Tyrant - "My Brother's Keeper" Retrospective. Can a Tyrannical Leader Change His Nefarious Ways?

Season 1, Episode 3

Airdate: Tuesday, July 8, 2014, 10:00 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★

Is it possible for Bassam Al-Fayeed (Adam Rayner) to change his brother Jamal’s (Asraf Barhom) dictatorial ways? How long will Bassam have to stay in Abbudin to accomplish that, if it’s even possible? And, will Bassam’s wife Molly (Jennifer Finnigan) go along with Bassam’s plan to stay? These are just a few of the questions raised in the third installment of FX’s newest hit series, Tyrant.

The Conniving Wife

As “My Brother’s Keeper” opens, Leila Al-Fayeed (Moran Atias) is showering in her husband Jamal’s bathroom. Jamal wonders about his wife’s motives when he realizes she spent the night in bed with him. I don’t blame him as I would be questioning her intentions also. One minute she hates him and the next, she’s kissing him, telling him she wants to stand by his side as President of Abbudin. Apparently, the woman knows a good thing when she sees it, as she is willing to forgive Jamal all his prior transgressions. Leila is not too happy to learn Bassam is staying in Abbudin to help Jamal “hold the country together.” While Leila tries to make it appear she loves her husband, I seriously doubt that is true. She has something up her sleeve, of that I am sure.

Who Wants to Stay and Who Wants to Go?

TYRANT -- "My Brother's Keeper" -- Episode 103 (Airs Tuesday, July 8, 10:00 pm e/p -- Pictured: (L-R) Anne Winters as Emma, Noah Silver as Sammy -- CR: Vered Adir/FX

Despite being a loving and caring sister, Emma warns Sammy to be careful around Abdul.

You can see right through Sammy (Noah Silver) when Bassam informs his family he is staying in Abbudin. He may claim staying is “an excellent college essay experience,” but we all know his true reason for wanting to stay with his father—his love interest, Abdul (Mehdi Dehbi) despite his sister Emma’s (Anne Winters) warnings. That’s quite a scene the two share on the beach, isn’t it? Bassam’s wife Molly, however, surprises me. She wants to stay with Bassam and I can’t decide whether she has an ulterior motive or whether she’s just plain stupid. Doesn’t she read the newspaper reports about the civil unrest going on in Abbudin? Why would she want to submit her family to that kind of danger? At least someone has their head on straight as Bassam tells her to go home.

Jamal’s First Official Meeting

At his first meeting with his advisors since becoming president, Jamal welcomes his son Ahmed (Cameron Gharaee), and announces he has invited his brother Bassam to participate as well. Jamal informs Bassam of his desire to have him become a permanent member of the group, and then appoints Bassam “Special Counsel to the President.” Bassam is surprised since he only intends to stay in Abbudin temporarily—until Jamal recovers from his injuries.

As the meeting gets underway, Yussef (Salim Daw) tells Jamal he wants General Tariq (Raad Rawi) to cease the countrywide martial law he imposed in “State of Emergency,” due to the 200,000 tourists coming to Abbudin for the “summer pilgrimages.” The only way that will happen is if Walid Rashid’s (Waleed Elgali) nephew, Ihab (Alexander Karim), can be found and brought to justice. It is interesting that not only do they not have any proof of Ihab’s involvement, but Jamal orders Ahmed out of the meeting before “a witness” is brought in to testify. Apparently, Jamal doesn’t want Ahmed to hear about his “relationship” with his mistress (Hadar Ratzon Rotem), the woman who was in the car crash with him. According to the mistress’ husband, Hamid (Sammy Sheik), she was in love with Jamal, and Ihab is the person who supplied her with the deadly ricin she was trying to inject Jamal with right before the car crash. We all know that isn’t true after watching Jamal brutally rape the woman in the series premiere. Why is Hamid lying? Interestingly, Bassam doesn’t blink an eye.

Ihab’s Capture

Walid finally confesses Ihab’s whereabouts and is then forced to sit in Yussef’s car to watch Ihab’s capture. I can’t believe how matter of fact Yussef is when he offers Walid a cigarette after the deed has been accomplished! Doesn’t anyone have any feelings in that country? Surely, Walid knows what will happen to his nephew.

Jamal calls another meeting to announce Ihab’s incarceration, and General Tariq explains once Ihab is hanged in the center square, martial law will end. Bassam can’t believe what he hears and questions Tariq about assassinating someone without a trial first. But then, Bassam receives a call from his old friend Fauzi (Fares Fares), who tells him they have the wrong man; Ihab was not responsible and if Bassam can bring Samira back (she was captured alongside Ihab), Fauzi will tell him who the man is. Bassam does as requested and Fauzi hands him some papers that will not only explain who was responsible for Jamal’s accident, but what was in the syringe.

The Truth Will Out

Bassam finally learns the truth about his brother from Hamid.

Bassam goes to the prison where Hamid is being held to question him about his assertion that Ihab gave his wife the syringe. But Hamid doesn’t utter a word—that is, until Bassam tells him, “…no matter what happens to you, your children will be cared for. That is my promise to you.” The rest of this scene is heartbreaking, to say the least. As Hamid relates what Jamal did to his wife, making him and his son sit outside “in the hall, listening to him grunt and groan, guns pointed to our heads,” it is impossible not to connect with Hamid and understand why he did what he did. How could he not? Kudos to Sheik for bringing such reality to his speech; I couldn’t help but shed a tear along with him while listening to his account of the facts. Of note is the expression on Bassam’s face as he listens to Hamid’s horrible tale and realizes just what a monster his brother is.

Points of Interest

How awful that Ihab rejects Samira’s (Mor Polanuer) advances, especially since she removes her hijab, which is meant to convey her modesty, privacy, and morality. Is he really not interested in Samira or is he more interested in his plans to overthrow the government?
Looks like Molly will be staying after all once Bassam comes to understand he needs another sane person to rely on, to listen to him as he tries to rein in Jamal. But when she says she and the kids will stay “as long as it’s safe,” a red flag went off in my head. With everything that has happened, you can’t help but wonder how long Abbudin will remain “safe.”

A New Man, Really?

Toward the end of “My Brother’s Keeper,” Bassam confronts Jamal and tells him they will be hanging the wrong man in the morning. Typical of a tyrannical leader, Jamal asks, “What difference does it make? The man was plotting the overthrow of my government. If he’s not guilty of this, he’s guilty of something else.” Remarkably, Jamal also professes he “wants to be a new man.” Unbelievably, Jamal agrees to release Ihab, along with 30 plus political prisoners, as well as providing an irrevocable million dollar trust fund for Hamid’s children, raising the question, has Jamal really changed? Are his monstrous ways behind him? He sounds sincere but he has a long way to go before I trust him. Plus, with Bassam staying in Abbudin, how long do you think it will be before the power goes to his head as well?

Overall

“My Brother’s Keeper” is another riveting episode of Tyrant. It is well written, each character is multi-faceted, and the dialogue is sharp. Each episode is more intense and more captivating than the last, making it impossible not to look forward to what’s in store down the road.

What did you think of “My Brother’s Keeper?” Leave me a comment below or tweet me @SeasideTV. 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!