Top Boy the exciting UK series that depicted struggles of urban life in poor communities became UK cult classic due to its realistic depiction, excellent camera work, sound & music, writing and raising awareness of the real issue of inner-city London communities. It enjoyed success for two series when it originally aired on Channel 4, however the show was brought abruptly to end and many believed it would never see the light of day again.
Drake a Toronto native and a world hip hop star, for a long time, has taken a liking to UK urban and black culture through grime and UK rap, while many such as Wiley perceived him to be a culture vulture he continued to show love to the UK. However it still came as surprise when he decided to bring back Top boy through partnering up with Netflix as well as bringing back the original cast 6 years since it had last aired. While many people got overhyped and some were sceptical, there was no denying there was the anticipation for the show would it surpass the original or would it be a misrepresentation of UK culture?
Especially with newcomers such as the renowned rapper Dave who has collaborated with Drake in the past, this was the first time he gets an opportunity to display his acting skills and if the show is successful it would be a big move for him.
I am glad to say the show surpasses expectations and is a satisfying watch. The level of quality in production is to an extremely high standard. When I first started watching it almost put me off due to the extreme cinematic advancement in comparison to the previous series, but once I adjusted there was no doubt that it was beautifully shot. The story itself is well laid out, complex but easy to a follow with high stakes and plenty of plot twist. Top Boy still retains the shock value, it feels bracingly different to almost every other TV drama around, and it continues to carve its path. As with its predecessors, the action is set in the heart of the drug-based gang wars of east London.
Without trying to spoil too much I will go over plot events and highlights of the show. It begins in Jamaica with Dushane far from the streets they used to run. He is lying low, struggling to live a civilian life while his ego keeps reminding him of the status he once commanded, faced with some extreme circumstances he is forced to go back to London. Sully, played with heartbreaking bluster and fragility by Kane “Kano” Robinson, is in prison, trying to keep his nose clean ahead of his imminent release.
However, a new generation of criminals is more than happy to step into the shoes that have been left vacant. Jamie (Michael Ward) is a sweet kid who takes care of his two younger brothers following the deaths of their parents. He is also a violent and ruthless gangster, this duality not only defines this character but also has huge subsequent impact on other characters and narrative arks. The other protagonist Modie played by Dave is in prison. These characters are all struggling for power and influence and there are many other characters narratives and plots from a love interest, family to betrayal that all play into the power dynamic. The characters are all rich well developed and are only an improvement on their character development from the previous show while new character such as dave is extremely unique, vibrant and bring allot show and are iconic
And the violence is gruesome. There are plenty of guns, knives and baseball bats. There are moments of excitement and confusion as disturbing ones too. The changes that are sometimes violent brought to top boy world symbolize the changing landscape of London. The Turks are the new Albanians, controlling the drugs supply until the younger, hungrier gangs grab at a brutal solution to a pricing problem. The fractious atmosphere of British society is always lurking in the background. County lines drug-dealing takes familiar characters to Ramsgate, against a backdrop of asylum seekers being abused and exploited on all sides. In London, immigration officials are cracking down using paperwork, fear-mongering and bureaucracy.
However while the show does give subtle references to previous story arks from its predecessor show, it fails to really continue to develop these in new series other than narratives of main characters such as the story of Michael, who’s only referenced in the new show is a brief flashback. It would have been a nice addition to hardcore returning fans of the show however ultimately I feel this is beneficial to the show it is not too reliant on the success and narratives of the previous show and instead comes up with unique narrative that are realistic scenarios and exciting to show but still relevant to overall series.
As result the series feels fresh new and rather than a bad continuation or remake of the original. The start at the beginning in Jamaica also could have been better executed the characters in jamaica were not as well executed or developed as London characters. For obvious reason the Jamaican accent/patois was watered down for television, however the real flaws lie in people such as Dushane’s cousin and Sugar. They are not as developed as other characters on the show due to their brief appearances however this is not to underestimate their overall importance to narrative ark as they still play significant role. Other characters such as crazy eye’d Jamaican (forgot the dons name) and Alessandro Babalola played by Haze do bring more to the role however it would have been nice to know more about the Jamaican characters motives and relationships rather than them just being a motive for the Dushane to go back to the UK.
Ultimately the show is an extremely good watch, I binged it and it surpassed my expectations that I had developed from watching the original. The characters are well developed the narratives are complex and interesting, It is extremely well shot, the show references real-life issues from gun and knife crime, county lines, acid attacks, deportation, drug addiction, single parents and more that occur in the UK today however it does this in an entertaining way not over the top and lot of these scenes hold serious weight. Overall I would give the show an 8.5 - 9 out of 10 or 4/5 stars