The New Curator

**The New Curator** is the second episode of the second season and the 12th overall episode of **Rutherford Falls**.

## Short Summary

Nathan considers an opportunity to run for mayor. Reagan struggles to hire new staff.

## Full Summary

Reagan, Nathan, and Bobbie have a picnic in the square, eating the last turkey legs from Ye Olde Smoked Meats. Nathan missed hot food while he was hiding in the attic. Bobbie says he missed a lot while he was hiding, including Bobbie's 18th birthday. Nathan said he sent them the Cameo from Olivia Rodrigo's horse, which Bobbie didn't know. Nathan says he finally took the official museum tour and Reagan should be proud of what she's done. Reagan says it's just the beginning because she's interviewing co-curators. They're startled when Ms. Fish tells Reagan to lean in from a nearby blanket. She welcomes Nathan home and flirts heavily. She rolls closer to him and tells him she listened to the podcast about him on a loop. She kept thinking about him wandering the country, desperate for human touch. She also has Josh's information if he wants to dox him. Nathan gets up, saying he's going to get napkins and he, Reagan, and Bobbie walk away.

Reagan asks Wayne and Sally why they're there. Wayne says they're there to interview for the job. They'll work for her, but only as a team. Wayne wants to start by having Reagan tell them about herself. She tells them she runs a museum and this is a waste of her time. They say she's not doing well and she needs to turn the interview around to make a good impression.

Reagan interviews Nelson Renville, who went to Dartmouth and did a dual graduate program at his tribal college. He also spent time working with his elders to save his people's language. It was beautiful and he ended up teaching them so much. He doesn't see it as an achievement so much as a cultural imperative. He starts to point out flaws in the museum's collection until Reagan ends the interview.

Professor Kaufman is the next candidate. Reagan tells him it's never going to happen, even though he insists that rehab has done wonders for him. And he's severed ties with Ithaca College. Reagan knows that actually, he was fired for teaching a class naked. He says nude and naked are two different things. Then he asks if he can live there.

Someone knocks on Terry's door and he says he asked not to be disturbed. Ignoring that, Feather Day walks in and looks around. They banter about the opulence of Terry's office and clothes. Feather tells him she's running for mayor and wants his support. She could get the town back on track despite their differences. Terry doesn't believe the town is off track at all. Feather's going to be mayor and would rather roll with him than through him. Either way, she's rolling. Terry says the casino can't take sides. It's bad for business and he's not political personally, aside from voting for America's Got Talent. He wishes her luck, but says he can't be more help. She asks him to let her know when he changes his mind.

Nathan and Duz are having ice cream and Nathan wonders who all the women are who are obsessed with the podcast about him. Nathan's not sure what to tell Duz to tell them because it's been weird being back. It's all super weird. Duz just wants his brother back. A man approaches them, asking if Nathan's the popcorn guy from the podcast. Nathan says he is and that's not his proudest moment. The man calls over his roommate, who thinks Nathan's a maniac, to meet Nathan. The roommate says to ask him if he has any popcorn. Nathan and Duz agree that that's also weird.

Reagan reviews and dismisses all the candidates. Shep Swiftwater comes in and introduces himself. He's there to apply for the curator position. He had trouble with the online application, so he decided to come in person. He hands her his resume. He worked at another museum, but says they won't have nice things to say about him because he had the idea that indigenous people should design indigenous exhibits. He read about the changes Reagan had made and is impressed. He also enjoyed Reagan's thesis. When he and his cohorts occupied universities and demanded a seat at the table, they hoped people like her would stand on their shoulders and make change. It's wonderful to see that. Reagan hires him on the spot and fawns over him.

