Ndani TV’s ‘Ratings’ Recap: Season 1, Episode 5, “Getaway Car”

…and FJ finally gets paid.

At least, he secures the bag for once on-screen. It was surely a moment of joy for all viewers when FJ pocketed the money. Although the first fare that we will see him collect came from a dubious source, we cannot but just be happy for him it has been five episodes, my people. So, ‘bad guys’ can actually be more decent than the so-called ‘normal’ humans who refused to pay in previous episodes for reasons like a break-up and another slight misunderstanding of ‘zeros’ in episode 2.

You need to have seen the joy on my face when the money actually lands in his hands because it took a while for the lady to hand it over, which I feel was intentional. They wanted to mess with us. Nice one! So, I thought another misfortune would happen. 

FJ makes reference to his ears hearing double (meaning that he misheard) in this episode and I’m happy he’s making reference to his sense organs that always put him in trouble as I mentioned after episode 3.

Although Mc Lively’s performance has been dropping, the guest actors compensate for his decline. His acting was more believable in the first three episodes, nevertheless, it remains enjoyable in this episode.

The episode, titled “Getaway Car”, provides FJ with three passengers; a female, Loretta (Priscilla Omeche Oko) and two males (Alex Ugonna and Adakole The Great). Threefold should mean three times the fun, isn’t it? The most he has had in his car before this episode were two people—the problematic couple in the previous episode. And that’s if we are not counting the first episode with the caterer and the party jollof cooler seated behind.

I have been struggling with the jokes since episode 4, and I hope again, that it isn’t all going downhill from here. I can tell that it is really dipping because I had more fun writing the previous recaps. Back to the episode—

FJ unknowingly carries this group of three (who have backpacks like students) to a robbery of some sort. At the destination, they ask him to wait for a few minutes which he reluctantly agrees to do. Shortly after a few shots of Lagos streets, the gang of three now disguised behind masks return, running into his car, ordering a terrified FJ to drive. 

As they drive away in fear with a shaken driver behind the wheels, in what wasn’t a believable performance from MC Lively, they request that he waits when they reach their next destination (like having another mission just minutes after you barely got out of one and you were scared for your lives). FJ declines this ridiculous request  and asks for his money which they surprisingly pay him. 

Actually, it is more like they are paying for the snacks that they consumed in his car during the trip to their mystery location. As FJ unwittingly drove them to the ‘point of robbery’, he offered them sweets and groundnut which they exhausted, handing him back a close to empty groundnut bottle and empty sweets container.

At the end of the whole episode, we could still argue that FJ ran at some sort of loss. When is Oga FJ ever going to make full gains ooo. Family has to eat.
I will surely be here to watch.

See you next episode.

The director remains Adekunle Bryan Odetunde, and was written by Bode Asinyanbi.

Ratings: C

Side Musings:

• “Start the trip!” and the timing of the “resist the urge to shalaye” with the subtle shoulder tap.
• FJ just needed to play music and I would have called him Baby Driver lol. Can we call him Baby Driver onward? He successfully drove a getaway car. Even though there was no chase whatsoever.
• Loretta sure looks and behaves like a Loretta. Down to the mannerisms of the mouth and facial expressions. Priscilla Omeche Oko was great.
  Disclaimer: I don’t know any Loretta personally.
• How does the way a person eat groundnut say if they are a thief or not lol. FJ is mad funny.
• In the previous episodes, he chased passengers for his fare. But in this episode, he was even chasing them away lol.
• What made episode 2 and 3 great were the passengers’ stories and their personalities. I hope they return to that. The more ridiculous they make the passengers, the funnier.