Maîtresse d’un Homme Marié – Why we deserved better

I know I have already written about Maîtresse d’un Homme Marié, but I think I need to write about it one last time. Also, in case you missed it: I previously reviewed Dhalinyaro, a beautiful movie that showcased Djibouti. Back to a Mistress of a married man! Monday night, the last episode of the third season came out and of course I watched it. I watched it because of the reviews I do and I wanted to know how the the show would end. Honestly, season 3 was very messy from the get go and actually only got messier! Let me tell you all about it and why I think we deserved (much) better!

Maîtresse d’un homme marié

Maîtresse d’un homme marié follows a couple of typically Senegalese families, but it is focused on the women. You already know about Lala, Marème, Djalika, Racky and Dior from season one. In season two, we meet Dalanda, Regina and Mbène and we get to know Mamy, Mansoura, Fily and Amsa better. In the third and last season we continue getting to know each of these women and their daily struggles, however without Marème.

First of all, the actress who plays Marème, Khalima Gadji, didn’t continue her journey with the show. Which was a big disappointment for many. However, it seems that throughout season three, there were some more people who left. For example, midway through the season, Tahirou was replaced by Tahirou2.0. We didn’t see Mamy for a long while and Anita and Hamid both disappeared on us too. Eventually it seemed that Kalista Sy, the writer of the show also left. Which we could actually sense already as storylines were off and it just did not add up.

Season 3

So, in season three we continue to follow the women and their families throughout the show. Dalanda and Tahirou decide that they want to keep working on their marriage. However, Tahirou doesn’t want to lose Djalika and decides to do takk suuf. Which is what most airtime is focused on. Tahirou not knowing what he wants except that he doesn’t want to lose Dalanda nor Djalika. The catch is that he and Dalanda are married and he signed monogamy. Dalanda is a lawyer and she will drag him in front of the courts if she finds out about him and Djalika. Not only that, but we learn a lot about Senegalese culture. How takk suuf is actually a recurring element as we learn in the first season that Racky’s mom was such a wife too.

Senegal’s Bonnie & Clyde

Yes, in season three we are also confronted by the crazy story that only got Racky and Moustapha closer: the death of Bakary Sagna. He is what I would consider the ultimate bad guy of the show. He used to sexually abuse Racky when she was a child. Her mom would genuinely trust him to take care of Racky, but he didn’t. Therefore, at the end of season 1, when Bakary Sagna tries again, she kills him. Moustapha and Racky (aka Bonnie & Clyde) find themselves locked up, but have an amazing team of lawyers (Hamidou, Regina and Dalanda). At the end, they find themselves in freedom, but Hamidou seems a little too attached to Racky..

don’t forget the kids!

We are also dragged through the divorce of Lala and Cheikh and how this affects Noura. Dalanda and Tahirou’s girls, Yolande and Maam Binta also show the effects of marital disputes has on children. Talking about kids, there are many new kids born in season three, even though we don’t see them often. Mamy welcomes a little girl, Dalanda welcomes her third daughter Kiné and Racky and Moustapha have their son Khalifa.

Lala & Cheikh

Just like Dalanda and Tahirou, Lala and Cheikh try to reconcile for the sake of the kids. Although, they have been separated mostly throughout the last season, I think Lala and Cheikh believed that they were made for each other. However, Cheikh ruins this all, by sleeping with a married woman. Not any married woman, but Layla, the wife of the prosecutor who ruled over his case and had the final say in whether or not Cheikh should be jailed or not. The same prosecutor who actually was interested in taking on Lala as his second wife (messy!). At the end of the show, Lala is left heartbroken and single (again).

Why we deserved better

We deserved better because the overall storylines didn’t always add up. For example the backstory of Hamidou didn’t sit well with me. I think the fact that Djalika already looked like Tahirou’s ex that got away and that’s why he was so in love with her, was enough. We didn’t need that exact story with another character. Let alone Hamidou. He could have stayed single and just be a good person as he was in the beginning. Other than that, we never really found out what kind of crazy things Salif was working on in Ivory coast?! Also, I feel like Mamy deserved more airtime and I would have loved to see how she dealt with raising her daughter alone in Senegal.

Maître d’une femme mariée

Other than that, I think it was funny that at one point Maîtresse d’un homme marié became Maître d’une femme mariée as Cheikh got himself into some trouble with Layla. I think that culturally speaking, there is not much about women who cheat on their husbands. However, it does mean that Lala ended up semi-heartbroken (again). And she did not deserve that. Although it is very ironic as Lala has always been the perfect Senegalese wife in Senegalese society. She does all the right things, thouraye, cooking for her husband, she supported him and they had kids. Mère Diagne loved Lala more than her own children, yet she still ends up miserable. To me that means that no matter if you’re perfect, it doesn’t mean anything – when it comes to marrying a Senegalese man. Sad.

Amsa & Birame

I know a lot of people may not have liked it, but I actually liked the idea of Amsa ending up with Birame. Mostly, if you consider season one or two, you wouldn’t expect it. However, they always had some sort of crazy tension and Birame always told Amsa in her face that she needed a husband and made corny and crazy innuendo’s. So, some part of me did root for Amsa and Birame to get together. Their marriage was really epic. Especially, when you think about how it was always Birame and Cheikh against Marème and Amsa. Crazy right?

Djalika deserved better

I personally think that Djalika deserved better. I mean, she survived cancer, she was not supposed to die. However, this is just the reality of life, right? No matter how good you are, how much you have already survived, in the end we all die. I do think that the very ending of the last episode was beautiful. Although, I wish that they had used Djalika’s own voice to convey that last monologue. The moment when Djalika supposedly asked the question whether someone will be taking care of her kids the way she did. She says: “Yes, because God always has a plan. I leave with no regret, just peace.” That, was so powerful to me as we watch Amsa bawl with Djalika and Birame’s kids close to her.

Recommendation

By now, I think everyone already knows I definitely recommend watching Maîtresse d’un homme marié. Especially if Senegal and its culture interests you. Initially, the storylines are mostly about the different lives of women in Senegal. From the start, Lala, Marème, Dior, Djalika and Racky are central. As the story progresses, we follow the lives of their families and the effects certain circumstances have on them. The narrative of the series is very authentic and actually really important if you ask me. To me, it was very eye-opening and I understood so much more about life in Senegal. If, like me, you want to improve your Wolof, this is a perfect opportunity to do so. Especially because I basically resume every episode in English which you can watch to see if you actually understood.

Did that make you more interested in Maîtresse d’un homme marié? You can find the video recap of the last episode below. Haven’t you seen Maîtresse d’un homme marié yet? Then you can watch the general recap from season one here. If you have seen the show, I want to know if you think we deserved better? If so or if not, why? Let me know in the comments!

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