Not all who wander are lost on Reservation Dogs. In “Maximus,” Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) reaches a crossroads and meets an interesting stranger. Graham Greene guest stars in this episode, directed by Tazbah Rose Chavez.
Bear literally missed the bus in the last episode. He was left with no money, a dead phone, and only the Spirit, William Knifeman (Dallas Goldtooth) to accompany him. Bear walks across Oklahoma and encounters an angry conquistador (Eric Mainade) who yells at him to lead him out of these unholy lands. And it’s Spirit to the rescue. He gets rid of the conquistador by telling where to find gold.
Bear is hangry and blames Spirit for missing the bus. Spirit is actually quite proud of the work he’s done with Bear. He says Bear is exactly where he needs to be; on a walk-about. Bear asks Spirit to tell him what to do, but that’s against the rules of the Spirit Council. Spirit takes pity on Bear and gives him one piece of advice … keep walking.
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Someone watches Bear through binoculars and sees him yelling at no one. Bear is upset and thinks he’s going to die out there. Spirit understands the struggle, but Bear has had enough. He says Spirit pushed his way into Bear’s life and he won’t leave. He tells Spirit to go away. Spirit turns to the camera and there’s a single tear running down his face.
As Bear walks away, he is hit with a dart in his neck. Bear pulls out the dart and falls to the ground. Someone picks him up and drives him to a trailer. When Bear wakes up he’s blindfolded and tied to a chair. An old man pulls off the blindfold and gives Bear a glass of water. The man’s name is Maximus (Greene). He’s suspicious of Bear and tells him not to try anything. Maximus says Bear is the youngest he’s seen. The kid doesn’t have a tracking device on him. Bear says he’s just trying to get home to Okern. The mention of Okern makes Maximus slam his fist on the table. He says they found him.
Maximus used to live in Okern and starts rambling about people looking for him. He’s been looking too. He’s seen things that Bear wouldn’t believe. Everything is connected. Maximus left Okern and now Bear shows up. He starts talking about UFO sightings all over Oklahoma. There were 27 in one week. In that week, there was a spike in hospitalizations and mental institutions. All of the Sonics across the state ran out of Tots! Maximus says they don’t want the truth getting out.
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Maximus asks Bear what he sees. Bear tells him about Spirit, the warrior who died at Little BigHorn. Maximus thinks it’s funny. Why would a spirit from Little BigHorn be in Oklahoma? Bear doesn’t answer, but excuses himself to the bathroom. Once he closes the door, Bear freaks out and tries to reconnect with William Knifeman. He leaves the bathroom and finds Maximus just outside the door. Maximus tells him to stop talking to himself.
Maximus takes Bear along on his errands for the day. First they go to a greenhouse to water a bunch of eggplants. Maximus says he doesn’t eat the eggplant because the Star People brought them. He only takes care of the plants so the Star People will have something to eat when they come back. Bear asks if he’s ever seen a Star Person. Maximus is pretty sure they both saw one. Star People don’t always appear the way people think they should. They can take different forms and sometimes, it’s just a feeling.
Next they go to a shed that serves as Maximus’ radio station. He has an old movie projector inside and plays an old movie of him and his friends. Turns out he really is from Okern. And his friends, more like family, are people we have already met. Bear watches the movie and sees younger versions of Elora Danan’s grandma Mabel, Uncle Brownie, Cheese’s (Lane Factor) grandma Irene, and a young man named Buchanan … aka Bucky.
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Bear asks where they are now and Maximus asks the same question about Bear’s friends. Bear says they are on a bus back home. Maximus wonders if Bear meant to miss the bus and Bear says he wanted to be alone. Next, Maximus asks if his friends believed him. He says when they stop believing you, they take you away and shock you. It’s happened to him many times. Maximus admits to being in psych wards across Kansas and Texas.
They stop to get water from the well. Bear is surprised to find out that the water he drank earlier was from that well. The water is brown. Bear asks Maximus if he has a phone charger, but he doesn’t. Maximus doesn’t want anyone to find him. He takes Bear to a sewage drain. He says if anything happens, Bear should go through the drain to get to the road. But he has to be careful. It’s full of snakes.
Night comes and Bear is mesmerized by the stars. Maximus talks about UFOs again, saying most sightings peak between 9 and 10 PM. He tells Bear about how an event in the universe can happen in the past. And they won’t see it until the present. That’s because the light travels across the galaxy to show them. He says they are echoes of things that came before. Bear sees the big dipper, but Maximus says it’s actually a boat. It helps them on their journey to the source that created everything. Maximus says they are just energy manifests, created to prove a point. The point being that they can still love. Through it all, life is tough. They should be proud that they can still love. Bear asks how someone knows that they love them. Maximus says love doesn’t have to be seen. It can just be.
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Maximus goes inside the trailer. Bear starts to walk away, but then turns around. He goes back inside the trailer to help Maximus prepare food. They watch TV while they eat. Bear finds out that Maximus’ parents died when he was a kid. He grew up in boarding schools. Maximus doesn’t like people, but he likes Bear. He says they are kindred spirits. They see things that others can’t and they are afraid of. Or they are jealous because it’s a powerful thing. Maximus invites Bear to stay as long as he likes. Later that night, Bear wakes up to Maximus on the radio, trying to get someone to answer him.
The next morning, Bear wakes up to Maximus freaking out. Maximus saw them arrive and now he’s scared. They found him. He tells Bear to hide and then packs a bag. Maximus gives the bag to Bear, who looks outside and sees the police. Bear offers to talk to the police, but Maximus tells him to go home. He picks up two eggplants and heads for the door. Before Maximus opens the door, Bear tells him that he believes him.
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Maximus walks outside and hands the eggplants to the police. One of the cops gently takes Maximus by the arm and says it’s time to go back. Bear is alone in the trailer. He takes a look around and finds the keys to the dune buggy. He takes the bag that Maximus gave him and drives to the greenhouse. First he waters the eggplants and puts a few of them in his pack. Next he drives to the drain. He’s scared to go inside and walks through the drain slowly. Bear is back on the road, headed home.
Watch the Reservation Dogs on FX on Hulu.
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