The story begins with a flashback of Reyka Gama (Gabrielle de Gama) in bed at her abductor’s house. She enters the living room to be greeted by Angus Speelman (Iain Glen) and Portia (Nokuthula Ledwaba) singing happy birthday. She makes a wish and blows out the candles.
She is woken up by Speelman ordering Portia to beat Lucy. He tells Portia she owes him. Lucy pleads, “Please don’t be cross with me, daddy.” He asks her if she likes music. Reyka calls for Lucy as Speelman continues to give Portia orders. She runs out of the room into Reyka’s bedroom. Speelman finds them cuddled together in Reyka’s bed. Reyka tells Speelman she wants to go home to tell her mother she is okay. He responds, “Your mother’s not looking for you, she doesn’t want you.” He kisses her on the cheek before leaving the room.
Law enforcement heads to the crime scene, where Reyka’s dog discovered six female bodies. Reyka overlooks a lipstick tube when her mother, Elsa Gama (Anna-Mart van der Merwe) calls. Her daughter’s principal requests a meeting with her. Chief Msomi (Kenneth Nkosi) arrives at the crime scene, demanding to see the dead bodies. Constable Nandi Cele (Tando Thabethe) denies his request and threatens to arrest him if he does not listen. Hector (Hamilton Diamini) tries to calm him down by telling him about shopkeeper Pillay’s arrest. Pillay (Vikash Mathura) is being held in custody for picking up a girl at his Sugarlands shop. The girl’s body was discovered in the sugarcane fields. Hector does not believe the murders are linked to witchcraft.
Hector introduces Chief Msomi to Reyka. He asks where she is from. She responds, “Durban, my father’s colored, and my mother’s Afrikaans.” He rolls his eyes and says, “Zwane likes his coconuts.” He questions if the only lead is an Indian shopkeeper from Sugarlands. Reyka believes the killer felt safe in the sugarcane field, which is why it was chosen. His niece may not be linked to the six murder victims. Chief Msomi believes the murders are associated with the land deal. Reyka is shocked when Hector says the murders may be the work of “hitmen.”
Reyka meets with her daughter’s principal (David Sherwood). He is concerned about Thuli’s relationship with another female classmate, Jessica Tyrone (Ruby Rose Butler). He believes the intimacy shared with Thuli (Rashaa Stackling) and Jessica is “unhealthy” and leads to jealousy and social media bullying. He requests Reyka do something with Thuli’s “untidy hair.” He wants her to pull it back. Reyka asks if the rule only applies to “kids of color.” He denies the allegations. As she exits the school, she runs into Speelman’s attorney, Mr. Bloom (David Butler). She demands to know how Speelman knew her daughter’s name. She grabs his jacket and threatens to have him debarred while his daughter and Thuli watch.
At the police station, Thuli talks to Nick Tanner (Geral Steyn) about asking her mother out. He agrees to visit with her while Reyka speaks with Hector. The administer demands the murder report to be turned in by the end of the day. She reminds him the murders are not witchcraft and the bodies were not dumped at the site randomly. She believes the murders were premeditated and displayed as trophies. The killer is a serial killer, not a hitman, who gets off on his victim’s fear. She accuses him of protecting the stakeholders’ interests. He wants her to present his theory to the provincial commissioner. When she does not want to comply, Hector threatens her with Mr. Bloom’s assault charges.
Elsa is washes dishes when Reyka enters the room. She asks Elsa if she remembers her talking about a girl when she returned home in 1998. Elsa admits to Reyka talking about Lucy being at Speelman’s farmhouse. She believed her, but the doctors thought she was delusional. A search of the farmhouse did not find DNA evidence for Lucy, only Reyka, Speelman, and Portia. She informs her, Speelman is ready to tell her about Lucy. Elsa calls him a “ghost.”
Reyka speaks with the provincial commissioner. She explains the investigation and denies the Tyrone family being involved. Hector wants to raid the hotels because he believes they are strongholds for the Inkabi. The General asks her if she supports Hector’s theory. She calls it “credible”. When asked if she believes a serial killer is involved, she responds, “That’s not a theory we’re currently working with.” They hold Reyka in high regard to the Blue Lagoon case.
