Youngins Season 1 episodes 1-3 recap: School is in session

You’re the new kid in school? Let us show you around Youngins, the first-ever long-running young adult drama from Tshedza Pictures (Adulting, Outlaws).

Worlds collide for five wildly different students at Olifantsfontein High, a government boarding school – Grade 10 pupil Amo Mosweu (Ayakha Ntunja) a naive new arrival with a tragic past, Matric student Buhle Kunene (Kealeboga Masango) the school’s head girl, her Matric student boyfriend Khaya Jali (Toka Matabane), who’s a handsome flirt, TikTok obsessed Grade 10 pupil 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. Stream Youngins S1 on Showmax now, with 3 new episodes each Thursday.

Watch the trailer for Youngins

Term has already started, but we’ve made some notes on the first three classes so you can revise. Important lessons include sneaking out, sneaking in, dodging the matron, smuggling drugs and alcohol, hooking up, parties, clubbing, and surviving the teachers.

What happens in Youngins episode 1?

Amo’s Aunt Thuli (Londiwe Nene) urges her to be a good girl and make the most of her opportunities as she drops her off at the gates of Sodom & Gomorrah. Oh, sorry (checks notes) that’s actually Olifantsfontein High boarding school in Johannesburg.

Everyone’s returning for the start of the new school year, and as Amo is fluttering around like a lost butterfly, she makes her first friend, “mean gay” Tumelo. He shows Amo around and points out all the cliques among the absolutely feral student body, including the Monkey Boys who’re the school’s unwashed pranksters, the Zulu guys, the beret-wearing woke kids, and amaBhincha aka the athletes. One of the athletes, Olifantsfontein’s head boy Sefako Masemola (Tabile Tau), is closeted and in a secret relationship with Tumelo.

Harried and short-tempered Matron Lulu (Sannah Mnchunu) has no time to play tour guide for Amo aside from laying down her strict dorm rules: No sex, no masturbation, no kissing, no going outside the school ground, lights off at eight pm sharp, and be on time for assembly or face detention. But Matron Lulu sets up Amo to make her first enemy when she jams her into a room with the queen of the school Buhle, a preacher’s daughter and expert rule breaker who’s furious to have a roommate since it’ll get in the way of her and her on-again-off-again boyfriend Khaya having sex on every surface. Fortunately, Buhle and her friends like Palesa Mokeona (Amogelang Telekelo) have aced their sex education classes and everyone’s insisting on condoms.

There’s more trouble headed Amo’s way when two guys lose no time spotting her in the crowd – Mahlatse, who’s immediately struck dumb with admiration, and Khaya, who steps in when the sexual harassment squad in the school canteen – who’re rating the girls’ bodies out loud – rate Amo as a lowly two. Khaya shouts out that Amo is a 10, winning Amo’s gratitude, but setting Buhle against Amo again.

Star pupil: Tumelo

Detention: Buhle, Khaya, and the sexual harassment squad.

What happens in Youngins episode 2?

It’s the first day of school and Amo is already in trouble! She wakes up too late, her shower turns to ice, and Buhle secretly hides her school uniform so that she’s forced to show up to assembly in civvies. Not a moment too soon Amo finds her uniform hanging outside her dorm window, and Buhle smugly tells her that the prank is just her way of being a big sister to Amo. So Khaya’s decision to flirt with Amo promises drama!

Then it’s time to meet the teachers, including the kind but gossipy African languages teacher Miss Pearl Buthelezi (Keneilwe Matidze), who insists that the students just call her Pearl, and Pearl’s polar opposite, no-nonsense maths teacher Mr Ramathuba (Simo Magwaza) who’s so strict that the students have nicknamed him FW De Klerk.

Mr Ramathuba catches Pearl talking in class and Mahlatse becomes even more smitten when he finds out that Amo is a fellow maths nerd. We find out that Khaya is academically weak and might not get his Matric unless he stops hitting on girls and starts hitting the books. Buhle, on the other hand, is a straight-A student. And we meet Sefako’s brother, class clown Tshepo Masemola (Tshepo Matlala), who’s smuggled an emotional support chicken into Pearl’s class in his sports bag.

The school is already buzzing about the first exciting event of the term: a club party with live music that everyone is determined to sneak out to. Amo has had two run-ins with Matron Lulu’s temper already, so she’s reluctantly prepared to be left out of the excitement. But when she covers for Buhle and Khaya’s hookup by pretending to lose her key so that Matron Lulu doesn’t catch them in bed together, Amo suddenly has a little leverage in her favour.

Star pupil: Amo

Detention: Buhle, Khaya, Tshepo, Matron Lulu

What happened in Youngins episode 3?

Amo, Buhle, Khaya, Tumelo and Mahlatse are laser focussed on getting out to that party. Amo convinces Buhle to give her a makeover (miracles) and as the two are talking, Buhle finds out that Amo is a virgin and is shocked, claiming that she has never met a virgin over the age of 16 before. Mahlatse, on the other hand, is delighted when Buhle later tattles on Amo in the Uber and proclaims that he, too, is a virgin.

It’s a team effort to sneak off the school grounds but with a broom, some wonky window bars, a phone call from Matron’s cheating husband, an uber driver, and some stolen alcohol for courage, all five make it to the club. Khaya finesses the bouncers to let the little kids in. Khaya and Buhle get the drinks and shots flowing for first-time drinker Amo, while Mahlatse bolts down his drinks only to have to rush to the bathroom to be sick. When Buhle keeps Amo away from Khaya on the dance floor, Amo goes to hang out at the bar, where an older creep insists on buying her a drink and gets really pushy about not taking no for an answer. Luckily for Amo, the cops raid the venue and all five school kids flee in the nick of time.

Back at school and giddy with relief, the group of five pass around a joint and share a little about their lives. Buhle reveals that her dad, Pastor Musa (Vutani Mgugunyeka), is grooming the young women and girls in his church and using them for affairs. Khaya reveals that his abusive father has battered him until he feels that there’s nothing left to hurt. Tumelo confesses that his dad is wilfully ignorant about his sexuality. Mahlatse admits that he doesn’t even know his father and hasn’t seen his face since he was two years old. And while Amo claims to be trouble free, nothing to see here, her memories hint at the violent tragedy behind why she came to Olifantsfontein in the first place.

The next morning at Friday assembly, Principal Mthembu (Loyiso Macdonald) calls Amo to the stage to officially introduce her to the school, but as she steps up, they both freeze. Principal Mthembu is the club pervert hitting on visibly underaged girls, and Amo is the schoolgirl who snuck out to go to the club.

Star pupil: Nobody!

Detention: Amo, Buhle, Khaya, Tumelo, Mahlatse and their parents, and Principal Mthembu

Stream Youngins S1 on Showmax now. Three episodes land every Thursday.

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