WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.620 Welcome. I am so incredibly glad you could join 00:00:03.620 --> 00:00:05.780 us today. Yeah, it's great to be here. If you 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:08.619 are anything like me, you are, you know, constantly 00:00:08.619 --> 00:00:11.400 looking for that next great story to get completely 00:00:11.400 --> 00:00:13.400 lost in. Oh, absolutely. Something with just 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:15.759 massive stakes, deep history, and characters 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:19.160 that leap right off the screen. So today, we 00:00:19.160 --> 00:00:21.920 are going on a special deep dive, and the mission 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:26.359 is clear. We are unpacking the massive, sprawling, 00:00:26.359 --> 00:00:29.600 and frankly, utterly captivating Nigerian period 00:00:29.600 --> 00:00:32.320 drama known as Riona. It really is a monumental 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:34.219 piece of television. I mean, we are talking about 00:00:34.219 --> 00:00:36.679 a continuous narrative that spans an incredible 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:40.679 260 episodes. 260. Right. For anyone trying to 00:00:40.679 --> 00:00:43.799 jump into a story of that scale, it can feel 00:00:43.799 --> 00:00:46.520 a little intimidating. Where do you even begin 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:49.380 with a world that rich? That scale is wild. That 00:00:49.380 --> 00:00:51.659 is a massive commitment. So how do we break this 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:53.500 down for someone who... wants the core story 00:00:53.500 --> 00:00:56.219 without watching over 100 hours of television. 00:00:56.380 --> 00:00:58.700 Yeah, that's the goal today. Think of our conversation 00:00:58.700 --> 00:01:01.799 today as your personal shortcut. We are going 00:01:01.799 --> 00:01:04.819 to distill that monumental run into the absolute 00:01:04.819 --> 00:01:07.620 most important nuggets of knowledge. You're going 00:01:07.620 --> 00:01:09.599 to get all the political maneuvering, the intense 00:01:09.599 --> 00:01:11.959 class struggles, and the mystical prophecies 00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:14.640 all tailored just for you. Exactly. Before we 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:16.420 get into the characters, though, we need to set 00:01:16.420 --> 00:01:19.599 the stage. Where exactly does a story of this 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:22.920 magnitude take place? To really understand Riona... 00:01:23.500 --> 00:01:26.019 We first have to ground ourselves in the physical 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:28.480 and historical space where all of this epic drama 00:01:28.480 --> 00:01:31.560 unfolds. We're traveling back in time to the 00:01:31.560 --> 00:01:34.000 12th century. Oh, okay. Stepping into the pre 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:37.180 -colonial era of the Itzikiri people. Specifically, 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:40.099 the series is set in the kingdom of Oyomir. I 00:01:40.099 --> 00:01:42.260 am trying to picture the map in my head. Where 00:01:42.260 --> 00:01:44.500 does the kingdom of Oyomir sit geographically? 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:46.959 The Itzikiri people live in the westernmost part 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:49.719 of the Niger Delta in Nigeria. They are bounded 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:52.579 by the bite of Benin on the west. Placing the 00:01:52.579 --> 00:01:55.980 story in this specific 12th century context immediately 00:01:55.980 --> 00:01:58.459 gives the narrative a sense of ancient weight 00:01:58.459 --> 00:02:00.840 and grandeur. You have to imagine the environment. 