Last week on Mohawk Girls, we were left with Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne) falling off the wagon and into bed with Phillip (Max E. Williams), Caitlin (Heather White) running to Leon (Dwain Murphy) when Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother) ditched her for the lacrosse team, and Anna (Maika Harper) was snarled in a scheme with Iostha (Allyson Pratt) to oust Bailey (Jenny Pudavick) from Kahnawa:ke because she’s dating James (Jeffrey Wetsch). AND Anna was also second-guessing her decision to stay with Midas (Tanner Novlan). WHEW! That was a mouthful (pun intended)!

Sometimes when you watch an episode and it is finished you sit back and say “Wow!” My response to this week’s episode, “Shame Campaign,” was exactly that, as it tackled the effects of shame on so many levels. This time co-creators Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight have really outdone themselves. We still have all of the comedic elements that Mohawk Girls is known for, but this episode touched on several heavier topics, including verbal abuse, addiction recovery and the violence associated with the “Marry Out Get Out” movement. Of all the episodes since the series began five seasons ago, I feel this one counts as one of the best for scripting, timing, character reactions and interactions.

We open with Bailey taking James to the coffee shop where they immediately ran into her ex-fiancée Watio (Jimmy Blais) who was quick to accuse Bailey of being a race traitor. The entire shop backed Watio’s argument and Bailey and James left, but not before her father Sose (Glen Gould) witnessed the town’s anger and Bailey’s discomfort. The town’s rage continued to grow, the flyer campaign of Anna’s and Iostha’s doing took hold and by the episode’s end, Bailey’s car and home were left vandalized.

Meanwhile, Zoe immediately regretted her tumble with Phillip and she self-prescribed a dose of self-flagellation—”Weak, pathetic, a loser.” Apparently “Perfect Zoe” is still not allowed to make mistakes. But, some growth was evident when she was later confronted by town members at the coffee shop. They delivered an ultimatum: denounce Bailey as a race traitor. But Zoe refused and instead came to Bailey’s defense: “We should value happiness, and we should all have as much joy in our lives as possible.” And then who came to Zoe’s defense? Ohserase (Shawn Youngchief)!!! “She’s right. And, then maybe we’d stop trying to tear everyone down.”

In the meantime, Caitlin made the commitment to open her own salon, and she hired Watio to do the renovations. During their negotiation, Watio revealed that he’s inspired by Caitlin’s new found confidence. But not everyone was pleased.  Butterhead was not liking Caitlin’s metamorphosis. He’s “tired of playing second fiddle to Caitlin’s career,” and was definitely not liking the “no sex until I am finished working,” stand of Caitlin’s. Guess that self-love stuff is working because Caitlin’s confidence is growing! This arc delved to a darker level of overt verbal and very public abuse from Butterhead and we were witness to the effects his insulting comments had upon Caitlin’s confidence. “Proud of my new and unimproved shitty girlfriend who’s not there when I want her. And who is no longer fun and into partying because she is obsessed with her stupid salon. What the hell is there to be proud of?” Bravo to both Heather White and Meegwun Fairbrother for committing themselves to this scene.

And finally, we get to Anna. Up until now, Anna has been battling to locate herself in Kahnawa:ke. Now she is battling herself as she faces a critical choice in her journey. Will she embrace the angry and vindictive party girl that Iostha has been modelling for her, that negative stereotypical false concept of what a Mohawk should be? Or will she embrace the more culturally aware and authentic Mohawk traits? As a part of her Mohawk culture course, Anna was assigned to build a sweat lodge. In an attempt to force Anna and Bailey to mend their ways, Zoe invited Bailey along. Bumpy start is putting it mildly, but the three finally managed, and using traditional land-based education to understand their Mohawk culture and heritage, they realized success, healing and even the possibility of a liberal arts degree in the future for Bailey.

There are just two episodes left! How is Caitlin going to react to Butterhead’s escalating abusive behaviours? Will she run back to Leon’s arms for good? Now that Zoe has faced down the town, will she be able to face her parents? Will Bailey cave to the pressures of the “Marry Out Get Out” movement and break up with James? Will Bailey discover that Anna is behind the smear campaign? What is in store for the Mohawk Girls in the last two episodes? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Mohawk Girls airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on APTN.

As the title suggests, whiteness as it affects appearance, and the political ramifications of acceptance of those who appear too white, are the threads that are woven into Episode three of Mohawk Girls. I know that sounds pretty heavy, but we need not fear when left to the storytelling skills of co-creators Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight. We were still treated to a heavy dose of humour!

We begin with a fully conformed Anna (Maika Harper) along with hater Iostha (Allyson Pratt) plotting against Bailey; the one who gets to go against the unwritten rules of dating AND finds happiness. The hardliner “Marry Out Get Outs” in town are definitely upset that Bailey (Jenny Pudavick) is dating James (Jeffrey Wetsch) and Iostha feels it is up to her and Anna to do something about it. After awkwardly collecting Bailey’s recycling–WHAT was the point of that scene with Bailey?–Anna and Iostha combed through Bailey’s garbage looking for proof that James has moved in. When that scheme failed, they turned to a smear poster campaign with the help of Anna’s personal photos of Bailey and James.

