Riches review: High on drama and packed with mysteries

In ‘Riches’, the lives of Stephen Richards’ children from two different marriages start to intertwine when he passes away and his company’s ownership is put into question. The series is now streaming on Prime Video.

Story

The demise of Stephen Richards, the owner of Flair & Glory, a multi-million dollar cosmetics company, brings his children from two different marriages together.

The will of Stephen Richards, declaring that all of his shares will belong to his children from his first marriage, Nina and Simon, leaves Claudia, his second wife, and her children fighting for their claim over the company.

While Claudia orchestrates a plan of her own, Nina, now the CEO of Flair & Glory, discovers that the company is on the verge of falling apart.

Nina’s investigation leads her to find out that a total of £20 million is missing from the company.

Stephen’s last conversation with Nina suggested that someone is trying to hurt the company, and now Nina is in the position to figure out who might’ve stolen the money and if this person is a threat to them.

Performances

Deborah Ayorinde embodies the strength that her character of Nina Richards represents. Ayorinde’s performance clearly signifies that if the viewers should side with someone, it should be Nina, owing to her bold and ambitious nature.

Sarah Niles as Claudia Richards is the kind of caring mother who will go to lengths to safeguard her children. Niles perfectly works as the vamp the viewers will love to hate.

Emmanuel Imani as Simon Richards always stays in the shadow of Ayorinde. Nevertheless, his character is, at the moment, best suited as the support system Nina needs.

Similarly, Nneka Okoye, Adeyinka Akinrinade, and Ola Orebiyi don’t get enough screen time either, and it’s Niles who is representing Stephen’s second family most of the time.

Positives

Riches is certainly a well-paced soap opera high on drama. The show establishes its tone and progression in the very first episode.

Though some of the scenes are predictable, the acting performances make these scenes worthwhile. For example, the very first confrontation between Nina and Claudia will give the viewers a chill.

The scene further clarifies how cutthroat the relationship between these two families is.

The show brilliantly forms this dynamic over the course of the six episodes. Also, the mystery element is used to the fullest and in the best way possible.

The culprit is right around the corner, but the actors and character arcs are so convincing that it’s hard to guess who that is.

Negatives

Though the mystery in the show plays out well, the culprit chosen seems to be a bit of a lazy choice, especially when there are a number of mysteries in the show. There are several paths the story could’ve taken.

For most of its part, ‘Riches’ is a Nina Richards show. With so many characters in the frame, the show should’ve given each one of them enough time to develop rather than focusing solely on Nina.

Verdict

‘Riches’ is a show the viewers won’t give up on once they hop onto the very first episode.

The drama, rivalries, mysteries, and revelations are executed in a very refreshing manner. The story’s pacing will easily grasp the mind of a regular viewer.

Riches
Riches review: High on drama and packed with mysteries 1

Director: Sebastian Thiel, Darcia Martin, Abby Ajayi

Date Created: 2022-12-02 14:30

Editor's Rating:
4

Also Read: Riches ending explained: Who stole the money from Flair & Glory?

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