Tyrant: Meet The New Boss

Warning: Spoiler Alert

Over the last two months, the fictional Middle East country of Abbudin and the main characters in the FX Original Series: “Tyrant,” have experienced a tumultuous ride. The nation’s long time President died, passing the reins of power to his oldest son Jamal, anti-government protesters took over the square of the capital and two families who despised each other for 20-years, sat down at the negotiating table. With the President Jamal Al Fayeed, secretly responsible for the death of the opposition leader, after pummeling the old man, his younger brother Barry/Bassam, believes that overthrowing the President’s the only solution to save their country for a long and bitter civil war.

This episode picked up shortly after the end of the previous one, as American Ambassador to Abbudin John Tucker, heads to the square to meet with Barry, who spent the night wandering the streets of his native land, drinking a bottle of scotch out of a brown paper bag. Al Fayeed informs Tucker that Jamal caused the death of opposition leader Sheik Rashid, after the old man goaded the President before a ceremony at the palace. The world believes, that the Sheik collapsed due to his ill-health, but Jamal admitted his deed to Barry, hoping his brother would make sure that Rashid never regained consciousness. After initially being repulsed by the concept, Barry injected Rashid with a drug that soon took his life and preserving the tentative peace between the two sides.

Tucker had told Barry, that there were members of Jamal’s cabinet that wanted him replaced and Al Fayeed tells the Ambassador that he wants to sit down with them and design a way to get his brother out of office, while retaining his freedom and his fortune. Tucker, asks him who Barry wants to replace Jamal and Al Fayeed tells him although he has run from the responsibility for 20-years, he’s the man who should lead the nation.

Tucker literally laughs in his face, telling Barry that he’s a pediatrician and drunk, then tells him to go back to the palace and sleep it off. Although Al Fayeed’s staggering, he tells Tucker, that he brought the Sheik back to Abbudin and cleared the square without bloodshed. He believes he’s the man to become the next President. Tucker tells him they never had this conversation and tells him to keep his plans to himself until the Ambassador contacts him.

Barry heads back to the palace just in time to catch his family eating breakfast. Besides his wife Molly, son Sammy and daughter Emma, Molly’s sister Jenna arrived in Abbudin overnight and greets her brother-in-law by telling him he smells of single-malt liquor. Molly asks her husband if everything’s okay, she worried when he didn’t contact her and Barry apologizes, telling her that he had worked on plans for the upcoming election. He then tells his wife, he’s going to bed for a couple of hours, but to please wake him to attend a memorial service for Sheik Rashid.

Barry and Jamal pay their condolences to the Sheik’s two sons and his brother Walid. Barry, then pulls aside the youngest son Ihab and tells him that the two families have to continue on the path that the Al Fayeeds had reached with his father, free elections in two-years. Ihab responds that lots could happen in two-years, possibly the end of life on earth. Barry makes a deal with Rashid for his support in return for holding the elections in nine months.

Back at the palace after the ceremony, Jamal’s wife Leila starts berating Barry for making a new deal with Ihab without consulting his brother. She tells him that she has her husband’s best interests at heart, but his brother may have his own agenda. Jamal, then reveals to Leila that Barry injected the Sheik with a drug that made sure he never regained consciousness, despite it going against his brother’s principles. He tells her that’s all the proof he needs that Barry would do anything for him.

The next morning Jamal’s holding a ceremony announcing a new state-of-the-art soccer field, that all can use, as he’s trying to win over his people. Yussef, former chief-advisor to the late President, drives Barry to the ceremony, but stops for a detour en route. Yussef tells Barry, that John Tucker had contacted him, as he leads the faction that wants to oust Jamal. They enter a safe-house, which Tucker tells Al Fayeed is a haven for weary travelers. He then introduces Barry to Lea Exley, whom Al Fayeed assumes is from the State Dept. but most likely she’s an operative for the CIA.

