Pallance Dladla: Biceps,Bulge,Gay Character, and Braggadocio

Of course I'm going to watch Shadow (2019), an action-adventure tv series from South Africa, set in Johannesburg, where half the cast speaks Zulu half the time.  You've got to love those Zulu names: Zekheteholo Zondi; Didimalang Moagi; Bhekisizwe Mahlawe;Thembalethu Ntuli.

Especially when it star the biceps of Pallance Dladla (left).

Until I discover that it is a rehash of all of the cliches of the Marvel tv universe: a brooding vigilante with a tortured past (probably a dead wife) and a trivial superpower that's not really necessary  (the plot could function perfectly well without it).

In this case, brooding vigilante Shadow (Pallance Dladla), recovering from his tortured past, is living with his wheelchair-bound sister and their boarder, no doubt his future girlfriend.  His superpower:  he's impervious to pain.

Wait -- wouldn't that be a disability?  Don't we need pain to tell us that our bodies are injured?  How else would you know that something needs fixing?

Shadow has a buddy, Max (Khathu Ramabulana), so there might be some gay subtexts, but I'm not going to stick around to find out.

I am, however, going to research  Pallance Dladla's biceps and bulge.

According to his offical website, Pallance was born in 1992 in Soweto.  While attending the Parkland Boys High School, he won "Best Actor" and "Best Original Script."

Bragging much?

In 2011 he appeared on the tv talent show Class Act, where "He reached the finals and earned worldwide acclaim for hisincredible performances." 

Oh, don't be so modest.  When you have muscles, you don't need to know how to act.

Pallance's credits include

4Play: Sex Tips for Girls (2010), a sort of South African Sex in the City. He played Jimmy in one episode. In 2010 he was barely 18, so I'm wondering if he was qualified to give any of those sex tips.

Wild at Heart (2012), a long-running British series about a veterinarian and his family running a game preserve in South Africa..  He plays Mohato in one episode.

Avenged (2013), a crime drama.  He plays a character far down in the cast list.

Intersextions (2013), a tv series that examines "life, love, and relationships).  Pallance plays a gay man, and gets an on-screen kiss.

Afterwards many fans thought he was gay. He said "I didn't know how to handle that,but I tried to make it clear that I wasn't gay without being rude."

Hard to Get (2014), a romance about a young man from the townships who falls in love with a gangster's girlfriend and travels to Johannesburg to rescue his stolen car. That's what the plot synopsis says.

The Message (2015). A special-ops team is sent to save Soweto from a nuclear threat.  Their names are Reaper, Mother, Crowbar, Sideshow, Zinzi, and Joker (Pallance).  Please tell me that this is a comedy.

Tempy Pushas (2015).  A soap opera about jealousy, greed, and revenge in the multi-million rand South African fashion business.  Pallance plays X in one episode.

To be fair, Pallance didn't write this heterosexist "every woman's fantasy" tripe, but he did ask for comments on Facebook. 300 agreed, one said "unless they're lesbians," and another said "Even straight guys go crazy ove X's body."

Is'Thunzi (2016), a South African teen drama about a girl with big dreams.  He's not on the cast list.

Madiba (2017), a mini-series about the life of Nelson Mandela.  He's not on the cast list, but he says he played someone named Tokyo.

Zulu Wedding (2017).  Feisty choreographer is engaged to an American named Tex, but still feels compelled to go home to South Africa,where she is engaged to a king. Zulu (Pallance) plays the palace guard who she falls in love with.

This ad makes it look like Zulu falls in love with Tex.

She also has a gay best friend, by the way.