S02.E08: Fathers and Sons

[ShellSeeker]

 

Suffering heavy losses, Barry wrestles with the notion that he needs the palace’s support to survive. As paranoia builds within Jamal, he questions where Rami’s loyalty lies. Stricken by Abdul’s death, Sammy plans to give his money to insurgents fighting the Army of the Caliphate.

 

[txwatcher]

Sammy may not be so stupid after all.

[SimoneS]

What an outstanding episode! The tension building up in Manar and Sammy's stories was so well done. I was surprised to see Manar alive. I thought that he was the man that Samira killed last week. I really felt Manar's terror about how his life had changed and horror about what his brother had become. The actor did a good job in that scene. I knew that Bassam would choose to blow up the building instead of saving Manar so I was holding my breath. I am glad that Manar came up with a ruse to keep his brother out of the house, but his brother will become suspicious soon and will turn him. Manar will no doubt have a horrible death. Okay, I just saw the preview. I am not far off here.

 

Bravo Sammy! What he did was foolish as hell, but it was also very courageous and admirable. I could not wait for his reunion with his father and was not disappointed. I thought it would not happen when Bassam balked, but Dahlia did the right thing talking him into it. Boy, was that reunion intense and emotional. It lived up to my expectations. I loved it. Sammy's recriminations were well deserved and Bassam knew it. The actor who plays Sammy has turned in some solid performances this season. I noticed that Bassam did not tell Sammy that his people did not know his real identity so that he needed to keep it a secret.

 

Rami should have listened his right hand man and gotten the hell out of there with his men. Jamal's paranoia is out of control. I knew Bassam would put on an accent when he talked to Jamal, but I did not expect the conversation to happen in this episode.

 

So Molly did not sleep with the lawyer. What a cop out.

Edited August 5, 2015 by SimoneS

[Human]

I'm pleasantly surprised how they've turned around the Sammi character and actually made him into a decent person.  The actor playing him is also doing a great job.  That scene where he met his father had so much emotion.  Watching Sammi's face was like reading a book about all of the things he's ever felt about his father.  It was weird every time the camera panned to Adam Raynor because he can't emote at all so it did accidentally make the scene less than it deserved to be, but Sammi carried it well enough.

[thuganomics85]

Surprised that Sammy and Barry actually did meet.  At first, I thought Barry was just going to refuse to see him and even after that, I was thinking he was going to cover his face or something.  But, nope, it happened.  Nicely played, show.  And that scene was probably the closest I came to liking Sammy, since he really acted the way I would expect someone too, once he finds out his suddenly dead dad is not so, well, dead.  And it sounds like he doesn't plan on going anywhere.  Actually curious to see where this goes.

 

Glad that Caliphate got their asses handed to them again, but I do think Manar is going to be in trouble.  I get why he did what he did (it is his brother after-all), but it was very suspicious and I have to think his brother noticed it and since he's seem to be drinking the Caliphate kool-aid, he'll probably turn on him on a dime.

 

Rami is already falling out of favor with Jamal.  That was quick.  He really should get the hell out of here, especially since Jamal now thinks there is a traitor in his group.

 

I hope Leila was telling the truth about getting Nursat out, but it's hard to tell with her.

 

So, that's why Molly and lawyer were so covered up!  They didn't have sex!  So, I guess the race between those two and Barry/Dahla to see who sleeps with someone outside their marriage first, continues!

 

Sure enough, looks like Barry and Jamal are working together again, even if Jamal doesn't know it.

[AlliMo]

Am I high, or is has this show actually gotten good? It really has improved dramatically since last year. Even Raymer's acting this episode was... not terrible!

 

Rami is so, so pretty.

Edited August 5, 2015 by AlliMo

[Ariah]

I'm going to say this and not regret it:

 

I actually don't see anything wrong with Rayner's acting.

 

I know a few guys like this, the quiet stoic type. They do act that way in real life.

 

And the episode was really good. I hope it's renewed for another season and keeps up with this level of writing.

[slothgirl]

I'm going to say this and not regret it:

 

I actually don't see anything wrong with Rayner's acting.

 

I know a few guys like this, the quiet stoic type. They do act that way in real life.

The problem is that he needs to show the audience that something is going on inside. There may be men like that in real life but as a performance, it just seems hollow and empty... and not in a "My life has been so full of tragedy that I'm hollow and empty inside" kind of way.

