The premise of this episode involves Denis Leary being frustrated with what he sees as an unimportant mission (handling traffic for another base’s scheduled tank practice) and concocts a more palatable mission (stealing a tank).
The tension between masculine and feminine leadership styles comes up again and clearly someone who has gone no-contact with a parent is on the writing staff. I found this episode to be a steep drop in humor from the pilot, logging only one L-LOL (or literal LOL, or instance where I actually laughed aloud).
Denis Leary’s love interest returns from a brief appearance in the pilot, where her role is to introduce another Dutch stereotype: sex work. Catherine Tate plays Katja Vanderhoff, a blunt, voluptuous character meant to frazzle Denis Leary with her sexuality. My favorite aspect of her character is her line readings, which are a poorly maintained rollercoaster of unexpected pausing and pitch changes. It is a captivating performance, but mostly because I am trying to determine which words were meant to be individual sentences.
I mentioned an interest in diving into fan communities for this series, as I am fascinated by both avid fandoms and dedicated snarkers alike. Forums and message boards are mostly alien to me and I attempt to avoid Reddit and social media in general. But I did encounter a few insights when dipping my toe into Reddit’s television subreddit and, in a delightful and unanticipated surprise, the TiVO forum is sparkling with participation for Going Dutch.
Reddit was mostly annoyed by Going Dutch, which is to be expected. However a few folks who identify as Dutch had some interesting insights on American television (including a brutal swipe at innocent bystander Emily in Paris):
Apparently Catherine Tate’s line readings appear to be terrific and homey for the Dutch—so, strap me to a windmill for that one.
The gentle folks in the TiVO Community adopted a more even and fatalistic approach to Going Dutch. I imagine these commenters have seen it all, as some of them have been participating on the site for 25 years. The general theme in TiVO land is, well, this show comes on right after some other, better ones, and I prefer to keep my passive TV momentum rolling. Ironic, no?
Baffling TiVO Community logic aside, network TV watercooler culture appears to be alive and well. My brief journey into TV forums felt old-fashioned somehow, like an earlier Internet. Folks have realistic expectations for their 6pm television and advocate giving shows a chance. I was pleasantly surprised … except for Reddit, which felt like Reddit’s unique despair.
