Oloture: The Journey is the sequel to the 2019 Nigerian film Oloture, but strangely enough, this one happens to be a mini-series consisting of three episodes. Compared to the film, this one is way more plot-heavy, and the storytelling is extremely messy. So many things happen; random characters are introduced every now and then; the story takes many unexpected turns; add to that the terrible editing and a genuine lack of cinematic value. Even for fans of the film, this one can’t be a good experience. And the worst part is that the ending is not quite conclusive, which might just be a deliberate thing to take the franchise forward. Let us take a closer look and discuss the ending. Just in case you need a refresher of the story prior to the series, here’s our recap.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens in the Series?
Picking up right from where they left off, the story kicks off with Beauty running to her hometown and Oloture, aka Ehi, getting transported further away. She’s put on bikes and into cars by men she doesn’t know, until she ends up in another bus. As it happens, this bus gets attacked by a group of gunmen all of a sudden, and everyone but Ehi and another girl called Peju dies. Stranded in the middle of the unknown country of Niger, Ehi tries her hand at surviving. She does what anyone in this situation would do: find a way to call home. But unfortunately, her mother doesn’t pick up. So she tries her work and asks for Emeka. Unfortunately, she gets to know from her boss that the newspaper has been threatened and Emeka is dead. It’s quite obvious that Minister Phillip is behind this, especially given that the minister now has Ehi’s report on the whole trafficking thing, which includes him and Alero and everything they have done. Phillip is understandably mad at Alero for the whole Mess, and he orders Tony to handle her. Tony is the Victor (the Mafia guy who killed Linda, remember?) equivalent of the series, although bigger in scale. Instead of killing Alero, Tony orders her to get out of the scene. Alero obliges, but she obviously has other plans. Meanwhile, with Alero in a position like this, Chuck tries to take her place by attempting to land a partnership with Tony.
Who Are the Silver Blades, and What Do They Want?
Alright, the Nigerian mafia is not the only one at play here. They have a competitor in the Italian mafia, who is represented by an organization called the Silver Blades. It is run by this guy called Ade, who’s not happy with Tony trying to send his girls to Europe and effectively eating the Silver Blades’ business there. Remember Ehi’s bus getting attacked? That was actually Ade’s doing. Now that she has fallen out of favor with Tony, Alero joins hands with Ade. However, Ade’s life is cut short as he is killed by Chuck, who was only following Tony’s orders. Ade may be gone, but the Silver Blades is not at all finished; there’s this guy Antonio who’s sitting at the top of it. Alero contacts him and proposes to take over the reins. Meanwhile, in what I consider irony at its highest level, Beauty, despite escaping from the dark side, ends up working for Chuck. You can’t really blame her, though, given that upon returning, she discovers her mother is dead and their house has burned down. Seeing no other choice, she runs to the brothel for help, and Chuck happens to hang around the area. With Blessing gone (yeah, she finally left him, although we don’t get to see how), Chuck needed someone, and Beauty being a virgin is a plus for him.
What Happens to Oloture?
I fail to understand why the series would spend so much time with the whole turf war drama of Alero, Tony, Ade, and Chuck instead of properly focusing on its lead character. It is especially foolish considering there are only three episodes and a lot is happening with Ehi as well. She and Peju do have the good fortune of meeting two genuinely good guys, Ben and Andrew. They are footballers with dreams of making it big in Europe. But for that, they’ve got to reach there first. Ehi and Peju tag along with the guys. They soon meet Femi, a guy who makes it a point to help Ehi after learning she’s a journalist. Femi happens to have a French journalist friend, and he wants Ehi to meet her. So she follows, hoping for the best, only to walk into a trap. It turns out that Femi is a rotten apple who lied about everything. All he did was sell Ehi to another brothel in exchange for money. However, it doesn’t take long for Ehi to figure her way out of that, with some help from Ben and Andrew. They soon leave for Sabratha, a city in Libya, from where they can get to Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. Misfortune doesn’t seem to leave Ehi, as on their way, they get robbed in the middle of the desert. With no car and not a single penny with them, they’ve no choice but to walk through the desert. The already difficult journey turns into a nightmare when a desert storm arrives and takes Andrew’s life. A heartbroken Ehi tells Ben and Peju that it’s important they finish the journey to honor Andrew. And they do manage to reach the Lybian city. However, they also have to handle the terrible possibility of being forced into slavery unless they can finance their way out of it. Thankfully, Ehi manages to connect with her mother by phone this time around and gets the money. Ben and Peju are also fortunate enough to have people in their lives who would do that kind of thing for them. The series ends with Ben, Peju, and Ehi finally getting on the boat. The vibe is not quite “Lo Capitano,” though, I’m just saying.
Will there be another season?
Even though it doesn’t end with a cliffhanger like the movie did, the series ends at a point where the story can clearly move forward. What will happen to Ehi when she reaches Europe? That has to be the big question here! Will she get back to being a journalist again? Or will she get into more trouble? Also, what will happen to the whole sun plot of Alero, Tony, and Chuck? I guess we’re going to know the answers if and when the next chapter of Oloture is dropped.
