Rumour Has It tells the story of a successful Nigerian gossip blogger whose life takes an unexpected route when widespread news of her husbands infidelity reaches her.
Within the first few minutes of episode 1, I thought “wait a minute…we all know who this is about!” Hint; Popular Nigerian Blogger + Unfaithful husband + London love-child. Knowing that more than half of the people who watch this show would have this premise at the back of their minds and subconsciously judge the series based on it, I thought it would be important not to pretend that this show may be an adaptation of a true life story.
Nevertheless, there are some hard hitting issues presented here. Rumour Has It is based on the realities of many women in more ways than one. With a premise that is nowhere near new, Rumour Has It faces high stakes for originality in delivery, execution and presentation of the themes promised. The show does a very good job of this within the first three episodes. It sets up the main character in the different circles of her life, giving a good foundation for a well built, complex and emotionally engaging story.
Its very difficult for a TV show to get to the point within the first episodes without giving everything away. I applaud Rumour Has It for its ability to do this well. There is no time wasted in setting up the main character first in her workplace, with her family members, friends and her in-laws. By the third episode, regardless of what you believe will be the turnout, you are invested in Obi Obi (played by Uru Eke). Much of this is owed to the continuity, script-writing and Uru’s ability to capture the myriad of of emotions she faces excellently. However, I feel it could have been better if the writers took the opportunity to own more of the story from the beginning. Since the the show is very likely perceived to be based on a true life story from a well-known Nigerian celebrity blogger. It could stay one step ahead of our expectations by using more obvious changes. Right now the story’s background looks like an already prepared template that has been picked up and dusted.
When a story seems adapted much is expected of execution and delivery and Rumour Has It earns its aces with the actors and direction. Every character engages you from breath to breath. Uru Eke especially gives a standout performance which with more episodes can set her on the right path for possibly award winning roles (if this isn’t one already).
The intersection of Marriage and Nigerian culture hosts multiple social issues that hold a depth that needs to be explored. However, Rumour Has It seems to be tilting towards the route of a love story between the characters David and Obi. I am a sucker for a good love story but with the seriousness of themes presented in this movie it would be important to carefully manage the Obi-David story while successfully exploring the growth of Obi’s character independent of any male influence.
If you are not already familiar with Ndani TV, they have raised the standard of production quality for television in Nigeria so it is needless to say that production and sound were top notch. I would like to shed some light on the use of silence. This is one of the few times in which silence was used quite effectively. Without added sound, a lot of attention is paid to the actors and there was not a single moment in which I was disappointed. In a few moments (the conversations between Obi and her mother, Obi and her friends in episode 3), I couldn’t help but notice how useful some sound or music would be in highlighting the necessary tones.
I recommend Rumour Has It as a must watch. Hopefully the rest of season 1 will live up to (or exceed) the high expectations created from the first three episodes.