Meanwhile, James  was having trouble fitting in in Kahnawa:ke. His presence at Bailey’s even drew the suspicions of the local police. Bailey tried to ease James into the fold and hosted a games night in order to properly introduce him, but tensions still ran high. James could do no right, Zoe (Brittany Leborgne) started to slip into her controlling ways and Midas (Tanner Novlan), ever the total jerk–dude is worse than Butterhead–was just there for the expensive scotch and an extra blowjob. Bailey, hypersensitive to the situation, had unwittingly made James feel she was ashamed of him. A quick grounding over a homemade Italian dinner for two and these two lovebirds were back on track.

Caitlin’s (Heather White) own progress in self-love hit a few bumps. A date with herself fell flat, But clearly, some of what she has been reading has sunk in. Time was up for Caitlin and she was faced with a difficult decision: go back to her old job at the salon or start her own salon. She asked for Butterhead’s (Meegwun Fairbrother) input, but he had more important things to do. Cue the epiphany moment! Caitlin’s needs have never registered with Butterhead, and she finally, at long last realized that! Once again she turned to Leon (Dwain Murphy) for support and guidance.

And finally, we come to Zoe. Zoe was still plugging her way through recovery exercises. In the early moments of this episode, one of her self-love exercises asked to compose a love song about a part of yourself that you have always hated. And Zoe,  with the encouragement of her mother, has always hated that her skin is so pale and her hair blonde. This was what drove Zoe to dye her hair back in season four when she was seeking the title of Chief in the local elections.

Zoe: I was born with blonde hair and that’s ok,

I should be happy I was made that way.

But it’s much better that my hair is brown,

Because it was ugly and pale and the talk of the town.

SO I’m never goin’ back to blonde,

‘Cus I friggin’ HATE IT!

Tell us how you really feel Zoe! But, thankfully, that sequence led to Zoe dying her hair back to her natural blonde and she recognized that she is finally comfortable with who she is! (And OMG I have sobbed each and every time I have watched this scene!)

But now that the floodgates have opened for Zoe … can we just say, “Plastic knives are the new sexy!!” Hands down, Brittany LeBorgne delivered the two best scenes this week: a tearjerker AND a laugh out loud funny! #Beast!

So where are we now? Bailey and James seem on track, Caitlin is starting to realize she is just settling with Butterhead, Zoe has clearly fallen off the wagon along with Phillip (Max E. Williams) and Anna has now slipped so far down that she has betrayed a friend in order to fit in.

What do you think is next for Kahnawa:ke’s finest? Let me know in the comments below!

Mohawk Girls airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on APTN.

This week on Mohawk Girls, we really begin to dig in, but we have a long way to go before the series wraps. I figure in order to have satisfactory closure a few things need to happen:

1. Caitlin (Heather White) has to come to some type of reckoning with Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother) OR Butterhead needs to experience some kind of epiphany. Either way, something there has to give.
2. Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne) needs to  come to understand how best to cope with her anger.
3. Bailey (Jenny Pudavick) needs to decide which is more important, her own happiness or her responsibility to the band.
4. And finally, Anna needs to find her place in Kahnawa:ke.

That all said, let’s take a quick look back on what happened this week on Mohawk Girls.

Caitlin (Heather White) is a two-timer! She can’t quite bring herself to break things off with Luscious Leon (Dwain Murphy), even though she is definitely back with Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother). She just couldn’t  bring herself to end things. And after Butterhead lashed out at her, Caitlin ran back to Leon’s arms.

Anna (Maika Harper) discovered, quite by happenstance, a Mohawk Culture class for young girls. So donning her guileless ‘Hat Girl’  ways, she asked if she could join in.  The classes focused on peace, love, respect and courage which left Anna questioning her role particularly with respect to her boyfriend Midas (Tanner Novlan) and bar buddy Iostha (Ally Pratt). But after another evening at the bar, Iostha had Anna on side to oust the Mohawk traitors, including Bailey.

Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne) reached a milestone in her therapy.  She’s allowed to return home for short visits, so long as there was a support system in place. Since her parents were still not speaking to her, that responsibility naturally fell to Caitlin. But all of this talk of self-love piqued Caitlin’s interest. Still stung from Butterhead’s verbal attack, Caitlin’s gears were turning. Maybe, just maybe, this self-love stuff will fortify her relationship with Butterhead? Or at the very least help her cope with her fear of breaking up with Leon? At any rate, the two buddy up to work through the workbook. Next step? Zoe needed to face her fear of her community. Where best to do that in Kahnawa:ke? The coffee shop. However, Ohserase (Shawn Youngchief) also happened to be there. That proved too much too soon for Zoe and she ran, tail between her legs.