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:03.480 You know, the humidity. Exactly. The intense 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:06.200 humidity of the delta, the intricate waterways, 00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:08.979 and the dense, sprawling forests that surround 00:02:08.979 --> 00:02:11.300 the kingdom. It is a setting where the natural 00:02:11.300 --> 00:02:14.759 world feels just as imposing as the political 00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:17.379 one. Okay, let's unpack this. Because building 00:02:17.379 --> 00:02:19.879 a believable 12th century kingdom for television 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:22.439 sounds like an immense undertaking. Who are the 00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:24.960 architects behind bringing Weomer to the screen? 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:27.879 The entire vision was brought to life under the 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:30.539 direction of James Omokwe. He was also the executive 00:02:30.539 --> 00:02:32.500 producer, right? Yes, he served as the executive 00:02:32.500 --> 00:02:35.300 producer as well. But the foundational architecture 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:38.900 of the story, the intricate world building. that 00:02:38.900 --> 00:02:41.479 was laid down by writer Ifeanyi Barbaricidi. 00:02:41.639 --> 00:02:44.199 Incredible. They didn't just build a set, they 00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:46.740 built an entire functioning society from the 00:02:46.740 --> 00:02:49.439 ground up, complete with its own politics, class 00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:52.000 divisions, and religious systems. Every great 00:02:52.000 --> 00:02:54.719 fictional society needs a spark to set the plot 00:02:54.719 --> 00:02:57.919 in motion. How does the conflict in Oyimere actually 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:00.139 begin? It starts with a terrifying disruption 00:03:00.139 --> 00:03:04.250 of the status quo. A prophecy. Yes. The inciting 00:03:04.250 --> 00:03:07.210 incident that sets off the entire 260 -episode 00:03:07.210 --> 00:03:09.949 run revolves around a character named Orinneka, 00:03:10.030 --> 00:03:13.530 played by Oneji Dede. Orinneka holds the incredibly 00:03:13.530 --> 00:03:17.120 weighty title of Oparoon Male. I am not familiar 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:19.719 with that term. What exactly is an Oparun male? 00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:22.400 What makes Aranyeka's position so unique? So 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:25.340 the Oparun male serves as the direct mouthpiece 00:03:25.340 --> 00:03:27.780 of the gods. They are the spiritual conduit for 00:03:27.780 --> 00:03:30.080 the kingdom. Okay. But what makes Aranyeka so 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:33.099 significant is that she is the very first female 00:03:33.099 --> 00:03:35.639 Oparun male in the entire history of Oyumer. 00:03:35.979 --> 00:03:38.759 Oh, wow. That detail alone tells you so much 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:41.280 about the disruption she represents. Precisely. 00:03:41.319 --> 00:03:43.539 She isn't just a religious figure. She is breaking 00:03:43.539 --> 00:03:46.020 centuries of tradition just by holding the title. 00:03:46.139 --> 00:03:48.219 And she is one who has to walk right up to the 00:03:48.219 --> 00:03:51.080 absolute ruler, King Ofotunku, and deliver a 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:53.360 message no monarch ever wants to hear. That sounds 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:55.860 like a terrifying job. What is the message she 00:03:55.860 --> 00:03:58.080 has to deliver to the king? She tells him that 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:00.259 a child born under a dark moon is going to rise 00:04:00.259 --> 00:04:02.659 up, completely destroy him, and bring his entire 00:04:02.659 --> 00:04:05.490 reign to a brutal end. A dark moon prophecy. 00:04:06.530 --> 00:04:09.610 We have seen kings react to these kinds of omens 00:04:09.610 --> 00:04:12.090 in history and literature before, and it almost 00:04:12.090 --> 00:04:15.469 never goes well. Rarely. How does King Ofotanku 00:04:15.469 --> 00:04:17.829 handle this news? What's fascinating here is 00:04:17.829 --> 00:04:20.129 how the king's sheer desperation to maintain 00:04:20.129 --> 00:04:23.589 absolute power pushes him to defy the gods themselves. 