TV REVIEW: "Umlilo" Season 3 Premier

If you recap back to season 2, you will remember that the series ended with Khwezi (or is it Thembi?) having held Mnqobi and Dumile some kind of hostage, manipulated Mnqobi into shooting Dumile before finally burning the house down.

The third Season picks up in the after math, and yet the drama seems far from being over. We opened up the premier episode with a scene of the Simelane family moving into their new home, which is a total down grade from their lavish mansion that was reduced to ashes. Andile complains that they all have to share a bathroom, and little does she know that this should be the least of her worries as Mnqobi is on the phone looking for a loan to keep afloat. It seems that the days of milk and honey are long gone for these "haves" (or is it "have nots" now?)

Khwezi/Thembi is in jail. She seems to have made a friend (a fellow inmate) who is seen following her around into their ward and she shares her story about how and why she killed her husband before getting sentenced. Even in prison, Thembi is the least remorseful person you will ever meet. In fact, it does not even seem like she is satisfied with her revenge on Mnqobi so far. You can immediately see that she is looking for ways to get out and continue with her plot. As she chats to her new found friend, Thembi looked very vindictive, cold and emotionless. Nomzamo Mbatha who plays the character does a perfect job. Her gestures, the look in her eyes and her voice projection all leave no traces of her sweet and humble self in this role. She is Thembi through and through. Her inmate friend comes useful when she informs her of a lawyer that could defend her case. What is interesting however is that this lawyer only takes up cases of domestic abuse but it seems that is the angle from which Thembi wants to tackle her case. Who will she pin this on? Mnqobi?

Dumile wakes up from her coma at the hospital and alas!, she has lost her memory and doesn't remember what happened. She questions the nurse on duty about how long she had been unconscious and why she was in hospital. However, it is not long before a flashback of the incident plays in her head and she remembers exactly what happened. I find it quite intriguing that the writers chose to have Dumile lose her memory only to gain it back in such speed. I guess it was to create a little suspense and curiosity about how things would unfold next for the viewer because it really served no purpose to the storyline. And even so, we didn't get much time to really ponder on how her memory loss would affect the whole plot. So my question still remains, what was the purpose of Dumile's memory loss?

She goes on to find out that she lost her baby and chases Mnqobi out of her hospital room when he comes to see her. Remember, she knows that he is the one who shot her and does not trust him at all. Mnqobi burns incense at his home and talks to the late Cebsile whom he affectionately calls "Khize". He asks that she helps him in making sure that the case does not go to trial. Now Mnqobi's intentions become clear to us. He obviously does not want the world to know of his past sins. This makes the plot very interesting because while Thembi has been the number one enemy in many's eyes for the past two seasons, it is now even more clearer that Mnqobi is not entirely the good guy. So will we keep routing for him or does he deserve what Thembi has done to his family? And knowing Cebsile's character, is it even practical for Mnqobi to ask for her assistance in carrying out his plans? Cebsile used to strike me as an honest woman and I am not quite sure if she would approve of this whole drama, even if it is to protect her family.

We go back to Thembi who meets with Vuyo Vilakazi, the lawyer suggested to her by her inmate friend. He immediately dismisses her request as her case does not qualify as a domestic abuse case. Vuyo seems like a very gullible person. Yes, he seems like a competent lawyer that knows what he is doing and might even be good at it, but right at first sight, I just saw him as someone that could easily be played (especially by Thembi). He appears to be the type of person that invests emotions into his work (maybe that is why he finds domestic abuse cases quite important to him) and although he needs a bit of convincing from Thembi, it was not hard to know that he would eventually come around.

When Phindile visits Dumile in hospital, she is happy to see her "mother" while her sister, Andile, seems to project a little bad attitude. We are not sure why she is there if she does not want to be there, or why she feels the need the be in a foul mood. Is it because Dumile has cheated on her father or is she upset about Thembi's arrest? Andile has always been some kind of a moody girl anyway.

In the mist of all that confusion, it is even worse when Phindile leaves the room only for Andile to come around in her attitude and update Dumile about Thembi's arrest then sort of attempt to collaborate with her on what should be done. Maybe her full of attitude self will finally play out a more mature and fuller role than the hormonal young girl we are used to seeing her portray. Plus we see her go by the surname "Bhengu" at school. Is this just to distance herself from the headlines that her family is making or is it part of a bigger tactic on her part?

