Photo Courtesy Of FX
Warning: Spoiler Alert
The mythical Middle-Eastern nation of Abbudin depicted in the FX Network’s Original Series “Tyrant,” has turned the tide in their war against the Caliphate Army, destroying the invaders central command post in a joint effort with the Red Hand. The mission that seemed doomed to failure, succeeded due to the efforts of two women Molly and Leila Al Fayeed, who put aside their personal differences to save Abbudin and Molly’s husband Barry. The penultimate episode of the show’s second season, moved quickly. The first ten episodes provided plenty of explanation to what led us to the decisions that determined the moves made in this chapter, hence a lean, tight and satisfying night that set-up the season finale to end the season in strong fashion.
We start out at the safe-house that the Caliphate Army leadership are hiding out, Ihab Rashid’s looking at photos of members of the Red Hand, that got killed in the attack by the Caliphate. Abu Omar walks into the room and asks Rashid what he’s doing and Ihab replies he’s trying to see if Khalil’s among the dead. Omar tells him to stop obsessing about Khalil and to get his mind focused on the big picture, defeating Jamal and taking over Abbudin.
Rashid responds that perhaps Abu would feel differently if his wife got killed by Khalil, Omar ignores the reply and tells Ihab Rashid that he’s going to visit his brother for a few days. This leaves Rashid in charge in Omar’s absence.
Jamal meets with Colonel Mahmoud about the military situation and Mahmoud says that things don’t look good for the home-team. He says the Caliphate Army’s bringing in reinforcements and Abbudin sits with less than half the soldiers they need to defeat the invaders. He then tells the President that he’s had conversations with his counter-part in a neighboring country and that nation’s President offers Jamal and his extended family political-asylum. Jamal asks the Colonel if he’s suggesting that he run away and Mahmoud says he’s just offering an alternative solution.
Other than having the ability to follow orders, it’s difficult to figure why Mahmoud chose a career in the military, as the man’s practically afraid of his own shadow. The thought of him being a brave leader on the battlefield’s rather ludicrous and if military strategy’s his strength, he’s yet to display it for the viewers. Perhaps his sense of self-preservation has led to his leadership position, causing him to smother any internal moral qualms and carry-out any orders given to him.
Jamal tells Mahmoud that he’s not a coward and they are staying in Abbudin. His secretary calls from the intercom, informing him that Molly’s here to see him. He tells the secretary that Mahmoud will show her in, the Colonel leaves the office as Jamal’s sister-in-law walks in.
Molly cuts straight to the chase and tells her that Barry’s alive and he’s the man that Jamal believes is Khalil. They are on their way to the Caliphate command center, to knock out their anti-artillery weapons. He needs to release Rami and send forces over to help Barry and the Red Hand. Jamal doesn’t believe her, even when she tells him that he substituted another man for Barry in the hanging and left Barry in the desert. He starts choking Molly and asks how General Said’s spreading these lies from his prison cell?
Leila walks into the midst of this and screams to her husband to let Molly go, which he does immediately. Molly storms from the room and starts to leave the palace when Leila pulls her into an office and asks if Barry’s really alive. She quickly convinces her sister-in-law that Barry’s still alive and then asks if Leila can get Rami released from his cell. Jamal’s wife starts to tear-up but she says she thinks she can, then realizes she doesn’t have the funds to pay Colonel Solomon’s soldiers. Molly says she’s got the solution to that problem.
Barry and the Red Hand get to the Caliphate Army command center and they overtake the guards at the base camp and are ready to take out the anti-aircraft artillery, when Barry gets a radio message from Halima. She tells them the military’s not coming to back them up, so return to camp. Unfortunately it’s too late to do that as they find Caliphate soldiers on all sides of them.
The soldier in charge of the base camp calls Ihab Rashid and tells them about the Red Hand attack and Rashid tells him to stand-down until he arrives. The soldier disagrees with Rashid’s tactics, but Ihab insists they stop shooting until he gets there. Abu Omar’s wife overhears the call and asks if Rashid should call her husband and ask his advice, Ihab Rashid says they don’t need to trouble him.
Molly heads to the military airport and talks to Colonel Solomon, whose in the process along with his men of leaving Abbudin and heading to their next mission in Africa. She presents him with a money-wire for ten million dollars, to pay for him and his soldiers to take out the Caliphate Army and save her husband. Solomon says as much as he’d love to take her money, with Rami Said in jail they lack a commander. Right then a car pulls up and Rami and Mahmoud come out, Solomon puts the money-wire in his bag and tells Molly it looks like he’s working for her.
