TV REVIEW: Ashes To Ashes Season 2 Premier

Mandlakazi is down but definitely not out (she is still breathing after all). If you trace back to season 1, you will remember that she jumped in front of a bullet to save Reba from a shot fired by her rival twin, Tsietsi. However, if you watched the show last night, you wouldn't have had to even think back at all. They had flashbacks of everything (and I really do mean EVERYTHING!).

Firstly, I appreciated how 2nd season picked up right from where season 1 ended and we didn't go through some kind of time travel. It was a bit funny though to think that after such a long time since season 1 ended, the Namanes were still stuck at the scene of crime, waiting for medical assistance (but that's just my silly sense of humor, don't mind me). I also like the way our memories were quickly refreshed and we didn't have to waste time pondering on who's who or what's what. However, at some point when they started reminding us of every deet and dirt, I thought the flashbacks might have been a bit too much. As a matter of fact, the whole first episode of season 2 felt like one big teaser. We got a glimpse of where the storyline was taking us but never the chance to really sink deep into it. A flash of this and a flash of that, it was all a fast paced jig-saw between the season 1 finale and season 2. Just when we were trying to get a grip on this, we were hastily thrown into that (I'm sure the editor had the most fun with this one) and before you knew it, credits were rolling.

Now back to the plot, Mandlakazi is taken to hospital in an ambulance and Mr Selo is right by her side, holding her hand. She doesn't sound too hopeful as she instructs Selo to take care of her children and surprisingly enough (yet not too surprising if you know her character quite well), she also requests that he makes sure that Tsietsi does not go to jail. Meanwhile, Monwabisi is also fighting for his life. Tsietsi is taken into custody and we see him at the police station as he submits his belongings and gets his mug shot taken. There has never been a prettier sight for Detective Nkonzo who stays gunning for the Namane family. He gloats, telling Tsietsi that he has reached the absolute end, and there is no way out.

Nyaniso Dzedze who did quite an exceptional job playing the role of Tsietsi in season 1 struggled a little with portraying the character last night. I couldn't really make out if he was being resilient or deeply remorseful or just plain scared during his arrest. His facial expressions gave a lot of mixed signals and yet still nothing at all. It was almost like he feels everything all at once but feels nothing (confused yet?, then you're on the right track). He struggled with his emotions and that might have taken away from the true depth of his scenes. Detective Nkonzo by the zealous Menzi Ngunane also did just the bare minimum (we have seen him give much more powerful performances in previous roles, so we know his capabilities) and it would have been great to see him give us more.

Selo, Reba and Mpho stick together as family in the tough times and they comfort each other in the hospital corridors, which was rather too empty at first (we didn't even get to see a doctor or nurse walk by). I was also disturbed by how Reba and Mpho seemed too calm for the whole situation. Yes, they gave us a tear here and there, but not near enough for people that had gone through the kind of rough night that they had been through. They had to be traumatized, someone must have been crying histarically, there should have been anger, blame and loss of appetite. Instead, they paraded the corridors with fancy cupped coffee in hand and reminisced over pretty gold jewelry. Mr Namane on the other hand was his emotionally detached self, thinking about business in times of struggle and pain in his family. He asked Damien and Stitch to look after Namane Funerals when they came to visit at the hospital. But then again, we wouldn't have expected different from the kind of man he is.

Then there is Damian who is like the pleasant surprise delight at the centre of the candy. He quickly makes a call to Violet and fills her in on the details soon after Selo makes a request that they not tell anyone about what has happened. And when press shows up, snooping for a story, he impressively holds back on the scoop but is quick to promote himself as actor extraordinaire. I couldn't help by chuckle. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this one. His silly, chatty character can be rather pathetic at times that you don't know whether to laugh or cry, so we choose to laugh.

At the end of the episode, Tsietsi is locked into a cell with grade A criminals. The most chilling scene of the season so far. He has done a lot of bad, so we don't really sympathize with him. It is interesting to see the aggressive bully that he has been being reduced to a little man just like that when he finally comes face to face with real thugs! Will he survive the night?

I don't like that the production still carries the low-lighten style of cinematography, making it quite dull and gloomy. I think the "authentically South African" theme is being a little overdone, pulling the show more towards the 'lokshin biscop' sector rather than the high class drama series that it could be. The plot is promising though, with lots of possibilities; there is no telling which side the ropes could fall.

"Ashes to Ashes" airs on weekdays at 8pm, on etv.