Tyrant - "Gaslight" Retrospective. The Seeds of Doubt.

Season 1, Episode 9

Airdate: Tuesday, August 19, 2014, 10:00-11:13 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

“This is a coup, Barry, not the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. People will die.” — Molly

Molly’s (Jennifer Finnigan) words to her husband Barry (Adam Rayner) are quite prophetic given what happens towards the end of “Gaslight.” But, before I go there, let’s talk about what leads up to those words. What a politician Barry is! Knowing he has to plant doubt in his brother Jamal’s (Ashraf Barhom) mind about General Tariq’s (Raad Rawi) loyalty, Barry uses reverse psychology. What a smooth liar he is. But he’s not so smooth when it comes to convincing Molly to go along with his plans.

A Beautiful Dance

Molly's dress is just gorgeous at the anniversary dinner she and Barry share with Jamal and Leila.

Now that Molly knows Barry’s plan, she has trouble concentrating at the anniversary dinner she and Barry share with Jamal and Leila. Her dress is absolutely gorgeous!

As “Gaslight” opens, Barry and Molly are having dinner with Jamal and Leila (Moran Atias) to celebrate their anniversary. As they sit there talking, Barry flashes back to a meeting he had with John Tucker (Justin Kirk) and General Tariq’s (Raad Rawi) second-hand man Ziad (Amir Boutrous) the previous day, where they plotted their next move in the coup they are planning. Following dinner, the two brothers talk and Barry lets slip that Tucker told him there is unrest among Tariq’s elite force. True to form, Jamal demands to see Tucker immediately.

Barry listens intently.

The conversation Barry and Tucker have with Jamal reminds me of fishing. Bit by bit, Tucker reels Jamal in and out, giving him just enough information about his “subordinates” to make him believe General Tariq condones the lies his soldiers are spreading. It doesn’t hurt that Tucker has a tape of Jamal in bed with Katerina (Ruth Kearney) telling her he doesn’t want to be the president anymore (Episode 7 – “Preventative Medicine”), which he tells Jamal Tariq has. It doesn’t end with Jamal sending Tucker on his way as Barry wisely volunteers to find out more. Way to throw the spotlight on someone else when you’re the one planning the coup to overthrow the government.

Plotting and Planning

Ziad informs Barry, Tucker, Yussef (Salim Daw), and Nusrat’s (Sibylla Deen) father Hakim (Yussef Abu Warda) of Tariq’s plans to contact the tribal leaders to buy their votes to rig the election on behalf of Jamal. Yussef quite convincingly uses the information against Tariq, planting the seeds of doubt in Jamal’s mind. But Jamal isn’t so quick to believe his uncle Tariq could be plotting against him so Barry takes him to meet Ziad as further proof. Even though Jamal isn’t sure he should trust Ziad, he does trust Barry…implicitly. I was a bit worried when Jamal takes a gun to the meeting but I didn’t have to be. Ziad is perfection…or should I say, Boutrous is perfection when Ziad explains to Jamal why he should trust him. Tariq should have known better than to believe his trusted elite would condone the myriad of heinous things he’s done in the name of Al-Fayeed.

A Bedouin Village and an Explosion

Leila convinces Barry to tell her what’s going on.

Barry wants to take Emma (Anne Winters) and Sammy (Noah Silver) to the Bedouin village where his father—their grandfather—was born. Molly, unfortunately, doesn’t understand why until Barry explains. “Look, if I can’t tell them what I’m doing, then this is my best defense—to show them their country, what I’m fighting for. I don’t want my kids to hate me for what I’m doing. I want them to be proud of me; I want them to understand.” It’s quite an impassioned speech that Raynar conveys flawlessly. Once Barry and the kids arrive at the village, he tells them about their heritage, relating stories of the time he and his father spent there. He wants them to know they’re not tourists in Abbudin; this is where they come from. I’m not so sure Emma and Sammy would be proud of their father if they knew he was in any way connected to the plane explosion that kills everyone on board. Everyone except Tariq, that is. With Tariq waylaid by Ziad at Jamal’s behest, I can’t even imagine what goes through Tariq’s mind as he watches the plane explode mid-air, and is then arrested for treason. When Barry returns to the palace, Jamal is holding a press conference telling the country the explosion is the work of terrorists. It seems like Barry might be changing his mind when he tells Tucker, “This [mass murder] isn’t what I signed up for,” to which Tucker responds, “It’s not surgery, Barry. It’s a coup; shit happens.” What Barry doesn’t know is Leila is the one who convinces Jamal to blow up the plane. If anyone is to foil Barry, Leila just might be the one.

The Accused

When Jamal takes Barry to see the imprisoned Tariq, Tariq does his best to convince Jamal he’s not guilty—that Barry is responsible for making Jamal think that. At first, I thought he had convinced Jamal but I shouldn’t have underestimated how much Jamal trusts Barry. One important thing that comes out of this prison visit is Jamal’s statement, “See, Bassam, I don’t murder family…no matter how treacherous…how traitorous.” At least Barry knows Jamal won’t kill him should he find out Barry is behind the coup.

Leaving for the States

When Molly goes to the embassy to secure everyone’s visas, she meets up with Lea Exley (Leslie Hope) from the State Department. Lea explains once the family arrives in California, they’ll be escorted to a “safe house” for their protection. I don’t blame Molly for her reaction when Barry comes home after seeing Tariq and tells her he’s not responsible for the explosion. She’s right; Barry doesn’t pull the trigger, so to speak, but he is responsible for setting the whole thing in motion. Before “Gaslight” fades to black, Molly begs Barry to go home with her and the kids, and reminds him they’re the only family he had two months ago. As she cries on Barry’s shoulder, I thought he might reconsider. But he just stands there, stiff as a board, unrelenting in his quest to become the next president of Abbudin. The problem is, Molly tells him she and the kids won’t be back.

Overall

As Tyrant’s penultimate episode, “Gaslight” does a wonderful job of setting up next week’s finale. Kudos to Chris Levinson for the story he tells in this episode, which is not only beautifully written but acted. Everyone, from Barry to Yussef to Ziad, in particular, elevates their acting as they all strive to make Jamal believe Tariq is trying to oust him from power. With Molly’s last words to Barry, one can only assume he will think hard about his past and future decisions. Is ousting Jamal worth losing his family? That’s a huge price to pay for someone who, only months ago, wanted nothing to do with Abbudin and all it represents. Barry also needs to think of the consequences he and his family will pay should the coup not end up in Barry’s favor. So, what do you think Barry will do?

What do you think of “Gaslight?” Leave me a comment below or tweet me @SeasideTV. Do you agree with my assessment of the episode? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!