Then "Umlilo" said let there be Khanyi Mbau, and so it was. Khanyi gets introduced as Palesa Thlali, the prosecutor in Mnqobi's case and she means business! When she first meets Mnqobi, she is very professional and a bit stiff, giving him a firm handshake; totally shooting down his flirtatious behaviour (I'm just shocked that the man still laps after women even in his state). Palesa remains very corporate throughout her interaction with Mnqobi and provides the best client service. She seems rather like an extremely focused woman and is very emotionally detached. Unless the writers chose to let us into her personal space, I doubt we will get to see her beyond her work life. Khanyi Mbau nails this character to the T! I love how she has taken the role and given it a bit of her own traits (even as a professional, Palesa definitely has style and class) without taking away from who the character should be. In fact, she brings her to life splendidly. This is probably the strongest and most intense role we have seen Mbau play yet, and she does it beautifully.

Mnqobi pays a second visit to a sleeping Dumile in hospital waits for her to wake up before trying to decieve her and convince her that she was shot by Thembi. When Dumile doesn't accept his lies, he says that Thembi forced him to do it. He is thrown out of the room again. On his way out of the hospital he walks past Spikiri who is here to see Dumile and punches him in the gut. They ruffle for a while before hospital staff separates them. Spikiri won't stop bragging that Dumile chose him over Mnqobi (a case of polyandry in a polygamous marriage or just plain adultery?). Will Dumile officially leave Mnqobi or will Spikiri continue to be a side dish? Or will he die?

Mnqobi goes to see a cousin of his and asks him to provide a permanent solution to his problem with Spikiri. The same cousin also suggests killing Thembi too. When Mnqobi visits Thembi in jail to make his proposal which involves getting her out of jail by giving her money to run off and start over to avoid trial, she acts very cheeky. She has her feet on the table and makes silly remarks in between conversation. She refuses Mnqobi's offer saying she wont run off and wants people to know about what he did; but quickly changes her mind as soon as Mnqobi tries to leave. I guess Thembi is still very greedy but for a revengeful person like her, it is surprising that she would now choose money over seeing Mnqobi going under completely. However, I guess she would easily choose a comfortable life over jail any day. And is Mnqobi so desperate that he would opt to get into bed with the devil just like that? After his talk with his cousin, I highly doubt that the cushy life which he has promised Thembi is truly the plan. It could be a way to lure her to a convenient place to kill her.

Dumile gives her statement to the police and lies on Mnqobi's behalf, saying Thembi shot her. However, she does all this to make sure that Thembi is charged and locked away. I am just too afraid though that she could be digging herself into the ground. She could find herself tangled up in Mnqobi's web of lies and deception with no place to turn to. And will Dumile be played out as an unknowing accomplice or will Mnqobi be forced to let her in on his plans at some point? Will she be able to get out of it all or will it be too late by then?

When Vuyo Vilakazi comes back to see Thembi, he counts her charges to her in attempt to let he know why he will not defend her. His return is only a chance for Thembi to convince him otherwise. Nomzamo gives her most vulnerable yet deceitful performance yet (even though we are used to her lies, this has been the most over the top performance). She spins him the story about being abused by her uncle who trained her from pre-teenagehood to grow up and seek revenge from the Simelanes (yep, that is the domestic abuse angle). She manipulates Vilakazi into sympathizing with her. She bites on her nails and behaves in a rather disturbing manner. It made me question whether she was really disturbed or was it still an act? There is a lot of close ups from the director and for the first time, we really get introduced to Thembi who is quite different from Khwezi. She is less glamorous and more humble in her manner but much more conniving in a subtle yet strong impact. Even though she is in jail and her look is downgraded, something tells me that she is more of herself now, not just in character but even in appearance. Thembi is more of a rural or location girl than a suburban snob.

In the last scene Mnqobi is drunk and goes to Palesa's workplace. He acts like a complete fool and invites her for a drink. Palesa handles this as professionally as possible but let's him know that he should never show up there in this state. I ask myself why in the world anyone would get drunk and then show up at their prosecutor's office? A prosecutor they had just met. And not to even talk about the case but to "drunk chat" them up. Will this have any effect on the ongoing storyline or was it only just a filler scene by the writers? (that would be totally weird).

It is obvious that "Umlilo" has brought even more fire this season. I like how they didn't strip Khwezi/Thembi down but let her remain vindictive, devious and powerful still (most TV characters go to jail and immediately lose value). I cannot wait to see how Dumile fits into Mnqobi's plans and how Andile's character matures. It will also be an absolute thrill to watch Khanyi Mbau grow into Palesa Thlali's character. She has really proven to be quite a strong actress in her latest projects.

What are your thoughts? Comment below or tweet me @NoncedDlamini