Tyrant – “State of Emergency” Retrospective. Terrorists Come in All Sizes.

TYRANT cast – 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 2

Airdate: Tuesday, July 1, 2014, 10:00 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“Blood is everything in this place. You don’t need me to tell you that.” – U.S. Ambassador John Tucker

Although desperate to return to the United States, Bassam ‘Barry’ Al-Fayeed and his family deplane once they learn his brother Jamal (Asraf Barhom), the newly appointed President of Abbudin, has been involved in a car crash. Jamal’s wife Leila (Moran Atias) realizes the woman (Hadar Ratzon Rotem) who bit through Jamal’s penis, causing the accident, belonged to a terrorist faction in Ma’an and couldn’t have been acting alone. Leila concurs with General Tariq Al-Fayeed’s (Raad Rawi) plan to impose a “complete blockade” of the city until the other members of the group can be found.

Unbeknownst to Fauzi (Fares Fares), his daughter Samira (Sophia Taylor Ali) is a member of said terrorist group. She takes a huge risk smuggling another member of the group into Ha’an taking him to their leader Ihad (Alexander Karim). Ihad has a strong hold on Samira, and I hope she doesn’t die because of him. To say nothing of how disappointed her father would be if he knew what Samira is doing.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital where Jamal is undergoing surgery, a tired and disgusted Nusrat (Sibylla Deen) wants to go home. I don’t blame her for not wanting to hang around. After all, in the series premiere of Tyrant, Jamal took her virginity before she had a chance to give it to her new husband, Jamal’s son Ahmed (Cameron Gharaee). Funny thing about that – we never see what happens when Ahmed and Nusrat take to the conjugal bed for the first time. You know—how Nusrat explains her not being a virgin? I would have liked to see the expression on Ahmed’s face when she told him.

Nusrat tries to talk sense into young Yahia.

A large portion of “State of Emergency” deals with the kidnapping of Nusrat by a group of young terrorists whose leader, Fahmi, is the brother of an imprisoned man. As U.S. Ambassador John Tucker (Justin Kirk) tells Bassam, “These terrorists holding Nusrat…they’re just a bunch of kids in over their heads.” I know people are recruited as terrorists when they are children but still, it saddens me to see them brandishing guns and rifles, ready and willing to do whatever is necessary to get what they want. Fahmi thinks holding Nusrat will get his brother released but as is common practice in the United States, Abbudin doesn’t negotiate with terrorists. Nusrat does her best to convince the young men to let her go and even comes close to freedom after speaking with young Yahia (Zohair Avu Hanna). It doesn’t work, though, despite everyone wanting to give up—except Fahmi, that is. Tucker suggests Bassam speak to Tariq, who has already sent in the troops, about his heavy-handed methods but Bassam doesn’t feel it’s his place “to get involved.” That is, until his mother, Amira (Alice Krige), speaks her mind. “Your father is dead; your brother was nearly killed. Your nephew’s wife is being held hostage. What more needs to happen before you feel compelled to get involved?” This is a very heartfelt scene during which Amira also chastises Bassam for running away from his family and his familial responsibilities. Krige’s talents as an actress are on full display in this scene where she plays the disappointed mother extremely well. She is very soft spoken but delivers her words in a way that means business.

Amira reminds Bassam of his family duties.

Amira’s speech apparently works because Bassam visits Tariq to talk him out of using deadly force on the young terrorists. Another of the disappointments I commented on in my Advance Review of Tyrant’s series premiere revolves around this plot point. Bassam walks into the store where Fahmi and group are holding Nusrat, hands in the air, saying, “I’m unarmed…I just want to talk.” In what country do you walk in unarmed to talk to a group of terrorists? Not any country I know, that’s for sure. Writers Howard Gordon and Craig Wright apparently would have us suspend everything we’ve learned about terrorism to make Bassam the hero of the hour. But despite Bassam’s promise to the young terrorists that “Only an Al-Fayeed can save you now,” Tariq ignores Bassam’s request to let them go. In that moment, Bassam’s hatred of his homeland becomes clear.

Leila is sitting in Jamal’s hospital room when the doctor comes in to update Jamal on his condition. When she tries to explain what happened, all Jamal is interested in knowing is, “Did you fix me?” and “Will it work again?” Given his treatment of women, and the rude way he interacts with Dr. Cohen, I truly hope his sexual functions never return. It would serve him right. But as horrific a monster as Jamal is, Leila has her own way of getting what she wants. She is, in no way, the shrinking violet you might expect from a woman who turns a blind eye to her husband’s cheating ways. After reminding Dr. Cohen that Jamal’s condition must remain private, and Dr. Cohen responds with “Don’t threaten me, Mrs. Al-Fayeed,” Leila merely asks the good doctor how her son is doing. You don’t need a brick to fall on your head to hear the intended threat. Mark my words, Leila is going to become a force to be reckoned with.

Through a flashback, we see a young Leila seduce a young Bassam in a cave, telling him, “At least you have a reason to come back.” But he didn’t come back, and towards the end of “State of Emergency,” Barry finally tells his wife Molly (Jennifer Finnigan) the real reason behind his leaving Abbudin. But, is it only because of the way young Bassam (Mousini Abour) and Jamal (Bennis Kamal) were treated by their father, Khaled Al-Fayeed (Nasser Faris), when they were children? I’m anxious to learn more about Bassam and Leila’s relationship, aren’t you? I also want to know more about Tucker’s connection to the Al-Fayeed family. There’s something about the U.S. Ambassador I don’t quite trust but I haven’t been able to put my finger on it yet. Any thoughts on this?

It’s obvious Bassam is having second thoughts about leaving Abbudin now that his father is dead. Plus, Jamal is beginning to lean on him heavily for advice, especially during Khaled’s funeral when Jamal tells Barry he can’t eulogize their father with the prepared speech Leila gives him. Barry advises him to speak from the heart and to “just tell them the truth.” What results is a beautiful speech that could have been given by any devoted son in any country.

Overall, “State of Emergency” is a good episode that delves further into character development, giving us a good look at what makes these people tick. It’s nice to see the brothers Al-Fayeed getting along so well, especially now that Bassam has decided to stay in Abbudin for the near future. I can’t wait to find out what Molly has to say about that. Will she, daughter Emma (Anne Winters), and son Sammy (Noah Silver) want to stay with Bassam, or will they leave him there and return to the States? If Sammy has anything to say about it, I’m sure he’ll opt to stay as he still has his eye on Abdul (Mehdi Dehbi). I smell trouble ahead.

What did you think of “State of Emergency?” Leave me a comment below or tweet me @SeasideTV. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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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!