Season 2 of Gidi Up has been a roller coaster ride so far, with our four protagonists facing hardship after hardship as fast as Lagos (Las Gidi) can throw at them.
Throughout it all the show has maintained a consistent quality that puts it on a pedestal above many similar shows an African television patron would be exposed to. It’s not every day that one can watch a show acted, directed, and written in Africa and come away feeling like they’ve had their money’s worth.
Yet that’s exactly what watching season 2 of Gidi Up has felt like so far, and the latest two instalments did not disappoint, raising the stakes even higher as we hurtle towards the series’ climax.
So let’s look at the high points in this double episode review, as well as the low points as and when they arrive.
The Storyline
Make no mistake, Gidi Up is a well written show. It shows in the little lines of dialogue that occurs when nothing plot shattering is happening, but the characters are just having fun in their interactions. We see a lot in these two episodes, especially those early morning inane conversations that shows the bonds the four friends have formed, as individuals and as a group.
The genius of the writing in this show lies not in the ostentatious, but in the mundane. We see it every single episode, and in these two we see it in Jola and Monye’s girl talk as they fawn over their party invitation, Obi and his sugar mommy’s small talk pre early morning romp, Eki and her sister, and countless other examples.
The major storyline of the four friends progresses logically, as I’ve often mentioned. Episodes are evenly paced, and actions always have consequences, which I love. Tokumbo has been fooling around with Eki for a while, and now she’s pregnant and the knowledge is killing him, affecting his work even as the big deadline approaches, and his new relationship with Ify.
That’s just one example, and the two episodes are fraught with those. Of course there exists the occasional twist in the story that requires a leap of faith, but every show does it and I think Gidi Up has run at such a consistent level that they’ve earned a few ‘allowances’ from the audience.
Obi’s story is starting to grate a little, particularly with the transformation of the ‘good Samaritan into his sugar mommy. The little playboy routine is so played, and with his latest turn he’s become little more than a gigolo, whilst the woman’s motives for saving his life begins to become a little shrouded if they are sleeping together just this short while after.
Other than that, the story is moving superbly, with several confrontations set up in the next episode that would be worth tuning in to.
Acting
Thankfully Gidi Up is a well acted show with several actors who have really come into their own during the run of the show. I can forgive a show a lot of things, particularly when I’m watching just for fun and not with any strong emotional attachment, but one thing I’ll never forgive a show for is bad acting.
Probably the reason I have not watched a Kumawood movie in ages.
Gidi Up has a well rounded cast that perform admirably week in, week out, and they always keep the acting at a believable level, if you know what I mean.
A big thing in Africa now is the penchant to try and ‘Americanise’ our shows, meaning several western pop culture terms and references pop up in the normal everyday actions of our African movies. Take swearing, for one, accents for another. When done badly, nothing spells terrible movie more than that. When done correctly, like in Gidi up, you get the feeling you are watching one of your favourite foreign shows, yet its “Africaness” is still there for you to see.
All our main cast members pull this off superbly, as do most of the actors on set. There is little to gripe about Gidi Up concerning acting, well except Titi Sonuga’s tears.
Adesua Etomi continues to impress, her character Sharon remains my favourite, just in the simple way she plays the bossy, manipulative Sharon. Somekele Iyamah, and OC Ukeje completes the top tier for me, whilst Daniel Effiong’s Folarin impresses as the smug bad boy.
Music
Since day 1 Gidi Up’s producers have shown impeccable taste in music, hitting us with tunes that often complement the mood of the show. Is it a party, or a romantic scene, or Obi trying out his latest (lamest) pick up line, Gidi Up would have the best supporting music to pull off the mood.
These two episodes did not disappoint in the choice of music of the quality I’ve come to expect from this show. The numerous partying and clubbing scenes have appropriate boogeying numbers, whilst the romantic scenes also have the appropriate soundtracks.
Gidi Up has fantastic transition shots, showcasing the Lagos landscape. These often close one scene and leads into the other, and they always, have great tracks in the background to smooth the transition.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear Joey B’s ‘Tonga’ during one scene, and it made me identify just a little more with the show. They should hit us with Ghanaian numbers just a little more often, give the show a more continent wide feel.
Fashion
As usual was on point, all cast members appropriately costumed for the situation they found themselves in. I noticed the jewellery of the actors a little more this time; not because it was not there previously but because I can sometimes be a dummy and miss things.
These latest instalments of Ndani Tv’s Gidi Up set us on a collision course towards the next episode in the series. Season long storylines are converging, and Obi, Eki, Tokunbo, and Yvonne all have decisions with potentially life shattering implications to make. What to do with the baby, can I sustain an affair with my business partner’s fiancé? The problems are piling, and the denouement should make for one hell of a next episode.
Gidi Up continues to impress, marking a departure from the dregs we have been forced to endure for a while, whilst simultaneously making a mark for what African movie producers can do when they put their mind to it.
Watch Episodes 6 & 7 Below…
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TGOyPDT3yw
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-qKDOifJZg
this show is off the hook…loooove it