It's fantastic that Netflix has put money into an African show, but this is very poor - and I hope it doesn't limit further investment in shows and films from the continent.
The premise of a spy battling against shadowy organisations as well as their own past isn't particularly original, but the combination of a female lead and African setting adds freshness. Pearl Thusi brings charisma and cool to the title character, some of the locations are beautiful and the opening scene is fun.
Unfortunately, things soon go wrong. Perhaps most obviously, much of the supporting cast is woeful. Lines are delivered without any life or passion (her boss is particularly dreadful) and scenes just fall flat, again and again. It doesn't help that much of the dialogue has clearly been recorded afterwards (ADR).
In fairness to the actors, the writing is largely dire. The dialogue is dull and unrealistic and the wider story is a mess. This is a particular shame as the topics covered (political insurgence in SA, corruption, modern urban life) have huge potential. The whole thing lacks focus and nothing is explored satisfactorily.
Also, at various points the inspirations are a little too obvious (Inception, Pulp Fiction), and the action scenes are, at times, laughable.
I hope future Africa productions (those made for an international audience) can build on this. There must be an incredible amount of talent, and almost limitless stories, to explore.
