Summary
Blood & Water season 2 needlessly clings on to the generic teen tropes and overuses them.
This review of Netflix’s Blood & Water season 2 does not contain spoilers.
It was no surprise that Blood & Water got a second installment for Netflix. The South African series enjoyed the vibe of the teen drama trope while hitting cultural themes and embracing the landscape. Coupled with a central mystery, the series had the audience hooked, keeping it to a respectable six chapters, thirsting the audience for more.
The second season is a direct continuation, playing the usual “after the summer break” and returning to school. Surprisingly, Fikile has placed a restraining order on Puleng, which feels absurd for a school because how is that manageable? She feels Puleng is encroaching on her life heavily, and you can almost understand that angle from certain perspectives.
The voyage for the truth sustains in season 2, but unfortunately, it does feel a little murky under the script. With the series wanting to extend the story, they needed to place obstacles for the truth with the two main leads as much as possible. I hate to say it, but Blood & Water flirts with the usual downfall of many teen dramas, overcomplicating the already complex in the hope that it entertains the audiences. It doesn’t work. Delaying the truth only causes agitation as the characters go around in circles, entering an endless conspiracy. Isn’t that how 13 Reasons Why worked?
And rather than relying on performances and the story, Blood & Water season 2 needlessly clings to the generic teen tropes and overuses them. Highlighting text messages on the screen and social media apps, the production team would have been better off having confidence in the story. Of course, there are themes of drug use, maintaining teen relationships, and the chores of school outside the main plot, but it all feels standard and pushed in.
That’s not to say the main plot does not pick up in excitement — it certainly does. However, when the audience learns the truth, it will be met by a shrug of a shoulder. Sometimes, delaying an integral plot point can downplay the idea rather than excite, and with the scope of the story feeling limited, it falls over by design. There’s a lack of storyboard and direction, with the script just spitting as many ideas as possible—something we usually see in YA series.
This is not a call to give up on Blood & Water, but if the third season does not pick up in story strength, then what are we doing? You can only vibe so far.
What did you think of Netflix’s Blood & Water season 2? Comment below.