Nathan and Bobbie wait for Terry at a shady meeting spot. Terry arrives and asks about the deviled eggs Bobbie brought. They assumed they were attending a party and it's rude not to bring a dish. Terry says that's thoughtful. Terry has an opportunity for Nathan. He tells Nathan about Deirdre stepping down and that Nathan should run. Nathan says no. He's a joke in the town because of everything he's done. Terry says people love a white redemption story. Nathan's trying to de-center himself and take time to listen and champion other voices. Terry's disappointed that he doesn't have loftier goals for himself. Terry says that the town is in trouble because Feather Day is running for mayor. She spoke at Bobbie's school for career day and she was beautiful and terrifying. Renee owns a gym on the reservation. A few years ago, they opened a second location in town and Feather disparaged Renee and her techniques, so the gym failed. It took a lot for Renee to recover from that. Nathan's not sure how that affects the whole time. Terry says she attacks her enemies like a snake and if she becomes mayor, everything he and Reagan have fought for will be at risk. He's throwing a going-away party for Deirdre and wants Nathan to come and schmooze.

Reagan sees Shep chatting with Wayne and Sally and apologizes to him on their behalf. He says they were just talking about the piece in front of them. Wayne asks Reagan if she knows Minishonka have been making pottery for thousands of years. Sally says they revitalized the art form in the 1960s. Reagan knows that because she wrote the label that says that. Wayne says stress has hardened Reagan. Sally says her auntie's a pretty famous potter and could probably do a demo for them. Reagan's been asking for that for months, but Sally didn't want to do that until they got a real curator. Shep says Reagan is more than qualified. Shep invites Reagan to join them at his celebratory dinner. Wayne tells Shep he's cool, but he has to watch the company he keeps.

Reagan tells Josh how great Shep is. She just wanted to share the joy with someone. Shep also said Reagan was brilliant. Josh agrees with that, but says he's not flirting because they are just friends and don't do that. But he's very happy for her.

Shep shares a story about Angelina Jolie. Reagan, Wayne, and Sally are enchanted. Wayne asks Shep where he's from and he says he identifies as a son of Turtle Island. Wayne and Sally like that, but Reagan wants to know more specifically where he's from. Shep says their people are nomads. She asks what tribe he's from. He claims heritage of the Algonquin, Inuit, Mapuche, and the Midwestern band of Cherokee. Sally says those are really far away from each other and Wayne has never heard of the Midwestern band of Cherokee. Mostly, Shep says, he's a descendant of the Potawatomi. Wayne says he ascended from his mom, who is Minishonka, same as Sally and Reagan. Shep goes to get another drink, promising another story when he gets back. Once he's gone, Reagan, Wayne, and Sally talk about his use of the d word. They realize he's a pretendian. Sally might still make out with him, but she's furious about it.

Bobbie is impressed with the food. They're glad they skipped their dad's birthday for this. Frank says it's the fanciest party he's ever been to. Nathan asks Frank how he's been. Frank says he's the pointed mayor for now. Nathan asks if he means appointed. Frank says a guy wearing a suit pointed at him and say he's the mayor. Nathan wishes him luck. Once Frank is gone, Terry says Nathan was right that he doesn't have what it takes to be mayor, but luckily they have Frank. Bobbie has dossiers on all the VIPs in town and has sorted them by importance. Nathan sees Deirdre and knows where to start. Bobbie points out some of the VIPs on the way. Nathan walks up to Deirdre and congratulates her on her promotion. He's happy to see her and apologizes for leaving town and not calling her. He wanted to, but he didn't like who he was. And now it seems like he missed his chance. He might never see her again. Deirdre says maybe not. Her brother Brian is housesitting for her while she's in Albany and she's pretty sure he hacked her Nest cam because it just shows him vacuuming on a loop. She'll be going back and forth to check in and they might run into each other. Nathan asks what she thinks of him as mayor. She gives a vague platitude, which she says is the job. As she walks away, Nathan tells Bobbie he's ready to start pressing the flesh. Bobbie wants to start with the principal because he's drunk.

Reagan complains to Nathan about Shep. She just wanted some help. She realizes something's wrong with Nathan and he says he got hammered last night with some power brokers. Terry wants him to run for mayor. Reagan is shocked because he's supposed to be decentering. He was, but Terry thinks he can use his position to help the town and he felt powerless to say no. Nathan asks why she can't just ask Shep for his tribal ID. She says not everyone has one for various reasons. It's messy and she doesn't want to be the identity police. She also doesn't want a fraud to shape the voice of the museum. If he's a pretendian, she has to fire him and to do that, she has to be sure. How will she do that?

