Friday, October 29, 2010

Blindness! Miscarriage! Love-triangles! Stalking! Baby stealing! And now . . . Goodbye. Karabo leaves Generations tonight.


After 16 years, the indelible character of Karabo Moroka in Generations portrayed by Connie Ferguson, will leave the long-running soap and South African television's most popular overall TV show in tonight's episode at 20:00 on SABC1.

With rumours swirling of a self-titled TV talk show planned for the actress and one time SABC1 continuity presenter, Generations' 4,7 million viewers will bid goodbye to the iconic character tonight in what promises to be an emotional farewell episode. In a preposterously ludicrous, surprise pink wedding Karabo in her final appearance tonight, will tie the knot with Tau (who's character was actually dead, only to miraculously return for this quickly concocted deux ex machina Karabo exit storyline).

During the character's tenure in the popular prime time soap that's exactly been on the air in South Africa for half as long as what the South African public broadcaster is old, Generations producers inflicted a multitude of outrageous storylines on the character of Karabo Moroka through the past decade and a half. Afflicted with blindness, kidnapping a baby, pregnancy followed by a miscarriage, numerous love triangles, drug-addiction, various business ventures filled with enemies and even dealing with an obsessed stalker were just some of the classic and very dramatic soap opera-esque storylines Connie Ferguson brought to prime time on SABC1.

None - besides perhaps Karabo Moroka's long running battle with blindness - came close however to how viewers best loved to see her: as a grief-striken woman, tears rolling down her cheeks next to open graves, hospital beds, and shot bodies as she lost family members, lovers, friends and colleagues over the years to murderers, psychopaths, enemies and even jealous ex-wives.

Now, finally, its viewers who are grief-stricken. ''The time has come for me to go out in the world and see what else is there for me,'' Connie Ferguson said in April when she announced her shocking decision to leave the show. For this time Karabo Moroka isn't saying goodbye to a character she loved, she's saying goodbye to us. Leaving a generation of longtime viewers tonight with a last, collective, and a very real grief-filled goodbye.