Barry gets another radio message from Halima, this time telling him that Molly fixed everything and the military’s on its way. Sammy gets on the radio and tells his father he’s glad he’s safe and that he loves him, Barry has to get off the radio as Siddiq summons him. Ihab Rashid’s shown up at the base-camp and he calls out for Khalil to surrender and the Caliphate Army will spare the rest of his men.
Barry says if he gives himself up, perhaps he can buy some time for the military to arrive. Siddiq tells him that for them to succeed they need a leader and Marwan stands up and identifies himself as Khalil. He comes down to Rashid, who questions that such a young man could be a military leader. Marwan replies his generation wants to dictate their own fate, not have it dictated to them by barbarians.
Rashid grabs Marwan by the hair and pulls a knife out and says that Khalil killed his wife and left her to die alone and he dare call him a barbarian? Rashid realizes at that point that Marwan’s pretending to be Khalil, right then Abu Omar steps out of a car and asks Rashid what’s going on? He asks if Marwan’s Khalil and Ihab responds that he isn’t and Omar shoots Marwan in the face and has Rashid taken to a jail cell. He then orders the soldiers to resume fighting.
Abu Omar walks over to Rashid’s cell and Ihab apologizes for exceeding his authority and going after Khalil when Omar told him to ignore him. He says he won’t do something like that again and Omar confirms that he’s correct. Ihab gets nervous at that point and starts talking about his importance in any victory the Caliphate Army have in Abbudin. Abu Omar and his aide leave the cell as Rashid starts screaming, the aide says that most of the men support him. Omar smiles and says he’ll release him as soon as Rashid remembers whose in charge.
We arrive at one of those magical scenes, when we have to give the show-runners some creative license. Barry and Siddiq are alone in the remains of a shelter, with their backs to each other, wiping out battalions between the two of them, without even dodging a bullet. Lets remember that Barry’s a doctor from Pasadena approaching middle-age and Siddiq doesn’t resemble a soldier, but they look like skilled marksman. Barry falls backwards for a couple of seconds and then suddenly hears aircraft engines, choppers are overhead and knocking down Caliphate soldiers like bowling pins.
Leila meets with Ahmed and begs her son to forgive her for the way she’s lived her life. Ahmed at first wants nothing to do with her, but she reveals that Barry’s alive and she went behind Jamal’s back and got Rami released. She says she needs his help and wants Ahmed to replace Jamal as the President of Abbudin.
Abu Omar and his aide prepare to leave the base camp and they are about to release Ihab Rashid, when bombs start dropping all around them. The two men get back in their vehicle and leave, Rashid’s cell gets hit with a bomb seconds later and all we see is smoke and debris.
A plane lands and the first two men to exit are Rami and Solomon. Rami goes straight to Barry and says that they should regain control of the country by the following evening. Barry smiles sadly and says he arrived with 40 men and women and there’s just four of them left, so it doesn’t feel like a victory. He tells Rami he’s going to set-up a field-hospital to treat the wounded and have Sammy join him.
Jamal’s ignorant of all that’s transpired over the last few hours as he meets with Mahmoud and another high-ranking military official, who advises the President that Abbudin can hold on against the Caliphate Army for three weeks tops. Leila and Ahmed walk into the meeting and excuse themselves for interrupting, but tell Jamal they need to talk to him privately.
Leila tells her husband that Molly wasn’t lying and Barry’s still alive. Ahmed hands his father a cellphone with a message from Barry to Molly and Sammy in case he died in the battle. We hear Barry telling his family that when he decided to join the Red Hand, he realized that he couldn’t remain as Khalil, he’d have to reveal that Bassam Al Fayeed’s still alive.
Leila tells her husband that he didn’t kill his brother, but the guilt he felt poisoned his mind and kept him from trusting anybody. She then tells Jamal about releasing Rami and the battles they’ve won and soon Abbudin will be at peace and under his rule once again.
When Leila and Ahmed leave Jamal, Leila says they did a great job. She then tells Ahmed that it’s time to get Jamal out of the mix and for Ahmed to rule Abbudin. She tells her son she’ll come up with a plan.
Barry and Sammy are treating patients at the field hospital, when they bring a man in on a stretcher that looks near death. He’s lost an arm and an eye and he tells Barry to keep his hands off him. It’s Ihab Rashid and Sammy says they should just let him die, for all the people he slaughtered. Barry looks at his son and says they’re going to save him, he says I’m through with killing.
The Season Finale Airs Next Tuesday Night at 10:00 pm on FX.
