On
Rhythm City this August, 2008:
Friday 1 August 2008Episode 280S'bu is seriously considering Fats' suggestion that he ask David for Hustle Records. He has an ace in the hole he can play - Bernard, and Bernard's guilt about leaving them high and dry. S'bu suggests to Gail that she move into the Vilakazi home with him.
The girls are excited about the Star Struck auditions at the Kilowatt Club. Stone finally comes to an important decision about his relationship with Charlotte.
The owners of rival club, The Hot Plate, approach Suffocate about an alliance against the neighbourhood thugs.
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Monday 4 August 2008Episode 281Bernard steals the masters of Sunay's songs. Tshidi has a very tough time on her first day at the clinic. Her fantasy of becoming a doctor is replaced by the reality of mopping up vomit and dealing with drunk patients.
S'bu begs David and Lucilla to let him have Hustle, apologising profusely for all of his bad behaviour. Toolkit and Speshil put pressure on Suffo to take strong action against the thugs who are demanding a protection fee.
S'bu gets a late night phone call from the hospital. He needs to come quickly. Something is happening to his father.
Tuesday 5 August 2008Episode 282Miles comes out of his coma and the first person he asks for is Lucilla. It becomes clear he's suffering from amnesia. The doctor advises S'bu to shield Miles from any upsetting news as that could set back his recovery.
David tells S'bu that he can have Hustle - without its financial assets. He makes no mention of Sunay's recordings, and Gail speculates as to whether he knows about them or not.
Suffocate is still trying to decide what to do about the thugs who have challenged him, when Toolkit and Speshil arrive with something for him: a gun.
Wednesday 6 August 2008Episode 283Miles' doctor urges S'bu to ensure that his patient is surrounded by as much love and tenderness as possible. S'bu urges Lucilla to carry on the pretence of still being happily married to Miles. She doesn't know how long she can continue to do so. Miles is beginning to question things. He wants to know, for instance, what has happened to Rachel? Why hasn't she visited him?
Puleng asks Tshidi to help her prepare for the Star Struck auditions. Charlotte shares her great secret with Tshidi.
Suffocate finds he cannot pull the trigger of the gun, losing even more face for failing, yet again, to protect the club from the thugs' attentions.
Thursday 7 August 2008Episode 284It's the big day of the first round of Star Struck auditions and a very nervous Puleng persuades Tshidi to accompany her for moral support. But when Tshidi gets up on stage with her to help soothe Puleng's nerves, the audition takes a very unexpected turn.
In addition to dealing with the Star Struck auditions, Suffocate is still wrestling with the thugs who are threatening him, not to mention Toolkit and Speshil, who are determined to solve the problem using street methods.
S'bu - who is also beginning to realise how many financial problems they have - is delighted when Gail decides to move into the Vilakazi home.
Friday 8 August 2008Episode 285Gail and S'bu continue their quest to find a distributor for the Sunay recordings they've stolen from Redemption. Gail sets up a meeting between S'bu and a Mr Zondi. David is concerned about Lucilla's continued involvement in the lies that S'bu is spinning for Miles' sake. David finally signs over Hustle to S'bu.
Tshidi discovers she's made the call-back for the next round of Star Struck auditions. Unfortunately, Puleng hasn't. At the clinic, Tshidi becomes more embroiled in the hardships suffered by the woman who always accompanies the man in the wheelchair.
Fats learns The Hot Plate has hired Toolkit and Speshil to take out the protection racketeers.
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Monday 11 August 2008Episode 286S'bu and Gail are making headway with their business, although their cash flow is a major concern. S'bu signs a deal with Zondi, a dodgy record distributor. Lucilla wants to meet with S'bu urgently to discuss their financial situation. Gail is starting to warm to Bernard after he gives her and S'bu advice on how to market Sunay's recordings.
Tshidi decides to pull out of Star Struck because she does not want to lose her friend Puleng. Suffocate takes it upon himself to warn the young tsotsis that their lives are in danger - but will they listen to him?
