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REVIEW: Kiwis who value continuity and geographic fidelity should steer clear of the second season of Men in Kilts (now streaming on Neon) – it’s likely to give you hives.
For as fantasy adventure Outlander stars Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish romp around Aotearoa in their RV, they give off a rather false impression of the distances between the likes of the Otago Peninsula and Rotorua. As they discuss an impending visit to a Waikato dairy farm, you can clearly see that they’re driving along Dunedin’s Portabello Road, roughly 1300km away.
It is likely to be somewhat disorientating (and disconcerting) for local viewers – and it makes McTavish’s early advice to his protégé rather ironic: “A basic understanding of the geography would be useful, especially when you’re driving.”
While you could blame the editors, the problem perhaps lies in the format of the four-part series, which eschews the usual regional divisions for themes such as food, culture and adrenaline rushes.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s doesn’t detract too much from the dynamic duo and their observations of our braw land, but it does feel (along with a bizarre hurried montage of the pair engaging with our flora and fauna in the final instalment that looks at was once a standalone episode in its own right) as if someone made a late decision to change how this story was going to be told.
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Graham McTavish and Sam Heughan are Men in Kilts.
However, as with the original galavant around the friends and co-workers’ native Scotland, the delights of Kilts are in the camaraderie, light-bickering and gentle ribbing between Heughan and McTavish.
Having heard so much about the Scottish influence on the country the latter has called home since working on The Hobbit trilogy over a decade ago, Heughan is keen on a guided tour, even if McTavish doesn’t quite share his younger companion’s enthusiasm for adventure. Cue ziplining in Glenorchy (an experience that involves a lot of cursing on McTavish’s part), helicopter rides up to South Island glaciers and shark diving off the coast of Bluff.
“We’ve done some stupid things in the past, but that might take the biscuit,” McTavish says, convinced that swimming with sharks is the closest they’ve come to their demise on all their adventures together.
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As with the original galavant around the friends and co-workers’ native Scotland, the delights of Men in Kilts are in the camaraderie, light-bickering and gentle ribbing between Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish.
To remind us of their heritage, clips from Outlander featuring the pair are scattered throughout each episode, while there are plenty of opportunities for them to enjoy and lament having decided to squeeze into a very confined space together for a second time – all of which provides plenty of laugh-out-loud moments for the audience.
Later challenges include poi and taiaha training, cow milking and polishing off the gigantic feast Fleur Sullivan prepared for them at her now currently closed Moeraki restaurant, all of which the pair tackle with sensitivity, good humour and great gusto.
Season 2 of Men in Kilts is now available to stream on Neon.
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