Summary
Nigeria’s answer to the played-out teen-drama format is serviceable entertainment but brings little new to the table.
This review of the Netflix series Far From Home season 1 does not contain spoilers.
Not long after the latest season of Blood & Water, Netflix are delivering another African Original in the form of Far From Home, a Nigerian series that blends a teen drama with a crime thriller and a cast who all, without exception, look too old to be in a school of any kind. But not to worry! If the right elements are there it’s easy enough to buy into the illusion, and it isn’t like anyone in, say, Elite looks school-age either.
Far From Home season 1 review and plot summary
Far From Home definitely has some of the right elements. It does a good job, for instance, of laying out the precise circumstances and family dynamics that backdrop the characters’ decision-making. This is important since the narrative of this show is built almost entirely on bad decisions made for understandable reasons. When protagonist Ishaya (Mike Afolarin) finds himself with a scholarship to the prestigious Wilmer Academy, we understand what that means to a young artist from a poor family.
Yes, needless to say, the idea of a poor kid suddenly finding himself among the scions of high society at a snooty private school is scarily similar to the setup of the aforementioned Elite, but Far From Home has a much different vibe. This is partly due to the presence of “Government” (Bucci Franklin), a shady nightclub owner who strongarms Ishaya into selling drugs on campus for him, but this series also seems to revel in debauchery less than its Spanish equivalent. There are obligatory scenes of partying, cheating, and hallway politics, but not to the same extent.
Fundamentally, this is a story about a young man trying to better his circumstances and being forced, though desperation and the pressure of those around him, to constantly make mistakes in order to do so. From dealing drugs in the first place to getting high on his own supply to trying to navigate increasingly draconian school security measures thanks to prior bad decisions, Ishaya is relatable as someone who has good intentions but is relentlessly thwarted by his circumstances.
Is Far From Home season 1 worth watching?
For the young-adult crowd, there’s little here that hasn’t been seen many times before. However, there’s a specific enough vibe to proceedings for them to feel slightly fresh, and some game performances help to sell the idea that we’re broaching new territory. We’re not really, of course, but the cultural specificity definitely adds something to a played-out format, even if the twists and turns of the plot across the five episodes leave a little to be desired. Far From Home is worth watching, but only just.
What did you think of Far From Home season 1? Comment below.
You can watch this series with a subscription to Netflix.
