At the weekend I caught the latest episode (episode 4) of The Lab and it seriously blew my hair back.
It was the most riveting episode of any South African show I've ever seen, leaving me silenced for ages afterwards.
Since the shows start I've been impressed with the quality of the production. The colours, camera angles, editing and feel of the way it's filmed - as if it's real but also glossily not - gives it a class above any other South African drama I've seen.
The pace is fast and edgy, the acting from everyone - inluding the guest actors - is excellent and the story's unlike any we've ever experienced.
At first I was iffy about its strong focus on business 'cos I thought I'd get lost in loads of mumbo jumbo I don't understand, but as it's gone on each week it's all fallen into place making sense in an unexplainable way - enhanced and given clarity by the juicy, complex relationships between everybody.
What's also faboo is the sense of humour that comes through various of the scenarios, which could be way too hectic too cope with if it weren't there.
My fave story of all is the one between Mingus (Mothusi Magano) and his mother Ma Mingus (Keketso Semoko), which breaks my heart each time something happens between them.
An intense uncontrollable sadness grips me when they're together for both Mingus's mother, who so desperately wants to cling on to him, as well as for him in how displaced he feels - never home anywhere, yet yearning to be, while denying it.
I reckon the acting in this is the best acting we've seen from South African actors - espesh when you consider they've got no similar shows to use as a reference.
There's never been a show about business like this and to make such things as human as they do is very admirable.
As excellent as they all are the best out of them has to be Fana Mokoena as Jaws Benghu. The way he plays the fact that he was a revolutionary who was part of the struggle who now needs to empower others while negotiating a zillion different things (including Nadine Shakanovsky, played by Catriona Andrew) is masterful.
Without a doubt this is my best South African show on TV at the moment and I'm totally convinced Episode 4 is the best episode of any SA TV show ever made.
The show gets a rating of 90 from me and I'm hoping it's gonna beat Carte Blanche as the top show on TVSA soon.
The top ten rated shows on TVSA currently are as follows:
Carte Blanche (83)
7de Laan (82)
Muvhango (81)
The Showbiz Report (79)
Generations (75)
Isidingo (74)
Egoli: Place Of Gold (74)
Top Billing (74)
You're Hired - Season 2 (69)
The Big Question (67)
Have your say by rating these and other SA shows on TVSA and go crazy zapping down a top rating for the one you think is best.
Soo - what is it?
---------------
The Lab is on SABC3 on Tuesdays at 20h30 and repeated on Sundays at 20h00.