It's 6 episodes into the new drama series and things are finally starting to pick up speed. Then again, I guess it has always been this way with most shows when they first start out. They focus on building the characters, storyline and world within at least the first half of the first season (which can be a bit frustrating if you are as impatient as me). "Heist" pretty much followed the same route because for the past 5 weeks things have been moving quite slow and the storyline was rather just dragging along. I will admit that when I first heard about the concept of the series, I thought action galore! I thought thugs, I thought cops, I thought guns, I thought explosions, I thought jail (okay, maybe I did push it a bit); but then obviously, the writers chose to literally start us out from the very beginning of the whole saga...right there at the very root of it all.
See my review of the first episode here
In the first episode, Talent who was fired from his job came up with the idea of robbing his former boss (Irvin), who is an events promoter, of all his money during an upcoming Justin Bieber concert, and for a while we followed him as he attempted to bring together the best of the best to make up his team. The team is finally complete and this Tuesday’s episode focused mainly on the planning of the heist. We got to learn which roles they will each be playing in the heist and how it is all going to happen. That means as viewers we will have a clear map of the whole event as it takes place when it finally takes place. Question is, will things go according to order?
I absolutely love the fact that the characters are portrayed as ordinary South African citizens that are facing different challenges in their lives and although they fall into this band wagon of crime to try and make ends meet (or even reach their breakthrough), we don't necessarily judge them. However, while its easy to relate to most of the characters in reality, I am afraid that they do not have enough depth and substance for the drama action series. Yes, some of them such as Talent, 5Bob, Mark and Merci have minimum experience when it comes to crime and this will be their first "big job", but I think it is ridiculous that they behave like they have absolutely no idea what they are doing. At times things just seem to be totally out of control and extremely vague. No solid plan at all. They should have been made to appear more hungry for the success of this heist than they are right now. It would have made up for their inexperience and given the story more geist.
5 Bob who acted like a big shot master mind when this whole thing started is now acting like the greatest skiddy cat I have ever seen. He is jumpy, he is restless and he keeps looking over his shoulder each time he has to complete a mission. Then when he is assigned to do simple tasks like getting food for the team, he comes back hours late with the car leaking oil and almost falling apart. Yes, he is that guy!! Dealing with him is more work than completing the mission itself! But it's not in an annoying way. He is actually quite funny, but frustrating too.
Mark comes out as the smart one of the crew. Even after his scandal with his "I'm a believer" t-shirts, he seem more logical, rational and grounded. In episode 6 we see him take up a leadership role by taking the team through the plan; but Cosatu won't just sit back and take orders. No! He keeps interfering and I got the sense that he wants to be seen as leader. I think Cosatu is a bit of a bully too. He literally snapped and totally lost it, telling everyone off at some point. No wonder he is the ATM bomber, so explosive! (although I think I would lose it too if I was asked to find a silent bomb). I'm still not sure where I stand with Gorgeous Stash. He may seem like an investor that just wants nothing but to make profit out of this whole thing right now, but I am not about to let my guard down as yet. I am highly amused by his flamboyant character though. It sure adds a bit of flavour into the mix.
Some episodes have fallen short here and there. This was either with production or directing. The scene where we met Flash and he took that boy that was shot to hospital was utter trash. It was unbelievable and Solomon Twalo's acting skills were at the weakest we have seen yet. He has managed to bounce back though, so might just forgive him...for now. I also feel that his repentance and portrayal as a pastor was also a bit of a joke (and not a funny one). The writers totally missed the mark there.
If you have read most of my previous reviews on the blog, then you know how sceptical I can be when it comes to these kasi style productions, but I think the theme fits perfectly on "Heist". Maybe it is the storyline, maybe it is the characters; either way, it just works. However, I do feel like certain scenes that require the busy lokshin vibe tend to be a little quiet and empty; and producers could have done with some extras to fill up the space.
Now that things are finally coming together, I am hoping that the show will keep speeding up. I want to see more action, more drama and more...heist!!!
"Heist" airs on etv every Tuesdays at 9:35pm.
What do you think of the show? Comment below or tweet me @NoncedoDlamini
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