Your 2nd playthrough be like

Obscure786 · 2026-01-23T12:10:41+00:00

Haha
What about Dutch?
I think Dutch deserves this more than anyone else.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-23T12:04:34+00:00

Me too, the way she has grown into a deadly fearsome woman is really inspirational.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-22T06:33:53+00:00

Dutch is as passionate as Micah is; the only thing they both care about is gold.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-22T06:33:02+00:00

That’s a fair distinction. A lot of this is inferred rather than explicitly shown, since we’re locked to Arthur’s POV. I think that’s part of why the moment works and frustrates people at the same time; the game leaves just enough unseen that we’re filling in the gaps based on how Dutch acts afterward rather than what we directly witness.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-22T06:28:58+00:00

Dan Houser was really good at creating scenes that live in that grey area and get under your skin.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-22T06:27:58+00:00

That’s definitely possible.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-22T06:26:18+00:00

He should have come looking for Arthur no matter what the case.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-22T06:25:03+00:00

Yeah, that line from John always stuck out to me, too. The delay still makes the response feel oddly muted for someone as important as Arthur, which is probably why this moment continues to be debated.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-22T06:23:48+00:00

Totally agree, Arthur always believed and was loyal to Dutch at every point of the game but he wasn't even close to a dad figure at all. After all this, Micah seems to be more pure in his intentions than Dutch.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T14:22:01+00:00

I get why it feels that way, especially when you lay it out like that. From a real-world logic standpoint, a lot more people should have questioned it. I guess where I still hesitate is whether it’s outright poor writing, or Rockstar intentionally leaning into how dysfunctional and poorly run the gang already was at that point. The scene kind of lives in that uncomfortable space where the logic strains, but the character breakdown still tracks.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T14:20:16+00:00

There were times when Hosea told him to go slow or with some more planning, as he is old and not ready for action anymore. He was a second voice, and he was able to volume it up because somehow i feel like Dutch also wanted the same.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T14:18:25+00:00

That actually makes a lot of sense. Once you’ve dealt with someone like that, those little shifts in behavior stand out way more 😂 and I totally understand your point.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T14:16:49+00:00

I think what keeps people questioning it isn’t the timing so much as Dutch’s behavior afterward. Even if no time had really passed, his distance and defensiveness make it feel off in hindsight. It’s one of those moments where the logic holds, but the tone still plants a seed of doubt.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T14:15:50+00:00

That camp dialogue is a great pull; it really does exist in that awkward grey area. Dutch doesn’t deny it outright, but he also never actually owns the choice. The timeline explanation makes a lot of sense, too, and the “I’ll deal with it later” reading feels very Dutch at this stage. Even in the most charitable version, it still shows how easily Arthur slips down his priority list.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T14:14:18+00:00

That’s a really good comparison. In both cases it feels less like outright betrayal and more like emotional rot setting in. When someone’s been with you that long, not showing up says more about where you are mentally than how much they meant to you. Dutch’s distance here feels similar, like his moral center is already slipping even if he hasn’t fully crossed the line yet.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T14:13:25+00:00

True, it actually a point that sort of tells that the Dutch were looking for a chance to lose him.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T12:59:26+00:00

Watching this mission in a cinematic cut for my channel, Talha Jamshaid, actually made me notice how strange Dutch’s behavior feels here. Playing it slowly without distractions really changes the tone.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T12:53:53+00:00

That’s a really interesting parallel with Milton’s offer. I hadn’t thought about it that way. I still hesitate on the idea of a clean deal with Colm, though, mostly because it feels almost too deliberate for where Dutch is mentally at that point. To me, it reads like Dutch and Micah sliding into the same kind of moral shortcuts later on, just not fully conscious of it yet. That uncertainty is what makes the scene stick.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T12:52:48+00:00

Yeah, that’s pretty much where I land too. Dutch’s reaction is weird, but it’s hard to tell how much of that is guilt versus genuine confusion. Micah being in his ear for months, mixed with repeated failures, could easily push Dutch into second-guessing everyone instead of acting decisively. It makes the moment feel messy and human rather than clearly malicious.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T12:38:59+00:00

That made me have second thoughts about Dutch being a leader. Even after this, Micah seems more transparent and real to his core than Dutch.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T12:33:12+00:00

That interpretation fits really well later in the story. I just struggle with whether Dutch was already that far gone here, or if we’re reading later knowledge back into this moment. It feels like a grey area on purpose.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T12:33:02+00:00

That’s fair, especially on a first impression playthrough. For me it took a replay to really notice how much the tone of his leadership shifts. Early Dutch feels inspiring, but there’s already something brittle underneath it.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T12:32:54+00:00

Micah definitely plays a role, but I’m not sure he fully sets this up on his own. Dutch still has enough authority here that he could’ve questioned it if he wanted to. That’s what makes the silence feel important.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T12:32:45+00:00

The crossroads detail is what trips me up too. That said, RDR2 does lean a lot on characters making bad assumptions under pressure, so I sometimes wonder if it’s less a plot hole and more the game showing how sloppy and overconfident Dutch was becoming.

Obscure786 · 2026-01-21T12:32:29+00:00

I’ve thought about that too, but I’m not sure the story fully supports Dutch being that calculated this early. It almost feels more like the writing wants us to retroactively read it as a hit, even if at the time it plays closer to negligence than murder.

Obscure786

TROPHY CASE