House of horrors
Naïve Mary sinks into the pit as The Credential takes off its mask to reveal that it is rotten to the core.
In mid February when Solo (Anele Situlweni) approached Lindiwe’s (Nomvelo Makhanya) manager Neo (Jerry Mofokeng Wa Makhetha) to suggest that Lindiwe perform at his casino, Neo told him, “Over my dead body! The girl is too young to be mixed up in the casino world.” He gave Lindiwe the same message, but she went behind Neo’s back to seize the offer to perform at Shado’s exclusive private club The Credential anyway. And where Lindiwe goes, her BFF Mary (Mikateko Hlabangwane) is sure to follow – nevermind that Lindiwe dragged her into her battle with mean girls The Plastics, which led to Mary’s suicide attempt in March 2015. This new mistake turns out to be every bit as deadly…
SEX, LIES, VIDEOTAPE
Lindiwe lured law student Mary into The Credential with hints about this dazzling world where her heroes like her favourite advocate could be spotted live and in person and she could sit and absorb wisdom from powerful people. But all that luxury and sophistication is just a mask for the gates of hell. And the biggest devil of them all might be Zweli (Khathutshelo Ramabulana), the man who groomed poor naïve “Virgin Mary” for the fall that sucks her deep into The Credential’s underworld in March – their sextape. Mary is absolutely shattered by the revelation that this man who took her virginity a week ago was not only married, but also that his wife taped Mary’s first sexual experience without her knowledge, let alone her consent, and broadcast it online in public for everyone to see. “He was the dream guy that would never use her, never make her do anything that she doesn’t want. So after this sextape is revealed and she finds out that he has a wife, it really tarnishes everything in her world. He’s like the devil disguised as an angel,” says Mikateko.
GONE GIRL
For Mary, there’s no coming back from this. She can’t go home or return to her studies once she thinks that she has lost love, hope and reputation. “Mary is devastated. For all of that to be exposed and put in the public as gossip in the media, something that is really intimate to her, it crushes her. She is like ‘Wow, I guess my dreams and everything? It’s done’. And it’s a sextape that she wasn’t even aware of and that is even worse. She feels that she’s going to be judged, not only by her family but by people, friends and school.” Worst of all, the dream that Mary had of rubbing elbows with the most influential people in her field at The Credential has just come true in the most ironic, depressingly filthy way possible.
THAT SINKING FEELING
As March begins, Lindiwe and the soap’s viewers will watch in horror as Mary sinks into depravity. “She has lost herself completely. She is not able to go back home because she thinks that she is not the same Mary that she was – the one who went to school, who never really focussed on boys and who knew what she wanted in life,” explains Mikateko. “I think she forgets about who she is and that is why it’s easy for her to stay at The Credential and shy away from the truth about everything that has happened.” Believing that she has thrown her life away for good, Mary barely cares what or who she does next. The Credential can do what it likes with her body now that her soul is dead. But Mary is not as friendless as she thinks. While Lindiwe has always landed her in the worst trouble, she has always stepped up when Mary has suffered for their mistakes too.
A HOUSE OF DREAMS
Scandal! art director Pieter Britz takes us inside The Credential, filmed on location in a private home in Bryanston that the soapie hired for two weeks and completely refurnished.
NO HINTS
“I tried to create a glamorous space instead of bringing in these symbols or colours to hint on the upcoming danger they would find themselves in. The space had to impress both Lindiwe and Mary so that they would be in awe and not be aware of the dark undertones of the place. This way it was easier for them to get sucked into this life of glamour and money,” says Pieter.
LOOKING LUXE
“The gold represents the feminine side and the blue for masculine. It had to have a strong balance to appeal to both sexes. I wanted shiny objects but reflective and soft material. I try to stay with a modern trend, linking this to other studio sets like The Newtonian, the Langas’ house and modern designs of Q’s Bar. I started with buying custom-made blue couches and hired gold furniture from a film set dressing company. The lighting was very important as the ambiance had to be warm, passionate and, in a way, sexy. The tall standing bubble lights were one of the most difficult pieces to get. Working with a tight budget is always a challenge. Renting furniture and not buying saved a lot, as did making the dressings. I always spend on key features and then have cheaper objects in the background. It also helped that I have a storeroom full of dressings.”
BEAUTIFUL TRAP
“Most of the paintings were made by our art department. Half weren’t even paintings at all! I bought interesting patterned fabric that we stretched over wooden canvasses that made it uniquely ours and it helped with the budget. Finding the ‘Versace’ (lion) fabric was a clear starting point as to where I wanted to go with the space. It was almost like The Credential’s logo.”
SMART BAR
“The bar was also custom made by my department. We screwed pine boxes together and then painted it in metal colours to reflect the overall colours of gold and blue. We loved this item!”