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Emma and Maarten wonder how we transitioned from frugal living and repairing items to thoughtlessly throwing away and replacing. They visit a Repair Café with Maarten's malfunctioning printer. Is there still life in the device? They also observe a company that rescues returned products from the landfill and resells them. Where does our urge to buy actually come from? In the depths of the brain, they discover how we are constantly tempted to buy. With a couple living entirely in 1960s style, they relive the rise of the consumer society from Maarten's youth.
Emma and Maarten explore how our relationship with animals has changed. How is it that we increasingly treat pets as our own children, while at the same time eating more meat than ever? The duo goes back to the origins of Animal Day, where pets are honored in a very special way in Rotterdam. It becomes an exploration of extremes, because even animal lover Maarten tastes a piece of wild goose after an afternoon of hunting.
Monarchist Emma and republican Maarten delve into the elusive sense of national identity. When do you actually still feel connected to the Netherlands? And would they die for their country if it came down to it? Emma immerses herself in a swirling mass of Orange football fans and drags Maarten along to a match of the Dutch national team and, for the first time in his life, to Prinsjesdag. Maarten has little interest in that national revelry. His sense of national identity lies primarily in his love for the Dutch language, and he introduces Emma to forgotten words from his generation.
Emma and Maarten ponder perhaps the most inevitable subject of all: death. From black clothing and coffee and cake of Maarten's youth to the exuberant farewell parties of today, the way we say goodbye has changed drastically. Emma already has a clear preference for her coffin and takes Maarten funeral shopping. They venture into 'experimental grieving,' check on 'Het Journaal' to see if a memorial is ready for Maarten, and visit the first crematorium in the Netherlands: the place where cremation was once illegal.
Emma and Maarten explore how Dutch holidays and traditions have changed over the past fifty years. What do we cling to desperately, and what slowly moves with the times? They celebrate their birthdays in a traditional setting, surrounded by a group of people over 90. Emma takes Maarten to Twente for a tradition from her youth: the blowing of the midwinter horn. They also experience Chinese New Year, once a celebration of the Chinese community, but now a colorful part of Dutch cultural life.
Emma and Maarten discover how our view of gender has been completely turned upside down in half a century. From a time when your role was more or less fixed, to a world where identity is much more fluid. Together with a gender historian, they examine the impact of the pill. They meet a non-binary older person who only discovered who they were later in life. They also discuss the rise of tradwives and help a new generation of Dolle Mina’s make protest signs. Finally, they join a men's circle, where the modern man reveals his vulnerable side. Maarten also opens a door to his inner world there.
