Far From Home (Season 1): Review, Recap, and Ending Explained – What Will Happen to Ishaya?

Set in the city of Lagos, the largest metropolitan area in Africa, Far From Home (Season 1) is a Nigerian teen drama series that follows the story of Ishaya Bello, a talented but poor teenager who dreams of becoming an artist. Produced by Chinaza Onuzo and Dami Elebe, the series follows Ishaya as he navigates through the challenges of living in Lagos and tries to achieve his dreams. It offers audiences a tour through the streets of Lagos, and it does an excellent job of showcasing the cultural influences of Afro-music in the story. The character development, with Mike Afolarin at the center of it all, is done masterfully, and it is easy to become invested in Ishaya’s journey.

Far From Home (Season 1) Recap: 

Episode 1: Welcome to Wilmar

Ishaya Bello lives in the ghetto part of Lagos with his sister, Rahila, and his parents. However, despite their intense poverty and suffering, Ishaya dreams of becoming a successful artist. To pursue his dream, he applied for an art apprenticeship in London with an established artist, Essien, and got accepted. However, he struggles with raising funds for his trip to London.

Things take a turn for the worse when his mother, Patricia, spends his hard-earned savings on her ailing husband, Ishaya Senior, without his consent, leaving him penniless.

Amid the drama, Ishaya stumbles upon the opportunity to win a scholarship to the elite Wilmer Academy. He jumps at the chance, as it would provide him with the funds he needs to travel to London and take the apprenticeship. But there was a problem; he needed to apply with an entry fee of N150,000. Desperate for funds, Ishaya steals from the nightclub where he works as a waiter, which is run by Oga Rambo and Government.

While masquerading as a student at Wilmer with a forged student transcript. Ishaya’s illegal actions cause chaos in the school, at home, and within the cartel hierarchy. With the debt he now owes Rambo and Government, Ishaya’s sister is kidnapped by Rambo’s gang, and he is forced to take desperate measures to save her and himself.

Episode 2: No Way Out

Ishaya is still struggling to deal with the debt he owes to his gangster boss, Oga Rambo, and his second-in-command, the Government. To repay the money he stole to purchase the scholarship form and free his sister, Ishaya, offers to sell MDMA to the Wilmer students.

As the episode progresses, Ishaya’s relationship with Carmen Wilmer (the great-granddaughter of the founder of Wilmer Academy) begins to grow, and he starts to form a bond with her. But with Oga Rambo and the government still after him, Ishaya must be careful about who he trusts and what actions he takes. He is constantly looking over his shoulder, worried about getting caught and losing everything in the process.

As he starts to mingle with the cool, rich kids in the school, he finds himself at a party where he sees an opportunity to sell drugs. However, in a bid to convince the kids of the effectiveness of the drugs, he breaks Government’s only rule: to not get high on his supplies. The episode ends with him getting kidnapped by Government and Rambo, who threatens to feed him to their hyena. However, Adufe, Ishaya’s ex-girlfriend who is now dating Oga Rambo manages to save him.

Episode 3: The Dr. High Effect

The aftermath of the illicit party that was held in the previous episode is shown. A video of Carmen Wilmer goes viral, and she has to face the consequences of her actions in school. Meanwhile, back at home, Adufe manages to convince her boyfriend, Rambo, to offer her a job as the nightclub coordinator; however, this creates a rift between Government and Oga Rambo.

Amid the tension, Ishaya Bello, who had infiltrated Wilmer Academy using a scholarship, decides to start his business of selling MDMA by disguising himself as “Dr. High” and secretly selling the drug to students at the school using an anonymous account on the “Bling” app. This plan goes well for a few days until a group of students mistakenly starts a fire in the school’s chemistry laboratory due to their intake of MDMA.

Episode 4: A Founder’s Day Affair

Following the fire outbreak at the Wilmer Academy, the school authorities took steps to heighten security by implementing a “stop and search” activity throughout the campus. However, this new measure does not sit well with the students, who stage protests and cause chaos to get the activity stopped.

