Savage Beauty S1 review: Although in no way perfect, this South African revenge drama has enough steam to keep you hooked

3/5

Story:

A young woman named Zinhle (Rosemary Zimu) is selected by public voting to be the face of Bhengu Beauty, one of the biggest beauty brands in South Africa. As she arrives to stay with the aristocratic Bhengu family, she witnesses first hand the dysfunction and chaos that plagues the home of the moguls. Unbeknownst to the Bhengus, however, Zinhle has her own plans to disrupt the beauty empire, and avenge the wrongs the family did to her in the past.

Review:

A young woman infiltrates an aristocratic family under disguise, with a motive for exacting revenge on those who caused her harm. Savage Beauty’s basic premise is nothing new in the genre of revenge dramas. But with its fast-paced storytelling and compelling performances, the South African series packs enough punch to keep viewers hooked to the show until the very last episode.

The series introduces us to the aristocratic Bhengu family, the moguls behind Bhengu Beauty, one of the biggest and most well-known beauty empires in the country. Like any empire, the company’s top position in the industry did not come without its fair share of questionable practices. A crudely-placed narrative exposition from a journalist reveals how the beauty brand has been at the centre of controversy for its alleged promotion of ‘unrealistic beauty standards’ through its overly editing promotional images. Despite the allegations though, the brand still goes strong and in its latest beauty campaign, it unveils the new face of the company - industry outsider Zinhle, who was chosen via public vote.

Zinhle comes into the picture with a driven purpose - taking down Bhengu Beauty, motivated by the cruelty she was subjected to by the family when she was young. Zinhle checks all the boxes when it comes to your run-of-the-mill, vengeful female protagonist. She is beautiful, but not as conventionally so as you’d expect, which adds to her allure as Bhengu Beauty’s new face. She is driven, intelligent, soft yet strong willed, almost to the point of flawlessness. But her tough exterior hides a past riddled by trauma, and the series peels back the exact events that led to her going on her vengeful quest.

Newcomer Rosemary Zimu gives a magnetic performance as the troubled young woman. Her acting prowess is especially in full display when it comes to the scene where snippets of Zinhle’s past comes back to haunt her. The actress gracefully switches between her character’s fury and vulnerability. The scenes where Zinhle becomes almost incapacitated by her traumatic memories are realistically acted out in a way that inspires the viewer to sympathise with the character. The way Zinhle breaks down whenever the seemingly smallest of things trigger her PTSD, are also testament to some well-researched writing as well.

However, even Zimu’s formidable acting skills cannot save one of the weakest turns in the plot - her love affair with Ndu (Oros Mampofu). Cliched, predictable and inorganically developed, the two stars’ lack of chemistry also hinder the romance between Zinhle and the youngest member of the Bhengu clan. But to the credit of the writers, they stopped short of making the pair's painfully uninspired romance poke holes in Zinhle's steely resoluteness. And once the curtains of their doomed romance comes down, the series starts to get back its momentum.

The storyline of Zinhle's love interest is not the only pitfall plaguing the show's narrative. The show conveniently ignores and fails to address some glaring plot holes in Zinhle's tale of revenge. One of the biggest being just how a young girl with limited means managed to secure a place in Bhengu Beauty, especially through a process that involved public voting. The first season’s ending also comes in the form of a very weak and watered down climax that seems like the writers just gave up.

One of the most compelling aspects of the show are its strong, complex, well-written characters. The dysfunction in the Bhengu family unit is as thrilling as Zinhle’s quest for revenge, with the former even surpassing the latter at times. The storyline of each of them are fleshed out well and given the screen time, they deserve as well. Nthati Moshesh, Nambitha Ben-Mazwi and Angela Sithole in particular, shine.

Verdict:

Savage Beauty is a fast-paced revenge drama, whose pitfalls come in the form of plot holes and a weak climax. But strong performances and well-written characters carry the show to glory.