Deer Lady

"**Deer Lady**"
"Deer Lady"
Reservation Dogs episode
	Scenes in the episode set at the diner use filming elements similar to those seen in a 1990s independent film.
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 3
Directed by	Danis Goulet
Written by	Sterlin Harjo
Featured music	"Fractions"; by Mali Obomsawin; "Lineage"; by Mali Obomsawin; "Memory Bound"; by Don Mcginnis;
Cinematography by	Mark Schwartzbard
Editing by	Varun Viswanath; Patrick Tuck;
Production code	XRDV3003
Original air date	August 9, 2023
Running time	30 minutes
Guest appearances
	Kaniehtiio Horn as Deer Lady; John Getz as James Minor; Haley Sims as Sister Jenson;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Maximus"	Next →; "Friday"
	Reservation Dogs season 3
	List of episodes

"Deer Lady" is the third episode of the third season of the comedy and teen drama television series Reservation Dogs. The twenty-first episode overall, it was written by the program's showrunner and co-creator, Sterlin Harjo, and directed by Danis Goulet.

Reservation Dogs tells the story of Elora (Devery Jacobs), Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Cheese (Lane Factor), and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis); a group of four friends and Indigenous teenagers who live in Oklahoma. They refer to themselves as the "Rez Dogs" and hope to eventually visit California in memory of their friend Daniel who committed suicide. Deer Lady is a recurring character in the show based on the mythological spirit, Deer Woman. In the episode, Bear, looking for his way back to Okern, Oklahoma, receives help from Deer Lady (Kaniehtiio Horn) and her backstory is explored.

Inspired by 1970s horror films and 1990s indie films, the story focuses on the history of American Indian boarding schools and also makes use of the endangered Kiowa language. The production team consulted multiple subject matter experts to ensure that the topic was accurately represented. Post-production staff faced challenges in perfecting the audio as well as editing and scoring it.

The episode was first released on FX on Hulu on August 9, 2023. It received positive reviews from critics, particularly for its storytelling and use of gibberish. It also won an Art Directors Guild Award and was nominated for a Creative Arts Emmy Award and Gold Derby Television Award.