Showing posts with label Saving Grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saving Grace. Show all posts
October 02, 2010
September 05, 2010
Saving Grace the Choctaw
In the Yeehaw, Geepaw episode of Saving Grace, Bobby Stillwater (Gregory Cruz) mentions his Indian and Mexican halves. Stillwater could've been speaking figuratively, but let's take him literally. He's half Indian and half "Mexican." What does that mean?
Well, it could mean that he considers himself half Indian and half non-Indian. But he may understand that his "Mexican half" is also part Indian. Perhaps he considers himself three-quarters Indian (half American Indian, one-quarter Mexican Indian, and one-quarter Mexican non-Indian).
I mention this because Geepaw (August Schellenberg) says he's a quarter more Indian than Stillwater. If Stillwater is half Indian, that could mean Geepaw is three-quarters Indian. If Stillwater is three-quarters Indian, that could mean Geepaw is a full-blooded Indian.
The latter scenario would agree with online descriptions of Geepaw as Grace's full-blooded Indian grandfather. But again, this isn't clear from the episode itself. It's not even clear that Geepaw is Grace's real grandfather rather than an "honorary" grandfather.
Grace's Choctaw roots
But in the next episode, Everything's Got a Shelf Life (the eighth of the first season), things become a little clearer. Grace confronts a black informant about whether he's telling the truth. The informant says he wouldn't lie to her because "I'm Choctaw, you're Choctaw."
This confirms the supposition of the previous episode. Holly Hunter's character is indeed supposed to be part Choctaw. We can even estimate how much.
First, a couple of points. Grace refers to her grandmother, Geepaw's wife, as Meemaw. We don't know anything about her. She could be anything from full-blooded Choctaw to white.
Jessica Walter plays Grace's mother. She doesn't look or act the slightest bit Indian. Let's assume she's a pure Anglo, as she appears. Presumably Grace is connected to Geepaw and Meemaw through her father, who is dead.
How much "Indian" is she?
With these assumptions we can establish the boundaries of Grace's "blood." If Geepaw and Meemaw are full-blooded Choctaws, then so is her father. That would make Grace half Choctaw by blood.
On the other hand, if Geepaw is three-quarters Choctaw and Meemaw is white, then Grace's father is 3/8 Choctaw. That would make Grace 3/16 Choctaw by blood.
So Grace could be anywhere from 3/16 to half Choctaw. Actress Holly Hunter doesn't look much like an Indian, so perhaps the lower estimate is more realistic. In any case, that may be enough "blood" for her to be an enrolled member of the Choctaw tribe.
In fact, Grace may be an enrolled Choctaw. In the first eight episodes, she hasn't said anything to preclude this possibility. No references to Indians as "them" rather than "us," for instance.
A cast of Choctaws?
The same would apply to Grace's five or six siblings. None of them looks the slightest bit Indian either. But unless they're half-brothers and sisters, they're all 3/16 to half Choctaw.
Perhaps this point will become clear in future episodes. I just think it's interesting that Grace could be an enrolled Choctaw Indian. If true, this would be a remarkable case: a lead character who's an Indian but nobody realizes it.
For more on the subject, see Yeehaw, Geepaw in Saving Grace and Gregory Cruz in Saving Grace.
Below: Grace Hanadarko the blonde Choctaw Indian?
Well, it could mean that he considers himself half Indian and half non-Indian. But he may understand that his "Mexican half" is also part Indian. Perhaps he considers himself three-quarters Indian (half American Indian, one-quarter Mexican Indian, and one-quarter Mexican non-Indian).
I mention this because Geepaw (August Schellenberg) says he's a quarter more Indian than Stillwater. If Stillwater is half Indian, that could mean Geepaw is three-quarters Indian. If Stillwater is three-quarters Indian, that could mean Geepaw is a full-blooded Indian.
The latter scenario would agree with online descriptions of Geepaw as Grace's full-blooded Indian grandfather. But again, this isn't clear from the episode itself. It's not even clear that Geepaw is Grace's real grandfather rather than an "honorary" grandfather.
Grace's Choctaw roots
But in the next episode, Everything's Got a Shelf Life (the eighth of the first season), things become a little clearer. Grace confronts a black informant about whether he's telling the truth. The informant says he wouldn't lie to her because "I'm Choctaw, you're Choctaw."
This confirms the supposition of the previous episode. Holly Hunter's character is indeed supposed to be part Choctaw. We can even estimate how much.
First, a couple of points. Grace refers to her grandmother, Geepaw's wife, as Meemaw. We don't know anything about her. She could be anything from full-blooded Choctaw to white.
Jessica Walter plays Grace's mother. She doesn't look or act the slightest bit Indian. Let's assume she's a pure Anglo, as she appears. Presumably Grace is connected to Geepaw and Meemaw through her father, who is dead.
