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I spent all of 12 hours of the week of May 8, 2022, watching Mo Abudu’s latest offering on Netflix. I find Netflix quite boring as I often glean through the offerings looking for something to catch my attention.
Once in a while, something like Anatomy of a Scandal or Bridgeton will catch my interest, and I will be glued. But none of the Nigerian offerings ever attracts my attention.
Then I caught a younger friend watching Blood Sisters on her phone, and I asked why she was so entrapped. At 26, working as an investment banker and getting carried away at work with Blood Sisters, I made it a point of note to see it when I got home.
The series is so beautiful in its lack of originality that I began to stare in amazement. It’s so brilliantly put together that you must begin to see the high amount of creative energy that must have gone through its production
The casting, the layout, and the depth of the storyline. Its intriguing fluidity enmeshed in the suspense that has been designed to capitulate and keep you glued to the screen. Its aim being achieved as you revel in the world of the Ademolas.
As you watch, you realise you are watching so many American movies in this Nigerian series. Mbok, I saw Dynasty, Starsky and Hutch, Hawaii 5.0; so many international films and TV series blatantly copied in mannerisms, plots, and lines.
But you are willing to forgive because its beauty makes you realise that it must have taken a crop of geniuses to have meshed so many plots and caricatures in this bewitchingly exciting story.
Kate Henshaw was perfect as the wooden matriarch. At first, I was afraid she would not be able to carry the role. Her initial shaky performance gave way to a perfectly blended outpouring. I loved her.
But I ask, what was Keppy Ekpeyong doing there? Cementing stereotypes are not my thing. So, the Igbo man must always be a trader and eager for money? Keppy was miscast; he didn’t carry it well. Uche was brilliantly stiff. It wasn’t her comfort zone, but she did well.
The two lead ladies were near perfect. Oh I loved them. Although Kemi (played by Nancy Isime) was initially stiff, she relaxed later and gave an Oscar winning performance.
Her beauty, her carriage, and her striking resemblance to my daughter Annette made me position her as my star.
The hit man sent to kill Kola in the initial scene was the worst in the series. I cannot lie; I didn’t understand all that frowning and doing alagbara all over the place. Last last, he could not even fight. The aje butter, although mad, Kola was able to beat him up with bare hands. Na wa for this director o.
My main grouse was not giving us enough of Kola. Kola was my Denzel Washington in that movie. His looks, charisma, and technique were killing.
He carried the role well. He was perfect and kudos to the casting director, but he was killed too early. Too too early, and we were left with a huge vacuum his best man despite his strong talent not being able to fill.
Chicago had watched too many American cop movies that he confused himself. He wasn’t sure who he was, whether Will Smith in Bad Boys, or Brad Pitt, or Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop. He just rough am and carry all of them together and came up as the weakest link in the movie.
Ramsey Noah tire me. The strong silent type made popular by Kevin Costner to Whitney Houston’s character in The Bodyguard didn’t work. Too much effort. He wasn’t fluid, wasn’t free, and carried a certain tension that reduced his usual sterling performances.
I loved the sexual energy of the second son’s wife. She ‘killed’ her role (the tempting but ambitious vixen). Her hubby, the bumbling pretender to the throne, was perfect, and their sexual chemistry turned me on, The part where the camera man showed us a whiff of her red panties as they struggled to make love was magic. A copy, but still magic.
The director killed me with the bathing and fighting scene in the rehab. Come and see beautiful, robustly natural naked sisters in that scene. These were real naked African bodies with all the flaws you can imagine – big tummies, droopy breasts, and huge thighs; it was beautiful. I loved it and kept going back to it. Mad.
I loved the story. I loved the way it was told and despite the fact that I saw almost 12 movies in this Blood Sisters, I still enjoyed myself or how would you explain my overnight binge watching, which made me leave home quite late for work!
So, has Mo Abudu won my respect? I will say she is almost there. This was a brilliant effort, and I must congratulate her for her tenacity and hard work in pulling a great team together.
Joseph Edgar, an investment banker, is founder of Duke of Shomolu Productions, a live drama production firm, He writes the weekly column Loud Whispers, for ThisDay newspapers.
