While Nollywood has still not gotten a good grip on properly telling Northern Nigerian stories, the reception of Beyond the Veil has shown that audiences are ready and eager for more film and television showcasing what the North has to offer. It is a plus that Beyond the Veil is about Northern women. Stories like these are hardly told; when they are, they are usually obnoxious and stereotypical. 

Beyond the Veil is a Naila Media production that follows the lives of five women – Hanifa (Maryam Booth), Badriya (Norah Ego), Zainab (Ame Aiyejina), Na’ima (Jemima Osunde), and Surayyah (Habiba Tanko Zock-Sock) – as they navigate work, marriage, relationships, and family life.  Directed and created by Nadine Ibrahim, who is from the North, the show offers a fresh perspective on Northern stories, moving away from overdrawn portrayals of rich politicians, illiterate gatemen, and submissive women. 

When the first season debuted on Prime Video in March last year, some viewers found it to be a mixed experience. The writing and acting performances were quite disappointing marred by plot holes and a few cultural inconsistencies. Despite these flaws, this show’s cinematography, set design, and wardrobe have been consistently excellent from the first episode.

Like Sex and the City (1998) with New York, Beyond the Veil appears to be a love letter to Abuja. From scenes shot in Mar’s Café, Tulip Bistro, and Uncle T’s to the Musa Yar’adua Centre and Fure by Furayya, everyone who watched this new season, especially those who know Abuja, must have wondered why so many popular restaurants, malls, and shops were given so much screen-time. Ads maybe?

Season one ended on many cliffhangers. Baddie realized her marriage to Sadiq (Yakubu Mohammed) would be one filled with abuse; Na’ima suffered a car accident when she decided to run away to be with her boyfriend, Mathew; Hanifa discovered she was pregnant; and Zizi, who lost her grandfather, ended things with Kassim (played by the impressive Caleb Richards). 

Season two picks up rather abruptly six months after the first season’s events. Baddie is still grappling with Sadiq’s abuse, Hanifa is well along in her pregnancy, and Zizi is up for a promotion and finds a new love interest, Tariq Balogun (played by the charming Andre Bunting). Na’ima is in recovery and her previously ambiguous struggle with mental health and drugs is revealed to have originated after the death of her father whom she seemed to have been close with.

The scenes that follow show Na’ima and Hanifa meeting up. However, there’s no mention of the huge fight that took place at Baddie’s wedding,  a significant event that demanded an on-screen resolution.  One would think that the writers of this season did not remember it. Such an important part of the first season being left out in the second takes so much away from the story. Viewers are surely confused when the friend group goes on with their lives as if it never happened. Frankly, acknowledging it would have been such good material for the first episode of season two. 

In season 2, there is less of the robotic, non-conversational dialogue from season 1 (except for Hanifa’s conversation with the doctor during her ultrasound in episode 1). The new season comes with an upgrade in line delivery, which affected a lot of the performances in season 1, as seen in Amir’s rigid monologue during a gallery outing with Na’ima. This time, the characters actually sound like they are having authentic conversations in much-improved outings. 

While Season 1 occasionally left things that should have been explained unaddressed; the second season’s storyline is more harmonious. The audience is not left confused and wondering this time. Everything that happened this season was either resolved or left as a cliffhanger to be resolved in the next season (hopefully). Na’ima’s relationship with Mathew was properly followed through until the end – and so was Baddie and Sadiq’s story. Zizi’s dilemma and Sadiq’s predicament were excellent cliffhangers that will surely leave viewers eager for a third season. 

Another commendable aspect of Beyond the Veil’s second season is its equitable focus on all characters, especially the leads. Viewers experience a more vulnerable side of Zizi that they had been curious about. Hanifa, Baddie, and Na’ima’s characters get the treatment they deserve in the story. Other characters like Kassim, Maryam, Honourable Jemima, Ahmadu, Afrah, Mathew and Tariq are also given appropriate coverage which adds to the overall quality of the season. Surayyah, however, remains a flat character and has not gone through any development since season 1. Regardless, each character has been written well and this helps to connect each character’s threads to form one overarching story.

While some other options should have been explored to write that character out of the show (if you’ve watched the last episode, I’m sure you know what is being referred to), this was a cohesive season with a solid three-act structure. It appears that the cast and crew are finally comfortable and settled into the production of the show. And Beyond the Veil is bound to get better from here.

Beyond The Veil premiered on Prime Video on June 7.

Share your thoughts in the comments section or on our social media accounts.

Keep track of upcoming films and TV shows on your Google calendar.

Side Musings

•  Maryam (Kassim’s fiance) has a certain je ne sais quoi. So beautiful!
• Was Fatima (from Na’ima’s group therapy) attempting to act like a junkie in THAT scene? Because she just looked silly.
• When Na’ima found out Sarah was telling the truth about Surayyah, why didn’t she tell her to come back to work?
• The Nigerian Police Force is not as posh as it looks in Beyond the Veil, is it?
• Why does Afrah (Hanifa’s sister) – a corper-  work in a flower shop? 
• That “oha soup” scene with Na’ima and Mathew’s family gave me so much second-hand embarrassment OMG!
• The appearance of Maryam Lemu was quite on point.