"House Made of Bongs" is the fifth episode of the third and final season of the comedy and teen drama television series Reservation Dogs. It is the twenty-third episode overall; it was directed by Blackhorse Lowe and written by Tommy Pico and Sterlin Harjo. In the episode, a group of students at a boarding school on an Indian reservation attend a party where they prepare for their futures. It was released on FX on Hulu on August 23, 2023. The episode takes place in 1976 and features no appearances by the main cast.
| "House Made of Bongs" | |
|---|---|
| Reservation Dogs episode | |
 The primary guest stars of the episode along with Josiah Wesley Jones as Young Fixico. | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 5 |
| Directed by | Blackhorse Lowe |
| Written by | Tommy Pico and Sterlin Harjo |
| Featured music | |
| Cinematography by | Mark Schwartzbard |
| Editing by | Varun Viswanath |
| Production code | XRDV3005 |
| Original air date | August 23, 2023 |
| Running time | 27 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
Plot
editIn 1976 in Okern, Maximus, Brownie, Bucky, Irene, and Mabel are students at the same boarding school attended by Deer Lady, but now there are some Indian teachers, it is more like a regular boarding school, and there are sports teams called "Chieftains" (with an Indian mascot). It is the end of the school year. Maximus (who prefers to be called Cvpon) is filming his friends, making the home movies shown in episode 2. They go to a party by a lake where they smoke marijuana, drink, and take LSD. They talk about what they want for their older selves. Maximus has never taken LSD before and is very altered. Fixico arrives and is very popular. He has recently begun his training as a medicine man and Maximus is jealous. Fixico tries to make peace with Maximus but fails. Driving home, Maximus has his first encounter with the star people, but no one believes him.
Production
editThe episode was directed by Blackhorse Lowe and written by Tommy Pico and Sterlin Harjo.[1] None of the main cast appeared in the episode, it instead primarily features five guest stars (Isaac Arellanes, Mato Wayuhi, Shelby Factor, Quannah Chasinghorse, and Nathan Alexis) who portray the younger version of characters who have previously recurred throughout the series.[2] Lowe compared the script to Dazed and Confused and stated that his inspiration was taken from Steven Spielberg directed films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[3] "House Made of Bongs" is set in the year 1976.[2] The episode forms a loose story arc with the following episode, "Frankfurter Sandwich," which is set in 2023, but was also directed by Lowe and co-written by Harjo.[4] Cast and crew members screened Two-Lane Blacktop, Vanishing Point, and Husbands with Lowe at Circle Cinema in Tulsa, Oklahoma before filming on the two episodes commenced.[5] Lowe also said they attempted to use as many special effects as they could in-camera rather than add them in post production.[3] Featured music from the 1960s and 1970s included songs such as "I'm on Fire" by the Dwight Twilley Band, "Jailbreak"by Thin Lizzy, and "Call Me the Breeze" by J.J. Cale, as well as those from other artists including 13th Floor Elevators, Fanny, and Ultimate Spinach.[6]
Release and reception
edit"House Made of Bongs" was released on Hulu on August 23, 2023, under their FX on Hulu content hub.[1] Reviewing for The A.V. Club, Manuel Betancourt stated that the episode allowed Reservation Dogs to "offer a much more robust vision of Native life over the decades" and noted the comparisons to Dazed and Confused.[7] Betancourt also opines that the episode is one of the funniest in the third season and most inventive in the series overall.[7] Kali Simmons with Vulture notes that "House Made of Bongs" allowed viewers to see the similarities between Maximus and Bear.[8] TV Insider's Megan Darwish wrote that the younger actors "seemingly encapsulate their older counterparts with pitch-perfect performances".[9] Alan Sepinwall, writing for Rolling Stone, mentions the contrast of the scenes set at the school compared to what is seen in the present-day set episodes and its state two episodes earlier in "Deer Lady".[10] Pico and Harjo were nominated in the episodic comedy category for their work on the episode at the 2024 Writers Guild of America Awards.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "(#305) "House Made of Bongs"" (Press release). FX. Archived from the original on April 15, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024 – via The Futon Critic.
- ^ a b Bojalad, Alec (August 23, 2023). "Reservation Dogs Season 3 Episode 5 Explained: What is House Made of Bongs Really About?". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Hutchinson, Chase (August 23, 2023). "'Reservation Dogs' Director Blackhorse Lowe on "House Made of Bongs" Episode and Those Otherworldly Visitors". Collider. Archived from the original on February 29, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ Cobb, Kayla (August 31, 2023). "'Reservation Dogs' Director Says He Wanted to Create a 'Roller Coaster Wave of Emotion' With Episode 6's Crying Scene". The Wrap. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ Devore, Britta (August 31, 2023). "Blackhorse Lowe's 'Reservation Dogs' Episodes Were Visually Inspired by These Movies". Collider. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ "Listen to Music from Reservation Dogs Season 3". FX Networks. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Betancourt, Manuel (August 23, 2023). "Reservation Dogs recap: The show goes full Dazed And Confused". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ Simmons, Kali (August 23, 2023). "Reservation Dogs Recap: Space Oddity". Vulture. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ Darwish, Megan (August 23, 2023). "'Reservation Dogs' Elders Go Back in Time With 'Dazed and Confused' Inspired Episode". TV Insider. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ Sepinwall, Alan (August 23, 2023). "'Reservation Dogs' Recap: Acid Trip or Alien Encounter?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (February 21, 2024). "Strike-Delayed Writers Guild Awards Nominations Revealed". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 25, 2024.