00:04:24.069 --> 00:04:26.810 Yeah. King Ofotanku, portrayed brilliantly by 00:04:26.810 --> 00:04:29.569 Frank Conway, is a man who is entirely defined 00:04:29.569 --> 00:04:33.180 by his absolute grip on power. He's a ruthless 00:04:33.180 --> 00:04:35.519 dictator. Right. He crushes absolutely anyone 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:38.420 who stands in his way. Exactly. So when he hears 00:04:38.420 --> 00:04:40.879 that the gods have decreed his downfall via a 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:43.500 child born under this dark moon he doesn't reflect 00:04:43.500 --> 00:04:45.879 on his rule. He doesn't seek penance. He fights 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:48.160 back. He goes to war against destiny itself. 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:50.639 He orders the mass killing of all children born 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:53.180 under the dark moon to avert the prophecy. He 00:04:53.180 --> 00:04:55.699 is literally willing to massacre the most innocent 00:04:55.699 --> 00:04:58.439 members of his own kingdom just to keep the crown 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:01.600 on his head. That level of paranoia is staggering. 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:04.220 It is. It feels very reminiscent of Macbeth or 00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:07.079 King Herod, where the fear of losing power turns 00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:10.139 a leader into a monster. It is the ultimate hubris. 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:13.139 By trying to cheat fate, he inevitably sets the 00:05:13.139 --> 00:05:16.000 wheels of fate into motion. The king's explosive 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:19.019 temper and his sheer wickedness make him a terrifying 00:05:19.019 --> 00:05:22.040 antagonist. Absolutely. But he's also a deeply 00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:25.680 tragic figure because his fear completely blinds 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:28.079 him to the consequences of his own actions. Wait, 00:05:28.139 --> 00:05:30.310 with a king? Kingdom this ruthless and a king 00:05:30.310 --> 00:05:32.930 spiraling into paranoia. What happens to his 00:05:32.930 --> 00:05:35.689 own family? If he is willing to massacre innocent 00:05:35.689 --> 00:05:38.430 children in the streets, is anyone safe inside 00:05:38.430 --> 00:05:41.709 the palace walls? No one is safe. And that brings 00:05:41.709 --> 00:05:43.889 us to the ultimate tragic irony of the series. 00:05:44.089 --> 00:05:46.930 Oh, no. In his frantic, bloody bid to save his 00:05:46.930 --> 00:05:50.269 own life from this prophecy, King Ofotanku unwittingly 00:05:50.269 --> 00:05:52.649 murders his own wife. Unbelievable. And not just 00:05:52.649 --> 00:05:54.970 any wife, his fourth and absolute favorite wife, 00:05:55.149 --> 00:05:58.189 Oniyemofe. Yeah. Or Mofe, played by Mimichaka. 00:05:58.569 --> 00:06:00.629 Losing a spouse is horrific, but the fact that 00:06:00.629 --> 00:06:02.810 he brought it upon himself adds such a heavy 00:06:02.810 --> 00:06:05.689 layer of grief to the story. What was Mofe's 00:06:05.689 --> 00:06:08.509 role in the court before this happened? Mofe 00:06:08.509 --> 00:06:10.689 was the emotional core for a man who otherwise 00:06:10.689 --> 00:06:13.110 had a heart of stone. She was the only wife the 00:06:13.110 --> 00:06:15.370 king actually married for love. She knew her 00:06:15.370 --> 00:06:17.730 position and carried herself with immense pride, 00:06:17.949 --> 00:06:20.089 especially because she was the mother of the 00:06:20.089 --> 00:06:22.709 heir to the throne, Prince Agen. So her death 00:06:22.709 --> 00:06:25.329 isn't just collateral damage in a political thriller. 00:06:25.689 --> 00:06:28.889 It is a fundamental shattering of the king's 00:06:28.889 --> 00:06:32.050 world. Completely. He is fighting so hard to 00:06:32.050 --> 00:06:35.129 preserve his own life and power. And in the process, 00:06:35.170 --> 00:06:37.730 he destroys the one thing he actually cherishes. 