This was a good episode, but my main thing was how it was ruined by the terrible (& completely pointless) 'South African' accent that Andrew Howard affected.
A bit of background first: I am English, married to a South African & have been to various parts of South Africa numerous times, & as well as my South African family, I also have many South African friends. My point is, I know what a 'South African accent' sounds like.
Whilst, as a previous contributor rightly points out, Andrew Howard correctly uses certain colloquialisms (oke & doff, for example) which could quite easily have been written for him or, like me, he just knows some South African slang, it doesn't mean the accent is any good. I cannot do a 'South African accent', but I know the word braai (instead of barbecue).
The accent is just abysmal, I couldn't help but laugh every time he spoke & thank my lucky stars he hardly had any lines. I can't see how anyone could think his accent was even anywhere close to passable, never mind good.
My other point is, the character being South African had no relevance at all, he could have been any nationality & it would have worked. So why have a guy to an accent he can't do? Just change the nationality of the (minor) character & then it's sorted!
Anyway, like I say, all in all a good film noir-esque episode, just ruined by the atrocious, & pointless, accent. Not criticising the actor, if you can't do an accent you can't do an accent, just criticising firstly the inclusion of a blatantly fake South African, & secondly the fact that anybody in casting thought this accent was acceptable! It's seriously utterly laughable!
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