Tuesday 12 August 2008Episode 287S'bu's financial woes continue as he struggles to pay the Vilakazi bills and tend to Hustle expenses. The biggest bombshell, delivered by Lucilla, is that Miles isn't covered by medical aid.
Tshidi decides to pursue Star Struck. Convinced that her family won't approve, she persuades Charlotte to cover for her.
Later at the clinic, she talks to Sis Bee about acquiring more painkillers for the patient in the wheelchair. She is unsuccessful in her attempts and determinedly hatches another plan.
At the new Redemption, a suspicious David confronts Bernard on his loyalties and threatens him. The thugs show up at the Kilowatt with guns and no apology.
Wednesday 13 August 2008Episode 288Suffocate's efforts to create some peace between the nightclub stakeholders backfires - in a good way, according to Fats.
Tshidi is still on her mission to up the painkiller dosage for a patient in much need of it at the clinic. Stone, her ever-cautious conscience, tries to dissuade her from continuing with her plan.
Charlotte goes with Tshidi to the Star Struck call backs and can't help but notice the soft spot Siya, the show's producer, seems to have for her soon to be sister-in-law.
Bernard continues to stick his neck out for S'bu and Gail, not knowing the full details of the set up at the Hustle HQ. S'bu is still battling with being responsible for Gail's livelihood, as well as the ins and outs of the music distribution business.
Thursday 14 August 2008Episode 289Gail remains steadfast in her support of S'bu's leadership and vision for Hustle Records, despite his own doubts and insecurities.
Secretly, Lucilla continues to visit Miles in hospital.
Gail and S'bu seek out Bernard's help in getting radio play for the Sunay tracks.
When Tshidi asks her parents for money from her bursary, Stone smells a rat. Meanwhile, Tshidi grows more convinced she's not made the next call backs from Star Struck after a cool reception from Siya.
David and Lucilla move into their new home together and decide to throw away all of their old stuff and hire a decorator to transform their new living space. Victoria makes a surprise discovery in the kitchen.
Friday 15 August 2008Episode 290Despite threats from both Ivan "The Terrible" Tshinawa and Sunay, S'bu is determined to go ahead with the release of the album featuring Sunay's lost songs.
Having conned her mother into giving her R800 for "art supplies", Tshidi buys the painkillers and then gives them to the man in the wheelchair. She learns too, that she has got another call back for Star Struck.
David tells Victoria he'll have the tiles re-laid in the kitchen - and that constitutes the solution to her problem with muti in the house. Lucilla later confesses that she is also fearful.
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Monday 18 August 2008Episode 291S'bu is convinced David is using his influence to get DJs to boycott Hustle's Sunay album. Bernard explains how the system of payola works. A furious Sunay arrives at the Vilakazi home to tell S'bu he has made a big mistake by crossing Ivan Tshinawa.
Tshidi is thrown when she discovers that the name of the patient in the wheelchair is Mandla.
S'bu receives a letter from Thembi. This gives S'bu the idea of writing a letter, supposedly from Rachel, to read to Miles. David asks Kop, who is a committed Christian, what he thinks about muti.
Tuesday 19 August 2008Episode 292Stone is convinced that Fats is extremely ill. Tshidi is forced to tell Mandla that she spent her own money to buy his drugs. He is extremely upset and accuses her of patronising him. She is shocked and confides in Mamokete who reassures her, even though she doesn't know the full truth.
Tshinawa barges in on Miles in hospital, demanding he does something about the Sunay situation. Miles is completely confused.
Gail and S'bu attend The Kilowatt's first open-mic talent session. After listening to some awful people, they hear a woman, whom they both agree, is fantastic.
Wednesday 20 August 2008Episode 293Mandla apologises to Tshidi for his behaviour the previous day. A friendship is born. Meanwhile, Tshidi struggles to maintain the lie to her parents about the R800 she requested and keeping her rehearsals for Star Struck a secret.
