Okay, "Ibeji" isn't "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet". Although one gets the impression that writers Adams-Santos and Cooper are trying for that vibe. There's an unidentified creature that is doing bad things, and only one person can really see it.
But the writers have to be woke. So the main characters are Nigerian. And a few more things have to be tossed in. The sisters are twins, and it's never a good sign when a character in the story has to point that out. The sisters have a sudden mental bond, and the young sister Adoara has a stroke. I guess, because again the writers have the characters tell us. And there's some artsy-fartsy dreamscape stuff going on as the older sister Eneh has a mental "dream" of Adoara having her stroke.
And then we're to the main story. As Adoara apparently gets lousy treatment because she's black. And Eneh complains but her words fall on deaf ears. So Adoara gets transferred to a hospice, where the creature (I guess it's "Ibeji", although if that word is spoken in the episode I didn't catch it with the closed captioning on) drains the life from Adoara's roommate and then comes after Adaora. And although it played with its initial prey for a night or two, it comes after Adaora right away.
And Adaora sends a mental SOS to Eneh. And there was a shrine to Shango the African God of Thunder that Adaora set up in Eneh's house earlier. So Adaora comes to the hospice with the Shango figurine from the shrine, can't get to Adaora's room, prays to Shango, and the god gives Adaora enough power to come out of her coma. And the power of Shango blasts Ibeji away.
The next we know, Eneh is running the hospital... somehow. While Adaora is counseling the uncared-for patients. That night, Ibeji comes to a window and Eneh lights a candle at a new shrine and drives Ibeji away. Got all that? Good.
The problems are that there's a lot of stuff thrown out in quick succession. The sisters are fraternal twins, and have a mental bond, and there's a stroke. And there's Ibeji, who feeds on hospice patients whether they're comatose or not. And there's Shango, and a shrine, and Eneh taking over the hospice. And all kinds of good stuff.
Which might have worked in a 60-minute episode. But "Two Sentence" is only 30 minutes. So the episode is ambitious, I'll give it that. But none of it makes much sense as we're shown. Stuff just happens, and the characterization of Eneh and Adaora is pretty minimal. I don't expect a bravura Shatner-like performance like we got in 'Twilight Zone''s "Nightmare". But Eneh and Adaora are paper-thin. The hospice nurse, Lucy, is a more-rounded character than the protagonists are!
So by the time you take in what's happening, it's all over but the shouting. The direction by Bola Ogun, and the scenes with Ibeji are good, but it's not enough to carry the mediocre plot. It's not a bad episode, but the lack of background and characterization of the mains means that it's mediocre at best.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
But the writers have to be woke. So the main characters are Nigerian. And a few more things have to be tossed in. The sisters are twins, and it's never a good sign when a character in the story has to point that out. The sisters have a sudden mental bond, and the young sister Adoara has a stroke. I guess, because again the writers have the characters tell us. And there's some artsy-fartsy dreamscape stuff going on as the older sister Eneh has a mental "dream" of Adoara having her stroke.
And then we're to the main story. As Adoara apparently gets lousy treatment because she's black. And Eneh complains but her words fall on deaf ears. So Adoara gets transferred to a hospice, where the creature (I guess it's "Ibeji", although if that word is spoken in the episode I didn't catch it with the closed captioning on) drains the life from Adoara's roommate and then comes after Adaora. And although it played with its initial prey for a night or two, it comes after Adaora right away.
And Adaora sends a mental SOS to Eneh. And there was a shrine to Shango the African God of Thunder that Adaora set up in Eneh's house earlier. So Adaora comes to the hospice with the Shango figurine from the shrine, can't get to Adaora's room, prays to Shango, and the god gives Adaora enough power to come out of her coma. And the power of Shango blasts Ibeji away.
The next we know, Eneh is running the hospital... somehow. While Adaora is counseling the uncared-for patients. That night, Ibeji comes to a window and Eneh lights a candle at a new shrine and drives Ibeji away. Got all that? Good.
The problems are that there's a lot of stuff thrown out in quick succession. The sisters are fraternal twins, and have a mental bond, and there's a stroke. And there's Ibeji, who feeds on hospice patients whether they're comatose or not. And there's Shango, and a shrine, and Eneh taking over the hospice. And all kinds of good stuff.
Which might have worked in a 60-minute episode. But "Two Sentence" is only 30 minutes. So the episode is ambitious, I'll give it that. But none of it makes much sense as we're shown. Stuff just happens, and the characterization of Eneh and Adaora is pretty minimal. I don't expect a bravura Shatner-like performance like we got in 'Twilight Zone''s "Nightmare". But Eneh and Adaora are paper-thin. The hospice nurse, Lucy, is a more-rounded character than the protagonists are!
So by the time you take in what's happening, it's all over but the shouting. The direction by Bola Ogun, and the scenes with Ibeji are good, but it's not enough to carry the mediocre plot. It's not a bad episode, but the lack of background and characterization of the mains means that it's mediocre at best.
But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?
