Flawsome episode 11 recap: “Ifeyinwa, you need to get married!”

In Flawsome episode 11, Ifeyinwa and her mum finally have a conversation, which unmasks why they don’t get along. She needs her mum's vote not to sell her father’s company as Timi and some board members wish, but her mum wants something in return: for her to get married.

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“Nedu wants to marry you, that’s the only way you will get my vote,” she says. Ifeyinwa is stunned and just stops caring. She is done living for her parents’ approval and doesn’t care if her mum’s vote goes to Timi! However, she is also uncharacteristically sober and gentle with her mum here.

“Mummy, why don’t you love me?” she asks. “I have lived my whole life begging to be loved, begging to be noticed, begging to be appreciated, but growing up, all you ever did was go to church and pray to God for a son.”

Her mum explains her side of the story. She suffered the pain and humiliation of not giving a rich and powerful husband a male heir. But she stayed and endured the abusive marriage so Ifeyinwa could have a more-than-decent life. While her intentions were good, her actions created a wall between her and her daughter.

Both women are traumatised but refuse to see each other’s point of view. It just shows the longstanding effects of casual everyday misogynism. The dad’s insistence on having a male heir rendered Ifeyinwa useless as a child, making her grow without love; it also deprived the mother of a chance to focus on loving her daughter. Instead, she was searching for a son.

Later, we meet Dolapo in a meeting with Mr. Smart, who is being accused of sexual assault. He wants some whitewashing and begs her to accompany him to a meeting with his victim, but Dolapo does not wish to involve herself. Smart’s idea of convincing her was saying she is now family as they run the foundation together. He also mentions that this scandal could thwart plans for foreign funding for the Smart foundation.

It sounds like this was the plan from the get-go; it feels like he targeted her, the best PR person in Lagos, in case his past catches up to him. Dolapo is conflicted because she sees the good the Smart foundation does and knows this scandal will disrupt their funding.

Elsewhere, it seems Ifeyinwa might be unconsciously granting her mum’s wishes as she falls deeply for her new musician guy, Nathan. She is investing much in his career and discussing building a company together. Dolapo cautions her to be careful about investing so much in a man she just met, even though he makes her happy. As they discuss, Tersei calls Ivie, who suddenly turns mushy! He invites her to his birthday party, and there, she sees the baggage that comes with dating a divorced man.

Watch Flawsome episode 11 and more on Showmax.