00:06:38.279 --> 00:06:40.060 It makes you wonder how the rest of the royal 00:06:40.060 --> 00:06:42.319 court functions when the king is this volatile. 00:06:42.540 --> 00:06:45.259 Who else is in his inner circle trying to manage 00:06:45.259 --> 00:06:47.860 this powder keg of a monarch? The inner circle 00:06:47.860 --> 00:06:50.939 is an absolute masterclass in tension and competing 00:06:50.939 --> 00:06:53.759 loyalties. You have Omarayan, played by Suebi 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:56.360 Fedokubo. He is the king's most loyal childhood 00:06:56.360 --> 00:07:00.019 friend, and his entire role seems to be diplomatically 00:07:00.019 --> 00:07:02.750 managing the king's explosive temper. Imagine 00:07:02.750 --> 00:07:05.149 having to be the one guy who can talk down a 00:07:05.149 --> 00:07:07.310 paranoid dictator who is actively fighting the 00:07:07.310 --> 00:07:09.649 gods. And mourning the wife he accidentally killed. 00:07:09.769 --> 00:07:11.689 I cannot even imagine the stress of that job. 00:07:11.810 --> 00:07:14.129 One wrong word and you were executed. Is there 00:07:14.129 --> 00:07:16.269 anyone who actually holds any political weight 00:07:16.269 --> 00:07:19.029 against him? There is the High Council, which 00:07:19.029 --> 00:07:21.310 includes Queen Idler, played by Thelma Nwosu. 00:07:21.660 --> 00:07:24.939 She is the king's first wife and a powerful political 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:27.259 force in her own right. Okay, so you map out 00:07:27.259 --> 00:07:30.839 this complex web of loyalties, a delicate friend 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:33.740 managing the king's rage, a politically powerful 00:07:33.740 --> 00:07:37.180 first wife, and the tragic absence of the favored 00:07:37.180 --> 00:07:40.000 fourth wife. It makes the king's self -destructive 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:42.899 actions even more profound. He is deeply isolated, 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:46.220 surrounded entirely by people who either fear 00:07:46.220 --> 00:07:48.980 him, manage him, or resent him. While the king 00:07:48.980 --> 00:07:50.939 is tearing his own court apart from the inside, 00:07:51.449 --> 00:07:53.910 The story has to move forward. He ordered this 00:07:53.910 --> 00:07:56.329 horrific massacre, but did he actually succeed 00:07:56.329 --> 00:07:58.990 in wiping out the threat? He did not. Despite 00:07:58.990 --> 00:08:01.649 the Dark Moon Massacre, four children actually 00:08:01.649 --> 00:08:05.110 survived the purge. Four of them? Yes. The narrative 00:08:05.110 --> 00:08:07.569 brilliantly zeroes in on two of these surviving 00:08:07.569 --> 00:08:11.009 children whose paths fatefully cross Prince Igon 00:08:11.009 --> 00:08:13.670 and a young woman named Sima. Let's start with 00:08:13.670 --> 00:08:15.430 Prince Igon since we just talked about his mother, 00:08:15.569 --> 00:08:17.920 Mophé. What kind of person does the heir to the 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:20.339 throne grow up to be under a father like Ofotoku? 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:24.060 Prince Agung, played by Amarachuku Ono, is a 00:08:24.060 --> 00:08:25.819 young man who learns the heavy burden of his 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:28.800 royal duties at a very tender age. But rather 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:31.420 than being molded into a carbon copy of his father, 00:08:31.620 --> 00:08:34.659 the trauma of his environment pushes him in the 00:08:34.659 --> 00:08:37.519 exact opposite direction. He rebels. He actively 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:40.279 despises his father's tyranny. Uggen actually 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:42.440 wants to replace the dictatorship with democracy. 