The episode opens in a flashback at the Sunshine Children’s Home. Six-year-old Zoe (Cathlyn Stringer) hides under a bed from young Tokkie/Gabriel. Unable to find her, he descends the stairs where his mother, Mabusi (Thandeka Nodada) is waiting for him. The representative asks if the woman is really Tokkie’s mother. A woman reminds her that she warned against getting too close to the children. Excited, Mabusi escorts him away. Still hiding under the bed, Zoe calls for Tokkie. Later, Tokkie races inside to get a drink of water when he hears Mabusi moaning. A news report about 12-year-old Reyka Gama’s (Gabrielle de Gama) abduction airs on the radio. Seeing a pair of men’s shoes haphazardly lying on the floor, he places them side-by-side before looking through a window into the bedroom as Masubi continues to moan.
Back to the present, Reyka Gama (Kim Engelbrecht) searches outside the marine facility while Angus Speelman (Iain Glen) stops to watch the water show. An angry seal charges for Reyka. Gunfire causes the crowd to disperse. As she races away, the seal raises up and barks. She angrily throws something on the ground. After speaking with the workers at the marine facility, Brigadier Francke (Zane Meas) scolds Reyka for meeting Speelman alone. He orders her to see a psychiatrist before walking away.
Detective Nick Tanner (Gerald Steyn) processes the crime scene at the shoe shop when he receives a disturbing call from Thulisile “Thuli” Gama (Rashaan Stackling).
Cocking her gun, Ayanda (Samkelo Ndlovu) points it at a sleeping Zwelethu (Pallance Dladla) Mbatha. He wakes up to see the gun. Holding up his phone with their sex video, she says it is a sexual offense. He claims she approved it. She denies telling him to share it before demanding to know why he has photos from the Lover’s Lane crime scene. He tells her that they are props for his audience because he needs to make money for them. He professes to love her. She orders him out of her apartment. With him gone, she breaks down sobbing.
The shoe shop is surrounded by protectors when Reyka arrives. Tanner suggests it was a botched robbery. Disagreeing with him, she says the attack was too brutal for a random thief. Tanner tries to reassure the daughter that they will find the killer. Refusing to believe him, she questions why someone would kill her father for a pair of used Brogues. Her description of her father’s killer matches that of the Lover’s Lane killer. Tanner informs Reyka of Thuli’s call. Ayanda notifies her of two transactions on Portia’s (Nokuthula Ledwaba) account. Her apartment looks like it was vandalized.
Reyka tells Dr. Steven Rudd (Deon Lotz) that Speelman abducted her when she was 12 and held her hostage for 3-1/2 years until she escaped. She assures him that therapy will not help her because she has moved past it. He congratulates her before asking if her PhD makes her a psychologist like him. She says no. She continues to be evasive throughout the session. As she heads for the door, he says she is emotionally dysregulated and utilizes anger to conceal her vulnerability. He tells her that she is not strong enough to endure the process. She curses him before leaving.
Thuli reads a newspaper article about Reyka shooting at a seal. Hope Shabane (Claire Mawisa) questions what is wrong with her. Thuli walks away without a response. At the police station, Reyka explains the similarities and differences in the Lover’s Lane and shoe shop cases. She believes the shoes triggered the killings. Ayanda tells Reyka about Zwelethu’s recreation of the Lover’s Lane crime scene. Reyka says to make him delete the photos but believes they are harmless. She assures her that he is not linked to the case. Ayanda says he posted their sex video on WhatsApp. Reyka urges her to report him when Jodie arrives asking to speak with her. Jodie tells her that Zoe at the Sunrise Children’s Home says there is scary a guy who lives at Lover’s Lane. Reyka suggests he is homeless. Jodie (Tamara Skye) claims the guy wears a jacket like the dock workers.
Reyka tells Tanner about Jodie’s claim. He sarcastically says Leon Lombard (Frank Rautenbach) must have made her happy. She denies needing a man to make her happy. Speelman is assaulted at a homeless encampment. A lady intervenes. Reyka is near the docks when Thuli calls upset. Thuli tells her that she is scared. Seeing something unusual, Reyka promises to visit her tomorrow before ending the call. Thuli weeps in the dark. Dressed like the Lover’s Lane killer, Zwelethu is being beaten by two men when Reyka intervenes. He admits to making a mistake by coming there. She forces him to come with her.
At a homeless encampment, a homeless woman (Thandazile Gumede) makes Speelman wake up. A young boy tells him that a dry-docked cargo ship departs for the United Kingdom in three days. He urges him to board the ship now and hide. Thuli runs into Reyka’s arms. Weeping, she admits to calling Tanner because he is her friend. Reyka assures her that she can talk to her. Thuli stresses the need for her to be there for her. Reyka apologizes for making her feel this way. Speelman takes a priest’s (Ben Voss) outfit and Bible at the docks.
Reyka tells Zwelethu that Ayanda is unaware of her arrest. He assures her that his photos of the Lover’s Lane crime scene are fake. He suggests she brought him there because she watched the sex tape and wishes she was Ayanda. He assures her that he can convert a dyke. Shoving him against the wall, she demands the crime scene photos taken down. When he refuses, she grabs his crotch and orders him to apologize to Ayanda. Releasing him, she dares him to say she is an abuser when Francke intervenes. Zwelethu grunts in pain.
Ayanda finds a bloody hammer hidden in her apartment. Elsewhere, the killer admires his collection of shoes. He masturbates. Reyka arrives home to find Elsa (Anna-Mart Van Der Merwe) in her room. She has a flashback of being a young girl. Thuli cuts her wrists as the episode ends.
Reyka Review
The flashbacks are the highlight of each episode. Too bad, there are not more flashbacks and less personal drama. As the season nears an end, the denouement is becoming more obvious. However, I rarely try to predict an ending for fear of getting it wrong.
Reyka is so caught up in Speelman that she cannot see Thuli’s mental anguish. She refuses to allow Elsa just the slightest happiness. Reyka’s miserable, everyone around her must be miserable as well. You would think her recklessness and incompetence would have convinced Francke to put her on suspension.
I’m still trying to figure out Tanner’s role in season 2. Maybe, he is there to grovel over Reyka. In season 1, he played a vital role in the cane field killings but has little connection to the Lover’s Lane case.
The cobbler’s killing is poorly investigated. It seems they are more concerned about getting a social agenda across than the actual investigation. Some scenes are plagued with social issues.
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