Even the best of us have a rough time on Reservation Dogs. In “Stay Gold Cheesy Boy,” Cheese (Lane Factor) is arrested.
Here’s what we know about Cheese. He’s living with his uncle Charlie (Nathan Apodaca AKA Doggface). He has never said where his parents are or if they are alive. He befriended a woman in the hospital, Irene (Casey Camp-Horinek) and he calls her grandma. And of the four Rez Dogs, he has the most positive outlook on life.
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STAY GOLD CHEESY BOY
One day, Cheese and Uncle Charlie were just hanging in the driveway chillin’ and talking about Charlie’s TikTok, when the cops showed up and took them both to jail. Apparently Charlie was growing marijuana. As they drag Charlie away, he tells Cheese to ‘stay gold.’ Jackie (Elva Guerra) saw the whole thing.
Cheese is sent to a Boys home, run by man named Gene (Marc Maron) who refuses to call him Cheese. He says he will call him by his government name … Chester. Gene gives Chester his chore assignment, cleaning the bathroom. The rules are easy. House meetings are required and no cell phones. There is a house phone. Phone time is from 5-10 pm, if Cheese can even get to the phone
Cheese settles into his room that he shares with several guys. He quickly meets the most unpleasant roommate, James (Kamron Alexander), a boy with a urinating problem Tino (Travis Thompson), and the quiet one with a job Julio (Reynaldo Piniella). Cheese gets started on his chores and finds the bathroom to be in the grossest state I’ve ever seen.
Later that night, when everyone is asleep, Cheese looks at a notebook that he brought. There are lots of drawings and messages from his friends, including Daniel (Dalton Cramer). He falls asleep with the notebook in his arms. Cheese is woken up when the rest of the roommates begin beating up one of the guys. Tino offers to let him hit the boy and then tells Cheese not to tell Gene.
HEAD OR GUT
The next day, Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) and Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) are selling Flaming Flamers again when Jackie pulls up on her bike. Willie Jack is ready to fight., but Jackie says Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs) is not answering her message and someone needs to know that Cheese got arrested.
Jackie turns to leave after delivering the message and Willie Jack stops her. She offers to let Jackie that she can hit her for what she said about Jackie’s dead brother. She even gives her a choice, head or gut. Jackie agrees and raises her fist to hit Willie Jack in the face, stopping when WJ and Bear both flinch. Jackie says they’re good. This is definitely a turning point for Jackie and the Rez Dogs.
Elora Danan is painting her house when she spots Willie Jack, Bear and Jackie outside her window. She’s surprised to see them … together. There is a very good reason for that. Cheese got arrested.
SAVING CHESTER
At the home, Cheese learns that the boys who have a job can come and go. The boys get to spend some time in the back yard. Tino complements Cheese’s drawings. Tino is Native and has lots of kids. He’s has been there for about two years. He’s about to age out and hopes to get a job before that happens.
Elora Danan shows up at the home and talks to Gene. She tells him that she is Chester’s auntie. He doesn’t believe her because she looks so young. Gene can’t let him go because the court decides when Cheese is released. She tries to bribe Gene and he threatens to call the cops.
Meanwhile, Bear, Willie Jack and Jackie get Cheese’s attention at the window. They are there to break him out. Cheese hesitates because breaking out is illegal. Gene is one his way upstairs so Cheese panics and tells them to remember him before closing the window.
CELL PHONE
The house meeting is run like an Alcoholic’s Anonymous meeting, complete with sage to cleanse the air. Gene admits that the meeting is a part of his recovery. He’s had a pretty hard time with drugs and alcohol after his marriage failed. He met a Lakota medicine man and was set straight.
Gene passes around a peace pipe. Whoever holds the pipe must speak. Tino says he’s been good all week. James doesn’t want to talk. Cheese tells everyone that he hates being in the house. Julio takes the pipe just so he can confronts Tino about his urinating problem. They start arguing so Gene takes the pipe and ends the meeting.
James sits on the phone talking to his girlfriend. Cheese asks if he can use the phone and James ignores him. Julio thinks Cheese wants to call his girlfriend, but he says he wants to call his grandma. Julio gives him a cell phone and tells him to use it after everyone goes to sleep.
Later that night, Cheese sits in the bathroom and calls Irene. At first she acts like she doesn’t know who he is. Then she asks where he is. He say she misses her and he’s been helping Uncle Charlie. He promises to come over soon. She says it’s good to hear his voice and tells him not to get too busy for the ones who love him. Irene also offers to help him with anything he needs and says she loves him. Cheese loves her too and wishes her a good night. Awww …
YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHEESE
Gene wakes up the whole house when the cops show up to take one of the boys away. The whole ordeal triggers Gene so he makes everyone get up to get a snack. Cheese sits with Tino and Julio talking about the cops. He tells them about the time the Rez Dogs stole a chip truck. Then he befriended Big (Zahn McClarnon) so he could go on a ride-a-long. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
Tino compares Cheese to Don Corleone. Cheese says he’s more like a Tom Hagen. Tino takes the title of Don Corleone since he has so many kids. A fact that Julio didn’t know about him. Tino says he’s been asking for Julio to hook him up with a job so he can take care of his kids. They obviously don’t talk much. For Julio, it’s easier to be alone. So many guys come and go from the house.
Cheese says he hopes Julio can have a healthy relationship with people without the fear of losing them. Julio wonders Cheese talks like he’s reading a white girl’s Instagram. Cheese tells them about Daniel. Daniel was his hero. After he died, Cheese decided to treat others the way they wanted to be treated and hoped they would do the same. After hearing that, Julio offers to put in a good word at work for Tino.
FREE CHEESE
The next day, Julio is appalled by Cheese’s wrinkled Sade shirt. He takes him aside and teaches him how to iron his clothes. Big shows up and Cheese is happy to see him. Handcuffs are required, so while Big puts the cuffs on the kids, Cheese asks if he can talk smack. The tribal cop says okay and Cheese calls him a child molester.
Cheese says goodbye to Tino and Julio with a promise to visit them at their jobs. Gene stops him to say something in Lakota and says he will always be Chester’s friend. (I think that was from Dances with Wolves?) Cheese gets in the car and tries to turn on the radio, but Big says it’s broke. It’s good though. Now they can sit in their thoughts on their way to Cheese’s new placement. Cheese is so excited.
When they arrive at Cheese’s new placement, Bear, Elora, Willie Jack and Jackie are waiting for him, wearing shirts that say “Free Cheese.” Irene is there too! Cheese is staying with his grandma! He gives her a big hug before they go in to get him settled in.
RELATED: Catch up on all of the Reservation Dogs recaps here!
Watch the Reservation Dogs on FX on Hulu.
News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
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