We also saw a sexy little side story develop with Zoe, because after all, what would Mohawk Girls be without a bit of sexy Zoe? Sparks started to fly last week with fellow patient Phillip (Max E. Williams), also a self-proclaimed sex addict with a proclivity for knife play. That thrill and the danger cut a little too close for Zoe and she was definitely tempted. But will this temptation prove too much for Zoe’s recovery?

And while all of this self-discovery/healing on the part of Caitlin, Zoe and Anna was taking place, Bailey (Jenny Pudavick) was preparing to meet James’s (Jeffrey Wetsch) family; his father Charles (Vlasta Vrana) and none other than head writer Cynthia Knight as James’ sister Charlotte! Wanting to put her best foot forward, and armour herself, Bailey dove into Auntie Velma’s closet for something suitable to wear. However, upon meeting James’s family, Bailey completely lost her cool. Conversation quickly turned to a debate on whether or not cultural appropriation is equivalent to cultural appreciation upon her discovery of Charles’ Indigenous art collection. Operation “meet the family” became operation “fail.”

So where are we now? Anna has sided with Iostha as they plan to oust Bailey for dating James, James and Bailey appear to be on shaky ground following Bailey’s outburst, Caitlin still has not broken up with Leon and Zoe is lusting after Phillip. Seems we still have a lot of balls up in the air!

What do you think is next for our fab four? Let me know in the comments below.

Mohawk Girls airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on APTN.

The Season 5 premiere episode of Mohawk Girls was firing on all cylinders! We have waited almost a year for their return, but the action picked up only one week following the “PowWow,” so I am going to jump right on in.

All evidence appeared to suggest that Anna (Maika Harper) had finally conformed enough to secure a spot in the world of Kahnawa:ke.  In a constant state of defending her man Midas (Tanner Novlan) from the hoe-bags, she was feeling the effects of the Blow Job King’s quota: “Midas’itus.” Anna turned to Iostha (Allyson Pratt) to glean some advice for tackling the tube steak that included such varied techniques as feigning a cold, and flavoured lube to make the task more … ummmm … palatable? Seems Anna has a hard task ahead to hold her position. Is “Hat Girl” is really and truly gone?

Next, we visited with Zoe (Brittany LeBorgne) during some of her sessions in rehab. And true to form, she had a difficult time relinquishing control of her feelings. That control became ever so clear during her art therapy workshop. But the therapist saw through her. Apparently, she didn’t paint “her truth.” She popped off a second attempt and yielded a result that demonstrated her deep anger. Perhaps this was the tipping point Zoe needed as she finally let down her barriers and got to the root of her issues? In a long-winded rant, Zoe revealed how angry she has been towards her parents for most of her life. “Maybe, I’d know what I was angry about if I ever got to lead my own life. But, I always had to be ‘role model Zoe’ and ‘perfect daughter, Zoe’ so that everyone liked me and respected me and thought I was doing enough for my community …. I hate my life!” I’d say Zoe revealed her truth!

Meanwhile, Caitlin (Heather White) was once again settling into her role as Butterhead’s (Meegwun Fairbrother) girlfriend whilst dodging messages from Leon (Dwain Murphy). The town seemed happy about her decision to get back with Butterhead, and even her old boss Suzette came by to offer her her old job back. And apparently, Butterhead was also adjusting to his role of boyfriend. He made Caitlin breakfast! An extra bonus for Caitlin came in the form of an “I love you, Caitlin,” from Butterhead’s daughter. But that moment was quickly dashed. Instead of the family staying in, the old Butterhead was back and headed out to party with the boys. Once again Caitlin was left to babysit. One step forward, three steps back, or so it seems for Caitlin.

Finally, we caught up with Bailey (Jenny Pudavick), who had just returned from her dream vacation to Paris with James (Jeffrey Wetsch). However, the girls didn’t give her much of a chance to bask in her happiness and quickly dampened her sparkle. In constant defence of James, Bailey was most brutally attacked by Iostha. The town was not taking kindly to her choice in men. But ever the amazing guy, James tried to ease her mind, and prepared a spread reminiscent of Paris rekindling Bailey’s shimmer! I think we all need an  Auntie Velma (Ashley Michaels) in our lives! Best advice ever: find a partner that makes you sparkle!

This episode really felt as though we have come full circle, back to where we began in Season 1: Bailey filled with wanderlust and defending her choice to date a white guy, Anna still trying to fit in in all the wrong ways and Caitlin looking for love from Butterhead but instead just making excuses for him. Ironically, it is only Zoe who, in Season 1 was just beginning to delve into the world of her sex addiction, has made any real progress through therapy.

How do you feel about the return of our lovely ladies? Let me know in the comments below.

Mohawk Girls airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on APTN