00:08:42.779 --> 00:08:46.740 Hold on. Democracy in a 12th century pre -colonial 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:50.039 African kingdom? Yes. That feels wildly out of 00:08:50.039 --> 00:08:52.299 place. How does a prince even come up with that 00:08:52.299 --> 00:08:55.419 concept in a world ruled by absolute monarchs 00:08:55.419 --> 00:08:58.149 and gods? This raises an important question about 00:08:58.149 --> 00:09:00.990 the nature of visionary leadership. Agon's desire 00:09:00.990 --> 00:09:03.370 for democracy isn't framed as a modern political 00:09:03.370 --> 00:09:05.789 system being copy -pasted into the past. Okay, 00:09:05.850 --> 00:09:07.710 that makes sense. It is framed as a radical, 00:09:07.850 --> 00:09:10.850 dangerous idea born out of deep trauma. He looks 00:09:10.850 --> 00:09:13.610 at the absolute carnage caused by one man's unchecked 00:09:13.610 --> 00:09:16.350 power, the death of his own mother, the massacre 00:09:16.350 --> 00:09:19.029 of innocents, and realizes that the entire system 00:09:19.029 --> 00:09:21.450 of absolute rule is fundamentally flawed. He 00:09:21.450 --> 00:09:23.230 is willing to sacrifice his relationship with 00:09:23.230 --> 00:09:25.669 his father to stop it. And likely his own life. 00:09:26.190 --> 00:09:28.929 to dismantle the monarchy from the inside. He 00:09:28.929 --> 00:09:31.710 is an internal revolutionary. It is a massive 00:09:31.710 --> 00:09:33.710 risk for a character who technically has the 00:09:33.710 --> 00:09:36.090 most to lose since he is next in line for the 00:09:36.090 --> 00:09:39.450 throne. You mentioned the second survivor, Sima. 00:09:39.610 --> 00:09:42.929 How does she fit into this rebellion? Sima represents 00:09:42.929 --> 00:09:45.649 the external revolution. Played in her younger 00:09:45.649 --> 00:09:48.330 years by Jasmine Olorotomi and later by Maggie 00:09:48.330 --> 00:09:51.669 Issybor, Seema is a fascinating character study 00:09:51.669 --> 00:09:54.950 in nature versus nurture. How so? She's technically 00:09:54.950 --> 00:09:57.169 highborn, but due to the circumstances of her 00:09:57.169 --> 00:09:59.850 survival, she's raised entirely outside of the 00:09:59.850 --> 00:10:02.429 royal bubble. She is taken in by a man named 00:10:02.429 --> 00:10:06.629 Aso, played by Olorotomi Fakunle. Aso is a virtuous 00:10:06.629 --> 00:10:09.070 man from the lower class community known as the 00:10:09.070 --> 00:10:11.409 Iral. That brings up a societal structure we 00:10:11.409 --> 00:10:12.769 haven't touched on yet. What is the difference 00:10:12.769 --> 00:10:14.809 between the ruling class and the Ural? What does 00:10:14.809 --> 00:10:16.769 day -to -day life actually look like for these 00:10:16.769 --> 00:10:19.470 communities? If we connect it to the bigger picture, 00:10:19.730 --> 00:10:21.950 Riona is doing something incredibly ambitious 00:10:21.950 --> 00:10:24.850 with its world building. The society of Oyunumir 00:10:24.850 --> 00:10:27.330 is strictly split. The haves and the have -nots. 00:10:27.610 --> 00:10:30.269 Exactly. You have the highborn elites known as 00:10:30.269 --> 00:10:33.000 the Omijaja. They hold the wealth, the political 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.379 power, and the favor of the court. Then you have 00:10:35.379 --> 00:10:37.899 the oppressed lower class Arab. And they just 00:10:37.899 --> 00:10:40.259 do all the heavy lifting. The Aral are the working 00:10:40.259 --> 00:10:42.659 backbone of the kingdom, living under the constant 00:10:42.659 --> 00:10:45.279 heavy boot of the king's tyranny. They're treated 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:47.659 as expendable, which was made brutally clear 00:10:47.659 --> 00:10:50.940 during the Dark Moon Massacre. Sidsema has the 00:10:50.940 --> 00:10:53.460 blood of the Omidjaja, but the lived experience 00:10:53.460 --> 00:10:56.360 of the Aral. How does Aso raise her in such a 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:59.279 dangerous environment? Aso teaches her to know 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:02.129 her own value. Most importantly, he teaches her 00:11:02.129 --> 00:11:04.470 to voice her opinions entirely without fear. 00:11:04.889 --> 00:11:07.669 She is raised to stand tall in a society that 00:11:07.669 --> 00:11:10.970 demands the Aral bow down. Which is an incredibly 00:11:10.970 --> 00:11:13.649 dangerous way to exist under a paranoid tyrant. 