I honestly just pressed play to check it out briefly! Before I knew what was happening, I was clearing out my schedule for the evening as I sprawled out watching the first season of Victor Sanchez Aghahowa’s Ebonylife TV series, Dowry.
Dowry originally aired it’s first season back in 2014. The second season followed later in 2015. However, this discussion is strictly about season 1.
The first few seconds grab you, with that opening sequence of every nollywood lover’s favorite time of the year – wedding season. We are introduced to an antsy bride, Naomi (Ivie Okujaye), who is calling up her groom, Demola (Deyemi Okanlawon), on the morning of the wedding to ensure that he is still on track. Still on track time-wise? Yes, but as the series progresses we realize that the check up goes beyond time keeping. That phone call was also to ensure that he was still on track to marry her that day.
A simple enough storyline, yes? No. In true Aghahowa fashion, the story is about more than what you see. He manages to naturally progress and peel back the layers of this seemingly simple concept until it becomes more than you thought you signed up for. So what starts off as a simple wedding day storyline becomes a PSA for mental health awareness (but this is a subjective opinion, of course).
As far as story goes, it’s difficult to fault the film. The performances also do a lot to keep the film on track. The film is held together by a strong backbone of talent from Okujaye, Okanalwon and Ukeje to Ejiofor, Doyle, Laoye and many others. There’s not a weak link here, and where there is potential for one (I shan’t name CHRISly names), they are not permitted enough screen time to wreak havoc on the quality.
A thing that stands out in the writing here is the characterization. The characters played by Ade Laoye and Linda Ejiofor were quite unforgettable in this series due to their uncanny ability of being immensely annoying at the most inopportune of times. However, unlike most of our usual writers, Aghahowa does not permit anything to happen for happening sake. By the end of the series, even though sometimes it’s awkwardly inserted, Aghahowa ensures that the behaviors of each character in this series is fairly justified and explained.
However, it’s not all fairy dust and sparkles here. The story does seem to devolve in quality from episode to episode. It’s hard to say what exactly causes it. It could be the intense web-series feeling that shrouds each episode. Because, as you watch these twenty minutes episode, it feels like half of it is spent throwing back to the previous week and showing you what’s coming next week with little time for actual content. Hence, from episode to episode it’s hard to stay immersed. Another reason for the devolving could just be that the latter parts of the series don’t enjoy as much attention from the crew (writing, directing, editing) as the former parts did. Hence, by the time you get to the end you are not quite as heavily invested as you should be.
All that aside, it’s hard to regret watching a show that manages to keep the audience engaged (to some degree) from start to finish.
The post Blast From The Past! Thoughts from My “Dowry Season 1” Binge Session appeared first on Nollywood Reinvented.