It definitely deserves more of a chance to find its footing than much of the dreck Netflix has produced in its ever-growing need to create a constant flow of content. I Am Queen Sono 45m. Queen Sono has a lot of room to grow in its second season, to actually flesh out some of these characters as people and maybe, if the show is successful enough, to get enough money to add extras to crowd scenes and raise the stakes on some of the action. Queen — … That means he makes a lot of deliberate and even bold decisions. The past is very important to Queen Sono and not just in the mid-season episode that's told entirely as a flashback. 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!" This is a spoiler free review of Season 1 of Netflix's Queen Sono which begins streaming today, 28th February 2020. TOP CRITIC This first season of Queen Sono gifted us with an open-ended dialogue grounded in Black and African liberation. as she leads missions for her agency and looks for answers about her mother. All rights reserved. Rave reviews for Queen Sono Mbalenhle. Terms of Use | When I came across Queen Sono I originally thought it was a James Bond kind of film but with an African female lead? Queen Sono tells a spy story from a South African point of view; the country’s history and its relationship with other countries are at the core of … With gorgeous costuming and a colorful soundtrack, there’s little the show gets wrong. 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. Cast: Pearl Thusi, Vuyo Dabula, Sechaba Morojele, Chi Mhende, Loyiso Madinga, Rob Van Vuuren, Kate Liquorish, Khathu Ramabulana, Enhle Maphumulo, Abigail Kubeka. by They tend to show up arbitrarily, on what feels like someone’s idea of an action-show timetable. From costumes to soundtrack choices to the cast, Queen Sono has confidence in its voice and identity. Queen Sono: Season 1 91% Critics Consensus: Queen Sono 's twisty, taut thrills are matched with epic action sequences and soapy delights, making Netflix's first South African series a … The series stars Pearl Thusi, Vuyo Dabula, Sechaba Morojele, Chi Mhende, Loyiso Madinga, Rob Van Vuuren, Kate Liquorish, Khathu Ramabulana, Enhle Maphumulo, Abigail Kubeka, Connie Chiume, Otto Nobela and James … 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. Daniel Fienberg 2 years, 2 months. Speak With the Devil: A Q&A with Daredevil's Charlie Cox. By Marvs 27 Jun 2020 29 Jun 2020. Even if you ignore the transgeographical flow of the series, Lediga made a concerted effort capture a linguistic collage of Northern and Southern tongues in the continent. Queen Sono is a South African crime drama streaming television series created by Kagiso Lediga that premiered on Netflix on February 28, 2020. Queen Sono (Spoiler-Free) Review. The cast isn't always a strength, mind you. South African spy Queen Sono finds herself in a nefarious web of business and politics as she seeks to uncover the truth behind her mother's death. © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. When she's asked to play high emotion, she's far less compelling and her capacity with action is decidedly limited. 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. Sitemap | Privacy Policy | A flawed, but fun, African flavoured spy romp well worth the data it will take to stream. 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. Queen Sono is Netflix’s first script-to-screen series produced in Africa, a testament to the creative chops of show creator Kagiso Lediga. This review of Netflix Series Queen Sono Season 1 contains no spoilers. Sarandos is doing so as the streaming giant’s first African original series, the spy-drama “ Queen Sono,” is released worldwide February 28. Her mother, Safiya Sono, was a revolutionary whose efforts to free her country from apartheid made her one of the nation’s most revered heroes. | EU Privacy Preferences. And for the unfamiliar viewer, they’re also in the locations — not just Johannesburg but also Zimbabwe, Kenya and, in a Bond-style opening, Zanzibar. So I mean, yes, you could just watch Queen Sono as a standard piece of spy TV and there's fun to be had in that experience, but that's the sort of surface viewership that leads to facile, "Oh, it's Homeland in Africa!" 1. Season 1 Review: Queen Sono is thrilling and fun to watch, and while there are plenty of classic spy tropes to keep it firmly planted in the genre, it’s absolutely unique in its focus. The network’s first South African original might not feel as speedy as the trailer promises but manages to hold strong grounds on several visual and cinematic elements. 1 day, 10 hours. | Do Not Sell My Personal Information More Like This. Esports Spotlight for 23rd January 2018. When it’s time for a fight, there’s a fight. (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 will gain attention for being Netflix’s first African original series. 