The four sit down and discuss what Tucker refers to as the M&M’s; Military, Money and Media, all vitally important to staging a successful coup. Barry, says he can’t fathom getting cooperation from his uncle General Tariq Al Fayeed, commander of the nations military, but he’s told that the General has enemies within his ranks. As far as the media, Yussef tells him that Jamal’s daughter-in-law Nusrat’s father Hakim controls the country’s media and both parents despise Jamal. When Barry asks why, Yussef tells Barry that Jamal decided to test Nusrat’s purity the night of her wedding to his son Ahmed. He then tells Al Fayeed to imagine how his brother tested the young woman and that he’s Hakim’s wife’s cousin and will attempt to intercede on their behalf.

After Yussef and Barry leave, Exley tells Tucker not to become too attached to the younger Al Fayeed brother. Tucker responds that the situation’s perfect, its home-grown and they have a valid plan. Exley replies that Mike Tyson used to say everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.

Barry and Yussef arrive at the site where the soccer field will soon exist and Jamal reminds his brother about their days playing soccer as boys and then asks Barry if he remembers their fishing trips and his brother smiles and tells Jamal he does. Jamal, with a wistful look in his eyes says that they will soon go on another fishing expedition together, unaware that Barry’s planning his own expedition with Jamal as the quarry.

Back at the palace, Tariq and his right-hand-man Ziad, are meeting with Walid Rashid about the upcoming elections. The General tells Rashid that the people love his family and with the Sheik having died, he wants Walid to run for President. Rashid protests that he’s got no political aspirations and Tariq tells him not to worry that he’ll lose the race, but it will be a convincing show for the outside world and he’ll be compensated handsomely for serving his country.

Barry’s decided that with upcoming coup, that Molly, her sister and their kids need to head back to California for their safety, but he tries to delude his wife that they should head home for a week the following week while they still can, before he becomes too occupied with the upcoming election. Molly tells him she loves the idea, but she needs more than a week notice before heading home. Barry snarls back that he’s sick of compromising and he wants one thing to work out exactly as he requests. Molly’s visibly upset, but tells her husband that his wish will come true and they will depart in six-days.

Having been informed by Yussef, that Hakim’s too afraid of the General to join their coup attempt, Barry finds the old man at a local coffee shop. After making minimal small-talk, Barry tells Nusrat’s father that he needs his assistance to overthrow his brother, but Hakim replies that he fears for his and his family’s safety too much to join him. Al Fayeed then describes Abbudin in a few months after Jamal alienates the people and civil strife begins, he tells the old man that if refuses to help he’ll be hung and his wife and daughter will live in prison.

As he heads back to his car, he’s unpleasantly surprised to find Ziad waiting for him and asks him what’s going on and the military official responds he’s there for Barry’s safety and he should come along with him. Al Fayeed, pulls out his cellphone telling the soldier he’ll come with him right after he calls Jamal and Ziad asks him if he’s going to tell his brother about his plans to overthrow him. It turns out that Tucker had alerted him about Barry’s plan and Ziad will take out Tariq. He then tells Al Fayeed that Tucker sent him to follow Barry to make sure that he doesn’t attempt any meetings in public like the one he just concluded with Hakim.

Barry’s driven back to the palace, but sees Molly jogging en route and asks the driver to let him out and he goes to talk with her. She tells her husband that she’s made all the arrangements for their trip home, but Jenna will stay in Abbudin as she just arrived. Barry starts to lose it, then composes himself and asks her to take a walk with him and he reveals what’s unfolding to his wife. She takes a while to comprehend that her husband’s engineering the coup and he’s planning on replacing Jamal. Now it’s Molly’s turn to lose it and she unloads on her husband with both barrels.

She screams at her husband that he’s in over his head, he’ll end up getting killed and he’s given no consideration to her or their children. She calls him a liar and tells Barry that he made her a liar as well, because he made her promise to tell him when the time was to head home. She can’t understand why after abandoning his family and country that he’s pursuing his plan. She then tells him that she’s taking her family home.

The following morning, Barry’s having breakfast with his family when they’re interrupted by two of Jamal’s guards, telling him that his brother wants to meet with him immediately. Barry and Molly exchange a look of concern and the two guards lead him to the marina where Jamal’s standing on the dock looking out at the water. It turns out that Jamal wanted Barry to see the new boat that his brother bought for him so they could fish together.

The story will pick up again next Tuesday on FX.