The Combustible World of Zenzile Mwale In “Unseen” Season 2

Unseen, a South African Netflix crime thriller series, is based on a woman who leaves behind a trail of murders as she goes in search of her missing husband, who has just been freed from incarceration. It is adapted from the 2021 Turkish Netflix series Fatma, created by Özgür Önurme. The first season of Unseen ends with the protagonist Zenzile Mwale, also known as Zenzi, on the verge of a suicidal attempt, having lost her husband in a confrontation with the police.

Season 2 begins with Zenzi in a medical emergency, after which the camera cuts to the final scene of the previous season. We discover that Zenzi is held back from committing suicide, arrested and sent to jail. In jail, she meets TK, a lady motivated by revenge and disguised as an inmate, who pretends to befriend and protect Zenzi before unsuccessfully attempting to kill her. This takes us back to the hospital scene that kick-started the six-episode show. At the hospital scene, where Zenzi is recovering, a compromised officer tries to kill her, with Zenzi wrestling free before escaping from the hospital.

Throughout this second season, the stakes are higher for the protagonist as she navigates life as a fugitive while taking justice into her own hands for the sake of deceased loved ones, including her husband Max. The constant threat of Zenzi’s life powers the adrenaline-driven story, triggering a suspenseful show that is oddly reminiscent of the iconic American television series, Prison Break. Both protagonists—Michael Scofield from Prison Break and Zenzi from the South African thriller series—have traumatic pasts involving their fathers, which often return to them in flashes. However, unlike Michael, Zenzi’s history with domestic violence messes with her psychology to the point that she becomes a remorseless killer even if in self-defence.

While on the run, Zenzi must outsmart law enforcement agents, including the relentlessly pesky Detective Morkel, and the syndicate that wants her dead for her secret knowledge about the OCM Bank Scam and for having killed some of its notorious men. Her quest for survival is, however, not a solitary one as she receives assistance from her sister Naledi and writer Lufuno Ngesi, endangering their lives in the process as well. The syndicate murder Lufuno and a detective keen on unravelling the scam, while Naledi and her husband John face threats to their lives. The pugnacious TK will stop at nothing to have Zenzi dead even if it means gunning down anyone who stands in the way,  as she seeks to avenge the death of her brother Blessing Jali whom Zenzi killed in the previous season by implanting deadly cocaine in his office.

For this season, the main antagonist is Andrew Harting, a wealthy but highly corrupt and ruthless individual who is involved in money laundering and embezzlement of public funds. With the aid of his partners Reuben Theron and Jacob Butler, Harting masterminds the grand OCM Bank fraud saga in which money is systematically stolen from customers’ accounts.  With his covert and yet godfatherly operations, Harting comes off as the archetypal African politician who, from his hallowed chambers, calls the shots as he gradually steals away the collective wealth of the people. While politicians of this nature could be publicly challenged, they keep their secrets closely guarded and would apply coercion if necessary to deal with anyone who posed serious threats to their authority and administration.

In Unseen Season 2, the showrunner mindlessly empowers Zenzi. She becomes more ruthlessly, yet tactful and calculating in decision-making. However, while this speaks positively to the empowerment of women in Africa, it feels like an overreach that a woman with no proper experience in military or intelligence operations would be able to bring down a kingpin. Nonetheless, Season 2 of this show offers immersive entertainment, as Gail Mabalane embodies the lead role with quiet strength and emotional rigour.