Tyrant: Searching For Direction

Warning: Spoiler Alert

The Al Fayeed family and Abbudin struggle to come to grips with their new reality, in the FX Network Original Series “Tyrant.” As the family branches in Abbudin and California, deal with the death of Bassam/Barry, Colonel Mahmoud attempts to identify the rebel agent that killed 12 Abbudin soldiers in the previous episode. Our first image of the evening’s watching Mahmoud scouring surveillance tape, trying to see the face of the rebel agent who detonated a truck disguised as an Abbudin soldier.

Our next stop’s the bedroom of Jamal and Leila, as the couple finish making love. Leila asks her husband if he’s alright and she realizes he’s still obsessing over the death of his brother. The President says that Leila may not have liked Bassam, but he loved his brother. Unfortunately he should have realized 20-years-ago, that his brother didn’t have the same love for him.

Leila tells Jamal that she loved Bassam, because he was his brother. However she says feels relieved, that he’s gone and that they’ve put that chapter behind them. Jamal’s facial expression shows that he doesn’t share his wife’s sentiments.

However Barry’s not dead despite the hostile conditions he faces, as he tries to find his way in the middle of the desert. We see Bassam plodding along, his skin already the color of a lobster. He needs to find some signs of civilization soon, or he truly will die alone in the desert.

Back at the palace, Ahmed’s sitting in a chair wearing a powder-blue business suit, while taking hits from a bong in his bedroom. The weed’s smell wakes his wife Nusrat, who asks him what he’s doing? Her husband responds that the Minister of Energy Development’s getting ready for the work week.

Ahmed’s at the Shunshin oil-refinery in the desert, when the aide to the Chinese Ambassador approaches him about the plans for the ground-breaking ceremony, the following day. He tells the President’s son that the way things are planned, the crowd will get blinded by the sun, as they look to the stage to see Jamal and the Chinese Ambassador. Ahmed tells him this is the desert and the sun’s always somewhere, then he says to the aide this is his country and his oil and he knows what he’s doing.

Ihab Rashid tells his followers that they have to assassinate Jamal at the ground-breaking ceremony the following day. One of the rebels replies, they’ve got no supplies or guns. Rashid responds they don’t need guns, just one pistol and one man to fire the gun and put a bullet in Al Fayeed’s skull. Ihab’s second in command, says they’re all well-known and pictures of each of them are on the watch-list. Malik, the rebel that blew up the truck, says he’s not on any watch-lists and tells Rashid if he gets a gun at the ceremony, he’ll kill Jamal.

Ahmed returns to the palace and a soldier tells him that his father wants to see him. He enters Jamal’s office and his father asks Ahmed his suggestion for the new Minister Of Energy Development. Ahmed looks back at his father with a confused smile and says that’s his job. Jamal asks if the Minister shows up for work high on drugs, or insults one of their Chinese partners, when they try to rectify a mistake.

Jamal tells his son the people hate him, even though they don’t know him. They hate him for being Jamal’s son and getting everything that they want. He says they think you’re a lazy fat slob, then asks his son why he’s working so hard to prove them correct? He says if you don’t want the jobs, just let me know. The job of being the Minister of Energy Development and the job of being his son, Ahmed says he wants them both. Jamal says good and kisses his son on the forehead, then says together we’ll change their opinions.

Molly’s back at her home in Southern California, lying awake in her bed in the middle of the night as he teens Sammy and Emma are sound asleep on either side of her. She looks like she’s numb and lost, not yet really accepting that her soul-mate’s been taken from her. She lies there staring at the ceiling and twisting her wedding band.

Once the sun goes down, Barry finds that the desert turns far colder, as he walks through the night seeing his breath in the air. Exhausted he lies down and falls asleep on the sand, taking advantage of the cooler air to replenish his strength for his journey the next day.

Malik’s at his job as a dish-washer at a café, when he’s summoned by one of Rashid’s men. He meets with Ihab and Samira Nadal and eats and talks about the buzz he got from blowing up the truck and killing the soldiers. He tells them that it was a rush to feel the heat and the blast and realize he was still alive and walking away without getting caught.

Ihab reminds him this is a different situation, this is a gun not a bomb and he might be killed by soldiers. He says to the couple that he’s very clever and even if he dies, if he kills Al Fayeed he’ll know his life meant something. A female co-worker comes out and tells Malik his boss is looking for him, he tells her to say he’s in the bathroom. She looks at the three of them and shakes her head, before she walks away.

Bassam wakes up as the sun’s blazing down on him, his skin’s nearly purple. He has a flashback to his childhood, he’s crouched down at a river bank running his hands through the water. A man in a uniform says to him it looks like it’s been here forever, but tomorrow it will be gone. He says that’s how it is in the desert Bassam, it rains and a river forms, but the heat of the sun makes it disappear by the next day.