00:11:13.809 --> 00:11:16.029 It sounds like she is a walking target. She absolutely 00:11:16.029 --> 00:11:18.309 is. Her fearless trait gets her into serious 00:11:18.309 --> 00:11:20.769 trouble, specifically when Prince Agen visits 00:11:20.769 --> 00:11:24.389 the Aral community. But that fire is also what 00:11:24.389 --> 00:11:26.470 makes her the king's worst nightmare. She becomes 00:11:26.470 --> 00:11:28.809 a leader? Sema is destined to lead the rebellion. 00:11:29.500 --> 00:11:32.440 She is meant to free the Aral from bondage, putting 00:11:32.440 --> 00:11:34.740 her on a direct collision course with the monarchy. 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:38.120 You have Aghan, the heir who wants to dismantle 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:41.179 the system from the inside, and Tzima, the fierce 00:11:41.179 --> 00:11:43.039 survivor who wants to tear it down from the outside. 00:11:43.389 --> 00:11:45.490 Here's where it gets really interesting, because 00:11:45.490 --> 00:11:48.350 we have this gritty, grounded class rebellion 00:11:48.350 --> 00:11:51.710 brewing, but looming over all of it are the gods. 00:11:52.169 --> 00:11:55.230 How do the supernatural elements play into this 00:11:55.230 --> 00:11:58.090 political warfare? The gods are not just abstract 00:11:58.090 --> 00:12:01.110 concepts in Olimar. They are active, physical 00:12:01.110 --> 00:12:03.889 participants in the fate of the kingdom. To understand 00:12:03.889 --> 00:12:06.049 the supernatural threat, we have to look at two 00:12:06.049 --> 00:12:09.289 specific figures. First, there is Atigbioloye, 00:12:09.370 --> 00:12:12.389 played by Elvina Ibru. Who is she? She is a shapeshifting 00:12:12.389 --> 00:12:14.730 witch who lives out in the dense forest of Oyimere. 00:12:14.850 --> 00:12:16.889 A shapeshifting witch living in the woods adds 00:12:16.889 --> 00:12:19.950 a whole new level of dread. Does she just observe 00:12:19.950 --> 00:12:21.769 the kingdom, or is she actively involved in the 00:12:21.769 --> 00:12:25.429 prophecy? Oh, she actively plays a part in ensuring 00:12:25.429 --> 00:12:29.029 that the Darkmoon prophecy is fulfilled. Imagine 00:12:29.029 --> 00:12:32.529 being King of Fatanku. You are trying to use 00:12:32.529 --> 00:12:35.870 your earthly, mortal army to fight a shapeshifting 00:12:35.870 --> 00:12:38.409 entity who is carrying out the will of the divine. 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:41.539 It is a logistical nightmare for a military commander. 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:44.799 You can't just send guards to arrest a shapeshifter. 00:12:44.940 --> 00:12:47.159 Exactly. And she isn't the only supernatural 00:12:47.159 --> 00:12:50.139 force, is she? No. The show elevates the stakes 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:52.559 even higher with a character named Agby Agby, 00:12:52.620 --> 00:12:55.710 played by Tuku Martin. Agbegbe is an actual, 00:12:55.789 --> 00:12:58.029 literal god walking within the narrative. An 00:12:58.029 --> 00:13:01.210 actual god on screen. Yes. The presence of a 00:13:01.210 --> 00:13:03.769 physical god forces the characters and the audience 00:13:03.769 --> 00:13:06.909 to constantly weigh the power dynamics. The king 00:13:06.909 --> 00:13:09.250 has absolute political power. He commands armies 00:13:09.250 --> 00:13:11.429 and demands obedience. But what does any of that 00:13:11.429 --> 00:13:13.450 matter when a god physically steps into your 00:13:13.450 --> 00:13:15.539 kingdom and decides your time is up? The blend 00:13:15.539 --> 00:13:18.039 of a grounded, brutal class struggle with high 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:20.519 -stakes magical warfare sounds incredibly complex 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:23.860 to write and film. Bringing a world with shapeshifters, 00:13:23.940 --> 00:13:26.039 12th century kingdoms, and a massive ensemble 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:28.980 cast to the screen must have been a logistical 00:13:28.980 --> 00:13:31.779 mountain to climb. A massive undertaking. Let's 00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:34.259 talk about the real -world production. How do 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:36.340 they pull this off? When you look at the logistics 00:13:36.340 --> 00:13:38.879 behind the scenes, you have to marvel at the 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:41.500 sheer scale of the production by the company 00:13:41.500 --> 00:13:45.659 Fimo. Releasing 260 episodes is a monumental 00:13:45.659 --> 00:13:48.659 feat in any era of television. Without a doubt. 