To be honest I do not enjoy African productions much, mainly due to well documented reasons most of us are familiar with. I prefer to stick to the western ones, where you find rotten ones as well but at least you find the glass ceiling is a little higher.
The simple truth is if you delve into most of these African TV stories with a critical eye instead of that of a casual viewer, it would not take you ten minutes to start spotting the flaws in the entire production; poorly written stories with inexplicable leaps of logic, amateur acting, poor direction, and a myriad of other issues.
Therefore I tackled this assignment, a review of a Nigerian series-Gidi Up, with the enthusiasm of a man going into bed with a particularly unattractive woman; close your eyes and get it over with as fast as you can. I went in not expecting much, and I must admit got myself blown away by a well written, brilliantly acted show that challenged all my pre-conceived notions about African Productions.
This review covers Episodes 1 & 2 of Season 2, picking up from where season 1 left off. Gidi Up follows the lives of four Lagos socialites as they struggle to make it in that most unforgiving of cities.
Storyline
As mentioned, the story follows four socialites as they strive to make it in a world that is anything but fair. The writers paint a picture that’s relatable to the audience, with themes of friendship, love, and hard choices. No matter what caste or class you find yourself in, whether a socialite in Lagos or a pauper in the slums of Nima-Ghana, these are themes you can identify with.
One of the many problems I’ve found with African productions is the inexplicable leaps of logic, as I mentioned earlier. Often the story takes a turn which you realise is not logical, but merely planted for the purpose of throwing the audience a curveball. These two episodes did not indulge in this guilty pleasure, moving at a logical step yet keeping the audience in a constant state of suspense and anguish.
Whether we are fretting with Obi over his money problems, overjoyed at Tokunbo finally securing funding for his company, or grieving with the three friends at the bedside of the injured Obi; the audience’s emotions is kept in a state of constant flux, making the slightest change in the fortunes of our protagonists keenly felt.
I always love it when cause and effect is applied in movies, and these two episodes had those in abundance. Too often in television, an action that should have serious consequences is overlooked the next week, with the audience left to pretend it never happened in the first place.
Acting
Somekele Iyamah asYvonne immediately catches the eye. Aside being blessed with extraordinary beauty and abundant talent, she has a way of conveying a lot of emotions with facial movement that’s reminiscent of Kerry Washington, but toned down to a believable level.