Written by Carolyn Potts
“Dating Mohawk Style,” as the title suggests, is yet another 22 minutes that revolve around, you guessed it, dating. But wait! Hold onto your hats! I guarantee you have not seen a show quite like this one. Tracey Deer pushes the boundaries for primetime TVÂ in this installment and does so in hilarious fashion (I will, however, try to keep this summary PG).
We begin this lighthearted look at Mohawk relationships with Caitlin (Heather White) planning a candlelit evening for Butterhead (Meegwun Fairbrother). Sadly, he remains “Blockheaded Butterhead” and refuses her romantic overtures, leaving Caitlin to explore alternative solutions to her dilemma. Team Thana (Maika Harper & Kyle Nobess) follow up on last week’s “What’s Your Number†and lay the blood quantum system beast aside. Thunder agrees that there are failings within the system, and despite Anna’s 48.2% Mohawk blood, he finds her to be an incredible woman that he wishes to be with. Bailey (Jennifer Pudavick) is still without her prince and so Leon (Alain Chanoine) proposes that she attempt speed dating. Caitlin admits to the girls that she and Butterhead are currently not having relations which leads to Anna shocking the girls with her three-month rule. Meanwhile, Zoe (Brittany Leborgne) sets up her profile on AltMontreal.com, a fetish dating site.
Now that we are all caught up, dating advice flies from every direction. Danny (Jess Nobess), Caitlin’s assistant at the hair-shop, supplies her with his explicit instructions to ensure a man remains satisfied, and Caitlin gives Anna her five rules for Dating Mohawk Style (nothing terribly different from Non Mohawk Style but hilariously lampooned by Maika Harper and Kyle Nobess). Meanwhile, Zoe comes to learn the rules of a proper submissive partner from one of her many interested potential Doms.
The subplot in this episode (and our weekly lesson on Mohawk culture from Tracey Deer) involves Anna and Thunder. Anna is still fighting to fit in (an interesting use of the punching bag as a reinforcement of her struggle). She is reminded time and again that she is different, and more precisely, an outsider. This time Deer employs the Thana storyline to demonstrate there are many ways to be Mohawk. The blood number is not the only means, nor is behaviour. Reverse racism exists. The phrase, “No one can possibly know what it is like to be a Mohawk unless you grew up here,†is the commonly held attitude that our Anna is fighting to overcome in her quest to belong.
Which brings us to the climax of the show (pun intended). Following Danny’s advice, and desperate for some action from Butterhead, Caitlin coordinates an evening involving both Butterhead and bestie Zoe. Zoe and Butterhead share some of their more intimate secrets as Caitlin keeps the drinks flowing. Her plans for a “healthy compromise†do however go awry, and the evening ends abruptly as her victims recoil in disgust (I simply adored Meegwun Fairbrother’s facial expressions in this scene!), leaving Caitlin alone once again.
Will Thunder and Anna be able to iron out their cultural differences? Will anyone discover Zoe’s unconventional persona? What is in store for Butterhead and Caitlin? Can Bailey ever find her prince? Let me know in the comments below!
Mohawk Girls airs Tuesdays at 9 and 9:30 p.m. ET on APTN.
