“It really begins with the footage,” editor Varun Viswanath says. While that’s the norm for any editor, Viswanath, who is nominated for an Emmy alongside fellow editor Patrick Tuck for FX’s “Reservation Dogs,” has a secret weapon in the cutting room: co-creators and showrunners Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi. Not only do they do long takes, but they do also resets.
“We get to hear what they’re saying to the actors, and it’s an extra tool to get into their heads and understand their preferences,” Viswanath says. Viswanath and Tuck joined forces to collaborate on cutting the series finale, “Dig.” In the episode, the town comes together to honor medicine man Fixico (Richard Ray Whitman) after his death.
While the theme of community anchors the entire series, it is key to this episode. The central characters all reach different resolutions: Elora (Devery Jacobs) is heading off to a new adventure in college; Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) learns about independence as his mother takes a job in the city and he creates his path — perhaps with Jackie (Elva Guerra); and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), having apprenticed under Fixico, has turned her attention to helping others on the reservation. As for Cheese (Lane Factor), his new glasses give him a sharper view on life.
For the finale, Harjo wanted the episode to be about the kids and the community, and the best place to show that would be at a funeral. “One of the happiest times in our community is when you.