Barry sees some sort of a reptile just a few feet away from him and tries to grab it so he can eat it, but he slips and tumbles down the dunes. However, the fall turned out to be a blessing in disguise as he sees camel tracks and starts to follow them, realizing that’s his best chance of getting rescued.

Molly tells Emma she needs to leave the house and try to acclimate herself with being home and asks her daughter to join her, but Emma says she’s not up to facing people that day. Molly gets into Barry’s car, as Sammy borrowed hers and she starts to cry. After she composes herself, she drives past a gaggle of reporters and videographers at the end of her driveway.

Jamal meets with his advisory staff and talks about the ground-breaking ceremony, the following day. His uncle Tariq advises as head of the Abbudin military to cancel the ceremony. He says that due to the limited military response to the truck bombing, he can’t be sure the rebels will stay away from the ground-breaking.

The President stands up at the head of the table and tells Tariq and the rest that he’s trying to present Abbudin as a peaceful nation to their Chinese partners and the world. He says cancelling the ceremony, or responding with a chemical attempt won’t bring tourism and businesses to Abbudin. He says that cancelling the ceremony isn’t an option.

That night as Barry walks through the desert, he gains some hope as lightning starts flashing through the sky. He suddenly stops and starts reaching towards the sky for the rain that he expects to fall. However it’s just heat-lightning and Barry spends another night without water as he sleeps on the sand.

Ihab and his second in command start drilling Malik with questions, making sure that he’s got his cover identity down straight. He’s pretending to be a journalism student at a nearby college and he’s a photographer for the school paper. When Rashid asks him what he should say if anyone asks why he’s approaching the stage, Malik responds he’s trying to get a good image for the paper. He’s told that the gun will be in one of the port-a-potties near the stage.

Colonel Mahmoud finally gets a clear image of Malik’s face and he recognizes him. He heads to the café he works at and speaks to the young woman we saw talking with Malik earlier in the episode. He asks the woman if that’s Malik and though she recognizes him immediately, she says the image’s blurry. He then shows her a picture of Rashid and asks if she’s seen him, she remains silent.

He says he doesn’t want her to lie, or turn in her friend so if she recognizes them she should just remain silent when he asks her again. He then shows her the two pictures and she keeps her mouth shut, he thanks her for her bravery and loyalty to Abbudin.

Molly heads to a Catholic Church and slips into the Confessional Booth. She tells the priest that she hasn’t gone to confession since 1997, as she met and married a man who was of another faith. The priest asks what her husband would think of her being there and she says she thinks he’d approve, he died a few days earlier. She then says it all seems unreal and she needs somebody to tell her what to do, how to grieve and to be a good mother.

Barry’s still following the camel tracks, when a sand-storm comes out of nowhere and forces him to the ground in the fetal position. The sand hits his body in wave after wave, feeling like a thousand razor-blades against his skin. When the wind finally ceases, he looks down to see the camel tracks were covered by the sand. He falls to his knees and starts shouting Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, God is Great, God is Great. He then starts weeping and falls to the ground.

The ground-breaking ceremony takes place and Malik’s able to get past the security screening. He goes into the port-a-potty and grabs the gun. He then takes his position with the other photographers as Jamal takes the stage and starts talking to the assembled crowd. Malik walks towards the stage and pulls out the pistol, but he’s shot before he can fire his weapon. Still on his feet he fires his gun, but hits the Chinese Ambassador’s wife in the shoulder, before someone puts a bullet between his eyes.

Molly holds a memorial ceremony for Barry in a church, as the contribution basket goes around, she reaches into her purse and finds only Abbudin currency. A man and his teenage daughter sitting behind her, give her a hundred-dollar bill to put in the basket. She thanks them after the ceremony, the man introduces himself as Jimmy Lytton and his daughter Natalie. He then tells Molly he’s an attorney and says if he can help her in any way over the coming days to please contact him and he gives her his card.

Two men with camels find Bassam passed out in the desert. They believe he’s an escaped prisoner and they’ll collect a reward for turning him in. They bind his hands and feet and still unconscious, they put him lying sideways on the back of one of their camels.

Jamal’s waiting for the Chinese Ambassador at the hospital and asks about his wife’s condition, the Ambassador says she already went through one operation on her shoulder and she’ll have further surgery the next morning. Jamal starts to apologize and the Ambassador tells him to stop. He says his nation can’t make a commitment to a country that fails to keep his wife safe.

Jamal says listen to me, the man behind this will have his head on a stake the following morning. He promises justice to the Ambassador. We then see soldiers unloading canisters of chlorine and Sarin gas, before the screen goes black.

The Story Continues Next Tuesday Night at 10:00 pm on FX.