The second chapter of The Origin: Madam Koi Koi has had an entire seven days to build viewers’ expectations. But when it is finally released on Netflix, not so much of the previous love the first chapter greets it.
There are no top trends on X, not Space meeting to discuss the concluding part of what is arguably Nollywood first horror movie on Netflix. There is even a debate about whether Madam Koi Koi is a horror movie or a thriller. For those who argue for thrillers, the horror element in the movie was downplayed significantly. The scenes where Madam Koi Koi, the vengeful spirit murders her victims are not as horrifying as expected by the standards of horror movies.
While the argument isn’t convincing as there are no set standards of what constitutes a horror film, chapter 2 had an opportunity to clear things up for many of those who are undecided. Instead, what it offers are long winding dialogues, foot-dragging action scenes, and new plot twists that push the whole plot deeper into the intrigues in Malomo rather than St Augustine Catholic School.
The second chapter begins with a dead body surrounded by the villagers in Malomo. Beside the body is a priest speaking to the spirits to have mercy. Baba Fawoje’s voice comes in with the narration. He knew Bolu and his friends were responsible for the murder of the corper teacher who became Madam Koi Koi but he could not prove it. You will have to listen to the narrator twice to really be sure it was the voice of the baba. The voice is rather younger than the older man who is slower with his speech. Why the directors of the movie thought it was better to use the voice of a young man to narrate that scene is only left to the imagination.
The quest to find what made Madam Koi Koi a blood-thirsty spirit revealed an entirely new story about a woman who lost all her babies after they turned 4 years old. The villagers, believing the woman was a witch, agreed with the chief priest to condemn her to death by hanging and let her spirit cry and roam forever. Unknown to the villagers, the children were dying as a result of sickle cell anaemia.
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This plot twist however does not come from Baba Fawole who has been narrating the story all along. It comes from a new character, Fajimi, an apprentice of Ifalade, also a new character and father to Baba – a powerful chief priest of Malomo. It was Ifalade who advised the king of Malomo to sanction a blood sacrifice and banish the perpetrators of the rape of Madam Koi Koi from the village to assuage the angry spirit. angry spirit. As soon as the sacrifice was made and the families of the perpetrators were gone, the village found peace – only for a while.
The story is now that a member of the family who did not know about the events has returned and reawakened the restless spirit to start attacking the villagers once again. The tree where the woman was hanged was also the spot where the corper teacher was raped and murdered by Bolu and his friends. Unknown to Fawole, he has already been in touch with a member of the family. Fajimi sends him to find the person and bring him for another round of sacrifice.
Jay Franklyn Jituboh, the director and co-writer of the movie made great efforts to bring different threads in the story of Madam Koi Koi together and also deepen a few of the characters. The various twists and plots brought in many more characters that left many underutilised. Sis Ruth, played by Chioma Chukwuka continued to be a fringe player in the second chapter.
Officer Oscar’s philandering ways might have given the vibes that he is the member of the family that returned without knowing the problem his family caused the people in Malomo. His staying back with a flimsy excuse to flirt with a student was too easy a giveaway. He succeeds in sleeping with the student whom she buys provisions for. But as it turns out, Oscar is not the family member because he is killed in the forest after he attempts to force the student into another round of sex.
Inspector Theophilus Achebe and Baba Fawole would later find out that the spirit was heading towards the village and was targeting the one person who came into the community the day the killings started. Amanda was the only one who came into the community the same day the killings began. She has also been having nightmares in which she senses the presence of the spirit attacking her or she will wake up drenched in sweat after every death.
In Chapter 2, there is something puzzling about the bodies left behind by Madam Koi Koi. In the first chapter, the story is that the faces of those killed by the vengeful spirit are so mangled that they are unrecognizable. However, the three faces that are shown in Chapter 2 are recognisable. The bulging eyes and the blood splattered all over them are the only things that show they have suffered a gruesome death.
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Also, Baba Fawole must have superpowers that were not explained to know that Amanda has been having nightmares. When Amanda asks him how he knows about her dreams, his best response is “The same way I know that if you do not come with us, the dreams will quickly turn into reality.” Fawole’s clairvoyance couldn’t have simply been because he was the son of a once powerful chief priest whom he abandoned to pursue education.
Amanda’s nightmare is connected to her missing father Sile, who was one of her four friends of Bolu. Omolewa got pregnant for him after a one-night stand but was thrown out when she confronted Sile about the pregnancy. Recanting the story to the inspector and Baba Fawole, Omolewa says having Amanda was the best thing that happened to her. Why did the inspector, Fawole, and Amanda lead Omolewa to believe that nothing was wrong with the girl and she was not in trouble when she was clearly the target of a murderous spirit? Amanda was clearly very close to her mother and would probably not mind informing her about the nightmares. Why would they take her to a priest (Fajimi) who goes on to take a blood sample for sacrifice without the consent of her mother?
Inspector Theophilus’s about-turn just after his regular prostitute assures him that stories about Madam Koi Koi were real, is mind-boggling. What was it about his relationship with the prostitute that would earn her such a vote of confidence from an officer who all along had undermined more cogent proof presented to him?
The ending part of chapter 2 has a few surprises as Mother Superior decides to take out Baba Fawole. Until the last scene, there seems an unwritten rule in this movie that all the deaths must happen in the evil forest. Why this is the case is anyone’s guess. However, Madam Koi Koi decides to eliminate the three troublesome boys that attempted to rape Amanda in the class where they were using to study. Sister Ruth finally spoke in the final scene where she begged Madam Koi Koi to spare the life of Amanda.
How did Baba Fawole survive without a scratch after being hit on the head with a big stick by Madam Superior’s assistant, Ige? Who informed Inspector Theophilus that Madam Koi Koi was about to kill Amanda on the school premises? Did Madam Superior get her just dessert? There are more questions than answers.
