Uncle Brownie

The Rez Dogs seek Uncle Brownie's help

**Uncle Brownie** is the third episode of the first season and third episode overall of *Reservation Dogs*.

## Synopsis

With a new rivalry crew threatening the Rez Dogs, Elora seeks out her Uncle to help them learn how to fight.

## Plot

An older couple, Skippy and Louanne, drive through Okern. They pass a sign that says "Land back fuckerzz" and Skippy wonders what that means. He wonders if that means they want the whole thing back. He doesn't think that's possible. He could see some of it. Louanne says the whites did kill a lot of them and took the land. He says they got the casinos and he heard they get $1000 a month just for being Indian. His wife tells him to stop being a shitass. They don't and whatever they do get, they deserve. And she's part Indian herself. He brakes as he sees a deer in the road, but not in time.

Elora, Willie Jack, and Bear find the deer. They decide to put it in the trunk so they can make backstrap.

Willie Jack asks if Elora's uncle knows how to do a curse. She has Jackie's hair. Elora says her uncle is tradish, but he's not a medicine man or a wizard. Willie Jack got the hair from Auntie B, who cuts Jackie's hair. Bear thinks they're lost and he still doesn't know why they're going to find Elora's uncle. Elora says he knows how to fight. Legend has it he knocked out ten people in two minutes. When Elora pulls up to his place, Bear asks if he's for sure her uncle. Elora says yes. He grew up with her mom, Cookie, like cousins, but her grandma also raised him for a while, so he's like Cookie's brother. They get out of the car and see a variety of animal skulls around. They avoid looking around as Elora calls out to him. They find Uncle Brownie, but he doesn't know Elora until she says she's Cookie's daughter. He says he doesn't have any money and tells them they can see themselves out. When she says they don't want money, he says they still have to leave. It's not safe for kids. Willie Jack asks if he's a shape-shifter. He gets offended at the implication and gets into a spitting contest with Willie Jack, until his spit nearly hits her. He tells them again to leave. He continues digging until he hits something and celebrates. He pulls out a jar of marijuana.

Uncle Brownie shows the kids the jar. He buried it fifteen years ago and finally found it. Bear asks why he doesn't just get a weed card because it's legal now. Uncle Brownie doesn't want to smoke government-sanctioned weed. He doesn't like the new weed. He asks them what they want and Elora tells him they need to learn to fight. He says he doesn't mess with kids. They just slow you down. He gets offended when Bear says he can't fight and throws a knife at the wall. When Elora says she heard he knocked out ten people in one night, he corrects that it was twenty, plus a cop. And after that, he moved out to the woods and became a recluse. He only goes to town to borrow flour from his cousin Frank. He mostly lives off the land. Willie Jack looks around and says it seems like he goes to Sonic a lot. That upsets Uncle Brownie, who asks them to leave him alone. They get up to leave, but Elora stops when she sees a picture of her mother on the wall, one she's never seen before. He says Cookie was a good one. They grew up like siblings. Elora doesn't remember her because she was only three. Elora asks him to tell her more about her mother. He says he can't because he'll cry. Elora leaves with Willie Jack and Bear.

They get back to the car before Uncle Brownie comes out and says he'll teach them a few things. In exchange, they have to take him to town to sell his weed and give him $30. Elora agrees. He goes to get in, but sees the deer in the trunk, which has swollen. He tells them they can't just put it in the trunk. They have to gut it and butcher it. But he won't let them take it out on his property.

Uncle Brownie lights a joint. He says it's the Creator's medicine, but alcohol's the devil's work. Bear and Willie Jack ask him about the fighting lessons and he says just to sit back and they'll find out. The first training is patience.

Uncle Brownie gets out of the car and shows Augusto Firekeeper and another person his jar of old weed. Augusto sniffs it and says no thanks. They get theirs from the dispensary. He calls them narcs for buying government weed. Augusto tells him to take his weed and go. Uncle Brownie spits and Augusto calls for his grandma. Uncle Brownie gets back in the car and they drive away.