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. Production stills from the set of Netflix Queen Sono with Pearl Thusi, directed by Kagiso Lediga. Queen Sono sees Thusi play the heroine, a woman who is a field operative of the Special Operations Group (SOG). Queen Sono is an adult orphan who finds her purpose working for a spy agency dedicated to protecting the entire African continent. Pearl Thusi plays an undercover agent for a South African intelligence unit in “Queen Sono,” Netflix’s first wholly produced African series. Director of HBO's Tiger Woods documentary reveals … 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. Thusi nails Queen's badass attitude and when she's prowling the streets with a defiant afro that makes her far more spottable and memorable than most undercover operatives would find ideal, her swagger is impeccable. Queen Sono, … 2 years, 11 months. Hailing from creator Kagiso Lediga, Queen Sono stars Pearl Thusi as a field agent in South Africa's secretive Special Operations Group. A spy thriller about a South African secret agent is the streaming monolith’s first fully produced original series from Africa. The title character, played by Pearl Thusi — she was the lawyer and C.I.A. ... Queen Sono may be Netflix’s first drama out of Africa, but it certainly won’t be the last. 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. It certainly deserves attention for breaking barriers in Netflix’s programming, but that is far from the show’s greatest achievement: Queen Sono is one of the best originals Netflix has released in years. ), Queen is an ace at hand-to-hand combat, but she, and the show, are saddled with an omnipresent back story about her mother, an activist killed in mysterious circumstances when Queen was a child. Queen Sono is the first African original Netflix series, and its story is compelling from minute zero. 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). With gorgeous costuming and a colorful soundtrack, there’s little the show gets wrong. Queen is unpredictable, headstrong, street-savvy, and doesn’t like to play by the rules. Overall, Queen Sono is a colorful, exciting romp of a spy thriller that deserves a second season. Review: With ‘Queen Sono,’ Netflix Enters New Territory. + by Zaid Kriel Updated March 3, 2020, 9:49 a.m. Posted Feb. 28, 2020, 5 a.m. It's simultaneously completely recognizable and easy to classify, genre-wise, but if you actually tune in for the Alias-esque thriller, you'll be exposed to a dozen languages, several of which you probably haven't heard on your TV, and to a cultural and geopolitical backdrop that makes the familiar plot feel distinctive and somewhat new. For these six episodes, all under 47 minutes for faster binging, it's enough that Queen Sono fits into that familiar-but-distinctive international sweet spot Netflix is carving out. 4 Comments on Queen Sono: Review. Thusi is still more consistently solid than not, and Dabula, Liquorish and Kubeka are good as well. EMAIL ME. The show’s embodiment of that outlook, and the motor of the season’s plot, is an alliance (perhaps plausible, but presented in awfully broad strokes) between a squad of black-nationalist revolutionaries and a Russian security outfit called Superior Solutions. Queen Sono makes sure to grab your attention and never lets go. Queen Sono is thrilling and fun to watch, and while there are plenty of classic spy tropes to keep it firmly planted in the genre, it’s absolutely unique in its focus. 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. An armed band that might be terrorists or might be freedom fighters declares its intent to liberate Africa from “the clutches of colonization.” A hapless do-gooder calls out the primary villain for being a neocolonialist, and is quickly abducted with extreme prejudice. Legendary South African actress, Abigail Kubekha, plays Queen’s grandmother. Every part of the show feels distinctly African, from the casting to the soundtrack to the dialogue. But spelling it out makes “Queen Sono” sound a lot more serious than it is. 2020-03-02. has become a more important inducement for viewership than, "Hey, that show is in a language I speak and populated by actors I recognize!" Summary Netflix’s Queen Sono Season 1 is an exciting African original series about a spy desperate to learn the truth regarding her murdered mother 25 years ago. The pleasures of “Queen Sono” come outside of the action and the highly basic presentations of espionage and police work. Queen's loyalties are tested once she finds suspicious information about the assassination of her mother, a late political activist. Queen — that's her name, not a title — is the daughter of a legendary South African revolutionary figure whose assassination was a pivotal moment in the transitional period after apartheid. Queen Sono (TV Series 2020– ) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. TWITTER Queen Sono starring Pearl Thusi premiered on Netflix in February 2020, and it’s easily one of Netflix’s best spy shows. 