Summary
“Fiksation” is a good, solid opening episode, laying the foundations for the rest of the series.
Blood & Water Season 1, Episode 1 involves plenty of complex grief and our young female lead dealing with the dynamics of her family. It opens with Puleng looking apprehensive in her bedroom, surveying the surroundings.
There’s a birthday party downstairs for her missing sister. She keeps getting texts from Zama asking to come outside. “Happy Birthday” is sung for 17-year-old Phume. The mother gives a speech stating that 17 years is a long time not to see your newborn, and hopefully, one day she will come home. Puleng blows the candle. You can sense the emotional tension in the room in a well-directed opening sequence.
Puleng then argues with her mother because her father has left, and she wonders why her brother Siya doesn’t get what he wants for his birthday, but their sister Phume, who isn’t even here, gets a 3-tiered cake. She storms out and meets Zama; they are going to a “VIP” house party, which Zama has been invited to by a man named Chris.
The party
At the party, Puleng is immediately abandoned by Zama, who is head over heels with Chris. A girl helps her at the bar to get a drink – she catches Chris and Zama having sex, so she hangs out in an empty place in the house.
She sees a woman named Fikile kissing a man and runs off. Puleng then picks up a phone vibrating on one of the sofas and answers it – it’s Wade’s mother, who is asking for Wade to come home. Wade offers Puleng a drink before he packs up. “Fiksation” is potentially starting a love interest for Puleng already.
Puleng hangs out with Wade, who is a keen photographer. He shows her a photo of Fikile and says she looks similar to Puleng – Fikile is the girl who got her a drink, and the party is her birthday. Puleng’s mind wanders, stating Fikile shares the same birthday as her missing sister. We are in mystery mode already.
When Puleng returns home, her mother asks if there’s anything wrong. Puleng tells her mother she participates in this day to make her happy, stating that she never knew Phume. Puleng says she wishes her mother loved her and Siya as much as Phume. This was a sad statement from Puleng, and you can tell it hurts her mother.
School hockey
While playing hockey, Puleng is struggling to focus on the game. She ends up in a fight with Nate in the dressing room. Puleng shows Zama an article that accuses her father of being involved with the disappearance of her sister as part of a child laundering scheme – the headmaster has arranged for her parents to pick up.
The headmaster uses this opportunity to inform Puleng that her grades are dropping and her behavior is unacceptable; he has arranged a disciplinary hearing. This felt extremely harsh given the circumstances.
Puleng’s father states that the news wants to make up lies for the ratings, and they are linking Phume to another child disappearance case. Her father also states that the case may be reopened. Family is clearly complicated in Blood & Water.
Puleng ends up deep diving on Wade’s Instagram and then becomes absorbed by Fikile’s profile – she’s not sure what she’s thinking yet. Puleng examines the evidence of her sister’s disappearance and notices a similarity in appearance between the modeled drawing of what her sister may look like now and Fikile. At school, Zama mentions something about genetics – Wade invites her to a gala, and she accepts.
At the gala, Puleng watches Fikile swim, and she has an out-of-body experience. Fikile wins the swim, and Puleng offers to help Wade take photos. Fikile approaches Puleng and recognizes her from the party – she tells her to call her “Fiks”.
Puleng has missed her disciplinary meeting, and her father, Julius, is fuming; he grounds her and takes away her phone. As they head outside, the police arrest Puleng’s father for human trafficking. Puleng is distraught and starts chasing after him.
At the station, Puleng’s father asks Puleng to trust him, as it is a very complicated matter. Everything seems vague. Puleng asks her mother if she actually thinks her father did it, and she responds, “he asked us to trust him but for now, we have to keep our distance.”
Puleng tells her mother she doesn’t want to return to Meadowridge School after everything that has happened, and then states, “Have you ever heard of Parkhurst High?” Episode 1 is a solid and effective opening episode, laying the groundwork for the rest of the series.
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