Netflix’s critically acclaimed African original series Blood & Water is back for its second season.
Premiering on September 24, 2021, the show picks up right where it left off in the last season with Fikile Bhele (Khosi Ngema) reeling from the revelation that she could be related to Puleng (Ama Qamata)
The rest of the series embraces the usual teen drama tropes, dives into family secrets before finally picking up some steam toward the finale, leaving a good opening for a possible third season.
Without giving away too many spoilers, here are two things the show got right as well as the season’s one undeniable misstep:
The right new additions
Like most shows, Blood & Water return with beloved fan favourites but it also has some interesting new additions like Sam played by Leroy Siyafa and his mother Janet Nkosana (Zikhona Sodlaka).
It makes sense for the new season to have Sam as Fikile’s love interest and for him to attend Parkhurst High where his mum is the new counsellor.
Sam is the perfect love interest for Fikile and the right eye candy for the viewers until he isn’t. As for his mother, she brings a truckload of drama that keeps unravelling throughout the show.
Unlike some shows where new additions don’t always go well with the storyline, these characters fit right in as they add the right touches to the show’s general plot.
Character Development
Many TV shows often fall into this trap of mostly focusing on the lead characters and making no room for the viewers to get to know the rest of the cast.
While the plot still focuses on Puleng and Fikile, Blood & Water manages to avoid this mistake by taking us into the lives of supporting characters like Puleng’s mother, Karabo “KB” Molapo, Wendy, Wade Daniels, Chris Ackerman, and Reece van Rensburg.
We get a glimpse into KB’s life, family and upbringing and how it connects to the central story. Daniels’ interactions with his mother who is also the principal of the school tell us why he is the way he is and how this could affect his relationship with Puleng.
Wendy is portrayed as more than just a power-hungry character, Chris as someone with a heart and Reece as the teenager going through family troubles that lead to bad choices and school troubles.
The result is a more balanced story filled with substantial sub-plots, and nuances that we see in real life. Kudos to the writers for delving into the secondary characters.
One major problem – the story drags on for too long
After teasing us with one truth for the first season, you would think the next instalment would immediately build upon that. While season two starts off doing just that, it drops the ball after the first episode.
While the show still has the drama and sense of intrigue most people love it for, there is denying that there is also a sense of repetitiveness. Watching Puleng snoop around with Wade was fresh and captivating in the first season.
This time, we already know that she will always get what she wants without getting into any real danger. So, watching the main character do the same thing over and over again is just boring.
By the time we finally get to the “big twist” of the show about Puleng and Fik being sisters, it comes as no surprise.
After clearing up the are-they-or-are-they-not-sisters storyline, the series eventually picks up towards the end and successfully closes with an enjoyable last episode with yet another cliffhanger.
Despite how predictable most of the show is, Blood & Water does manage to end with a renewed sense of curiosity and desire for another season.