We laughed, we cried, and wow, we cringed a lot at the uncomfortable social situations that introvert Toon was continually dragged through by folks who feel impelled to "help" him. Whether this excellent series was intended to satirize Dutch culture I don't know, but it seems to play and apply just as well to the instant celebrity absurdity here in the U.S., and probably anywhere.
In the first season, Toon's fame is inadvertent, as a video of his (unsolicited) birthday party goes viral. In season two, skill and effort as an on-the-couch gamer keep him in the public eye. Throughout it all, he makes some effort to avoid the spotlight, but he lacks the social skill and gusto to interrupt a whirlwind that wouldn't stop even if he tried. He ends up taking, as (relationship: it's complicated) Nina points out, "the path of least resistance." And so he's carried along on a painful journey, winning our empathy even as we wince at his inability to grab folks by the scruff of the neck and scream, "F Off!"
Some have complained that the character Toon doesn't show much development. They're missing the point of the whole darn show: he's mostly content with who he is and how he lives, and he shouldn't have to "progress" for the satisfaction of the majority who think everyone should fit the same mold! He does eventually develop some agency to keep true to himself, but Toon will always be Toon. And the world is better, that he can be.
Well worth watching!
