Unseen

This was added to Netflix in the UK recently so I binged watched it one rainy evening.

I don't know anything about South Africa and I had no idea what this show would be about beyond the blurb written in the Netflix page.

What I found was quite an interesting and different kind of revenge / crime thriller.

Imagine, for a second, that John Wick or Nobody had been a cleaner and instead of finding the people that killed their dog or stole their kids bracelets they were looking for their partner and taking in the underworld of South Africa to do it... And that's about it in a nutshell.

An unassuming maid goes about trying to find her husband, who took the fall for a murder he didn't commit, and the murderer of her child.

Very much worth a watch. The main actress is outstanding and really brings life into the part.

Unseen is a stunningly executed South African thriller that masterfully blends emotional depth with edge-of-your-seat suspense. Across its first two seasons, the series tells the story of Zenzi Mwale, a quiet domestic worker whose search for her missing husband draws her into a violent criminal underworld. What begins as a personal quest becomes a profound exploration of invisibility-how society overlooks those who clean its floors, raise its children, and quietly endure its injustices.

Season 1 lays a slow-burning but intensely powerful foundation, pulling you into Zenzi's world with precision and empathy. The writing is sharp, the cinematography striking, and the pacing deliberate yet impactful. Season 2 builds upon that momentum, diving deeper into Zenzi's moral dilemmas and the systemic rot she confronts. It avoids the common sophomore slump by raising the stakes and tightening the story without losing its soul.

Gail Mabalane delivers a tour-de-force performance-raw, restrained, and unforgettable. Her portrayal of Zenzi is layered with strength, pain, and resilience, anchoring the series in emotional truth.

Unseen isn't just a crime thriller-it's a social commentary dressed in noir. It questions who gets seen, who gets heard, and what happens when the invisible finally push back.

Highly recommended for fans of grounded, character-driven thrillers like Ozark, Unbelievable, or Top Boy.

The story is about Zenzi Mwale whose husband, Max, takes the fall for the murder of a one Yazid on behalf of his crime bosses. Zenzi is looking for Max on the day he gets out of prison but he is no where to be found. What follows is Zenzi unexpectedly building up a pile of bodies in her search for Max. But she is just a cleaner. She is the Unseen. No one suspects her....until they do.

Now, there are some shallow micro-plots, unuseful characters in some scenes and a few mistakes that could have been solved with deeper thinking.

BUT....the good actors are really good and the story is quite solid. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Great story telling. Straightforward.

Some interesting twists.

Good to see a show from countries other than the US, giving the audience new perspectives.

Yes the acting is not that great but it doesn't undermine the show. At least, the acting is not pretentious or too much.

Good pace, not dragging.

Only a few flashbacks. (too many tend to break the story or overshoot the theme) No strange transition between episodes.

The main actress portrays the character deep and well.

TBH before watching the show I did not expect too much mostly due to the rating but 2 episodes in, I just kept watching.

I wanted to give the show a 6.5 because it is definitely more than 6, or even a 7.

First I wanted to give it about a 6.5, I feel like the over all ratings are a wee bit low, so I went up to 7 to try to add a bit of balance.

I did not know that it is a remake of a Turkish version, so I am coming in to this blind without the ability to make that comparison.

The pace and balance of the plot and things like flash-backs I thought was great. It is well put-together. I.e., engaging, binge-able, and better than most stuff available.

Reading some of the other reviews I imagine that if you had to watch it as weekly episodes you would not enjoy it as much as binging.

The performances of most characters were great.

I don't feel like it is the sort of thing that you should try to pick apart and complain about, and instead give some credit for out-performing the majority of recent material.