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. 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. Netflix may not have been a big winner on Oscar night, but part of me wonders if the streamer deserves at least a modicum of credit for the relative ease with which audiences were able to embrace Bong Joon Ho's Parasite. Queen Sono is a great exploration of the African landscape, both literally and figuratively. … 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. Entertaining and rich in context, if slightly limited by budget. Review: Queen Sono Queen Sono is Netflix first original African series. 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 makes sure to grab your attention and never lets go. (Credit: Chris Duys / Netflix) Accompanying the former Quantico star on her characters slightly-destructive assignments are a few notable African actors. 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. Netflix's first script-to-screen African original series, Queen Sono, follows in the footsteps of many of the streamer's better international efforts. Between the speeches about colonial legacies and about historical atonement, there are plenty of throwdowns and chases and shootouts, staged with competence if not much flair. FACEBOOK So, click on my review to see which one will be the show you have to watch. Queen Sono is a thought-provoking show that embodies the juxtaposition between the beautiful South African culture and a rough political and social reality. Queen Sono Season 1 - Review. The Gist: Queen Sono (Pearl Thusi) is a spy for a South African organization called the Special Operations Group; their mission is to improve the lives of … 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. March 11, 2020 Jean Henegan Comment(0) If you’ve ever felt nostalgic for Alias, the early 2000s ABC spy drama that launched Jennifer Garner’s career, Queen Sono is definitely a show for you. Netflix has finally delivered us their first original program filmed completely in Africa, Queen Sono. Lediga and fellow director Tebogo Malope travel Africa, shooting from Johannesburg to Soweto to Lagos to Zanzibar, and there's a fresh and colorful look to the entire series that could never be equalled by taking a few days of production in Morocco or even New Mexico and slapping an "AFRICA" chyron across the screen. Queen Sono Season 1 - Review. Netflix’s QUEEN SONO, Africa’s first Netflix Original, has gained popularity with the viewers, not only from Africa but most other continents. Hailing from creator Kagiso Lediga, Queen Sono stars Pearl Thusi as a field agent in South Africa's secretive Special Operations Group. AdChoices Queen Sono Season 1 Review: Netflix Renews for Season 2. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER is a registered trademark of The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. comparisons, or even my own Alias comparison, I guess. Or, like The Black Panther but make it make sense? Review: With ‘Queen Sono,’ Netflix Enters New Territory A spy thriller about a South African secret agent is the streaming monolith’s first … The series deals with subjects like corrupt politicians, complex family histories, secret missions and foreigners' interests in the continent. Subtitles on Queen Sono also identify the wide variety of languages spoken onscreen (in addition to English), which range from Russian, French and Afrikaans to languages like isiXhosa, isiZulu, Xitsonga and several others that weren't granted this sort of exposure when, for example, Jack Bauer spent several hours dealing with child soldiers in "Sangala." The Office Was Reportedly 2020's … (The initials S.S. aren’t remarked on, but are hard to miss.). Queen Sono: Review. But “Queen Sono,” created by the South African writer and performer Kagiso Lediga, doesn’t compromise when it comes to rooting its story close to home. 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. Directed by Kagiso Lediga, Queen Sono is an engaging crime series that grabs your attention from the very first minutes with its many twists. They’re in the generally engaging performances, including warm and sharply funny work from Abigail Kubeka as Queen’s acerbic grandmother and Enhle Mlotshwa as the patient girlfriend of a man hung up on Queen. , dropped on the streaming monolith ’ s an action series with fabulous... Being Netflix ’ s time for a fight, there ’ s first produced. Is n't always a strength, mind you juxtaposition between the beautiful South African and. The myriad less successful elements to become serious impediments premiered on Netflix on February 28, 2020 is. 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