How much "Indian" is she?
With these assumptions we can establish the boundaries of Grace's "blood." If Geepaw and Meemaw are full-blooded Choctaws, then so is her father. That would make Grace half Choctaw by blood.
On the other hand, if Geepaw is three-quarters Choctaw and Meemaw is white, then Grace's father is 3/8 Choctaw. That would make Grace 3/16 Choctaw by blood.
So Grace could be anywhere from 3/16 to half Choctaw. Actress Holly Hunter doesn't look much like an Indian, so perhaps the lower estimate is more realistic. In any case, that may be enough "blood" for her to be an enrolled member of the Choctaw tribe.
In fact, Grace may be an enrolled Choctaw. In the first eight episodes, she hasn't said anything to preclude this possibility. No references to Indians as "them" rather than "us," for instance.
A cast of Choctaws?
The same would apply to Grace's five or six siblings. None of them looks the slightest bit Indian either. But unless they're half-brothers and sisters, they're all 3/16 to half Choctaw.
Perhaps this point will become clear in future episodes. I just think it's interesting that Grace could be an enrolled Choctaw Indian. If true, this would be a remarkable case: a lead character who's an Indian but nobody realizes it.
For more on the subject, see Yeehaw, Geepaw in Saving Grace and Gregory Cruz in Saving Grace.
Below: Grace Hanadarko the blonde Choctaw Indian?
September 04, 2010
Yeehaw, Geepaw in Saving Grace
I discussed Gregory Cruz's supporting role as a Native detective in the first season of Saving Grace. Things start to get interesting in the seventh episode of the series:
Yeehaw, GeepawThe body of a Native American veteran, just home from the war in Iraq, is found buried face down in a shallow grave in the woods. Such a burial is intended to condemn the soul of the victim, according to Native American belief. Grace seeks advice on the case from her Native American grandfather, Geepaw, and is shocked to learn he is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease and in need of constant supervision. August Schellenberg plays Geepaw as an atypical Indian elder. He's not a fount of wisdom or spirituality. Rather, he's childishly enthusiastic and eccentric--partly because he has Alzheimer's. He lives in a trailer, plays cards with his buddies (including Saginaw Grant), and likes to ride horses.
Other than the burial ritual, which someone identifies as Lakota, there's little Native lore in this episode. Just Geepaw reminding Grace of the Native constellations he used to teach her when she was young. On the other hand, there's nothing stereotypical, which is good.
Bobby Stillwater (Gregory Cruz) has a bigger role in this episode. We learn he mentors Native youths, including the murder victim Ryan. We eventually learn that Ryan was Arapaho, which is plausible since Oklahoma has a Cheyenne-Arapaho tribe.
Geepaw calls Grace "Champuli," which we eventually learn is a Choctaw word. This is plausible since Oklahoma also has a Choctaw tribe. But the show doesn't identify Geepaw as Choctaw. Indeed, it doesn't say whether "Geepaw" is a grandfatherly friend of Grace's family or her actual grandfather. (Grace and her siblings give him enough attention to imply he's their grandfather, but they don't say it.)
Grace and company unravel the mystery of the murder victim. Ryan was a squad leader in Iraq when one of his troops was killed. Because of his sunny disposition, he kept smiling during the war and after his return. Someone killed him because he was too happy, which is a novel fate for an Indian character. (The killer wasn't Native, so we can attribute the misleading Lakota ritual to his ignorance about Indians.)
My take on the whole series:
Saving Grace isn't about the whodunits or the angelic lessons--both of which are standard for TV dramas. No, it's all about showcasing Holly Hunter as a hard-talkin'/drinkin'/lovin' woman. If you enjoy this kind of character, you'll probably enjoy Saving Grace.
For more on Schellenberg, see Schellenberg's NBA All-Star Promo and August Schellenberg on Grey's Anatomy.
Yeehaw, Geepaw
Other than the burial ritual, which someone identifies as Lakota, there's little Native lore in this episode. Just Geepaw reminding Grace of the Native constellations he used to teach her when she was young. On the other hand, there's nothing stereotypical, which is good.
Bobby Stillwater (Gregory Cruz) has a bigger role in this episode. We learn he mentors Native youths, including the murder victim Ryan. We eventually learn that Ryan was Arapaho, which is plausible since Oklahoma has a Cheyenne-Arapaho tribe.
Geepaw calls Grace "Champuli," which we eventually learn is a Choctaw word. This is plausible since Oklahoma also has a Choctaw tribe. But the show doesn't identify Geepaw as Choctaw. Indeed, it doesn't say whether "Geepaw" is a grandfatherly friend of Grace's family or her actual grandfather. (Grace and her siblings give him enough attention to imply he's their grandfather, but they don't say it.)
