Browse through Netflix South Africa’s Twitter tags right now, and you’ll encounter a throng of tweets with one recurring question: Where is Blood and Water season 2? It’s one of the most highly-anticipated Netflix originals of the year that’s placed young African talent on the map, with Gabrielle Union and Lil Nas X amongst the series’ global devotees. Ama Qamata, who plays Puleng Khumalo, attributes the show’s overnight success to its representation - with The OCs, Gossip Girls, and 90210s of the world, Blood and Water offers a refreshing portrayal of Black youth “just living their lives'' in the classic teen drama genre that up until recently was, for the most part, white-led.

Last season concluded with a much-talked-about cliffhanger as Puleng reveals the truth behind Fikile’s identity, a seven-episode build-up that left viewers hanging in suspense for a total of 15 months (not that we were counting or anything). We chat to the show's leads, Ama Qamata and Khosi Ngema, about the series buzzworthy return, bonding in quarantine, and their hopes for life-long sisters Puleng and Fikile.

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The excitement around season two has been next-level. How do you feel knowing that season two will be out all over the world soon?

Khosi: I was anxious at first, and then the trailer came out, and I just let it go. Now I’m excited for everyone to see it, still nervous but mainly excited.

Ama: I’m the same. I’m excited but still quite anxious cause I don’t know what to expect [from the viewers]. We set a really high bar for last season, and my worry is, will people enjoy it as much as they did the first season? But I’m letting go of that. Watching the show and seeing the work that we’ve done, I’m so proud of everything that we’ve put into it — we’ve already set all the records, and now people are just going to enjoy it, watch and follow the story. It’s not about being number one [anymore]. 

I hear Lil Nas X is a fan of the show!

Ama: Man! It’s crazy the people that watch the show like, what the hell!?

It's close to a year and a half since the first season dropped. Did you ever anticipate the series becoming such a global success?

Khosi: Honestly, I don't think anyone expected it.

Ama: And maybe that's why it was so beautiful because we didn't expect it.

Why do you think people were so drawn to it?

Ama: It was different. It was a breath of fresh air to see Black teenagers showcased in a world of wealth, [the theme of the series was] not struggle or anything that's got to do with our Blackness. There's no suffering; it's just us living our lives. It's something that people hadn't seen and wanted to see, and the fact that it's coming from Africa, as the second African Netflix original, it [displayed] what the continent has to offer in terms of film. Our industry is growing, and people are really interested in African talent and African content right now.

Do you think quarantine also played a role in viewers uncovering a newfound appreciation for foreign TV? Personally, quarantine is what sparked my love for Korean dramas.

Khosi: Definitely. As you said, people delved into international content that they never would have watched before, so I guess in a way that was a blessing in disguise?

How was it like filming the season in a whole pandemic? That was probably a crazy experience.

Khosi: It was.

Ama: Yeah, it was quite an adjustment. It's difficult because the world of Parkhurst doesn't have Corona, so we had to keep distant. When they called cut, everyone had to back off, get sanitised, wear masks and face shields, and then when it's 'action,' we have to continue as if there isn't this thing going around. But I guess that's also cool because people don't want to watch that on-screen — they want to escape reality and what's happening in the world. Oh! And we also got COVID.

Khosi: We did.

Ama: And at the same time.

Khosi: Yeah, so that was challenging, but generally in the air, there was also just a different vibe on set for both cast and crew. A pandemic can take an emotional toll on people, and personally, I found it challenging [to film] this time around, just dealing with a lot of anxiety and stress.

But I’m sure the circumstances also resulted in a better bond between the cast?

Ama: Yeah, we quarantined together. We were all in a hotel, and we weren’t allowed to go out, so we had to be creative with the things we would do. We would have game nights, play hide and seek in someone’s room or apartment, so there’s like eight people…

Khosi: [Laughs] In this one apartment, oh my God!

Ama: And we were all hiding in one bedroom [laughs]! So we had to be creative with how we entertained ourselves. We got into a lot of different artists as well and listened to different music. It was really nice.

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Moving onto season two chats, we obviously can’t give away any spoilers, but in a nutshell, season one concludes with Fikile finding out about her true identity and her connection to Puleng. How does this impact their relationship in season two?

Khosi: Before that, their relationship is already quite tense because of all the fighting and the back and forth. With Fikile, she doesn’t… how do I say this?

Ama: She goes through her own thing?

Khosi: Yeah!

Ama: In season one, she already had questions about her identity because there were things that weren’t connecting with her family, and then Puleng comes along and makes her question that even more. In season two, it’s deeper right? Season one was on the surface of everything that was happening, and that’s even why the teaser was so beautiful because everything underneath the surface is coming out honey. So with their relationship, it’s still tense. Obviously, it’s the huge revelation that “I think you’re my sister,” and Fikile has to go through this journey of figuring out the truth. Season two is Fikile’s journey — I feel like season one was Puleng’s journey to find her sister, and season two is now Fikile connecting the dots.

Khosi: And taking on a more hands-on role, too.

I found this season focused quite heavily on character development or character arcs. It was nice to learn a bit more about each character's background and see the dynamics in their households because we were kind of closed off from those intimate details in season one. How have Fikile and Puleng grown since we last saw them?

Khosi: As much as there's chaos happening around Fikile's identity, she's sort of pushed into the deep end, and I think she swims - no pun intended. It's almost liberating in a sense as she does take on a more hands-on role in trying to find out the truth, and now she's getting to choose who she wants to be, I think?

A teen drama is not complete without some romance, right? So are we Team Wade or Team KB?

Ama: I am team… Aaah, I don't know! I think Puleng likes them both for different reasons, and it's genuine with each of them. With KB, they share a connection, they both like writing, and they both feel misunderstood. And KB is this mysterious boy who's hard to figure out. Where Wade is this sweet guy - I like him a lot, and he would do anything for me, so it's really hard to decide. I think Wade is like an 'awww', and KB is like an 'oooh'.

Season two ends with yet another crazy cliffhanger. Any predictions on season three and what you’d like to transpire next?

Ama: The cliffhanger is everything. I remember after I finished watching it, I called Khosi, and I was screaming like, 'what the hell!' Shoutout to the writing team cause that was powerful. In season three, we're probably going to see KB get involved because he didn't know the [secret] surrounding his parents, and he's also now going through an identity crisis on the show. So I think we'll probably see more of KB helping.

Khosi: Judging from the ending, I can only imagine that it's going to get tense and slightly more dangerous. I think the big guns are involved now. Eish, I'm just praying no one dies!

Anything exciting that you guys want to share with the viewers and what they can expect this season?

Khosi: There's a lot of twists and turns — people are going to be at the edge of their seats.

Ama: We also kind of bring people's hopes up just to bring them down again, especially with the DNA situation. And like you said, getting to know more about the other characters.

To end off, one word to describe season two?

Ama and Khosi: Thrilling. That really sums it up.