Meanwhile, the Founder’s Day celebration is happening at the school, and Ishaya’s hero and mentor, Essien, is in attendance. Ishaya is excited to meet his idol, but unfortunately, he doesn’t receive the warm reception he had hoped for.

On the personal front, Ishaya’s ex-girlfriend, Adufe, makes a costly mistake that leads her and Ishaya to plan a desperate move to kidnap Ishaya’s school roommate, Frank, to get money to solve their problem.

Throughout the episode, the tension continues to build as Ishaya’s illicit actions are constantly catching up with him and putting him in dangerous situations. The episode raises more questions about the stability of the school, Ishaya’s relationship with his family, the rivalries he has to deal with within the school, and his social life.

Episode 5: Revelations are Forever

Ishaya’s situation continues to escalate as the criminal group led by Oga Rambo becomes more invested in his actions. Following the success of the kidnapping plan that Ishaya and his ex-girlfriend Adufe came up with to acquire funds, Rambo expresses interest in turning it into a regular business venture. Adufe, in a moment of jealousy and spite, suggests targeting Carmen Wilmer, whom Ishaya already has feelings for.

Recognizing the danger, this poses to not only Carmen but also himself, Ishaya takes action by reporting the entire situation to the school authorities. They move quickly to arrest Rambo’s associates, but they succeed in only arresting the Government, while Oga Rambo and his other associates, Adufe and Baido, escape.

The episode reaches a climax when Rambo retaliates by attacking Wilmer Academy in an attempt to kidnap Carmen and Ishaya. This leads to even more trouble for Ishaya and his family, as they are caught in the middle of a violent confrontation. However, upon failure to successfully carry out the kidnapping operation, help comes in disguise, as Adufe and Baido manage to subdue Rambo as he attempts to eliminate Ishaya. The episode ends with Adufe as the new owner of the nightclub.

Far From Home (Season 1) Review:

Far From Home (2022) is typically a Nigerian teen drama series that showcases the struggles and challenges of Ishaya Bello as he tries to pursue his dream of becoming an artist, despite coming from a poor background. The series is filled with drama, crime, mystery, and love triangles that keep viewers guessing.

The character development is done masterfully, and it is easy to become invested in Ishaya’s journey. The main character, Ishaya Bello, undergoes significant development, starting as selfish and ambitious and evolving into an accountable young man seeking ways to right his wrongs. The cast is well-chosen, with the actors delivering relatable performances that make it easy to root for them.

The storyline is intriguing, tackling the concept of chasing one’s dreams despite coming from a low-class background. However, the story progression could have been more suspenseful, with some scenes feeling relaxed despite the high stakes. Additionally, the cinematography is very noteworthy, with the locations, particularly Wilmer Academy, effectively representing the luxury central to the plotline.

While Far From Home has its fair share of challenges, it also offers moments of triumph. The tension that builds between characters keeps the show interesting, and the overall storyline is well crafted.

Far From Home (Season 1) Ending, Explained:

What Will Happen to Ishaya?

With the abrupt turn of events in the final episode, we are taken on a rollercoaster ride. In the aftermath of the attempted kidnapping, Government is imprisoned, Carmen is sent to rehab by her parents, Ishaya becomes a household name as news of his artistic skills continues to spread, and Adufe becomes the new owner of the nightclub with Baido as her bodyguard, and Rambo locked up in a cage under her careful surveillance.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger, as Adufe is seen threatening a now-caged Rambo, leaving the audience to wonder what plans she has in store for both him and Ishaya.

Read More: Koala Man (Season 1): Review, Recap, and Ending, Explained

Far From Home (Season 1) Trailer

Far From Home (Season 1) Show Links – IMDb
Far From Hoem (Season 1) Show Cast – Elma Mbadiwe, Tomi Ojo, Funke Akindele

Where to watch Far From Home