Reyka

I just finished watching this show tonight, and first off I want to note that I LOVED the soundtrack. I need to find out what tracks are on the soundtrack but can't seem to find any info about it anywhere. Hopefully I'll figure it out eventually!

Secondly, the show itself was mesmerising - with an intriguing, harrowing series of storylines running parallel to each other. The landscapes of South Africa (a place I haven't visited yet) were stunning, but the main setting for the drama (the cane fields) was haunting, mysterious, and hid plenty of dark secrets.

The story of Reyka and Angus was a perfect example of that of a master manipulator attempting to pull his victim back into his web, even though years have passed since they last saw each other. He was trying until the very end, but him involving her daughter in the whole mess didn't go the way he'd thought it would.

I felt that all the actors did amazing jobs, the cinematography was breathtaking, each episode ended with a cliffhanger that kept me eager to watch more, and as I mentioned, the soundtrack was perfect. I'm still left with some questions, but that could be because I missed obvious things that would have given me answers. For instance, was the Lucy we met in the flesh actually Lucy, or was she a faux Lucy? How was Angus planning to take Reyka along for the ride?

If you are a fan of creepy murder mysteries/other mysteries, then I recommend this show for sure.

The Cane Field Killings: South African crime drama. Reyka who was herself abducted as a child in 1994 and held for 4 years is now (in 2021) a profiler who tracks down serial killers. Her latest case is complicated by a land deal between a white farmer and a local Zulu chief. Her boss wants a quick resolution blaming hitmen but Reyka is unconvinced. All seven victims are young women, they have been dismembered. Witchcraft, traditional power systems, corruption, all feed in to this narrative as does Reyka's troubled personal and her confrontations with her abductor who is seeking parole. Switches between the present and Reyka's time in captivity, Great performance by Kim Engelbert as Reyka and Iain Glen as Speelman, her abductor, Dark, violent, gruesome, very effective and engaging thriller series. Created by Rohan Dickson 8/10.

Be prepared to pay attention and stay focused. Then buckle up and keep up!

Extensive use of flashbacks and multiple scenes with no dialogue contribute to the ongoing development of the primary characters.

Enjoyed having an original setting and a complex storyline. The backstory is a little overdone, but the murders and the detectives are good storylines. Would really like to see more detective stories set in Africa.

107 out of the 124 ratings are from single use accounts whos sole IMDB activity is uprating this series with a ten.

Four of the five reviews are clearly from a single individual giving this a ten and a gushing similar wording.

So the legit rating for this series is more on the order of 3.5

Now to the review. A fair amount of good entertainment production is coming out of south Africa. Certainly "Troy: fall of a city" was well done, and had some very talented acting. And the lead of this, Ian Glenn, is a good actor.

That said this series is stunningly cliche filled and predictable. It is also preachy. I give it a 3/10/