Youngins Season 1 episode 19-21: Amo stands alone

Episodes 19-21 centre on Buhle doing her utmost to distance herself from any association with Amo by rallying her friends to bully and belittle the younger girl. While the principal keeps tabs on his successful campaign to divide and conquer, Amo starts making friends with the school’s “wild” kids like Alex and Palesa instead.

What happened in Youngins episodes 16-18?

Amo (Ayakha Ntunja) and Buhle (Kealeboga Masango) tried to convince Grade 9 student Lerato (Dakalo Molope) that Principal Mthembu (Loyiso Macdonald) was grooming her, and they attempted to record his inappropriate behaviour. But when Khaya (Toka Matabane) found out, he tattled to Principal Mthembu, who rewarded him with a new pair of soccer boots, and staged a meeting with Lerato that made it seem as if he was trying to fend off her crush on him. Sefako (Tabile Tau) dumped Tumelo (Lebohang Lephatsoana) after Tumelo was caught cheating using one of Sefako’s old tests that he’d lent him as a study aid. And Principal Mthembu called Khaya, Amo, Buhle, Mahlatse (Thabiso Ramotshela) and Tumelo into his office to confront them about spreading damaging rumours about him, exposed their secrets to the whole group, revealed that Amo’s father murdered her mother, and branded Amo as a liar in the eyes of her friends and family.

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What happened in Youngins episode 19?

Principal Mthembu’s shock tactics have isolated Amo, who’s getting a cold shoulder from Buhle that’s positively Arctic. When her friends shut Amo out, the school’s “bad” kids like Mazambane (Kadiya Banyini), Tshepo (Tshepo Matlala) and Palesa (Amogelang Telekelo) invite her to sit at their table so they can bully and harass her at close range. And Khaya mockingly calls Tumelo “Caster Semenya” as he starts training for “athletics”, aka trying to get Sefako (Tabile Tau) back in his arms.

African languages teacher Pearl (Keneilwe Matidze), who’s supposedly dating Principal Mthembu now, gives Mahlatse, Amo, Tumelo, Buhle and Khaya a week of detention together for conspiring against the principal, further turning Amo’s friends against her. Buhle ramps up her efforts to make Amo feel excluded, 24/7, until only Mahlatse wants to hang out with her, but Amo thinks he pities her and sends him packing.

In detention, Pearl tries to dig into why the students accused Principal Mthembu of grooming the dead student ZIntle (Lihle Ngubo), and getting her pregnant. But when she tries to get Amo and her ex-friends to reconcile, Buhle accuses Amo of using their secrets to manipulate them, and Pearl just gives up. Later Khaya tries to reach out to Amo and tell her that she doesn’t deserve what’s happening to her but he admits that he’s not going to stand up for her. Later in Mr Ramathuba’s class, Amo is forced to pick a new study buddy and finds out that Alex (Katlego Moloke) doesn’t have Mahlatse’s work ethic at all!

What happened in Youngins episode 20?

Buhle is furious when she finds out that Khaya tried to reach out to Amo, and when she confronts him about talking to the enemy, Khaya yet again dumps the blame on Amo by telling Buhle that Amo is the one bugging him on his cellphone, and he’s just trying to be nice. When Buhle wants to see the conversation, Khaya lies like a Shein rug, so Buhle tells the group that Amo’s acting like a sneaky little Miss Steal Your Man.

Buhle seems set on driving her relationship with Khaya like the school bus – destination, Power Couple University – so he has to remind her that he can’t afford to take her out on dates all the time. Even Matron Lulu (Sannah Mnchunu) is a hater when she catches them kissing in a corner and warns Khaya that Buhle looks like a good girl, but her “cookie bites”. Sjoe, Matron! While Buhle’s exploring her fully public romance, Tumelo apologises to Sefako in the bushes again and promises to never try to shove him out of the closet. But Khaya is dead set on having Sefako officially coupled up by Valentine’s Day.

Alex keeps being the worst study buddy and fishing for gossip about why Amo’s friends aren’t talking to her, but when they find out that Amo is alone, they still reach out to her and offer to be her friend. Being Alex’s buddy pulls Amo into Palesa’s orbit and the two warn Amo that she’s now in the jungle with the wildcats. But when Amo shares that her dad is in jail for killing her mom and that her group dumped her because she didn’t tell them the truth, they react with shock and genuine sympathy.

Later Amo shows Buhle what happens when they’re not friends, and she’s sitting up in bed and reading like a grandmother when Khaya climbs through their dorm window to hook up with Buhle, so he leaves in a huff. Khaya arrives back at his dorm just as Tumelo and Sefako are getting busy, and Tumelo has to quickly hide under Sefako’s bed.

What happened in Youngins episode 21?

While Khaya blames Amo for his woes, Amo stands her ground with Buhle and reminds her that she’s the one who’s drawn the battle lines between them. Tumelo is forced to sleep under Sefako’s bed for the night. It’s been 60 seconds since he last promised not to push Sefako out of the closet and he’s already tired of it again!

Palesa takes Amo to see what Tshepo’s real deal is – turns out he’s the school’s vape and vodka smuggler. Buhle’s not keen on this new friendship and she tries to warn Palesa that Amo is a snake, but Palesa asks Buhle to back off. And when Mahlatse asks Amo to stop shutting him out, she tells him that she doesn’t want to get him in any more trouble. Alas, as always, all Mahlatse’s words get jammed together on his tongue. And later he and Tumelo get into a fight over why exactly Amo is shutting him out.

Everyone shows up for athletics try-outs and Amo is forced to be polite to Principal Mthembu when he singles her out. When Amo beats Buhle on the field, Buhle claims that Amo jinxed her and tells the group that Amo’s already told her new friends about her parents when she never trusted them. Alex offers Amo a drink of alcohol from her water bottle so they can toast their new beginnings. So maybe Amo’s tipsy enough to appreciate Khaya’s little speech a bit more when he tells her that while he’s still not going to stand up for her publicly, he fancies her more than Buhle. Dude, this is not how to be an ally!

Stream Youngins S1 on Showmax now. Three new episodes each Thursday.

What is Youngins about?

Tshedza Pictures’ (Adulting, Outlaws) Youngins follows five students at government boarding school Olifantsfontein High – new girl Amo Mosweu (Ayakha Ntunja), head girl

Buhle Kunene (Kealeboga Masango), Buhle’s soccer star boyfriend Khaya Jali (Toka Matabane), Tumelo Dibakwane (Lebohang Lephatsoana), who’s the only openly gay boy in school, and his Grade 10 friend and roommate Mahlatse Jiyane (Thabiso Ramotshela), who’s the school’s drug dealer. When Amo uncovers Principal Mthembu’s (Loyiso Macdonald) predatory behaviour around female students, she and her four new friends become targets.

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