Crime
Prime Target
This math-centric thriller comes with an interesting premise. But Prime Target comes with some primary problems, too.
Welcome to Stroopsdorf.
Located in the Netherlands, Stroopsdorf is deemed the least important U.S. Army base in the world. It offers sights such as giant tulip sculptures, uniformed officers playing frisbee and a military man struggling to perform a single pullup. And according to a sergeant there, cheese, laundry and bowling are what Stroopsdorf is known for.
When the uptight Colonel Patrick Quinn is assigned to assume command at Stroopsdorf, he asks, “Why the Netherlands?”
General Davidson replies, “To drive you insane.”
You see, before Quinn received his orders to go to Stroopsdorf, he thought he had been assigned to an esteemed military base in Germany. Unfortunately, when Quinn and his executive officer Major Abraham Shah arrive in Germany, they learn that Quinn was caught on camera spewing a diatribe against General Davidson. Not the sort of attitude you want to see from the commander of an important military base. As a result, Davidson assumed control of that German base himself and is now sending Quinn to the Netherlands, where Quinn won’t cause an international crisis.
But that won’t stop Quinn from speaking his mind.
Quinn is enraged when he sees the relaxed attitudes of the soldiers at Stroopsdorf, who seem to have misplaced all the base’s weapons. As he watches officers play pool and video games in the base’s “teen center,” Quinn tells Shah, “This place is a boys-and-girls club for middle-aged Dutch civilians.” His frustration intensifies when he meets Stroopsdorf’s interim base commander: his estranged daughter, Maggie Quinn.
Although they haven’t spoken in two years, Colonel Quinn and Captain Maggie must work together to transform Stroopsdorf into a respectable and professional service and combat base.
For a person so intent on professionalism, Colonel Quinn’s actions and comments are frequently unprofessional. And a significant amount of the humor in Going Dutch is predicated on Quinn’s arrogant and abrasive behavior.
Quinn is frequently rude to his subordinates, resorting to name-calling and condescension. Many of Quinn’s comments involve crass bathroom humor or sexual innuendo. And characters also use profanities such as “b–tard,” “a–,” “h—” and misuses of God’s name.
And although Quinn’s relationship with his daughter is clearly an opportunity for character development, Quinn—at least at this point in the show’s run—often comes off as completely averse to his family. For example, when he first arrives at the Dutch base, Quinn tells Maggie, “Stroopsdorf isn’t a punishment; being here with you is.” And Maggie later reveals that Quinn did not seem upset when her mother passed away.
Despite its problems, Going Dutch does seem to offer a sweet storyline about a father-and-daughter relationship. With the proper attention, and if the show’s issues are navigable, it might be a decent TV comedy for families with older viewers.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Captain Quinn adjusts to his new assignment at the Stroopsdorf base. His first “mission” is to give a speech at a local tulip festival, where his troops were invited to perform.
Quinn and his daughter, Maggie, have a rocky relationship, and they often argue or say hurtful things to one another. Quinn also seems to have a complicated relationship with family overall. He refers to his new grandson as a “blob” rather than a human, and he briefly forgets that he even has a grandchild. Maggie says that she would do anything to see her father cry.
Characters use profanity including, “b–tard,” “a–,” “h—” and misuses of God’s name. Additionally, General Davidson shows Quinn a recording in which profanity has been censored; Older viewers would easily be able to infer which words have been censored. Quinn also makes abrasive comments to his soldiers such as, “You look like they found Jesus dead in a river.” There are also some crass jokes and comments involving bathroom humor.
Quinn uses insensitive words and makes inappropriate comments, claiming he is allowed to do so because he fought in Iraq. For instance, Quinn makes an insensitive comment about Dutch history and repeatedly uses the word “midget.” He also makes an offensive comment about someone’s weight. A character implies that Quinn takes joy in the idea that there could be a World War III. Later, Quinn states that everything he does is done out of spite.
Characters make sexual innuendos sometimes referring to male anatomy. Quinn meets a woman who owns a brothel. An effeminate male character wears a mesh, see-through shirt.
A soldier at Stroopsdorf runs face-first into glass, which shatters upon impact—though he appears to recover immediately. A character angrily rips a banner in a parade. Soldiers fire guns in a field for training purposes.
Someone states that they wanted to deceive a character. Another character is stealing funds from the military.
This math-centric thriller comes with an interesting premise. But Prime Target comes with some primary problems, too.
In Netflix’s new anime series Babanba Banban Vampire, a 450-year-old vampire longs for the untainted blood of a 15-year-old boy.
Severance takes us on an unsettling ride—one with few thrilling loops and dips, but strange turns that may still make you a little queasy.
What’s shown here may be reminiscent of what real police officers have seen on the job. I’m not sure the show’s message is strong enough to justify depicting it.
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