We’re now halfway through the freshman run of FX’s new middle-eastern drama, Tyrant, and I’m still not sure what to think. The characters (okay, some of them) remain compelling, but after five weeks there needs to be some sort of dramatic action, and there has been very little. I was encouraged by the pilot who presented us some strong characters and excellent potential for a central conflict, but after 5 weeks, very little has happened.
I’m not sure if the drama in the show just doesn’t resonate with me because I’m all “unrest in the middle-east”ed out (too much NPR, Bassam would say) or if it just lacks characters that you can really care about. I’m very sensitive to the actual middle-eastern conflict, but this currently feels like a show someone wrote after just reading news stories for the past 18 months. There’s a certain disconnect that comes with following this show. It doesn’t feel real to me, but I’m willing to allow the possibility that I’m de-sensitized.
Jamal Al-Fayeed remains the one truly compelling character. The conflict between his clear lust for power and sheer arrogance, combined with his love for his only brother and his only son, make for a compelling story. From the gate, I’ve always felt like Jamal is a wildcard. You can never predict what he’s going to do. This week, when he hung a man up by his shirt in a gun range and shot him in the arm, I have to admit, I didn’t see it coming.
Barry is a pretty compelling main character, but he’s a clear representation of American ideals. If you’re born and raised in the United States, you sympathize with Barry because it seems like his views are commonly held. What is hard to understand, however, is that his views are not commonly held in Abuddin. Barry will occasionally do something that mildly surprises me, but for the most part, he acts pretty much as I’d expect. I’d like to learn more about the past between Leila (Jamal’s wife) and Barry (Bassam), because it’s certain to create dramatic tension between Barry and Jamal, who are the clear driving forces behind the show at this time.
Again, this is the American in me talking, but I have to chuckle sometimes at the blatantly obvious references to catch the average American viewer’s attention. In the first episode, Sadaam Hussein was mentioned, and there have been subtle mentions here and there of other middle-eastern conflicts that American viewers might have picked up on. However, during this episode I laughed out loud when in the background of Barry’s conversation with his father’s old nemesis, was a dead ringer for Osama Bin Laden. It had to have been done on purpose, and it was quite funny. Guess that’s where he was hiding all that time.
Aside from the worst TV wife since early Skyler White, this show still has tons of potential. I’m certain that it’s saving some of it’s bigger dramatic moments for the second half (Barry and Leila’s history, Jamal’s daughter-in-law’s problems), but it’s all a tad predictable at present, and it could do to raise the stakes a bit. I’m curious as to your thoughts? Think I’m right? Way off base? Sound off in the comments!
[Photo via FX]
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