Gomora premiered with a bang at the beginning of the year. We’ve been hooked since that fateful first night that saw the murder of Mbongeni after a botched hijacking that involved Ntokozo, the son of an upright High School Principal and an endearing social worker.

And thanks to the brilliant cast, impeccable writing, and a range of multi-layered plot points, the telenovela would go on to dethrone The Queen as the highest-rated show on the channel back in May (A record 2,5 million viewers in a single episode), marking quite the splash of an entrance for the Seriti production.

New episodes of ‘Gomora’ deliver a thrill we’d missed for a while on the show. Photo: DStv

But by the time they reached their first 100 episodes two months ago, Gomora had clearly begun tumbling down from its initial peak. What started out as a fast-paced unravelling of a complex script that kept us on our toes, suddenly plunged into a yawnfest of long-winded story arcs that led to dead ends.

For a while, I wondered if M-Net had asked for the amount of violence and the heavy narratives to be cooled because of the early evening time-slot during the weekdays at 19:30.

It certainly seemed plausible because the speed chases on the high way with riveting drone shots, the back to back the revelation of jaw-dropping secrets, as well as the novelty of the comedic timing that makes such characters as Zodwa and Teddy so endearing, slowly vanished.

Now we are watching a drawn-out portrayal of the school debate, a storyline that felt more like a filler that really could have been left on the cutting floor. The pyramid scheme storyline also ended quite abruptly, with no recourse and a way out for the characters who fell victims to the deception of a con artist.

What really didn’t make sense, however, is how the show seemed to have abandoned its major plots in favour of watered-down detours. You have Langa being Melusi’s son, a secret that will likely toss the entire Dlamini family into the doldrums. Ntokozo, Sonto and MaZet’s involvement in the murder of Mbongeni. Would that not burn down the block?

There’s also the truth behind Glady’s and her obsessive saviour complex. While lionised for her compassion, its been clear for a while that there’s more behind her need to save someone. We soon found out that she had terminated a pregnancy previously, and Melusi to this day, does not know.

For a while, they left all those questions unanswered.

THE ‘GOMORA’ COMEBACK

We are glad to have stuck around long enough to see the tightening in recent scenes of the show. The latest episodes are starting to revive that feeling we first got watching Gomora, staying on edge and never knowing what to expect next.

With detective Mahlasela in the frame, the skeletons are being dragged back to the surface, and its happening fast! That man is on to them, and it looks like he won’t be letting it as easily as the previous detective Kolisi, who was outplayed and outsmarted by Sonto without much of a sweat.

Mahlasela is on to them!

Despite Sonto and MaZet playing a crafty card, enabling them to avoid jail time, Mahlasela has not stopped digging into the truth about Mbongeni’s death. With all the evidence he has leading to Sonto, he’s even started connecting Ntokozo to the murder, and intends weaponising that as a possible angle to bolster the case further.

There’s Teddy and his teacher Ncebakazi Manzi. They are having somewhat of an affair, although it looks to be more complicated than that. While at 19 he is no minor, at least not legally, he’s in her classroom and she is totally taking advantage. I don’t know how far they are willing to explore their dynamic, but she’s really problematic.

It’s how she’s going to get caught that keeps us on edge here. The change in Teddy’s behaviour has everyone concerned, so she will likely be getting her unethical cover blown soon enough. But, who will catch her? Will Zodwa allow him to continue living under the Dlamini roof, when they couldn’t protect her son from a predator who is their guest?

Overall, we are glad to see the show slowly picking up the tempo and getting back to its roots. We are certainly keeping an eye on how everything is unraveling on Gomora, airing Mondays to Friday at 19:30 on channel 161.

Browse The Latest TV Show Scoops, Recaps & Reviews and Connect With Us On Twitter and Facebook