- Reviews the first episode of the anticipated reality TV show ‘Mercy and Ike’
Vanessa Obioha
Finally, the ‘Mercy and Ike’ show premiered on Sunday evening to fans delight. The housemates
who found love on the reality TV show, Big Brother Naija have been a trending topic for fans even after the show ended. Thus, the announcement that the winner Mercy Eke and her beau, Ike Onyema would have their own reality show triggered a rave of excitement.
Prior to its premiere on Sunday evening, Mercy’s fans known as Mercenaries took to Twitter
to promote the show with the hashtag #MercyXIkeThe Show.
Throughout the 30-minutes episode, the show dominated Twitter trends in Nigeria. The housemates
also entertained questions from their fans on the microblogging site.
The first episode basically touched on the backgrounds of the two housemates. While Mercy
talked about her humble beginnings including her mum’s attempt to terminate her when she was still a foetus, Ike who probably didn’t face such challenges in his childhood, spoke about a hurricane in his home in the United States of America that led him to
audition for Big Brother Naija.
The episode also featured appearances from Mercy’s sister Promise who described Mercy as
an angel. She revealed that Mercy took care of her and her children when she lost her husband. To Mercy, that act was a repayment of her sister’s kindness. She disclosed that Promise sacrificed her happiness for the family’s well-being. There was also Glory,
Mercy’s personal assistant who received a mild reproach for her tardiness.
With the brief history of their families revealed, the story shifts to the main subject Mercy
and how she is adjusting to her new found fame as well as where her love story with Ike would probably lead. We are teased with beautiful shots of her lavish mansion along the Lekki axis of Lagos state where her sister lives with her. The question of whether
Ike, who has also moved into his apartment would live with her is left unanswered as discussions of their marriage and exes take centre stage. Ike wants to go through the guests list to ensure that Mercy’s exes are not included. Mercy on the other hand, doesn’t
want a particular ex of Ike to attend their wedding. However, Mercy warns Ike that he must be very prepared for their wedding ceremony because she does not intend to wear an engagement ring for more than a month.
While the two bicker about their future wedding plans over a sumptuous meal prepared by Promise
who somehow looked lost in the script with her presence, it is hard to find the drama that the show promised. First, the characters are not convincing. For most part of the episode, Ike couldn’t stop flashing his white teeth to the camera. It was difficult
to decipher if he was love strung or shy before the camera. Ike’s acting skills though have never been impressive. During the drama presentations in the Big Brother Naija show, his characters are the least entertaining. Time will tell if his acting would
improve in subsequent episodes.
Since the success of the ‘Pepper Dem’ season of Big Brother Naija, Africa Magic has been
promoting reality shows. This year, they launched their first dating show ‘Ultimate Love’. With ‘Mercy and Ike’ show, it is expected that they will bring the drama of the contestants which was a major highlight of the reality show to the screen. Mercy and
Ike made headlines with their romance in the house. Their hot and cold relationship endeared many to them. In ‘Mercy and Ike’, that drama is yet to be felt. Mercy, known for her bluntness, looks ready to bring the action on screen, but with little help from
the supporting acts, the drama is not palpable.
Though it is early to tell if the show will amass an impressive number of views or not, the
first episode however barely sparked an interest. ‘Mercy and Ike’ airs every Sunday, 6.30 PM on Africa Magic Showcase, channel 151.
