Roofing

Bear works with Daniel's dad

**Roofing** is the third episode of the second season and eleventh episode overall of *Reservation Dogs*.

## Plot

Bear goes outside and puts his new tool belt on the ground. Then he starts stepping on it and throwing it around to scuff it up. Rita comes out and asks what he's doing. He explains that he's aging his tool belt. She says she just bought that for him. It's new and nice, but if he shows up at a construction job with a new belt, they'll eat him alive. She suggests he go work at Rob and Cleo's, somewhere safer. He says as the man of the house, he needs a man's job. He can't show weakness to them. His new co-workers, Charley Johnson and Marc Don, pull up in their truck and he asks Rita to go back inside. He goes to get in the truck, but Rita comes back outside with his forgotten thermos. She asks Charley to take care of her boy. Charley promises that he will. They both eat some pot gummies. Charley offers the bag to Bear, but pulls it back before he can get one, telling him he's too young.

When they arrive at their work site, Danny Jackson is waiting for them. He and Bear don't talk to each other. Bear asks what to do and Charley tells him to copy them when he doesn't know what to do. Bear struggles to carry the things they easily carried.

On the roof, Bear cautiously walks down the slope of the roof. Charley says his edible is kicking in. Danny grabs a pack of shingles and moves to the other side of the roof. Bear asks if he doesn't work with them. Marc Don says he likes to work alone. He used to be the worst worker. Now he's like a robot. He doesn't talk, but he gets the job done. Charley says they're missing the board stretcher. They can't finish the job without it. Marc Don sends Bear down to the truck to find it. Charley tells him not to come back without it.

Bear searches the truck, but doesn't find it. Then he checks Danny's truck and sees a picture of Daniel hanging from his rearview mirror. Danny comes to his truck and Bear asks him if he's seen the board stretcher. Danny tells him there's no such thing as a board stretcher. They're messing with him. Bear looks up and sees Marc Don and Charley on the roof laughing at him.

They continue their work. Bear hands Marc Don shingles and Marc Don nails them down. Bear asks if they always wanted to become roofers. They tell him you don't choose roofing. It chooses you. They ask if Bear has snagged yet. He tries to pretend he has, but they know he's lying. Danny comes over to ask Marc Don to move his truck so he can go get some cigarettes. Charley asks if he can get some wraps and cranberry juice. Marc Don asks for LaCroix. Danny asks if Bear wants anything, but Bear says he's good. Marc Don tosses Bear the keys and tells him to move the truck.

Bear is excited to drive the truck, but he doesn't actually know how. Danny gets impatient waiting for him. Bear manages to back out and then pull back in once Danny's gone.

Bear walks across the roof, but slips when he tries to grab a box of shingles that are falling. Danny catches him before he can fall off the roof. He tells Bear not to chase something that's already falling.

Marc Don and Charley have things set up for Bear to nail down some support boards, but Bear hesitates. Charley shows him how he thinks about something that he's mad about when he nails things. That's mostly his landlord, Marc Don's mom. Bear thinks about his father bailing on him, but then says he needs to go pee instead of nailing the board in. Marc Don and Charley think kids today are a different breed. Charley doesn't think Punkin could have nailed the board in either. Marc Don worked with him and says he was a bad worker, but he could drive a nail.

Bear sits down in the port-a-potty. Spirit calls to him from the other stall, and asks him about his job. Bear says he doesn't know what he's doing and he almost fell off the roof. They just expect him to know without teaching him anything. Spirit says that the Native way of teaching. Bear doesn't think it's for him. Spirit understands the hardship of building a home. Bear also didn't expect Danny to be there. Maybe it's about time he gets over that. Spirit says he hasn't even gone through it yet. He needs to go through everything. Bear tries to ask him about it, but Spirit pretends to leave to go check on someone else.

Bear watches Charley and Marc Don mess around on the roof. Marc Don is recording Charley dancing.

Charley, Bear, Marc Don, and Danny are back on the ground eating Sonic. Charley tells Bear that back in the day, Marc Don used to be able to shoot a basket from anywhere on the court. All three of them used to play basketball. Punkin did, too. Marc Don sees Bear's reaction and knows his stress comes from his dad. Marc Don says he had a dad and stepdad leave him. Danny says most dads are bad and Bear says he should know that. Danny takes his food and walks away. Marc Don says you have to let a man make mistakes because men learn from experience. That's why Bear's walking around on a roof without a safety board. If he slips, he learns.

Marc Don tells Bear a story as he works. When a trunk honks from below, Marc Don sends Bear to help Danny on the other side of the roof. Bear places shingles for Danny to nail down. Danny says he'll be fine without Bear's help. Bear apologizes for what he said. Danny says as long as he's there, he should learn to do the work. He shows Bear how to line up the shingles and nail them in. Danny asks how Elora is doing and Bear tells him she left town. Danny is surprised. Bear was supposed to go with her, but she left without him. She hasn't been the same since Daniel died. Danny says none of them have been the same. Everything has changed. He and Hokti split up. Bear didn't know that. Danny moved because he couldn't stand to walk around that house anymore. Bear says he's sorry. Danny says he still can't get over it. He thinks about how he could have been a better father, if Daniel would still be there. He quit drinking after Daniel died. Danny asks where he and Elora were planning to go and Bear tells him California. It was Daniel's idea. Danny remembers him talking about it. Danny told him he'd take him, but he didn't have enough money even to get to Tulsa. Danny's glad Elora went. He wishes Daniel had gone. Bear feels bad for not being there enough for Daniel. Danny says he's young. It's not on him. It's on the adults who didn't see it. Danny tells Bear not to listen to the guys. Or him. He's going to grow up to be a man and as a man, he needs to know what he does have consequences, so he needs to do it right the first time. Marc Don and Charley say it's time to pack up. Danny helps Bear stand up. They see a figure floating not far from them. They watch it until it disappears.

Charley and Marc Don drop Bear off. Marc Don gives Bear his payment for the day. Bear happily counts it.

Bear comes inside and tells Rita he'll pay the electric bill this month. She's impressed with him. Bear goes to his bedroom and puts the cash in a box under his bed. Then he lies back on his bed. He's interrupted by a knock on his window. It's Elora. He asks if she ran out of money and she says no. He sees that she's crying and asks if Jackie left her on the side of the road. He starts yelling at Elora for leaving him. She stops him and tells him her grandma's dying.

## Cast

### Starring

* Devery Jacobs as Elora Danan Postoak
* D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Bear Smallhill
* Lane Factor as Cheese Williams (credit only)
* Paulina Alexis as Willie Jack Sampson (credit only)

### Guest Starring

* Sarah Podemski as Rita Smallhill
* Dallas Goldtooth as William "Spirit" Knifeman
* Michael Spears as Danny Jackson

### Co-Starring

* Nathan Apodaca AKA Doggface as Uncle Charley
* Chad Charlie as Marc Don