If you enjoy watching shows like Homeland, or if you enjoy watching movies like Taken, then you’ll probably love Tyrant. It’s set in the Middle East, in a fictional country called, Abuddin. The main character is Bassam “Barry” Al-Fayeed, the son of a dictator who fled to America for 20 years and now returns home (with his family, wife and two kids) for his nephew’s wedding. While there, his father passes away, and his older brother, Jamal Al-Fayeed becomes President. Things just continue to get more intricate and complicated from there.
My favorite episode so far is Episode 6: What The World Needs To Know. Jamal Al-Fayeed is the President, and he has a lot on his plate, including but not limited to a country in turmoil, an opposition leader that may possibly snatch the “throne,” a daughter-in-law who wants a divorce, a wife who won’t give her his love, and a dick that is fighting to live the life it once had, but amidst all these, Jamal just wants love. And to be featured on 60 Minutes.
While everyone, especially his Uncle who is the General is bouncing off walls and having sleepless nights (I assume) trying to fix this problem of citizens going rogue, and while his Uncle, the General is trying to convince him to not run free elections because he will lose everything his father has worked so hard to get, Jamal blurts out, “60 Minutes called.”
And while in the bosom of his mistress, he asks her if she loves him. And he asks her if she thinks that the people love him. He also goes on to say that he believes he’s lovable, but from what he said, his mother and his mistress are the only people whom he knows love him. His brother, he said, just pities him, and when asked by the mistress if his wife loved him, he had no answer. Also, once again in this episode, just like previous ones, we see how much Jamal loves his brother, Bassam. It’s the kind of love that is clouded with admiration and a need to please and be loved back.
I was enchanted by this episode. Apparently, even tyrants need love. In spite of the hard exterior he [Jamal] presents to the people and to his counsel, he really just wants to be loved by someone. Probably a deep, violent love. And to also be featured on 60 Minutes. He wants that.
Tyrant airs on FX every Tuesday night at 10:00 PM. I love this show. I only kind of wish that it was showing on a premium channel instead, like HBO. While FX is doing a great job, there’s a certain rawness that I wish it had, the kind that cannot air on cable television. Sorry FX, please don’t hate me. You can check out the website and follow along on Twitter.
Vera ooooo
I have been watching this show since it first aired and now I’m getting irritated. I don’t even know if I will watch it tonight (being Tuesday). It’s a little bit too exaggerated …. what show isn’t though. Going by the negative reviews online, most middle easterners don’t like it and I don’t blame them, especially as most americans will take it as the de facto representation of life in every middle eastern country. There is no balance to the story at all. I’m not looking foward to the day they will come up with a show set in Nigeria because I know it will be so unrepresentative.
Plus going by the sponsorship etc of the show, it goes beyond entertainment and is actually a propaganda tool and that kind of interference makes me uncomfortable.
OMG Vera, just started watching the show and I am hooked. It is so intense so far. Re Manny’s comment, I can understand what he says about the opinions of middle easterns and Americans. But from my understanding, some of the things in the shows are true. Like the father/president’s behaviors. I would like to know why the middle eastern countries don’t like it though. Tim to Google.