Reservation Dogs – Season 3 Episode 10 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Dig

In Reservation Dogs Season 3 Episode 10, Willie Jack visits the prison to tell Hokti sad news: Fixico has passed away.

How does Hokti help Willie Jack?

Willie Jack admits to Hokti that she feels she didn’t spend enough time with Fixico. There was so much left he had to teach her.

This is where Hokti stops her. Staging a metaphor with chips and soda, she helps her see that she actually learned a great deal from Fixico. She learned how to care for her community. Not only that, but Willie Jack will always carry a piece of Fixico with her. And everyone she comes into contact with will carry a piece of him too.

Does Maximus reunite with his old Okern friends?

After Maximus said his goodbyes to Fixico, he decided to stick around. At the funeral, he reunites with all his old friends: Irene, Brownie, and Bucky. It looks like they have all decided to put the past behind them. 

Who is leaving Okern, and who is staying?

After everyone says goodbye to Fixico, the aunties, Jackie, and Elora gather to cook for everyone. Elora then learns that Rita is taking the job offer and moving away, whereas Bear has chosen to stay in Okern. Teenie tries to ask Elora about her college plans, but Elora sidesteps her question. Rita doesn’t know yet, and she needs to talk to Bear first.

Elora excuses herself to do just that. She finds Bear sitting alone in the room with Fixico’s casket. Sitting with him, she breaks the news that she’s leaving for college. She didn’t know his mom would be leaving too, and she just wanted to make sure he’d be okay.

Bear is sad to see her go, but more than that, he’s excited for her. Putting a rocky past behind them, the friends hug and share genuine “I love you’s.”

Does William Knifeman stay with Bear?

The young men get to digging Fixico’s grave, which Cheese is hilariously bad at, as he accidentally (and obliviously) hits White Steve in the face with his shovel.

When Bear takes a bathroom break, he hopes to see the spirit warrior, William Knifeman. He’s not disappointed. William Knifeman has been keeping his distance ever since Bear lashed out at him. But now, there’s only love between the two.

Still, it’s time for the spirit warrior to say goodbye. He’s imparted all the knowledge Bear needed. And Bear has grown, having come to realize that he doesn’t have to be the only leader and that he’s just proud to be a part of his loving community.

How does Reservation Dogs season 3 end?

In the morning, Willie Jack says a few words in front of everyone at Fixico’s grave. She says Fixico taught her to take care of people and be there for her community. It’s beautiful, she says, that they can all come together like this despite their individual lives.

And those individual lives do go on. Rita leaves for her new job. Bear stays behind with Jackie, and they seem to be together. Cheese hangs out with his grandma. Elora sells her house before leaving for college. The Rez Dogs hug her, but it’s not a goodbye. They’ll be together again. By now, they’ve all learned how important that is.

The Episode Review

What is there to say? This beloved series has come to an end, and there’s now a Reservation Dogs-shaped hole in my heart. I don’t think any other show has captivated me like this with its lovable characters and tangible sense of community. I bawled throughout this entire season.

Lily Gladstone and Paulina Alexis get us off to a strong (and teary) start, and the episode only strengthens with every scene, showing us how far each Rez Dog has come. Never has character development been so earned!

My only complaint is that we didn’t get a satisfying closing moment for Cheese. All the fun, quirky Cheese moments in this episode felt very characteristic of the teen. Still, I would have liked to see the fan-favorite have a weightier part in the finale, just like the other three protagonists.

Notice, though, that this isn’t enough for me to take down my rating. I couldn’t do that for such a compassionate and beautifully crafted final episode.