Tyrant Series Premiere - "Pilot" Spoiler-Free Review. Just When He Thought He Was Out...

TYRANT – Pictured: (L-R) Salim Daw as Yussef, Mehdi Dehbi as Abdul, Noah Silver as Sammy, Ashraf Barhom as Jamal, Moran Atias as Leila, Jennifer Finnigan as Molly, Adam Rayner as Barry, Anne Winters as Emma, Justin Kirk as John Tucker, Fares Fares as Fauzi, Alice Krige as Amira. CR: Matthias Clamer/FX

Season 1, Episode 1

Airdate: Tuesday, June 24, 2014, 10:00 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“I told you, we shouldn’t have come.” – Barry Al-Fayeed

Given the success of many FX television series, I was very much anticipating the series premiere of FX’s newest political drama, Tyrant. Since I have already reviewed two other political dramas, Showtime’s Homeland and FX’s The Americans, I figured this was right up my proverbial alley. Lucky me, I was given the first four episodes for review purposes.

Bassam, Molly, Emma, and Sammy are greeted by Jamal on the tarmac when they arrive in Abbudin.

Tyrant revolves around Bassam “Barry” Al-Fayeed (Adam Rayner), the younger son of Khaled Al-Fayeed (Nasser Faris), the hated dictator of Abbudin, a fictional war-torn Middle Eastern country. Barry is a pediatrician living in Pasadena, California with his beautiful wife Molly (Jennifer Finnigan), and their two teenage children, Emma (Anne Winters) and Sammy (Noah Silver). After a self-imposed 20-year exile from both his family and Abbudin, Barry reluctantly agrees to return for the wedding of his older brother Jamal’s (Asraf Barhom) son Ahmed (Cameron Gharaee) to the pretty Nusrat (Sibylla Deen). Before he and his family depart the States, Barry says something to Molly that is profoundly telling, “Promise me we’ll come back.” As with The Godfather trilogy, just when he thought he was out, he gets pulled back in.

Barry greets his father for the first time in 20 years while his mother looks on.

Molly has no understanding of why Barry has refused to return to his homeland, and frankly, neither do I. The reason for Barry’s exile is never completely explained during “Pilot,” other than a series of flashbacks to his younger days that provide some insight into the family dynamic and his decision to stau away. Barry left Abbudin when he was 16, fleeing from his dictator father, his brother, and his mother Amira (Alice Krige). While it is clearly evident Barry and Molly love and depend on one another, she doesn’t understand why he never talks about his childhood. There is only one person with whom Barry communicates – his childhood friend Fauzi (Fares Fares), now a journalist and devout Muslim who is committed to the cause of freedom. He and his radical daughter Samira (Sophia Taylor Ali), live in the war torn city of “Ma’an,” which plays an important role in Tyrant.

While Jamal is a combination of The Godfather’s Sonny and Fredo, Barry is more like Michael Corleone. Barhom is particularly compelling despite his character being written as overdramatic and exaggerated. He loves fast cars, fast boats, and loud American music. He is, at once, charismatic and cruel, and may possibly be bipolar given the amount of mood swings he has. Jamal is the hot-headed brother, and takes his rightful place as Abbudin’s leader following his father’s stroke, while Barry, being Jamal’s complete opposite, is a reserved, unassuming, and caring man who tries to keep his monstrous brother in check. While talking about these two brothers, I must not forget to mention Jamal’s wife Leila (Moran Atias), a smart, ambitious, and stunning woman who has history with Bassam as shown in a short flashback. It will be interesting to see where that storyline goes, or whether the writers will drop it completely. It could muddle the relationship between the brothers, and certainly is not what Jamal needs – he already swings between jealousy, contempt, distrust, and affection for Bassam.

Another actor who caught my eye is the young Noah Silver. You may remember him as Benito Sforza in the Showtime series, The Borgias. In “Pilot,” we learn Sammy is gay and attracted to Abdul (Mehdi Dehbi) who, like his forefathers before him, works as security for the Al-Fayeed family. These two young men are playing a very dangerous game that may end up causing serious consequences for both. Homosexuality isn’t accepted in Middle Eastern countries the way it is in America these days. Sammy also doesn’t see eye-to-eye with his father, and opposes him at every turn. Like with other recent TV series that portray the typical American family as father, mother, son, and daughter, one of Barry and Molly’s children doesn’t play a large role in “Pilot.” If Tyrant finds its footing, I hope that changes. While Winters doesn’t have a lot of acting experience, it would be a shame not to utilize the talent she has. I hope the writers give her more to do than just worrying about her brother’s blissful ignorance of what could happen should anyone in Abbudin find out about his homosexuality.

While the series premiere is interesting, there are some inconsistencies that spoiled my viewing experience. For instance, one of the major characters crashes his car through a guardrail on a road that is similar in appearance to the long, winding, dangerous PCH depicted in other TV shows I’ve seen. At the time this happens, he is receiving a blow job, and his only injury is to his penis? Seriously? Not even a broken finger? From what we see in the scene, I expected at least some broken bones and concussion, to say nothing of a crushed skull.

My other problem with Tyrant lies with the timing of the series’ release and its content. September 11 remains fresh in Americans’ minds (I doubt it will ever go away), plus with the controversy surrounding the release of Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier held in Afghanistan for five years, in exchange for high-ranking members of Al Qaeda, the ongoing crisis in Iraq, and the recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria, I don’t think the series is going to go over well with both Americans and Muslims, in my very humble opinion. Stereotyping abounds here, with the stark contrast between the richness of the way the Al-Fayeeds live, and the castle they reside in, and the meager conditions under which the Abbudin citizens live. There are also two brutal rape scenes that are beyond abhorrent, and fall strictly under the category of typecasting.

With all that said, the cinematography, wardrobe, and makeup departments are all to be commended for doing a great job with the lush surroundings, the designer gowns, and overall appearance of Tyrant. The royal wedding is a thing to behold, as is the castle. The only word to describe it all is “opulent.”

What you cannot tell from the series premiere is whether Tyrant is going to be a drama based solely on the inner workings of the Al-Fayeed family, or an action drama revolving around the political unrest in the fictional country. After watching the first four episodes, I can tell you it looks like it’s going to be a combination of both, which may or may not be a good thing, depending upon your POV. The verdict on whether Tyrant will make it in a summer filled with new and interesting series remains to be seen. “Pilot” ends with a cliffhanger, though, that practically ensures people will want to tune in for the second episode.

Stay current with Tyrant by visiting its official website.

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Follow Tyrant on Twitter, using hashtag #TyrantFX, as well as these cast members: Jennifer Finnigan (Molly) @jennigan, and Anne Winters (Emma) @AnneWinters_.

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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!