Seeing the title The Billionaire’s Wife, the first thing that came to mind was, well, this is going to be one of the old love stories repackaged. The case where the wife of the billionaire shows off her riches and looks down upon anyone who comes her way. To my surprise the story took a different angle compared to the numerous predictable love and riches stories we have seen over the years.
A carefully thought-out drama leaves the viewers wanting more. It leaves you with a lasting thrilling experience that only you can explain. The Billionaire’s Wife will give you that and more. Director Danny Adotey takes us on a journey that keeps us on the edge of our seats for most parts of the series. We are wondering what is going to happen next. What other surprise does Danny have up his sleeve? And when it finally comes, you are only left with the words, “I didn’t see that coming.” The “I didn’t see that coming” moments can be traced through almost all the episodes of the series.
The Billionaire’s Wife follows the story of a young lady who marries an old Billionaire to make all her wishes and fantasies come true. Yes, I have heard you whispering, “the lady is a gold-digger.” Hold that thought for now and tell me if you still feel the same after watching the season 1 of the series. The Billionaire’s Wife opens with a scene in episode 1 where Dzidzor (Florence Nana Ama Agyei) reports to the police about her missing friend. If this picture gives you the idea that the series will be about police going after kidnappers, then I’m sorry to disappoint you.
The Billionaire Bill Gyimah (Kingsley Yamoah) has a big family but does not have the son he will be proud of. Bill is of the view that his current son Maxwell (Quesi Blay) is not fit to inherit all his massive wealth. As he puts it himself, ‘…he lacks the DNA of a true Gyimah’. This is where Adepa (Andriana Akua Amegbor) comes into the picture. 19-year Adepa becomes the last wife of Bill, keeping his hopes of getting a legitimate son alive. Though the Gyimah’s are rich, director Danny cleverly shows how broken the family is. Everyone wants something in this family. The drama takes shape when young Adepa hosted the Gyimah family for a diner night that ended on a rather disappointing note.
Circumstance they say have a great influence on a person’s life. In Episode 4 of the series, we see a backstory of Adepa, and the struggles she had to go through in the hands of her family. Though the backstory, could have taken us a little back to when Adepa was much younger for us to appreciate her plight better, I think it added some value to the series. At least, now we understand the reasoning behind some of the choices Adepa makes. The director cleverly used to backstory to also tell us more about Cool D (Foster Amponsah) and how he fits in Adepa’s life.
You can’t just watch this series without enjoying the dialogue. Credit must be given to Benjamin Kent, the writer of the script for a good job done. The story appears well researched and the dialogue thought through. Bill is a delight to watch, he delivers his dialogue with mastery and confidence owning the character. Fafa (Selassie Ibrahim) is another character to look out for. How she nurses her flowers gives you the impression that she is a loving, kind woman. But I can assure you don’t let her sweat tongue and nice appearance deceive. She is the devil in disguise. I like how the writer introduces stories into the dialogue making it engaging. One of such dialogue that caught my attention is when Fafa said, “you see these plants, they grow out of dirt. No matter how beautiful they come out, they are still rooted in dirt. That is what keeps them alive, not the beauty, the dirt.” This is a whole motivational speech kept in a single dialogue.
The appearance of Cool D breaths some fresh air into the series. He comes out as this hilarious character, but trust me, there is more to him than that. He delivers his lines with ease making the character likable instantly. You should also know this; his laughter can cause you to laugh. Just for you to end up asking yourself, what did I laugh for? A character like Anna (Princess Lankai) with her unique appearance makes you itch to see the evil plans she has in her head. She is fearful and very calculative in her actions.
Despite the script doing well in some areas, it also falls short in some areas. The script didn’t help characters such as Dzidzor, Vera, Geraldine, Maxwell among others. There is no growth or character transformation in them. It can best be said that they all in there to enhance the development of the character Adepa. Adepa is the character that has seen some growth. From her backstory to her disappearance to her reappearance, all came together to transform her into this fearless and confident character. Though in the opening episodes, her character wasn’t convincing, she has learnt and transformed her character on the journey.
Dzidzor is one character you can’t afford not to fall in love with. The friendship between her and Adepa is enviable. She doesn’t judge or question your decisions. She is always there to help and support Adepa in whatever way she can. We all need a friend like Dzidzor in our lives. One area that I think the script let her down was when in episode 7 Dzidzor tells Adepa to go see Bill, then fast forward in episode 8, Adepa is ready to come back to Bill and Dzidzor cautioned her against it. It looks like a double standard that the directly probably didn’t see to deal with.
Commendations are in order for the cinematography, costume and arts department for beautifully thought through scenes and setting. The look and feel of the setting is billionaire in nature. The props used matched the various scenes and help paint the picture of the billionaire lifestyle. However, a lot of camera movements were not used to enhance the suspense and drama. Throughout the series, we see a pan movement in only master shots. Dolly ins and outs, dolly zooms and other camera movements could have been employed to raise the tension, as well as enhance the suspense to make the series even more enjoyable.
Adepa is in a secret plot to take over the properties of the Gyimahs. Will she succeed? Will she be caught? Well, we can’t wait to find out in the season 2 of The Billionaire’s Wife. I can’t end the write up without asking this question. Why was Cool D killed? To be frank, his death was a surprise to me. Worst of it all is the one who did the killing.
The Billionaire’s Wife is a series that deserves your time. If you are tired of watching the usual love and riches story; then add The Billionaire’s Wife to your watch list.
The Billionaire’s Wife, season 1 is streaming on Showmax.
