Bassam’s pro-democracy plans meet immediate obstacles, including an attack on his family. Get a sneak peek of this week’s Tyrant (“Cockroach”), airing Wednesday, July 13 at 10:00pm ET|PT on FX.
Folks, there is danger lurking behind every corner of Abuddin. Even though we have so much hope for the work Bassam is doing to move the country towards democracy, it’s clear there are anti-democratic forces with their own agenda.
Season 3 began roughly three weeks after the shocking Season 2 finale. Jamal was still in the hospital recovering from multiple gunshot wounds inflicted by Nusrat; Nusrat was in prison along with Ihab Rashid and several other religious extremists; Leila and Ahmed were under house arrest; and Bassam (with the support of the military) had assumed the position of Interim President.
Though Lea Exley and the multilateral coalition she represented encouraged Bassam to hold on to the presidency, he decided to go another route.
First, Bassam convened a Truth and Dignity Commission (similar to South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission) and named Daliyah (“Mother of the Revolution”) as the chair. The hope was that by revealing and acknowledging the truth of past atrocities, the country could heal and move forward into their strong, democratic future.
Bassam also added some new members to his cabinet who who help advise on the execution of the upcoming elections—this included Leila, who was named the new Foreign Secretary (the first woman to hold the office in the Arab world).
On top of that, Ihab Rashid was exiled to a neighboring country instead of killed.
Everything was going well, right? Well, unfortunately, Bassam’s plans were already being undermined:
- The palace butler Aziz took his commitment to anticipating Leila’s needs way too far. He had Nusrat killed and made it look like she hung herself in her cell.
- Leila told Ahmed that she would be running for president, but only to hold the office for her son (*wink*wink*).
- Ihad Rashid made his way back to the Caliphate and began to plot revenge against Bassam.
- American General Cogswell arrived in the country with plans to (maybe) play a role in Abuddinian democracy.
Basically, I’m HELLA concerned.
Also, I just need to say that my heart completely breaks for Nusrat. She lost everything to the Al-Fayeeds… Jamal sexually assaulted her on her wedding night, she was kidnapped soon-after, her parents were killed by Jamal, she lost her baby in a miscarriage and the ability to have children, and now she lost her life. Nusrat really is a casualty in this family’s conflict over power. I just hope she finds peace. And the sad thing is that it was all for nothing because Jamal is still alive… *sigh*
This week Barry continues to deal with personal and political challenges. Also, it looks like Molly and Emma will find themselves in a very precarious situation.
In “Cockroach” (written by Addison McQuigg, directed by Alex Zakrzewski):
Barry learns his hold over Abuddin is weak; Sammy begins a risky relationship: Ihab discovers an outlet for desires for revenge; Fauzi is thrown into a political role upon returning to Abuddin; and the future of Abuddin is threatened. (via TV Guide)
In the preview for this week’s episode, we find out the role General Cogswell wants to play in Abuddin. We also see that Fauzi is back in the country and obviously knows that Bassam killed his daughter (AKA Ihab’s wife, Samira). And Ihab might have launched his first attack on the Al-Fayeeds:
One move will forever change the future of Abuddin. Watch a PREVIEW of Wednesday’s all new episode. #TyrantFXhttps://t.co/XFRy3VjBr0
— Tyrant (@TyrantFX) July 9, 2016
UGH!
Last week, I read an interview Jenifer Finnigan (Molly) did with Zap2it saying that the shit is going to it the fan in Season 3. Ms. Finnigan confirmed that in this tweet to We So Nerdy:
This is so stressful! But as I said to Jennifer, I love Tyrant and wouldn’t want this show to be any other way!
Take a look at 12 photo stills from “Cockroach” and remember to tune into FX at 10:00pm ET|PT to watch. I’ll be live tweeting, so join me on @WeSoNerdy for the new Tyrant!
