A TYRANT Rules

Article first published as TYRANT Review at Seat42F.

FX, which has been very successful in making quality television programs these past few years, does it again with TYRANT, premiering this week. Set in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Abbudin, the story is one of a dictator’s family in a country trying to modernize, and whose people want to be free. The son who has rejected his homeland and spent the past twenty years living in America is forced to return and rule when circumstances incapacitate those who should be running Abbudin.

The lead character in TYRANT is Bassam “Barry” Al Fayeed (Adam Rayner, Hawtorne). He is a closed-off doctor and family man who has tried to escape his past. He only reluctantly agrees to go home for a brief visit after a long absence, and is determined not to be dragged in to the politics there, which he follows from afar. His friend, Fauzi (Fares Fares, Zero Dark Thirty), an opposition journalist, and Barry’s family really want him to contribute. Can Barry be persuaded to help the two sides come to an understanding?

 

This is a very delicate time for Abbudin. Barry’s father, Khaled (Nasser Faris, House of Sand and Fog), doesn’t understand why the people want to be out from under him, thinking he has given them prosperity and peace. Watching his fellow dictators fall, Khaled tries to find a way to hold onto his power. He quickly realizes that his elder son, Jamal (Ashraf Barhom, The Kingdom), is too brutal and dispassionate to appease the population, and so hopes younger child Barry can help with that.

TYRANT is very interesting in making us see the perspective of the ruler. Khaled is shown to be ruthless in flashbacks, but seems a just leader now. Does he have a point in his views? And clearly, having the wisdom to work on bringing Barry into the fold, he’s trying to do right by his people. If he simply wanted revenge he could bomb them, which he’s not doing, and it he was solely worried about his own life, he could take some wealth and flee, again another option not considered.

Viewers are asked to see Barry as a reluctant captain, someone people can follow because he’s worthy of such loyalty, but made all the more eligible by his derision for the position. He is a normal guy and wants to stay that way. He has abandoned the trappings and riches he is entitled to by birth, and so should be the type of president the masses would fall in line for.

Barry is further grounded by his American family. Wife, Molly (Jennifer Finnigan, Better With You, Close to Home), is compassionate and understanding, though she’s getting tired of Barry refusing to talk about his past. His daughter, Emma (Anne Winters, The Fosters), is a perceptive daddy’s girl. His son, Sammy (Noah Silver), is a typical rebellious teen, and somewhat-secretly gay, which will be a problem in the Middle East. Together, the trio serves not only as a window into what is an alien culture for many viewers, but also a way to give Barry reason to stay true to who he is, rather than what he was.

But there’s definitely an undercurrent of awfulness to the Al Fayeed family. As I said, Khaled is shown to be terrible in the past, and reveals a hint of that now. Jamal is following in those footsteps, perhaps with an extra level of insanity and total lack of moral compass. Barry, too, exhibits brief flashes of that anger and cruelty in the “Pilot,” meaning back in this environment, he may struggle to hold on to his mature, civilized self, reverting to someone no better or more deserving than his relations.

Also starring Justin Kirk (Weeds), Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact, meaning FX now has both Borg Queens), Moran Atias (Crash), Salim Daw (Prisoners of War), and Mehdi Dehbi (Septieme ciel Belgique), TYRANT is an intriguing, complex, character-driven drama that will challenge worldviews and open audience’s eyes to global differences. It is important for showing us something we’re not used to seeing, but it’s also fully engaging on its own, with family and political drama, apart from the setting. The acting is terrific, the set design is spectacular, and the pacing is near-perfect. I am definitely hooked.

TYRANT premieres this Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on FX.

Hawthorne promises "For Better or Worse"

     TNT's Hawthorne begins season three tonight with "For Better or Worse." Christina (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Tom (Michael Vartan) barely get through their "I do's" before having to rush off to work because of a neighbor's car wreck. At the end of the day, Christina is beat up badly in the parking lot. Tom convinces Brenda (Anne Ramsay) to do multiple risky procedures to try to save their baby, though Cat (Lauren Velez, Dexter) refuses. The baby dies anyway, and Christina insists on pushing it out, rather than having it removed. Nick (Marc Anthony, now a series regular) hunts, and eventually finds, her attacker. With Christina down, Morrissey (James Morrison) immediately and permanently replaces her as CNO with Bobbie (Suleka Mathew). After learning Bobbie has accepted the position, Steve (Adam Rayner) decides not to propose to her, as he has planned on doing. Candy (Christina Moore) returns to the hospital and delivers her own baby.

     Given that Hawthorne begins as a standard procedural, there is no reason to watch the beginning of the series. This episode, however, is excellent, and if it representative of what the show has become, then Hawthorne deserves another chance. The story may be somewhat self contained, but also plays on larger arcs about relationships and pregnancies. There is a real focus on the characters and their various bonds rather than on a case of the week. With the slew of medical series currently on the air, this is the way to distinguish a show from its peers.

     While Smith is perhaps not the best actress around, especially in the scene where she silently pushes out her dead baby, she is surrounded by a number of wonderful actors who will make viewers mostly forget her shortcomings, at least for this episode. Keeping her confined to a hospital bed likely helps. It remains to be seen whether being at the center of such a huge loss, speaking of the baby, will find Smith up to the task or not. Vartan, too, shows the limited range he demonstrates on Alias, but to his credit, it seems more a part of his character, rather than bad acting.

     The contrast between Christina and Candy is nicely played, milking emotional impact out of both births, which happen very differently, but at the same time. Candy choosing to name her baby after Christina also slightly dampens the pure grief that comes with losing a child so early. While much of this episode focuses on death, the new life helps brighten the mood, though not in a stereotypical, cheesy way.

     As for Steve and Bobbie, it's hard not to dwell on whether or not their relationship can weather such a disloyal move by Bobby. Morrissey's decision to choose a new CNO is understandable from a business perspective, though making it a permanent decision seems unduly harsh. Bobbie only accepts to keep the job from someone else. Perhaps she thinks she can give it back to Christina when the time is right, though others would not. Yet, it's easy to see why Steve interprets Bobbie's actions as blatant betrayal against a close friend. Will Steve come around to her way of thinking, or will they be soon splitting up?

     Hawthorne airs Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

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     Click here to buy season one and two of Hawthorne on DVD.

Article first published as TV Review: Hawthorne - "For Better or Worse" on Blogcritics.