Pearl Thusi plays an undercover agent for a South African intelligence unit in “Queen Sono,” Netflix’s first wholly produced African series. Netflix’s QUEEN SONO, Africa’s first Netflix Original, has gained popularity with the viewers, not only from Africa but most other continents. They’re also in the show’s freewheeling, lightly cynical humor — the fictional leader of South Africa is described as “their idiot president” by an outsider and “the most bribable statesman on the planet” by one of his own citizens. The cast isn't always a strength, mind you. Queen Sono makes sure to grab your attention and never lets go. Rave reviews for Queen Sono Mbalenhle. Queen Sono, a series inspired by modern espionage movies laced with high-tech and swift-cut fist-fights, made its global debut on Netflix on Friday. In six episodes, the series does more than diversify the spy genre, it expands the very nature of it. (The initials S.S. aren’t remarked on, but are hard to miss.). That framework is certainly a serious part of Lediga’s conception of the show, and it serves a similar purpose, in terms of setting a mood, as do the more anonymous conspiracies and injustices of American or French noir. Entertaining and rich in context, if slightly limited by budget. FACEBOOK Queen Sono review: Season one, episode one “Elite spy Queen Sono fulfills an intel mission in Zanzibar and makes a shocking discovery about Hendrikus, the man imprisoned for her mother’s murder” Episode summary by Netflix. Queen — … Netflix has finally delivered us their first original program filmed completely in Africa, Queen Sono. Queen Sono makes sure to grab your attention and never lets go. When I came across Queen Sono I originally thought it was a James Bond kind of film but with an African female lead? comparisons, or even my own Alias comparison, I guess. Queen Sono, … If so, you can take heart in another aspect of the Netflix international effect: Its next African original, the teenage mystery “Blood & Water,” is due later this spring. Daniel Fienberg AdChoices Review: “Queen Sono ... Queen Sono isn’t just a story to be told; it’s Lediga’s chance to show off modern-day Africa to the world. Because no matter how many things Queen Sono does less effectively than Alias did — and I'll get to that soon — this is a far more complicated and immediate perspective than the one ever attempted by that Jennifer Garner favorite. Esports Spotlight for 23rd January 2018. Queen Sono Season 1 Review: Netflix Renews for Season 2. Queen Sono Season 1 - Review. EMAIL ME. And at only six episodes, there isn't nearly enough time for the myriad less successful elements to become serious impediments. (Its size — five core members — makes you wonder whether the budget for “Queen Sono” wasn’t as generous as it was for other Netflix series. Queen Sono (TV Series 2020– ) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. With gorgeous costuming and a colorful soundtrack, there’s little the show gets wrong. The Office Was Reportedly 2020's … Queen Sono (Spoiler-Free) Review. That means pretending to be an art dealer in interactions with her grandmother, Mazet (Abigail Kubeka), and platonic best friend, Will (Khathu Ramabulana), and yes, the in-the-dark chum named Will is just one of many places fans will notice narrative overlap with Alias. Netflix has encouraged audiences to understand that if you, for example, like CW-style teen soap operas, you aren't beholden exclusively to The CW to produce them when you might find equally entertaining genre entries from Spain or Denmark, just like you'll rapidly discover that the rhythms of the Dick Wolf-style procedural have spread across the globe. (Credit: Chris Duys / Netflix) Accompanying the former Quantico star on her characters slightly-destructive assignments are a few notable African actors. Causing drama in the early episodes is the uncomfortable intersection between the corrupt South African political regime, a private military contractor headed by Russian oligarch Ekaterina Gromova (Kate Liquorish) and a nationalist paramilitary faction called Watu Wema, headed by Shandu (Vuyo Dabula), a fiery man with ties to Queen's past. The real colonizer, of course, is the one behind the screen: Netflix, where the six episodes of this sprawling, earnest, likable show debut on Friday. Queen Sono is Netflix’s first script-to-screen series produced in Africa, a testament to the creative chops of show creator Kagiso Lediga. The show isn't as effective capturing or justifying the cover-story side of Queen's life, and that leaves the characterizations really