Side Dish, a South African series that stars Jo Anne Rayneke as Sli, Matshepo Princess Maleme as Joyce, Refilwe Madumo as Amanda, Thuso Mbedu as Phiwe, along with Ntando Menzi Cube as Apollo, Bohang Moeko as Richard and many others. The 4-episode series is directed by Mandal Ngcongwane. The crime show is now available on Netflix and has English subtitles and the episodes have a runtime of 45-50 minutes.
The synopsis reads, “Four friends take a boozy weekend trip that spirals out of control when one woman’s lover unexpectedly shows up to join the party.”
Side Dish (2018) Review Contains No Spoilers
In Netflix’s latest release, Side Dish, 4 married women and friends, Sli, Amanda, Joyce and Phiwe, take a vacation away from their husbands. Sli calls her side dish, her lover Richard, with whom she has an extramarital affair. When one of her friends sleeps with Richard, Sli loses her cool. The women fight with each other for the man and accidentally kill him. They panic and decide to bury his body at a secluded place.
While trying to get rid of Richard’s body, the women also kill an eyewitness who discovers the truth. The 4 episodes pack in enough suspense and curiosity to see what will happen next.
The plot of someone dropping dead while on vacation is done in many English movies and shows. Some popular and latest ones are The Weekend Away, The White Lotus, The Menu, Desperate Housewives and more. But Side Dish has its touch because of the language, the set-up and the characters. Not everyone is wealthy and living the best life. Some are in unhappy marriages, and the murders only add more stress to their lives.
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Side Dish keeps you engaged throughout as it’s just a 4-episode series, and the events happen quickly, without dragging any scene or subplot. However, the show’s climax is the biggest and most frustrating problem. The climax is very weak, rushed, and doesn’t even have a good conclusion. It ends on a horrible cliffhanger. Considering that it is a miniseries, we might not get an answer.
I believe that the makers were trying to have an open ending. But it seemed more like an abrupt ending. When the show ends, it feels incomplete. As if someone tore the script of the last 15 minutes, and there was no backup and time to write a better ending.
Coming to performances, actors Jo Anne Rayneke, Thuso Mbedu, Refilwe Madumo and Matshepo Princess Maleme have done a brilliant job as Sri, Phiwe, Amanda and Joyce. They’re the central characters and have to go through a lot. The actors shine the best in stressful situations. Actor Ntando Menzi Cube has done a good job as Apollo.
Side Dish Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Side Dish is a crime series you would enjoy relishing for some time. It has all the potential to become the main dish. However, the bad ending takes ruins everything.
The show is now streaming on Netflix.
Have you watched the show? Do let us know your thoughts on it in the comments section below.
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Series was great. Maybe if they had stretched it a bit a ending that was understandable and concluded the show could have happened. The ending was horrible. It was like you went for a commercial and forgot to come back. Don’t ever end a series like this again.
Side Dish was a good movie,except for the ending, I was looking for more.
I completely agree. In fact I thought a new season was coming or something. Was super confused!