Shep comes in to find Reagan and Wayne waiting to question him. They tell him to have a seat.

Bobbie tells Nathan he ran a poll to see how Nathan would fare if the election were that day. Nathan's surprised they could do that. Bobbie goes over the poll results, which indicate he has some support. Nathan realizes people would vote for him primarily as a joke, which he doesn't like.

Wayne asks Shep about his lack of tribal ID. Reagan asks if he has proof of his status. He says his tribal ID accidentally went through the wash and they all know the red tape involved with replacing it. Reagan checked his social media, but found none. Shep says he's lived in many cities and loved in even more, so it's best if he keeps his Facebook private. Shep questions Wayne, wondering how someone who claims to be full Minishonka can grow facial hair. Then she questions Reagan traveling to Evanston, Illinois to get the confidence to speak about her own culture. That's even if she has the confidence now. Shep doesn't think they want the reputation that comes from challenging him with all his connections.

Reagan tells Wayne they need a new plan. He suggests getting a bad cop, which was supposed to be his role. They need someone badder than him.

Terry and Shep stare each other down.

Terry tells Shep he's not native. Shep tries to defend himself, but Terry knows it's a lie. Terry asks how long he's been pretending and how it started. Terry explains why what he's doing isn't okay. Then he asks Shep who he is. Shep says only his ancestors can judge him. Terry asks who those ancestors were. Shep says they were white. Swedish, even. He's just a white man from Connecticut. Terry tells him to leave his medallion on the table and get out. Wayne and Reagan are impressed and thank him. Terry says he's sorry she couldn't hire real support, but Reagan knows who she can hire. He's the worst, but he's actually Native.

Nelson sees that Reagan didn't fix any of the problems he mentioned. She says it's only been two days. He can start with those. He says he will.

Reagan and Nathan eat together. The meal reminds him of what his mother used to make. Reagan asks what his mayoral plans are. Nathan says he's trying to find his purpose. He doesn't need to be in the center, but he needs to be somewhere. But he'd rather talk about Reagan getting rid of her pretendian. Reagan shows him that Shep has written a book about his life as a part-time pretendian, revealing his real name is Wyatt Olson. She reads the summary, which is horrifying. She says people with unearned confidence always get things.

Nathan meets with Terry and says he's made a decision. He won't run for mayor. He wants to help, but he doesn't want to be a joke. Nathan says Feather Day will win because she has a good story. Nathan also has a strong story. But Nathan has a better one: Bobbie. Terry objects that they're still in high school, but Nathan says they're eighteen. He talks up Bobbie, saying they're a non-binary child of immigrants born and raised in Rutherford Falls. They know every important person in town and know how to sound inspiring without saying anything.

Terry and Nathan tell Bobbie they have an opportunity for them. Bobbie says they'll do it before they can say what it is. Bobbie gets excited by intrigue, but confirms that they'll definitely do it.

## Cast

### Main Cast

* Ed Helms as Nathan Rutherford
* Michael Greyeyes as Terry Thomas
* Jana Schmieding as Reagan Wells
* Jesse Leigh as Bobbie Yang
* Dustin Milligan as Josh Carter

### Guest Stars

* Dana L. Wilson as Deirdre Chisenhall
* Beth Stelling as Ms. Fish
* Julia Jones as Sally
* Ben Koldyke as Duz
* Bobby Wilson as Wayne
* Paul F. Tompkins as Professor Kaufman
* Dallas Goldtooth as Nelson
* Kaniehtiio Horn as Feather Day
* Bill Glass as Frank
* Mitch Rouse as Shep Swiftwater

## See Also

 **#02** | "**The New Curator**"
 **#03** | "Aunt Sue"
 **#04** | "Land Back"