thin for Ramabulana and for Enhle Maphumulo, who plays Will's girlfriend, Nova. Elite spy Queen Sono fulfills an intel mission in Zanzibar and makes a shocking discovery about Hendrikus, the man imprisoned for her mother's murder. Hailing from creator Kagiso Lediga, Queen Sono stars Pearl Thusi as a field agent in South Africa's secretive Special Operations Group. as she leads missions for her agency and looks for answers about her mother. The narrative is fueled by the optimism that greeted the post-apartheid revolution in the mid-'90s, subsequent disappointments and the multi-century history of European colonialism and corporate control of the entire continent and its often ruinous effects. Review: With ‘Queen Sono,’ Netflix Enters New Territory A spy thriller about a South African secret agent is the streaming monolith’s first … 2 years, 11 months. On the other hand, if you do have some experience with African TV — the glossy, unapologetic melodramas of Nollywood or the viscerally brutal action thrillers of South Africa — you may find “Queen Sono” unsatisfyingly in-between, a halfhearted and problematic attempt to dress up a soft Western-style drama. “Queen Sono” is Netflix’s first script-to-screen commission from Africa, another small step in the streaming giant’s takeover of international television and a significant leap in the visibility of African-made stories in America and elsewhere. agent Dayana Mampasi in ABC’s “Quantico” — is an undercover agent for a South African intelligence unit, a small and beleaguered group tasked, in somewhat cartoonish fashion, with protecting the country and the continent from every kind of threat. From costumes to soundtrack choices to the cast, Queen Sono has confidence in its voice and identity. | EU Privacy Preferences. Queen Sono is a great exploration of the African landscape, both literally and figuratively. The pleasures of “Queen Sono” come outside of the action and the highly basic presentations of espionage and police work. With gorgeous costuming and a colorful soundtrack, there’s little the show gets wrong. 5 due in PE court for rape, murder of EC teen. 4 Comments on Queen Sono: Review. Queen Sono sees Thusi play the heroine, a woman who is a field operative of the Special Operations Group (SOG). Queen Sono, the much anticipated first African Netflix original, dropped on the streaming service today. Cast: Pearl Thusi, Vuyo Dabula, Sechaba Morojele, Chi Mhende, Loyiso Madinga, Rob Van Vuuren, Kate Liquorish, Khathu Ramabulana, Enhle Maphumulo, Abigail Kubeka. Sarandos is doing so as the streaming giant’s first African original series, the spy-drama “ Queen Sono,” is released worldwide February 28. Queen Sono is a thought-provoking show that embodies the juxtaposition between the beautiful South African culture and a rough political and social reality. Unlike most spy thrillers in which statuesque, expensively dressed women show an unexpected talent for kicking the bejeezus out of armed men, the South African series “Queen Sono” also devotes a lot of time to historical and geopolitical debate, or at least sloganeering. Queen Sono is a South African crime drama streaming television series created by Kagiso Lediga that premiered on Netflix on February 28, 2020. The title character, played by Pearl Thusi — she was the lawyer and C.I.A. Though there may be a remaining audience that attaches a stigma to reading TV shows or movies, there's something wonderfully progressive to the way Netflix has blurred international and linguistic boundaries such that "Hey, that looks good!" That “Queen Sono” is unremarkable as an action and crime drama doesn’t cancel the excitement of seeing something new (if it’s indeed new to you). They tend to show up arbitrarily, on what feels like someone’s idea of an action-show timetable. Speak With the Devil: A Q&A with Daredevil's Charlie Cox. This is a spoiler free review of Season 1 of Netflix's Queen Sono which begins streaming today, 28th February 2020. 2020-03-02. Netflix's first script-to-screen African original series, Queen Sono, follows in the footsteps of many of the streamer's better international efforts. Her anger and guilt over her mother’s death tie into the show’s overall mood, a simmering anguish in which the ecstatic promise of South Africa’s liberation under Nelson Mandela has ebbed into stasis and corruption, with former heroes now busily pocketing bribes. Queen Sono is an adult orphan who finds her purpose working for a spy agency dedicated to protecting the entire African continent. 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