‘Men In Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham’ Recap – ‘Maori Culture’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish in Episode 202 of ‘‘Men In Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham’ – ‘Maori Culture’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 202 of ‘Men In Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham’. To revisit the Season Two Premiere, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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Something that is genuinely fascinating about the human condition, is how we have so many unique quirks and traditions amongst the various cultures of the world, when in fact… we are all one species. One that also, ironically, shares in a great deal of universal traditions and experiences. But that just speaks to the wonder of humanity and how special we are, and we often celebrate those unique aspects of humanity, via a roadtrip. Wherein we can learn about them and potentially experience them firsthand. So, we can find newfound respect for other cultures and potentially pass on the best parts of those traditions to others and keep them alive, and that is why… this week’s episode of the hit STARZ series, Men In Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham, is of note.
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For ‘Maori Culture’ saw Sam and Graham dive into the wonder of the Maori, the true natives of New Zealand who developed quite the rich culture long before the islands were colonized, and sadly… they experienced what all indigenous people do when colonizers arrive on their shores. But thankfully, there is a push to keep the Maori Culture in the limelight, and the Maori are eager to share their culture in any capacity to those willing to learn and well… Sam and Graham wanted to know… everything. Which allowed for them to learn a great deal about the nature of the Haka and other such dances, and how they are quite symbolic in nature now, and work toward a deeper meaning over the fear they were once designed to instill, and their learning experience didn’t end there.

Because Sam and Graham also took the time to learn about the majesty of the iconic tattoos that the Maori proudly wear. As it turns out, these tattoos are designed to tell a story more often than not and represent important chapters of the lives of the person that brandishes them with pride. Of course, Sam wanted to get one, and that likely would go over poorly with the various acting jobs he’s currently apart of. So instead, he and Graham did the next best thing, and received temporary tattoos in the traditional manner. Which involved telling their own stories so that the artist could properly capture their words upon their arms, and that allowed for the audience… to learn a great deal about this duo. Specifically, how their fathers shaped their lives and that was quite the intimate sequence to say the least.

But of course, what would this show be without some fun shenanigans in place to balance all the depth and meaning out? And that was here as well. For we also came to learn that the Maori have some aqua based traditions. The kind that involves friendly races in what is known as the Waka. A canoe that was once used for war, but much like the Haka, has been adapted to modern times and well, since Sam is as competitive as they get, he wanted to race Graham badly in the new traditional manner. Which Graham agreed to, but really used this opportunity to just get out on the water and enjoy the wonder of the Waka. Which led to Sam embarrassing himself on several occasions by flopping into the water from being so aggressive. But he did get what he wanted, since the race belonged to Team Heughan.

If anything, this was just… a beautiful episode when all is said done. One that really did speak to the majesty of the roadtrip and how it really does educate us regarding cultures we know nothing about. But what truly made it so beautiful, is that we too enjoyed the wonder of the Maori in an intimate manner with Sam and Graham, since we were there for every lesson and powerful moment, and it was equally as amazing to hear these men open up in the manner they did and become one with Maori culture. All of which made for a vastly different episode of this show, in a good way, because this was engaging stuff. The kind that was presented to us once again in a supremely cinematic manner and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this amazing leg of the journey, it is safe to say we are all eager for next week’s adventure. To see what other surprises await us as Sam and Graham continue their incredible journey through New Zealand. Until next time.

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