30-suffering
Career, love, life – having it all means having all the problems that come with “it” in new drama UnMarried.
UnMarried Season 1 Fridays (from 2 February) 1Magic (*103) 19:30
“Unmarried (2018- current, produced by Connie and Shona Ferguson – Harriet and Jerry on The Queen, 2016- current) is about 30-somethings trying to achieve the tricky balance between self-fulfilment, love and family,” reveals Renate Stuurman. Her character Dikeledi is the narrator through this 13-episode drama about three fabulous friends who’re skinning their knuckles on the cheese grater of life. When we meet her, 32-year-old Dikeledi almost has it all. “She’s careerdriven, married to the love of her life Donald (Fezile Makhanya) for just over ten years. They’re partners in life and love. Dikeledi places a high value on her marriage, the security with Donald provides a shield from the challenges of the world. She considers herself to be in a very happy marriage. Her life is organised exactly the way she dreamed it would be. I think what’s holding her back from feeling fulfilled is that having a child is the one milestone missing from her life,” reveals Renate.
But all that is about to change in the first episode on Friday 2 February when Dikeledi’s best friends – stay-athome mom Thembi (Thembisa Mdoda) and model/mistress Lesego (Keke Mphuti) – phone her in a flat panic from a wedding that they’re attending. Either they’re seeing double, or Donald is busy saying “I do” to another woman! Just when she thought she had success in the bag, Dikeledi will find herself in the fight for her life at work, at home… and on those smartphone dating apps.
WOMEN’S WORK
In episode 1, we will also see Dikeledi, the Head Of Local Banking at Freedom Bank, have the rug tugged out from under her at the office when a male colleague blatantly steals her brilliant business pitch. “The challenges she experiences professionally is being invisible in a corporate setting. She knows that she’s highly educated and extremely capable, but as a woman in the predominantly male-dominated world of finance, finding that elusive seat at the table is her daily fight,” says Renate. And working life just gets dodgier as a promotion comes her way with some #MeToo strings attached. Poor Dikeledi’s man-trouble doesn’t stop at work either.
MINGLING WITH THE SINGLES
Let’s just say that a lot has changed since Dikeledi was last on the singles scene. “I think a challenging aspect of being single is getting to meet new people, letting your guard down. That is one of the aspects of single life that most people find difficult,” comments Renate. Dikeledi is in for a hilarious bumper- car style experience as she sets up dates with a parade of unsuitable men. But her ability to keep an open heart might end up being her secret weapon in UnMarried after all. “Dikeledi is a special character for me because apart from the typical ‘strong’ woman veneer, she has the ability to let her guard down with those closest to her. She is a fiercely loyal wife and friend. She is a complex and flawed woman,” says Renate.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Dikeledi is dealing with a life that has moved beyond the frame of Facebook/ Instagram/Pinterest perfection. And it could be a heads-up to her to start questioning whose dream life she was living in the first place. “We’ll see this woman grapple with the idea of expectation throughout the series. Expectations of herself and those closest to her. Challenges that as a woman I completely relate to, as I’m sure many women watching the show will relate to as well,” adds Renate.