Grace and company unravel the mystery of the murder victim. Ryan was a squad leader in Iraq when one of his troops was killed. Because of his sunny disposition, he kept smiling during the war and after his return. Someone killed him because he was too happy, which is a novel fate for an Indian character. (The killer wasn't Native, so we can attribute the misleading Lakota ritual to his ignorance about Indians.)
My take on the whole series:
Saving Grace isn't about the whodunits or the angelic lessons--both of which are standard for TV dramas. No, it's all about showcasing Holly Hunter as a hard-talkin'/drinkin'/lovin' woman. If you enjoy this kind of character, you'll probably enjoy Saving Grace.
For more on Schellenberg, see Schellenberg's NBA All-Star Promo and August Schellenberg on Grey's Anatomy.
September 03, 2010
Gregory Cruz in Saving Grace
I'm watching the first season of Saving Grace, the TNT cop series starring Holly Hunter. Here's the story:
Saving Grace (TV series)Saving Grace is an American television crime drama series which premiered on TNT on July 23, 2007, and ran until June 21, 2010. The show stars Academy Award-winner Holly Hunter in her first television series, as well as Leon Rippy, Kenny Johnson, Laura San Giacomo, Bailey Chase, Bokeem Woodbine, and Yaani King. It is set in Oklahoma City—including numerous shots of local buildings and landmarks (such as the Oklahoma City National Memorial and the downtown skyline)—while much of the show was filmed in Vancouver and Los Angeles.
Plot
The plot focuses on Grace Hanadarko (Hunter), a smoking, heavy drinking, and promiscuous Oklahoma City detective. In the series opener, Grace meets up with her "last-chance" angel, when after a night of drinking she runs down and kills a pedestrian with her Porsche. In desperation she calls out for God's help, and a scruffy, tobacco-spitting man who calls himself Earl (Rippy) appears. Unfolding his wings to reveal his divine origins, Earl tells her that she's headed for hell, and asks if she's ready to turn her life over to God. Since Saving Grace is set in Oklahoma City, one might expect a Native presence. And there is one in the character of Bobby Stillwater, the fourth detective on Grace's team. Played by Gregory Cruz, Stillwater basically does chores or fills in information when the other detectives are busy. He isn't even listed as a cast member; rather, the show announces "Guest-starring Gregory Cruz" after the opening credits.
In short, he's a token Indian, at least in Season 1. But at least he's there. And he isn't spouting Native clichés like a walking stereotype. He's just a normal cop doing his job.
Stillwater's tribe?
Stillwater hasn't stated any tribal affiliation so far. With his name and location, "Cherokee" would be the best guess.
In the seventh episode, Yeehaw, Geepaw, he mentions his Indian half and his Mexican half. This is consistent with Cruz's background, which one person described as "1/8 Apache (Chiricahua, I believe), and 3/4 Mexican (Mexican Native American)."
I guess he's supposed to represent all the minorities not covered by the white officers and the black captain--a common ethnic setup for cop shows. Heaven forbid that an Indian could be one of the top three or four characters, not to mention the star.
For more on the subject, see TV Shows Featuring Indians.
Below: Gregory Cruz, Holly Hunter, and Bailey Chase.
Saving Grace (TV series)
Plot
The plot focuses on Grace Hanadarko (Hunter), a smoking, heavy drinking, and promiscuous Oklahoma City detective. In the series opener, Grace meets up with her "last-chance" angel, when after a night of drinking she runs down and kills a pedestrian with her Porsche. In desperation she calls out for God's help, and a scruffy, tobacco-spitting man who calls himself Earl (Rippy) appears. Unfolding his wings to reveal his divine origins, Earl tells her that she's headed for hell, and asks if she's ready to turn her life over to God.
In short, he's a token Indian, at least in Season 1. But at least he's there. And he isn't spouting Native clichés like a walking stereotype. He's just a normal cop doing his job.
Stillwater's tribe?
Stillwater hasn't stated any tribal affiliation so far. With his name and location, "Cherokee" would be the best guess.
In the seventh episode, Yeehaw, Geepaw, he mentions his Indian half and his Mexican half. This is consistent with Cruz's background, which one person described as "1/8 Apache (Chiricahua, I believe), and 3/4 Mexican (Mexican Native American)."
I guess he's supposed to represent all the minorities not covered by the white officers and the black captain--a common ethnic setup for cop shows. Heaven forbid that an Indian could be one of the top three or four characters, not to mention the star.
For more on the subject, see TV Shows Featuring Indians.
Below: Gregory Cruz, Holly Hunter, and Bailey Chase.
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