Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Queen Sono’ is the first African-original series to be produced by the streaming service. It is an espionage drama that follows the story of the titular character as she battles bad guys while dealing with personal problems. The story focuses on the current issues that plague the continent while giving us a thrilling ride in the form of Queen’s missions. By the end, her personal and professional problems mix up and she makes some startling discoveries. The final episode brings the season to an explosive end. Here, we discuss the secrets it reveals and what it means for the characters. If you haven’t yet seen the show, head over to Netflix. SPOILERS AHEAD
Plot Summary
Queen Sono is the daughter of Safiya Sono, a revolutionary who fought for the country. She had been assassinated and the culprit has been in prison for the past 25 years. But now, he is about to be released on parole, which freshens Queen’s wounds. Meanwhile, we follow her on the field as a spy for Special Operations Group, the secret service of South Africa that is trying to bring down corrupt politicians, terrorist organizations and the foreign forces who fund them.
The Ending
After the attack on Park Station, SOG discovers that more attacks have been planned. Through meticulous investigation, they discover that the next target is going to be the stadium. This is a part of Superior Solutions’ plan to push the President towards declaring a state of emergency in the nation. With the president in her pocket, Watu Wema Brigade by her side, and the state of emergency in the country, Ekaterina would have an unprecedented hold over South Africa. She would effectively become the puppeteer using the country to her own purpose, while also expanding her reach on other African countries.
Scared by the threat, the President tries to push for the state of emergency, but with the help of other leaders, Sid manages to put a hold on his plans. However, the imminent danger on the stadium puts them in a precarious position. If they alert everyone about the attack, the President would have another reason to declare emergency. And if they don’t, it would be treason. Next, if they try to attack the stop without letting anyone in on it and they fail, then there would be no stopping Ekaterina’s plans.
Despite all odds, Sono and her team succeed in averting the attack, but in the meantime, her grandmother is killed by Ekaterina. Sono is also alienated from William who has had enough of her not being there for him. Nana finds the footage of Queen visiting Strydom in prison, the day before he was supposed to be released and was killed. She discusses Sono with her father, who had been absent throughout the series.
Who Killed Queen Sono’s Mother?
While Queen is a kickass spy, she is also traumatised by the death of her mother. She is still haunted by the memory of her mother’s murder, even if she doesn’t allow her emotions to surface in front of anyone else. Her suffering can trigger by the sight of blood or bubbles, as we repeatedly witness on the show. Hendrikus Strydom had been arrested for killing Safiya Sono, however, Queen’s grandmother always believed that other forces had been in play. No one simply assassinates an influential political figure without the involvement or, at least, the knowledge of other politicians.
The day before Strydom is to be released, Queen pays him a visit. On gunpoint, she demands the truth from him. He tells her exactly how he killed her mother, but the details are wrong. This proves that he had not killed Safiya, but he was protecting someone else. Who was it and why did this person(s) kill her mother? Queen digs for this mystery and finds the answer in SOG. She is led to believe that Dr Sid had something to do with it because he also seemed to be involved in other shady business of the government. She confronts him and discovers a part of the truth.
Sid was not actively a part of the assassination. In fact, he was left out of the conspiracy before he could completely grasp what was about to happen. Safiya Sono had played a titular role in the struggle against the apartheid regime. They finally won when in 1994 Nelson Mandela became the President of South Africa. Despite the end of the struggle, someone high up in the government was convinced that Safiya was not suitable to be one of the faces of the movement anymore. Previously, she had been excluded from the negotiations, which shows that the conspiracy against her had started to brew some time ago.
This person convinced others that Safiya was more militaristic in nature and because she was popular, she could band her followers and use guns and force to gain political strength, if not staging a coup. So, a team came together. This involved the CIA and South African intelligence. They assassinated Safiya and paid Strydom to take the fall for it, hence covering their tracks. The exact person to have orchestrated the whole thing is not revealed yet. Sid knows that it is someone very powerful with a lot of influence, but he doesn’t know who, which is why he couldn’t prod his superiors to investigate the matter.
Read More: Queen Sono Review
