Red Dead Redemption 2 would be incomplete without its open world, emotional story, and Dutch vaguely telling you about his plan like he's trying to remember what it is. Dutch is the quintessential 'man with a plan', a phrase he probably heard one day and decided to make his entire personality.
So, let's take a closer look at exactly how many times Dutch says plan during the main story beats in RDR2. The words 'plan,' planning,' 'plans,' or any form of the word will be counted in the tally. Only the instances where Dutch says a form of 'plan' are included, and not when someone else says 'plan' while talking to Dutch. Repeatedly talking to Dutch or any dialogue that can be repeated or heard through random events in the world is excluded.
Dutch Says Plan At Least 28 Times During The Story
While you're progressing through the story, you'll encounter several cutscenes and ride-along moments with Dutch where he and Arthur discuss the state of the gang and the latest of Dutch's master plans.
Dutch mentions a plan 28 times during his conversations with Arthur and various other characters.
Of those 28,
- Ten times were when Dutch was on horseback.
- Ten of the instances were during a cutscene.
- Twice Dutch was paddling a boat.
- At least 18 of the conversations included Arthur in some way.
Given the number of occasions where Dutch says 'plan' on horseback, it's clearly used as a filler buzzword that Dutch uses to instill confidence in the gang.
During the ten cutscene instances, Dutch primarily uses his plan to convince other characters that his methods are more nuanced and developed than they seem to be in reality.
Despite Dutch's plan reaching meme-worthy status, people often wonder "What was Dutch's plan anyway?" He mentions the word plan' quite often, but he does not actually explain what his grand scheme for the gang's future is nearly as often as he just says 'plan'.
Dutch Mentions Needing Money For His Plan 37 Times
While Dutch's rambling about his plan has earned him infamy, the actual plan itself included getting money. Pretty well-thought-out idea by the master planner himself.
Of those 37 instances,
- Six times were while Dutch was riding on horseback.
- 25 times Dutch said "money" during a cutscene.
- Five times Dutch was in a boat.
- 33 of the conversations included Arthur in some way.
Clearly, Dutch's plan was to get money all along. How simple and easy. The mention of money is far more frequent than Dutch's enigmatic and captivating plan. A successful score for the gang is an obvious solution to many problems, but over the course of Red Dead Redemption 2, it becomes obvious that the lifestyle needed to get that cash quickly is what led to the gang's downfall in the first place.
In a way, Dutch accomplished his goal by making us so obsessed with whatever his plan is that we lose sight of the fact that the thing he wants more than anything is money.
Despite his tumultuous journey, Dutch eventually does acquire a large sum of money, but unfortunately for him, he doesn't quite stick around to enjoy it for long.