The River Finally Scores A Win

Is this the beginning of the return to dominance?

By  | Sep 10, 2022, 08:58 AM  | Drama

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The River is 1Magic’s flagship telenovela. When the telenovela first premiered, it garnered attention for being an overall game-changer in terms of television telenovelas and soapies. Moreover, The River was the reason for seasoned actress Sindi Dlathu becoming a household name as herself rather than constantly being referred to as Thandaza from Muvhango.

Read more: What Is Going On With The River 

While the first three seasons of the telenovela were plagued with criticism over what was believed to be the “bad” actors in the telenovela. It seemed that when people did not have anything to complain about, that they also tuned out. This is as the latest season has not seen the telenovela dominate the trends list as much as it did in the past, despite the multiple changes the telenovela introduced in the recent season. 

The River season five and its multiple cliffhangers

Season five of The River premiered back in February 2022. The premiere saw a return to how the telenovela started , a flash forward. This time it was not Lindiwe burying her daughter. But instead, this flash forward saw Mabutho and Nomonde getting married, Zweli finding out that Mabutho is involved in criminal activity and upon confronting Mabutho, he is accidentally killed or injured by Mabutho. 

The flash forward felt like a great way to start the season as it left fans to wonder, how would the season go about getting to this season finale. However, as a viewer in real time, the flash forward was probably the reason that this season has been polarising for fans.

This is as there is a year until the season finale happens. Meaning that the writers need to create a compelling story that keeps viewers interested for at least 365 days until we get to the action from the season five premiere. 

As such, fans wonder, what is the purpose of Thumbeza and the rest of his family? Or when is Mabutho returning and why is no one questioning where he is?

The River finally scores a win

Phil Mphela echoed the sentiments of many recently when he questioned why The River was not dominating that trends list as it used to. This is as the telenovela used to enjoy at least a day every week where it would top the trends list.
However, season five has been disappointing in this regard. It is unclear, whether it is because Phathu Makwarela is not at the helm of the writing team, or if it is just time to call it quits while the telenovela is on high. As the longer it runs,  it suggests it might have the same fate as 
The Queen.
However, this Friday. 9 September 2022, Nomonde’s storyline of a fake pregnancy finally saw the telenovela return to the trends list. Nomonde is currently faking her pregnancy, which was initially a ploy to get money from Lindiwe. But now Nomonde wants more as Keith, her ex and “baby daddy”, returns. Fans could not get over that Nomonde would choose to have her “miscrriage” during her lobola negotiations in front of her entire family, and provide another television moment. 
It does beg the question, is this just a another slow burning spark or is The River back to its original form? 

Image credit: Instagram 
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