Summary
Blood & Water season 1, episode 3, “Propaganda” is another energetic and well-written episode as Puleng’s world is flipped upside down.
This recap of Netflix series Blood & Water season 1, episode 3, “Propaganda” contains significant spoilers.
How does Blood & Water season 1, episode 3, “Propaganda” begin?
Blood & Water season 1, episode 3, “Propaganda” deals with the ramifications of Wendy cruelly amending that article. It begins with Wade looking at Fikile’s birth certificate and wondering what Puleng is up to. The principal then sees them both in the admin room and Wade makes up a story of how she was looking for the photocopying room. Puleng got away from a tight spot thanks to Wade.
The article is released.
Blood & Water season 1, episode 3, “Propaganda” sees Puleng’s social circle shrink very quickly. Fikile and her friends get mad at Puleng over the article but she insists she did not write it and offers to fix it. Wendy has truly undermined Puleng here. The article has spread around the school like wildfire which puts Fikile in a bad light, making her look privileged and not deserving of Head Girl. When Puleng confronts Wade about it, he asks her about why she had Fikile’s death certificate. Puleng purposefully does a science experiment wrong to take Wade into a room to talk.
Wade wants the truth.
Puleng says she got curious about Fikile’s birth certificate. Wade calls her a liar and states that Fikile’s parents are powerful people. He threatens to report her and she blurts out “she’s my sister, I think Fikile is my sister”. Wade asks Puleng if she’s going to try and get another sample. He gets out her certificate and she sees errors on it. Puleng asks Wade for help. Puleng then approaches Wendy about the amendments to the article. Wendy justifies why she changes it, saying people need to hear a fresh voice. Puleng asks Wendy to print a retraction. Wendy is clearly on a mission to change the outcome of the Head Girl election.
KB arranges a “date”.
KB takes Puleng to a room with books and discusses poems with her. He then raps and she’s impressed. KB tries using a trick to kiss her again but she teases how his approach is lame. They joke on whether or not this is a date. The issue is, KB clearly has a history with Fikile, so this is likely to end ugly as well.
Head Girl candidate speeches
Puleng asks Tahira to print the retraction and that it’s not a good way for her to win Head Girl. At the assembly, Fikile gives a speech but she’s clearly affected by the article and rumours flying around about her. Tahira then does a speech about her struggles and mocks how she didn’t have much money when she started at Parkhurst. Her speech is well balanced and receives applause. Puleng stands up and asks Fikile a question about swimming but Wendy intervenes and asks an awkward political question. Afterward, a guilty-feeling Tahira tells Wendy that they need to print a retraction as this is not the best way to win. Puleng is then asked to the principal’s office. Her parents are there and they have news.
They think they’ve found Phume
The police think they’ve found Phume. Her parents ask Puleng to come to the hospital for the DNA test. Afterward, Wendy offers to give Puleng the original recording of the interview so the truth can be released but then Fikile has an outburst and shouts at Wendy. Wendy then deletes the interview recording. Puleng and the family head to the hospital to do the DNA test. The father says he doesn’t want to raise their hopes — the family seems normal and loving for once. Puleng’s mother reveals that they have got a loan out to pay for her studies. Blood & Water season 1, episode 3, “Propaganda” shows a stark difference to the opening episode with this family — the tension has eased slightly.
Puleng asks Wendy where the recording is but she reveals she deleted it.
How does Blood & Water season 1, episode 3, “Propaganda” end?
At a party, Fikile gets super drunk because she’s worried about not being Head Girl and not getting a scholarship — she’s sick of “daddy’s help” and the perception that she is financially backed for everything. Chris tells her Puleng has been lying the whole time and states she is sketchy. Fikile does not want anything to do with Puleng anymore. The episode ends with Puleng seeing her mother upset — the DNA wasn’t a match. Wade heads to her house to show her something. He sees a “B. Jaxa” on Fikile’s birth certificate and it might be the key to the answers she is looking for. Blood & Water season 1, episode 3, “Propaganda” is another energetic and well-written episode as Puleng’s world is flipped upside down.
Additional notes
- KB sends Puleng a song. He claims she inspired him.
- Fikile confides with her swimming coach and he reassures her about the article and highlights her future for swimming. Fikile gets annoyed that he mentions his wife but he sweet talks her. We later find out that his wife is pregnant.
- Wade returns the birth certificate but takes a photo of it first.
- Fikile hands out cupcakes to the school to regain trust from the students.
- Zama is still angry at Puleng and gives away her last name to Chris.
- When Puleng returns home, Zama is waiting for her. They laugh and make friends — Puleng tells Zama that she thought moving schools was for a good thing but she was wrong.
