1x01 F*ckin' Rez Dogs

[7.4/10] A nice little intro to the show. The dynamic between Bear and Elora is strong out of the gate, and I especially like Bear’s spiritual struggle between trying to get out of a bad situation by any means necessary and wanting to stay and help his people the right way.

I can’t speak to verisimilitude, but the world Bear and his compatriots inhabit feels very lived in and real. The ecosystem of his reservation already has its contours, with the meth head contingent, the seemingly inept ocal policeman, the kind catfish restaurant folks, and other allies and antagonists out in the world.

The magical realism is interesting too. Bear having a vision after his Platoon-like paintball beat down, with a comic twist but moral push, is a compelling wrinkle. And the hints that he’s seeing his dead friend at the corner of his vision lays the seeds for something interesting.

I’ll confess, I didn’t laugh all that much here, but I don’t know that it’s that sort of comedy. It feels more like a slice of life kind of show, where the humor comes more from a wry appreciation of the situation, mixed with the realness of kids being kids, and I can dig that, as well as the sideways Tarantino references.

Overall, a promising start, with some of the necessary table-setting that comes with a series debut, but also a number of interesting threads and character beats for the show to follow from here.