Bernard organises an inyanga (Ziyanda) to help David with a cleansing ritual of the kitchen, scoring a few loyalty points.
Lucilla and Ziyanda seem satisfied with the cleansing ritual, but Victoria is not at peace. Suffocate and Stone are increasingly worried that Fats is hiding a serious illness from them. S'bu talks to Tumi.
Thursday 21 August 2008Episode 294Bernard gives Gail a vague warning that Hustle should sign Tumi ASAP. S'bu meets DJ Ngwazi with R5000 in an attempt to bribe him to play Sunay's songs. Ngwazi tells him his price has doubled. After much deliberation, Gail decides to max out her credit card in order to raise the money.
Stone discovers Fats is not terminally ill, that Siya is not a doctor, and that Tshidi has been concealing her involvement in Star Struck. He also discovers Tshidi blackmailed Charlotte into helping her by threatening to expose her and Stone's engagement. Stone is furious that Charlotte told Tshidi about their engagement and Charlotte asks him if he would like to break it off.
Ziyanda offers to do a reading for a sceptical David, but then backs off when she sees something that obviously spooks her.
Friday 22 August 2008Episode 295Ivan Tshinawa pays S'bu a visit, threatening violence if he doesn't get a cut of future sales.
David is embracing domesticity and surprises Lucilla by both welcoming the news of her sister's imminent arrival and insisting that Lucilla embrace her culture and allow a full cleansing ceremony of their new home to take place.
Despite Stone's apology for his behaviour, Charlotte is still left uneasy about his commitment to their relationship. Tshidi is gobsmacked when Siya confesses that he has romantic feelings for her.
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Monday 25 August 2008Episode 296S'bu still hasn't managed to sign Tumi, and despite Bernard's coded warnings to Gail, David is gearing up to snatch her from under them. Lucilla's sister, Connie, and her niece, Diphuka, arrive for a visit, and David decides to take over interior decoration duties.
Mandla and Tshidi grow more intimate and Tshidi tries to back out of the Star Struck competition. Miles makes a sudden and unexpected discovery.
Tuesday 26 August 2008Episode 297S'bu has to deal with the aftermath of Miles finally having discovered that Rachel is dead. Tshidi is still sitting on the fence as to whether she should continue with Star Struck, or not. David decides to embark on a campaign to convince a reluctant Ziyanda to perform a full cleansing of the house.
Wednesday 27 August 2008Episode 298David intends to go through with the cleansing ceremony, even though both Ziyanda and Lucilla have misgivings about his intentions. S'bu finds he has to compromise his producer's fee in order to secure Tumi, a compromise from which Zondi stands to gain.
Tshidi is overwhelmed by her commitments to Star Struck as well as to her cause at the hospital, Mandla. Lucilla goes to visit Miles - she's got more news to break to him.
Thursday 28 August 2008Episode 299Zondi pays S'bu the R20 000 advance he so badly needs to tempt Tumi into the fold. Ivan Tshinawa arrives to beat S'bu up for his lack of respect - and to take the bag of money Zondi has just given S'bu. Tshidi asks her mother for more cash from her bursary fund.
Stone decides to tell his mother the real story. Kop disciplines Tshidi with his belt, and Mamokete insists she pay back every cent she has stolen from the fund. David insists Lucilla invite members of her family to the cleansing ceremony.
Friday 29 August 2008Episode 300The cut Ivan demands from Sunay's album would effectively wipe out Hustle's entire profit margin. S'bu bites the bullet and tells Tshinawa he can have everything. He hopes to build Tumi's career after the meeting he had with her earlier that morning. Tumi, however, decides David's offer is better, and, unbeknown to S'bu, signs with Redemption.
Tshidi is hurt and humiliated after her beating. Her unhappiness is compounded when she learns from Sis Bee that her services are no longer required.
David persuades Ziyanda to do a cleansing at his home and invites the entire Redemption staff to attend. This upsets Lucilla as she thinks he has turned something personal into a team-building exercise.
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