00:13:48.779 --> 00:13:51.600 But the timeline they achieve this in is what 00:13:51.600 --> 00:13:54.399 truly stands out. The show premiered on September 00:13:54.399 --> 00:13:58.139 28th, 2020 and concluded exactly one year later 00:13:58.139 --> 00:14:02.529 on September 24th, 2021. Doing the math on that 00:14:02.529 --> 00:14:06.090 is staggering. 52 weeks in a year, five days 00:14:06.090 --> 00:14:08.590 a week, they were dropping a brand new half -hour 00:14:08.590 --> 00:14:11.049 episode essentially every single weekday for 00:14:11.049 --> 00:14:13.190 a solid year. Every single weekday. The amount 00:14:13.190 --> 00:14:15.889 of writing, directing, acting, and editing required 00:14:15.889 --> 00:14:18.629 to maintain a period drama at that pace is mind 00:14:18.629 --> 00:14:21.210 -boggling. It speaks volumes about the dedication 00:14:21.210 --> 00:14:24.389 of James Omokwe and his entire team. Consider 00:14:24.389 --> 00:14:27.009 what goes into a single day of shooting a daily 00:14:27.009 --> 00:14:30.039 drama. They were building authentic 12th century 00:14:30.039 --> 00:14:33.120 sets. And the wardrobes alone. Yes, designing 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:35.960 and tailoring period -accurate wardrobes, ensuring 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:38.759 distinct visual styles for the wealthy homajaja 00:14:38.759 --> 00:14:41.659 and the working class overall. They were coordinating 00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:45.039 massive ensemble casts, choreographing conflicts, 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:48.159 and doing it all on a grueling, relentless schedule 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.960 for networks like Africa Magic and the Showmax 00:14:50.960 --> 00:14:53.590 streaming platform. You have to imagine the sheer 00:14:53.590 --> 00:14:55.830 endurance required by the actors to memorize 00:14:55.830 --> 00:14:58.750 cages upon pages of script every single day. 00:14:58.830 --> 00:15:01.509 Did that massive gamble and hard work translate 00:15:01.509 --> 00:15:04.289 into cultural success? It absolutely paid off. 00:15:04.350 --> 00:15:06.470 The cultural footprint the show left behind was 00:15:06.470 --> 00:15:09.090 massive. Riona wasn't just a show that people 00:15:09.090 --> 00:15:11.149 watched to pass the time. It became appointment 00:15:11.149 --> 00:15:13.450 viewing. It was officially named one of the top 00:15:13.450 --> 00:15:16.509 five Nigerian TV series of the entire year in 00:15:16.509 --> 00:15:19.210 2020. That is a huge validation of the risk they 00:15:19.210 --> 00:15:21.309 took. Did the momentum continue after that initial 00:15:21.309 --> 00:15:25.570 launch? It did. By 2022, after the massive story 00:15:25.570 --> 00:15:28.350 had concluded, the series earned a highly coveted 00:15:28.350 --> 00:15:30.269 nomination at the Africa Magic Viewer's Choice 00:15:30.269 --> 00:15:33.570 Awards for Best Africa Magic Original Drama Series. 00:15:33.809 --> 00:15:36.009 Very well deserved. That kind of recognition 00:15:36.009 --> 00:15:39.190 proves that audiences are hungry for long -form 00:15:39.190 --> 00:15:42.059 historical epics. It showed that you can lean 00:15:42.059 --> 00:15:44.879 heavily into indigenous history, culture and 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:47.840 language while weaving in universally relatable 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:51.159 themes like the struggle for democracy. And people 00:15:51.159 --> 00:15:53.460 will tune in every single day. So what does this 00:15:53.460 --> 00:15:55.779 all mean? When we look at everything we've unpacked 00:15:55.779 --> 00:15:57.480 today, addressing you, the listener who might 00:15:57.480 --> 00:16:00.480 be looking for that next great story. Riona is 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:02.960 much more than a lengthy television show. Much 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:05.519 more. It is a masterclass in blending genres. 