Single Kiasi, the Kenyan comedy-drama from Insignia Productions, is back for a third season, the only show that seems to have survived into the reigns of the rebranded Showmax. The new season promises the same doses of debauchery and heartfelt friendship between the three leads – Rebecca (Faith Kibathi), Sintamei (Gathoni Mutua), and Mariah (Minne Kariuki) – as they navigate the complexities of dating in Nairobi. With a mix of old and new faces, the show continues to grow in scale and notoriety, having settled on a rhythm and tone of fast-paced drama spiced with comedic interjections.
However, the first four episodes, lacking fresh ideas and a sense of grace, are excruciating to watch. The once-intriguing tale of three women grappling with the emotional burdens of urban relationships, infused with humour, devolves into a mockery of itself. The main characters are reduced to apathetic, emotionally detached punching bags, serving as vehicles for a nonsensical plot that is merely a pretext for the show’s monotonous, pristine aesthetic.
As usual, the visuals are impressive, with many scenes increasingly resembling music videos or commercials, but anything beyond that is unappealing to the eye. It says a lot when steamy scenes brewing with luscious intent lose their charm the moment the actors start talking.
And I don’t blame the actors. They are clearly instruments of an uninspired script – one that would rather stretch out an erectile dysfunction subplot long past its relevance than build on the women who give Single Kiasi its identity. Becca’s story spirals into one of the most moronic heists ever filmed while Sitamei’s explorations of a throuple – the perfect emotional roller-coaster of seduction and possessiveness and the twists and turns of divided attention – barely last past two episodes. As for Mariah, the writers seem so uninterested in her character that they recycle the very problems she has already dealt with.
As the season progresses, the show does find some solid footing, pushing beyond its stunted approach to build onto the characters. Sintamei’s confrontation with her mother brings a nuanced discussion on the dichotomy of their relationships, while her work is expanded to bring to light the slippery discourse of sexual assault in the modern age. Becca begins to wrestle with the direction of her life and its impact on those around her, offering a rare moment of actual motherhood for her character. Mariah’s adventures remain predictably chaotic – ranging from stage fights to psychedelic journeys that serve more to fill screen time than advance her arc. However, her encounter with an ideal partner sows the seeds of emotional growth.
Despite these stronger moments, the show consistently undermines its own potential. Without a clear trajectory, the characters often revert to familiar patterns, their experiences lacking the weight needed to make these worn-out encounters any more worthwhile. The pacing is completely off – wasting episodes on inconsequential drive-throughs while squeezing a season’s worth of character development into a handful of scenes. This has become the staple for Single Kiasi, to the point that it hardly surprises me anymore.
As the series winds up, however, its potential finally emerges, daring enough to linger on its most significant character moments and growth, adding the very layers of intensity and maturity it seems so scared to delve into before. The show finally engages with the actual realities of its characters’ lives, shedding light on themes that had, until now, felt scattered across its three-season run. Unfortunately, this growth comes a bit too late, squeezed to its extreme, leaving just enough room to set up another season. Three seasons in, for an industry that can’t seem to sustain a second season of anything, Single Kiasi remains a rarity.
Despite my frustration with the wasted ground, especially in its earlier episodes, Single Kiasi S3 ventures into bold and uncharted territory. And though exaggerated and extremely diluted for comedic effect, the formula proves effective enough to sustain a weekly serialised dramedy.
Single Kiasi S3 is streaming on Showmax.
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