Imagine you meet a family made up of women, and they all have serious relationship problems; wouldn’t the African in you think, “Hmmm, do these people have spiritual problems?” That’s the case with Africa Magic’s Manfriend and the women of the King clan.
Manfriend focuses on Wandoo King and her three daughters – Dooshima, Dosuur, and Mimido and their chaotic relationships with the men in their lives as they prepare to host Wandoo’s 50th birthday party in a grand style. Each of the ladies has different storylines and partners, all of which the writers explored thoroughly, with Wandoo and Dosuur taking centre stage.
Wandoo, their mum, will tell anyone who cares to listen that she hasn’t necessarily been the shining example they needed. The children grew up watching her manage a dysfunctional relationship with their father, Tersoo, filled with emotional abuse and infidelity. Her thesis for why her girls have the worst relationships with men is they saw her stay in an unhealthy one for so long and have a warped sense of what romantic connections should look like.
Despite finally clawing her way out of the ditch that was her marriage and getting divorced, Wandoo somehow finds herself back in a clandestine relationship with her ex-husband when the show begins. They sneak around like teenagers and hide their relationship.
The matriarch is made to believe it’s because their children would not love to see them back together. She, unfortunately, finds out that Tersoo is only hiding her because he is recently engaged to his less-than-30-year-old fiancée and has made her the side chick. Thankfully, she quickly ends that relationship and moves on to a cute doctor ten years younger than her. Again, she resorts to sneaking around as she doesn’t want her girls to know she’s been enjoying dating the young man.
Her oldest daughter, Dooshima, is the worst of them all. She fancies herself in love with a married man. She would lie, steal or even kill if it meant he would be hers forever. In her folly, she considers the man’s wife her enemy and loudly believes that the woman has bewitched her lover. Even after he scams her of the money she steals from her mother’s birthday funds and relocates his entire family to Canada, she refuses to accept she’s made a mistake. Instead, she chooses to taunt his wife on social media with several fake accounts, calling her a witch. Chinonso Arubayi, who plays the role, gives a fantastic performance of the crazed lover, and it’s intriguing to behold.
Dosuur, her middle child, is the most mentally stable. Still, she’s prone to anxiety attacks and is super dependent on her best friend, Taj. Dosuur is the mind behind the 50th birthday party and the most determined to do everything to make their mother happy. She is the most selfless and respectable of them. Yet, she’s in love with her best friend. Despite fighting their feelings for each other, they find themselves cheating on Taj’s girlfriend. Adetola Jones and Ray Adeka, who play Dosuur and Taj, have such intense chemistry. Viewers will feel the heat and every emotion they exude on the show.
The last born, Mimidoo, is not interested in finding a job or becoming productive. Instead, she’s content with dating a man old enough to be her father and sending him nudes at all hours of the day. As expected, she can’t introduce him to her family, so she takes a leaf from her mother’s book and becomes skilled at sneaking around. Martha Ehinome takes on the role and pulls off the last-born/ bad girl part so effortlessly that it’s a double take from the goody-two-shoes she’s played so many times before.
The show itself is crisp, well-written, and just divine to watch. Zainab Popoola, who plays Wandoo, clearly has tremendous mother-daughter chemistry with all her children. The costumes, locations, and even makeup stay consistent from the first episode till about the seventh that has aired.
The series has unfold every Friday at 8 pm on Africa Magic Showcase and still has to answer many questions. Will Wandoo ever shake off her ex-husband and enjoy her relationship with the doctor?
Will Dooshima ever realise she’s being delusional, or will her ‘delulu be her solulu’?
Will Taj ever man up and leave his girlfriend to claim Dosuur as his true love? And finally, will Mimidoo’s love affair with the old man end in tears?
Viewers can find out by tuning in to the show every Friday at 8:30pm on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv Ch. 151). Fans can also catch up on the antics of the King women on DStv Catch Up, the DStv Stream app or on Showmax.