00:16:05.879 --> 00:16:09.379 On one hand, you have a tense, high stakes political 00:16:09.379 --> 00:16:12.720 thriller. where every single conversation in 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:15.440 the royal court could mean life or death. On 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:17.799 the other hand, you have a poignant, deeply relevant 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:20.639 social commentary on the systemic divides between 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:22.899 the ruling class and the working class. A perfect 00:16:22.899 --> 00:16:25.139 storm of narrative tension. And it wraps all 00:16:25.139 --> 00:16:27.460 of this in the incredibly rich, vibrant, and 00:16:27.460 --> 00:16:30.379 often overlooked backdrop of 12th century Nigerian 00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:32.879 history. It challenges you to look at power, 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:35.480 destiny, and rebellion through a completely unique 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:39.240 cultural lens. It certainly does. And as we wrap 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:41.279 up... our exploration of the kingdom of Oyimere, 00:16:41.379 --> 00:16:44.059 I want to leave you with a lingering philosophical 00:16:44.059 --> 00:16:47.320 question to chew on. Okay, lay it on us. We know 00:16:47.320 --> 00:16:49.820 that King Ofotanku heard the prophecy of his 00:16:49.820 --> 00:16:52.740 downfall, and immediately unleashed a wave of 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:55.559 horrific violence to stop it. He became a monster 00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:58.179 to save himself. But imagine, just for a moment, 00:16:58.299 --> 00:17:00.259 if he had simply done nothing. Just listened. 00:17:00.419 --> 00:17:02.799 Yes. If he had heard the words of the opera male 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:05.900 and chosen to rule with kindness instead of paranoia, 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:08.460 would he have survived? That is the ultimate 00:17:08.460 --> 00:17:10.559 question of the self -fulfilling prophecy. It 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:13.019 forces us to ponder the very nature of free will 00:17:13.019 --> 00:17:16.019 versus destiny. Are the gods of Oyimir actually 00:17:16.019 --> 00:17:18.319 pulling the strings, forcing these violent events 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:21.380 to happen? Or is a tyrant's inevitable downfall 00:17:21.380 --> 00:17:24.119 always brought about by his own paranoid, violent 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:27.000 attempts to maintain his grip on power? Did the 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:29.220 prophecy curse the king? Or did his reaction 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:31.680 to the prophecy seal his fate? That is a thought 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:33.779 that echoes long after the screen goes to black. 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:36.140 Thank you so much for joining us on this journey 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:38.579 into the 12th century. We hope this deep dive 00:17:38.579 --> 00:17:41.319 gave you a profound appreciation for the massive 00:17:41.319 --> 00:17:43.839 world of Riona, the logistical triumph of its 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:46.440 production, and the epic scale of its storytelling. 00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:49.180 Keep questioning the stories you consume, keep 00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:50.900 looking for those deeper meanings, and we will 00:17:50.900 --> 00:17:52.579 catch you on the next deep dive.