This is Where the Plot Thickens is the eighth episode of the second season and sixteenth episode overall of Reservation Dogs.
Synopsis[]
Big takes a trip down memory lane.
Plot[]
Big watches over a body of water. He sees a woman.on the other bank.
Big chases a speeding motorcycle. Once they've stopped, the man says he thought it was a real cop.
Big starts to nod off as Sgt. Parker says someone hasn't returned Young Guns II. Two officers bicker over whether or not Lou Diamond Phillips is Native. Parker continues that a criterion edition of RoboCop hasn't been returned to Bronco Video and Roger Butler isn't happy about it. Someone has been tagging all the bus stops with "Land Back" and boobs and dicks. Santos says it's the people from the village, like Billy Jack. Rosey Harjo corrects that she's Willie Jack. A shipment of catfish has been stolen from Rob 'n' Cleo's. They think it's methheads. It seems to happen every six months. Parker tells Big to go talk to the zombies at the scrapyard. Big tells him to give it to Chubbs, because he has to follow up on a Bigfoot sighting outside of town. The other officers left. Parker tells him to do it on his way. Big thinks the field of catfish heads is connected, but Parker doubts that.
Big drives to the scrapyard.
A chemist shows Kenny Boy it's all science as he drugs some drinks. Ansel warns them they have company. It's Big. Kenny Boy tells the chemist to turn the bottle to face the other way so Big doesn't see that they're putting LSD ion the bottles. Big comes in and Kenny greets him in Navajo. Big asks him if he knows anything about the stolen catfish. Big pulls out one of the soda bottles and chugs it while they watch. Ansel says he has to go and leaves. The chemist tells Big the drink was dosed. Big starts to panic when he realized he's been drugged. He's never done drugs before. He runs out.
Big tries to force himself to throw up, but the chemist says it's too late. Big's senses start to blur. He's flooded with memories. He runs out of the scrapyard. Kenny Boy says he'll join him and drinks some of the dosed drink.
Big runs through the woods. He hugs a tree. Kenny Boy tries to catch up with him and tells him not to fight it. Big falls to the ground and starts laughing. He imagines a third eye opening on his forehead.
Big walks into what looks like a living room in the woods. Imajene asks if he's watching the show. He tells her she can change it. As he starts hallucinating, Imajene asks him what he's afraid of.
Big wakes up with Imajene over him. She asks what he's doing. He says nothing and denies being on drugs. She thinks he's lying. She tells him she needs cigarettes. He says he'll get them, but she should quit. She tells him not to tell her what to do. Big suddenly pictures Deer Lady in Imajene's place. She asks if he knows what she can do. He says he does and gets up to run away. Big has more flashes of memory.
Kenny Boy splashes Big with water to startle him and wake him up. Big asks if it's over and Kenny Boy says no. He probably just hit his first peak. It'll be an up and down ride. They both fall to the ground and laugh. Big starts chanting. Kenny Boy tells him to look at a flower, but he pictures one of Bucky's sculptures has come to life.
Kenny Boy says this batch is stronger than the last one his brother made. Big's mad because he doesn't do drugs. They hear men chanting in the distance and approach slowly. They find a large owl sculpture. A bunch of men wearing catfish masks stand in front of it. They chant about the land being theirs. Kenny Boy tells Big this is really happening. It's not the drugs. Big knows what this is. It's white people. It's the Midstreamers, a secret society that believes they're the rightful heirs of all Indian territory and all the mineral rights beneath the ground. Big learned about them from YouTube. They watch four men strip nude aside from their masks and kneel. The leader hands them each a beheaded catfish off a tray and pours blood on them as they masturbate with the catfish. Big and Kenny Boy are disgusted. Big prepares to interrupt. He pulls his gun and tells them all to take their masks off and put their hands up. Kenny Boy adds that they're on the Muskogee reservation. The midstreamers don't see Big as a real cop. The Grand Catfish says he's making a big mistake and pulls off his mask, revealing that it's Governor Wilson. One of the midstreamers says their god has given them the land to do with as they will because the Native will not. Kenny Boy slaps him and tells him to shut his mouth. A guard comes up behind Big and has him put his gun down. When Big makes a joke about it, the guard knocks him to the ground. The midstreamers continue their chanting as the guards beat up Big and Kenny Boy.
Big finds Cookie on a motorcycle at a shop. He knows she's been drinking and offers her a ride home. She says she has a sober driver to take her home plus she's just down the road. He tells her to get home safely.
Big sees someone drunkenly stumble around the store then out the door. The casher says the guy stumbled in and reeks. Big watches as the guy pulls out on the motorcycle with Cookie. Big gets in his car and follows them. When they pull over, the guy comments that he thought it was a real cop. Cookie smiles at Big. They take off again. Big gets back in his car and starts following them again.
Big finds the motorcycle on fire and Cookie lying on the ground dead.
Kenny Boy and Big are zip tied together hugging a tree and blindfolded. Big says he's not a good man, but Kenny Boy says that's nonsense. Big tries to tell him how he failed some friends. He let two people die and he knew their whole families. The guard watching them says to shut up, but they don't listen. Kenny Boy asks if he can call Big brother. Big says yes, but not in front of his friends. They hear a shotgun nearby and Big sees hooves under his blindfold. Deer Lady frees them. She asks Kenny Boy if he's been good. He says no, but he's trying. Big is confused and asks if this is really happening. Deer Lady says yes. Cookie told her Big was in trouble. Deer Lady hugs Big and tells him to take care of him and keep being good. Big calls Dispatch for backup. They take the guns off the security guards and go find the rest of the group.
The ceremony has continued. The initiates are now wearing diapers, but nothing else. Big and Kenny Boy tell them they're all under arrest. Wilson says they were almost done.
A reporter reports the story of Big and Kenny Boy busting the secret society and arresting the members. Elora, Cheese, Bear, and Willie Jack watch the report and are grossed out when the reporter mentions that the members fornicated with catfish. It puts them off their catfish meal.
Big and Kenny Boy watch the midstreamer get taken way. Kenny Boy says Big's a good man and Big says he hopes so. They shake hands and Kenny Boy calls him brother. Big says Kenny Boy's lucky Big doesn't take him to jail. Kenny Boy admits he's still tripping.
Big walks down the road, turning around when he hears a midstreamer chanting Ours as he crosses the road. Next, Bigfoot crosses.
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[]
- Angus Sampson as Chemist
- Kirk Fox as Kenny Boy
- Matty Cardarople as Ansel
- Janae Collins as Cookie Postoak
- Kaniehtiio Horn as Deer Lady
- Zahn McClarnon as Big Hill
Co-Starring[]
- Christopher Kriesa as Grand Catfish
- Ben Hall as Oil Priest
- Pierre Barrera as Sgt. Parker
- Jana Butler-Rhoads as Imajene
- Chase Parker as Kyle
- Weston Vrooman as Cashier
- Jennifer Rader as Officer Rosey Harjo
- Steve Factor as Random Officer
- Glenda Taylor as Reporter
- Darryl Cox as Midstreamer
Notes and Trivia[]
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
See Also[]
A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
Season 2 | ||||||||
#01 | "The Curse" | #05 | "Wide Net" | #08 | "This is Where the Plot Thickens" | |||
#02 | "Run" | #06 | "Decolonativization" | #09 | "Offerings" | |||
#03 | "Roofing" | #07 | "Stay Gold Cheesy Boy" | #10 | "I Still Believe" | |||
#04 | "Mabel" | |||||||
<< Season 1 | Season 3 >> |