Netflix's Queen Sono season 1 concludes with a lot of loose endings and unanswered questions. It stars Pearl Thusi as Queen Sono, who is a member of an off-the-radar section of the South African secret service called the Special Operations Group (SOG). The finale more or less ends up back where the series started, and fans are left wondering what the rebel group Watu Wema's next movie will be.
That isn't the only lingering mystery left by Queen Sono season 1's ending. The shadow of Queen's mother, Safiya Sono, covers pretty much every chapter and the identity of her killer is still unknown. Supreme Solutions is also facing a power limbo, which leaves views wondering if they will hold actual power, or if the SOG will be able to stop them in their tracks.
Queen Sono is the first African original Netflix series, and its story is compelling from minute zero. The series deals with subjects like corrupt politicians, complex family histories, secret missions and foreigners' interests in the continent. At the center of it all is Queen Sono herself - and season 1's ending sets her up with a path to revenge.
Supreme Solutions is a Russian security company trying to take over Africa, as it holds the biggest precious mineral reserves on Earth. In order to achieve this, they want to control South Africa by privatizing their military forces. When Ekaterina takes over Supreme Solutions, she initially wants to keep her own hands clean, but that proves easier said than done. By the end of the Netflix series, Ekatarina had already tried bribing President Malunga, but something was still holding him back. She then resorted to violence by trying to force a State of Emergency: first orchestrating a terrorist attack at Johannesburg Park Station, and then breaking into Malunga's house and burning his advisers alive. The message is clear: do as we say or your people will burn.
A State of Emergency is a brute force solution to intervening in South Africa's internal affairs, as it allows the chief executive to do anything they see fit. Since Ekatarina's plan is to control Africa's resources and South Africa seems like the right place to start, she's willing to make the State of Emergency happen in order to achieve it. Besides which, Africa's political instability, health crises, and civil wars make it a prime target for foreign intervention and ''help,'' which is always moved by ulterior motives.
Hendrikus Strydom is Safiya's alleged assassin, and 25 years after his conviction he is to be released on parole. When Sono paid him a visit in jail, she asked for the details of her mother's death and he told her the whole story - which was a lie. The conversation with Hendrikus brought some light to Sono's question about her mother's assassination, leaving her convinced that there were higher interests behind it all. The details don’t add up: someone with no political connections whatsoever wouldn’t have been able to kill such an important revolutionary figure.
The same day of Sono's visit, Hendrikus dies. The official report is that it was the emphysema that finally got to him, but given that he's the only loose end in Safiya's death, this is obviously suspicious. Safiya had played a great role in the apartheid's regime and was far too high-profile to be killed without repercussions. By the time Mandela became President in 1994, she was considered too dangerous and was already being left out of the conversation at higher spheres. With Hendrikus as the scapegoat, whomever was behind the assassination was covered.
The answer was always right in front of Queen Sono's nose: the SOG. After some digging, Sono has reasons to believe Dr. Sid was somehow involved in her mother’s killing, though she later discovers he was left out of the conspiracy because of his relationship with her. Safiya was considered too dangerous because of her warlike MO, and had to be eliminated. There’s not really an answer to the question, as it only reveals that both the CIA and the South African intelligence agreed on her termination, and not her actual killer. Queen asks Dr. Sid why he didn't investigate further Safiya's death and he tells her that it was someone very high up and that it was too dangerous. Sid wasn't afraid of dying, but of what it would do to the country if the truth got out.
In episode 4, "Rookie," when Sono first sees a comrade die on the job, Dr. Sid tells her “this is what our victory looks like” - implying that a victory for the country always comes at the expense of a great personal loss. The fight for their country is bigger than themselves, and that is something they must understand and accept. South Africa has been in conflict for far too long, the reasons go so high up that one cannot even begin to understand, and the truth sometimes can do more harm than good.
Shandu is currently in an uneasy alliance with Supreme Solutions. He had no problem doing business with Vitali, as he only wanted money, but Ms. Gromova wants to take over his country and Shandu won't let that happen. At the moment they have an enemy in common: President Malunga. Watu Wema just wants him to do a better job at keeping their country on track, and Supreme Solutions wants to do business with the government.
Shandu will not let Ekatarina bleed his people and his country dry and call it collateral damage. His country has actual value to him and his people are not only pieces on a chessboard that can be disposed of on demand. Shandu also tells Bulabule they won’t have to endure "Snow White" for much longer, implying he has plans to get rid of her some sooner than later. If Netflix renews Queen Sono for season 2, a clash between Supreme Solutions and Watu Wema seems imminent.
We finally see Queen coming to terms with who she is and where she comes from at the end of Queen Sono season 1, and it appears she finally starts to process it all. The only familial relationship she seemed to have is now gone, and she decides that she's had enough. At Zana's grave, Queen reveals her new objective: to find who did this to her and make them pay. The conversation implies Queen will be back to bleed them dry, just as they have been bleeding her country dry for so long. She will make her people understand that they are free and must act for their own benefit without intermediariesy.
If Queen Sono season 2 is confirmed, the SOG and Watu Wema will continue to fight the foreign forces that try to control their people, and it is safe to assume there will be blood. Ekatarina still does not hold the power she wants and, being who she is, she's likely to die before surrendering her goals. Queen’s father also makes his first appearance in the closing scene, so we can expect to see his story unraveled too. There's still a lot of pieces in play, and a lot of questions to be answered.
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