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<i>Tyrant</i> – “Preventative Medicine” Retrospective. All the King’s Horses…

  • By

  • August 5, 2014

  • 7 mins to read

Season 1, Episode 7

Airdate: Tuesday, August 5, 2014, 10:00 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

 

“That’s good because I don’t really like being president. I don’t think it’s good for me; I’m not very good at it. I would walk away from all of this in a heartbeat and never look back.” – President Jamal Al-Fayeed

Really, Jamal (Ashraf Barhom)? Surprising words coming from Jamal’s mouth given I never thought I’d hear anything remotely close to this from him. In my review of last week’s episode, I told you Jamal had killed Sheik Rashid (Mohammed Bakri) to ensure his election. So imagine my surprise, and Jamal’s too, when Bassam’s (Adam Rayner) wife Molly (Jennifer Finnigan) finds a pulse and the sheik is rushed to the hospital for life saving treatment. Also to my surprise, Jamal confesses his actions to Bassam and asks him to “finish the job.” Once Bassam gets over his shock, I think he realizes what a monster Jamal truly is. So has Bassam finally reached his breaking point? Will he really take his family back to the United States? Somehow, I doubt that.

The Maldives

Jamal thinks he can seduce Leila into going to the Maldives but she’s not so willing to give up the power of a royal life.

Jamal fills in his wife Leila (Moran Atias) about what he did and confesses his fears to her. “If he wakes up, everyone will know this horrible thing I did.” Now, he wants to run away like the coward he is; all tyrants have a bit of cowardice in them, right? He wants them to go to the Maldives. “That was the last time I felt completely free.” What a dreamer he is, although I guess I don’t blame him for wanting to leave Abbudin. Can you imagine the fallout if Sheik Rashid wakes up from his coma? Leila is a woman who knows what she wants, and what she wants is power. Jamal has two very powerful people talking in his ear: Bassam, telling him he’s “broken” and can’t be put back together again, and Leila, who, if she gets her way, will be thrilled to have the Jamal of old back, the two of them ruling Abbudin like they’ve always done—with an iron fist.

Jamal also makes a surprising admission to his mistress, Katerina (Ruth Kearney), and then asks her about moving to the Maldives together. Needless to say, Katerina’s response is the exact opposite of Leila’s and I can’t help wondering whether Jamal is serious. He paints a beautiful picture of the islands in the Indian Ocean although I just can’t see him living his days out in exile there no matter how enchanting the Maldives are. I guess I shouldn’t be as shocked as I am at what Jamal does to Katerina but as I said in my last review, a leopard doesn’t change its spots.

Dr. Molly

Molly has somehow finagled herself a job at the hospital where Sheik Rashid is taken. How convenient. At least Finnigan has something to do now. She, Noah Silver who plays son Sammy, and Anne Winters who plays daughter Emma have all had little to do these past few weeks. While we’ve seen Molly on occasion, we haven’t seen Sammy or Emma for quite a while now. I thought the homosexual story line between Sammy and security guard Abdul (Mehdi Dehbi) would have been expanded upon by now. Perhaps the surprise arrival of Molly’s sister Jenna (Wrenn Schmidt) will change that since, unlike Molly, Sammy and Emma are thrilled to see their aunt. I am excited to see where this story line goes since Jenna wants to move to Abbudin now that she’s lost her job. Apparently, she’s a real screw-up who Molly has helped time and again.

First Do No Wrong

Bassam apologizes to Sheik Rashid, telling him the secret Amira confessed.

When Molly informs Bassam the sheik may actually survive, he is faced with an enormous decision—whether to remember the Hippocratic Oath he took when he became a doctor, or to slip something into Sheik Rashid’s IV that will kill him. It’s a tough decision for any doctor to make but in this instance, his choice could have terrible consequences for Jamal, to say nothing of the effect it could have on him.

The Truth Shall Set You Free

I’ve known all along how dangerous General Tariq is but nothing prepared me for the secret Bassam and Jamal’s mother Amira (Alice Krige) reveals to Bassam. It shakes the very core of his being, and has a profound effect on how he moves forward. The guilt he now bears at hearing the truth about Ma’an is tremendous, and more than any one man should ever have to deal with. Given what Bassam now knows, does it make his choices any easier?

Overall

Ihab mourns the death of his father

“Preventative Medicine” represents a huge turning point for both Tyrant and Bassam as well. Not only does he compromise his principles, he realizes something very important to his future. So, does Bassam do as Jamal requests because it represents what his father wished for all along, or does he truly do it to save Jamal from certain death? More importantly, how will Bassam live with himself? We all know power corrupts even the most honest of men so is this what we can expect of Bassam now? What do you think Jamal will do once he learns of Bassam’s plans? I smell a war brewing between these brothers who supposedly love each other.

What did you think of “Preventative Medicine?” Leave me a comment below or tweet me @SeasideTV. Do you agree with my assessment of the episode? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Follow Tyrant on Twitter, using hashtag #TyrantFX. You can also follow Jennifer Finnigan (Molly) @jennigan, and Anne Winters (Emma) @AnneWinters_.

 

All photos © 2014 FX Networks, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

 

Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!

Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!