As Willie Jack, Bear, and Elora follow Uncle Brownie, Bear asks if he's going to give them any fighting lessons. Uncle Brownie turns around quickly and puts up a fist, startling Bear and sending him tumbling to the ground. Bear says it isn't fair because he wasn't ready. Uncle Brownie tells him always be ready. Strike first and aim for the back of the head.

Uncle Brownie offers the weed to more people, but they refuse.

Uncle Brownie comes back to the kids frustrated. He used to be able to sell weed easily. Elora says the game has changed and people don't smoke that old weed anymore. It's legal now and what they get is was stronger than what he has. Uncle Brownie likes growing his own. Willie Jack tells him to try the dispensary, because they sell weed and they may want his. As Uncle Brownie stares at her, Bear tries to punch him, but Uncle Brownie catches his fist. He wants to try the dispensary.

Jumbo looks at Uncle Brownie's weed, tastes a little bit of it, then puts some in a pipe and lights it. He inhales and almost immediately starts coughing. When he recovers, he says he can't sell it. It's too harsh. He wants to be respectful to Brownie, but the weed is just really old. When Willie Jack suggests that Jumbo get Uncle Brownie high, Jumbo pulls out a water pipe and Brownie takes a hit off it. He, too, starts coughing.

Uncle Brownie laughs quietly to himself in the car. He hasn't been this high since 1967, he says. Willie Jack asks if he knows how to do a curse. He says he knows how to do a bad luck curse. She hands him the bag of Jackie's hair, saying it's their enemy's. Uncle Brownie says he doesn't want anything to do with that and tosses it back. He tells her not to take people's hair because that bad luck can come back on you tenfold.

Uncle Brownie eats a hot dog and wonders how weed changed so much. Willie Jack says it's white man's weed and they cracked the code. They think it may be time to go home, but Uncle Brownie still needs to sell his weed. That was the deal. Bear says the deal was that he would train them how to fight. Uncle Brownie says he has been. That's how Indigenous people teach. You listen and you learn something. A warrior has to take a beating sometimes. You just have to get back up. He throws his elbow back at Bear and Bear catches it. Bear and Willie Jack ask why he's wasting his talents sitting around at home. Uncle Brownie says he knows some folks who might appreciate his weed. They agree to take him there.

Uncle Brownie, Willie Jack, Elora, and Bear walk into Ol' Muggy's Bar. They're shocked to see him, since the last time he was there, he knocked everyone out. Willie Jack is shocked that he really knocked out 20 people in two minutes, but the bartender says it was actually 30. And two cops. He knocked out everybody in the bar. Uncle Brownie says he's not happy about his past. He did a line of meth that night thinking it was cocaine and could have knocked out 40 people. He gives them the jar of weed as a peace offering. He says the kids will also buy everyone three rounds, because they owe him $30. Elora says he also has backstrap. Uncle Brownie quietly tells her she shouldn't have said that because it's probably spoiled. Everyone in the bar agrees to beer and backstrap. Bear tries to join the celebration by ordering a drink, but the bartender immediately tells him he's too young.

They pull the deer out of the trunk. As they get her out, they get sprayed with blood. Elora apologizes to Uncle Brownie, saying he would have been home if she hadn't come to his house. He says that's true. Bear was right. He was ashamed to show his face. He says Cookie always called him brother, even though he wasn't her blood brother, just like Elora calls him Uncle. That's real family. The bartender comes out and says he better not be fooling about the backstrap. He shows her his knife and says they're about to cut it up. He thanks Elora and gets started on the deer.

Willie Jack looks at the bag of hair. A barfly asks her about it and she says it's the hair of her enemies. She tried to get Uncle Brownie to put a curse on them, but he wouldn't. The barfly takes the bag and says he'll see what he can do.

## 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

### Guest Starring

* Gary Farmer as Uncle Brownie
* Kimberly Guerrero as Auntie B

### Co-Starring

* Marshall Bell as Skippy
* Ginger Gilmartin as Bartender
* Elva Guerra as Jackie
* Mark Hanson as Barfly 2
* Todd Jenkins as Barfly
* Elisha Pratt as Man 1
* Gary Sievers as Old Man
* Louanne Stephens as Louanne
* Bobby Wilson as Jumbo

## See Also

 **#02** | "NDN Clinic"
 **#03** | "**Uncle Brownie**"