" | #08 | "Satvrday" |
#03 | "Uncle Brownie" | #06 | "Hunting" | ||
Season 2 >> |