Just when you think you are beginning to understand the residents of Mirage Estate, Ordinary People episode 3 reminds you that nobody is above suspicion.
The third episode of Netflix's Nigerian crime thriller Ordinary People, titled That Was Close!, leaves Mirage Estate looking like a collection of crimes waiting to be exposed. At this point, I am beginning to wonder whether the estate needs a neighbourhood watch or an entire police division stationed at the gate. Because how are we getting to the end of episode three with bodies, buried secrets and suspicious characters seemingly everywhere?
The episode continues to peel back the layers of the estate's residents, and the more we learn, the less comfortable things become.
Dare Laguda Is Watching Everyone
First, there is Dare Laguda, the tech bro who apparently has a second life as a hacker. During the day, he presents himself as a successful technology entrepreneur. At night, he is busy accessing his neighbours' cameras and monitoring their private lives.
Sir, what exactly are you looking for? Is this curiosity, an obsession or something far more personal? Whatever his reasons, Dare is watching far more than the average neighbour should.
The Tornadoes and the Helicopter Explosion
Then we have the Tornadoes. Remember the mysterious couple whose escape ended in a helicopter explosion in the first episode? We are finally getting a clearer picture of who Tornado is and why his past has attracted so much attention. The investigation surrounding him is beginning to make sense, but the circumstances surrounding that opening scene still leave some very important questions unanswered.
And just when you think the Tornadoes' story is complicated enough, the episode takes us deeper into the other residents' troubles.
Dr Adebayo's past, particularly his connection to Joy, adds another disturbing layer to the story. Meanwhile, the situation involving Jonas and his captive takes a dangerous turn, with Luka's reaction threatening to make an already tense situation even worse.
What is particularly striking is how these stories are unfolding side by side. The residents are dealing with their own private problems, yet their secrets are becoming increasingly difficult to keep contained.
That Ending: Bodies in Houses
And then comes that ending.
Bodies. In houses. Almost everywhere you look, somebody appears to have a problem they cannot simply explain away. The ending leaves you with that uncomfortable feeling that the estate is becoming a collection of crimes waiting to be exposed.
Questions Ordinary People Episode 3 Leaves Behind
Two questions stand out after Ordinary People episode 3:
- What is Dare's real mission? Why is he so invested in the lives of people who are supposed to be nothing more than his neighbours? And how much does he already know that the rest of us are only beginning to discover?
- How did the Tornadoes survive? We now have more context about them, but how exactly did they survive that fiery helicopter escape? And what happened to their son?
Three episodes in, Ordinary People is steadily turning Mirage Estate into a web of secrets, surveillance, violence and unanswered questions. Every revelation seems to solve one mystery while opening the door to three more.
At this rate, I am no longer interested in meeting my neighbours. I want their background checks, their CCTV footage and possibly their full criminal records!
Have you watched episode three? Who do you suspect the most, and what do you think Dare is really up to?
Ordinary People is a Nigerian crime-thriller series created and directed by Moses Inwang, streaming on Netflix.