At the police station, Tanner tells detective Samuel (Mavuso Simelane), he and Reyka have a date planned for Saturday night. Nandi goes over the investigation with the detectives and Reyka. She talks about Pillay and soil samples that he believes are tainted with dangerous toxins. Nandi names the suspects believed to be the hitmen who are believed to staying at the Manhattan hotel. Reyka interjects when Samuel denies gender being relevant in the case. Hector wants the suspects brought in.
A young girl visits the crime scene. She discovers the lipstick tube previously overlooked by Reyka.
At the morgue, the medical examiner explains the condition of the bodies. Five of the bodies are so decomposed, there is no DNA evidence left. She believes the sixth body may contain DNA evidence. She discloses that the bodies had been bound with some type of fine fabric.
Chief Msomi interrupts when his people discuss an attack on the Tyrone family. They want the witch to die. He believes their enemies are waiting on them to attack. He tells them to mourn, not attack.
At the police station, Tanner agrees to present the Inkabi images to the farmworkers “cane cutters” to see if they recognize anyone.
Reyka visits Speelman at the prison. They discuss the murder investigation. He says if the bodies were not positioned in a circle, the killings were not “ceremonial”, but random placement. She tells him the bodies were on their stomachs. He believes the victims’ hands and feet contain evidence about the case. He offers to tell her about Lucy if she recants her victim statement, so he can walk away free.
Reyka returns to the morgue. The corner believes the victims have been dead for about a month. She says there is something else. Reyka adds, “hands and feet.” The victims’ hands and feet were bound with some type of twine.
Hector is shocked when Reyka relays the information to him. He rushes out of the police state to speak with Chief Msomi. They discuss the upcoming raid while Reyka listens. Chief Msomi wants to send in his guards and skip the police raid.
Pillay meets his wife and son on the outside of the police station after his release.
The detectives and police plan the Manhattan raid. Hector tells Reyka to stay put before she jumps into the back of an armored vehicle. Police surround the hotel, as the suspects gather their weapons. A police officer is immediately shot and killed. As police move forward, a suspect hits Tanner with an explosive device. Hector shoots several suspects as they prepare to kill Tanner. A suspect exits the hotel with a female hostage. He fires at police several times before freeing the hostage and fleeing the area. Nandi stays behind to help Samuel after he is hit by a stray bullet. Reyka discovers a pile of weapons behind a wall in the hotel when Hector orders her to hurry up. When she tells him about her discovery, he angrily says, “You disobey orders, people die.” She slams her fist against the wall several times. Several suspects are put in handcuffs. Hector demands to know who has the room with the hidden weapons. The suspects are taken to jail.
When Reyka gets out of the shower, she finds blood on her face from several scratches. Thuli and Nina (Danel Maree) are laughing and dancing. She hides the scratches on her face as Nina leaves. Thuli asks her what happened. She says, “Work.” Thuli tells her she works too hard.
Hector and Reyka interrogate a suspect who refuses to admit he is Macingwane. He denies being friends with Chief Msomi, Reyka shows him a picture of the two together at a soccer game. Hector tells him he is free to go and orders him to be followed. Reyka follows him to a soccer match. He pulls a bag out of his car after receiving a phone call. She follows into the sugarcane field before losing him. A building is on fire. She hears a scream and decides to enter the burning building to see if someone is inside. Cathleen Tyrone (Fiona Ramsay) is woken up by what appears to be a helicopter. She immediately wakes up her husband, John Tyrone (Ian Roberts). Reyka pulls a victim out of the burning building as the episode comes to an end.
Reyka Review
There is some improvement noted from the previous episode, with fewer characters and slightly better camerawork. Nothing has improved with the woke dialogue. Thuli’s messy hair and intimate relationship with Jessica were unnecessary, as they were never mentioned again. The best scenes are at the prison. If anything comes from this show, I am now a big fan of Iain Glen. His acting is superb, so much so, watching him as Speelman makes me feel victimized. I almost cringe when I hear the derogatory term “colored people”. “People of color” would have been more appropriate. The episode deserves a 6.
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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
