Much less surprising was the reaction we saw from Emma (Anne Winters). Her character has been mistrusting from the beginning, refusing to give in to the luxuries of the palace and ignore the realities around her. When she took a stand against her cousin while he was in the midst of a catty self-indulgent statement, she exemplified the point that the opposition has been trying to make all season – the right to have an opinion and be able to express it. This isn’t unlike what Samira (Mor Polanuer) was trying to explain to her father about her reasoning behind following the lead of Ihab (Alexander Karim). When Emma returned home and told her mother that she wanted to go home, that “there’s just something not right about this place,” it became an exceptionally powerful scene since it openly acknowledged the argument that Barry had originally made for staying away.
The MVP of this episode of Tyrant definitely goes to Molly (Jennifer Finnigan), who is finally starting to realize the gross negligence that the Al Fayeed family has had for the citizens of Abbudin over the years. For so long, Barry has been dealing with his issues in solitary. This type of situation is so foreign to the average American citizen that it took being in the country and experiencing it for Molly to even begin to give him the benefit of the doubt. The more she supports her husbands choices based not on pure loyalty, but on a basic level of understanding, the more they grow as a couple, and it becomes an asset to the shows underlying storyline.
As Barry moves forward with his plan to meet with Ihab, and try to secure some semblance of peace in the country, he is going to need this extra support at home, err, the palace. Again, we saw briefly the contempt that his uncle has for his solutions, and with Jamal caught in the middle, Barry is going to need to be the stronger one. Tyrant has done a great job of showing Barry’s indecision in private as opposed to in the public eye. In his conversations with Molly he is clearly debating the merits of his ideas, but in the public forum he comes across as passionate but level-headed. Even his disagreements with his brother are kept out of the spotlight (i.e. the middle of the night visit).
Tyrant’s choice to re-examine an event that made Barry’s father the tyrant he was considered to be gave way to a new opportunity to show a change within the government system. Jamal, if it’s done right, will be able to capitalize on the mood of the people, and use this tragedy to his advantage. If he can manipulate, for lack of a more accurate term, the people to separate his image from that of his father’s, than he really will be on a road to creating a new regime free from the pitfalls of the former one.
Let us know if you think that with Barry at his side, Jamal can be the difference his country needs, or if the next episode of Tyrant is just going to lead him further down the illusive rabbit hole.
