Gomora: Sex, fights and family feuds

Mzansi Magic’s hit telenovela Gomora has been delivering heavy punches since its return from a lockdown production break. If you missed last week’s action, here’s a quick highlights package.

Sex & lies

Episode 26 is a double-hitter. First, Thathi tells her mom Mam’Sonto that she wasn’t able to do the deed with businessman Rodney (Vusi Kunene) – their arrangement would have turned Thathi into a prostitute and that’s something her criminal mom never wanted for her.

When Thathi utters the words, “I couldn’t…”, the happiness in Mam’Sonto’s eyes is clear as she tells her daughter, “That’s my daughter, the Thathi I raised. Sometimes in life we come across obstacles that seem far too big to overcome, but you can’t always take the easy way out.”

If Thathi had sold her soul to the devil, her cash crisis could have been a thing of the past. The tears in her eyes make Thathi realise just how desperate her situation is.

In the same episode, Ntokozo and Mazet sleep together. They’re both gangsters, they’re both criminals, they’re both young and it’s so sweet to see their genuine emotions.

It’s also cute that Mazet, who’s been raised on the mean streets, is all gushing and in love. More so when Ntokozo tells her that she was his first. It’s not what fans expected when the show started, let alone the two characters – because they come from very different worlds.

“I can’t believe what we did last night,” from Ntokozo might sound like they’d committed another hijacking if not for the naughty looks on their faces. All together now: awwwwww!

Words to heal wounds

Episode 27 starts with the sweetest moment. Buhle (Amakele Qamata) apologises to her mom, Thathi. It’s not one of those angsty forced teen apologies for being snot-nosed and spiteful and sarcastic. It’s an honest apology from the heart.

Episode 26 ended with the schoolgirl being rude to her mom, who went from a Sandton housewife without a care in the world to a tavern worker. Buhle told Thathi she should’ve done better for her and her brother.

A humble Buhle comes to her mother and apologises, saying, “I am sorry about what I said. I was hurt… but I didn’t mean it. I am behind you all the way.”

In that moment, both mother and daughter bond in their tough situation, looking at the bigger picture – that they’re still together, still alive and still breathing – rather than the smaller, insignificant things – like Thathi no longer wearing designer clothes and having to earn a living serving drinks in the township.

It’s what they both needed in their situation. Now Thathi just needs to convince Mam’Sonto and her sister, Pretty.

Family matters

It’s no secret that Pretty resents her sister, Thathi. It’s been clear as day since Episode 1, and Episode 29 highlights that fact when Mam’Sonto has to intervene in her daughters’ scrap. The siblings are sitting side by side, snipping back and forth – and it’s getting on Mam’Sonto’s nerves.

She puts them in their places, telling the women, “No! My business can’t be run like some street bar in Marabastad.”

As soon as Pretty tries to say a word, Mam’Sonto tells her, “Hey, shut up,” like a naughty schoolgirl. And she’s not done with Pretty, asking, “You intended for her (Thathi) to fail, didn’t you?”

Her daughters fighting isn’t a problem for Mam’Sonto … until it interferes with her business. And bad business for the gangster is unacceptable. In that moment, she reminds the siblings that not only are they family, but they’re also her daughters – and ultimately that means they’re almost like her employees. They need to realise that their feud is an irritation for her and she doesn’t like irritations. They need to settle their differences – quickly, quietly and without giving Mam’Sonto any more grey hairs.

Catch up on all new episodes of Gomora on Showmax streaming every weekday!