 

More like a "I don't know how to use my eyes and face to show any nuance as an actor" kind of way. There needs to be a flicker, a spark, SOMETHING, to differentiate one emotional reaction or feeling from another. Stoic men may try to hide their emotions, but you can still often see the effort that it takes. They can hide the emotion, but not the fact that they are hiding.

 

Barry is just ... there.

Edited August 5, 2015 by slothgirl

[scrb]

Rami is kind of playing the role that Bassam did the first season, trying to oppose Jamal's worst impulses, trying to keep Jamal from becoming the Tyrant or a figure like Assad.

He knows killing civilians will make Jamal a pariah in the world.

But Jamal hasn't killed anyone in a couple of episodes so he's getting antsy. That and that cleric feeding his paranoia.

As for Nusrat, it seems every man in Abbudin have multiple wives except the ruling al Fayeeds? Though Ahmed does seem to be sweet on Nusrat, he is likely to come around and take a new wife -- "ok if you insist."

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Manar isn't long for this world, his brother is a true believer and will blab to Caliphate M*****.

[SimoneS]

I felt for Nusrat, but if she has any sense, she will accept a large settlement from Jamal to divorce Ahmed,and jump on the next plane out of Abudeen with Rami. 

 

I thought Rayner was fine last night.

Edited August 5, 2015 by SimoneS

[Constantinople]

I'm a little surprised it didn't occur to "Khalil" that the rich American kid who wanted to donate money just might turn out to be Sammy.  Not that it necessarily had to be Sammy, but it might have at least occurred to Barry.

[dubbel zout]

LOL that Bassam's idea of disguising is voice on the phone is simply putting his scarf over it. 

 

Molly and the lawyer are. so. boring. They didn't sleep together, big whoop. Their virtue is intact. Zzzzzz.

 

I'm a little surprised it didn't occur to "Khalil" that the rich American kid who wanted to donate money just might turn out to be Sammy.  Not that it necessarily had to be Sammy, but it might have at least occurred to Barry.

 

International interest in Abuddin seems pretty low this season, so it makes sense to me that Bassam wouldn't have any idea the kid was Sammy. What surprises me is that Jamal hasn't frogmarched Sammy and Molly onto a plane to get them out of Abuddin. They aren't being watched or anything. 

[happy turtles]

 

I'm a little surprised it didn't occur to "Khalil" that the rich American kid who wanted to donate money just might turn out to be Sammy.  Not that it necessarily had to be Sammy, but it might have at least occurred to Barry.

 

But until he was told about the inheritance Sammy received when Barry "died," he had no reason to equate rich American kid with his son. And having already witnessed random Americans who had been drawn into the fight, I don't think it's strange at all that he didn't automatically think of his son.

 

Also, every time the boring lawyer opens his mouth, I am completely distracted by the vocal resemblance to Liam Neeson.

[Human]

I'm a little surprised it didn't occur to "Khalil" that the rich American kid who wanted to donate money just might turn out to be Sammy.  Not that it necessarily had to be Sammy, but it might have at least occurred to Barry.

Sammy would be the last person I'd think Barry would think of.  First, as far as Bassam knew, Sam doesn't have that sort of money.  Plus, Sammy isn't in Abuddin.  Sammy also didn't seem to have any interest in the problems of Abuddin.  Barry couldn't have known or guessed that Sammy had Abdul and that Abdul was one of the men thrown from a roof for being gay.  

[Constantinople]

Sammy would be the last person I'd think Barry would think of.  First, as far as Bassam knew, Sam doesn't have that sort of money.

 

It doesn't seem credible that Bassam/Barry/Khalil wouldn't know about the 100 million that Sammy would inherit at Barry's death.  Barry might not have been aware of it when he was a doctor in California, but he was in Abuddin for several months before his attempt to overthrow Jamal failed.

[Human]

It doesn't seem credible that Bassam/Barry/Khalil wouldn't know about the 100 million that Sammy would inherit at Barry's death.  Barry might not have been aware of it when he was a doctor in California, but he was in Abuddin for several months before his attempt to overthrow Jamal failed.

Knowing there is money that they stand to inherit really isn't the same as Sammy actually having the money in hand.  I know a lot of people who stand to inherit a large sum of money but I wouldn't automatically think of them if I were told a rich donor had scheduled a meeting.  There are millions of millionaire Americans.  Statistically speaking several of those will have ties to Abuddin.  It's a statistical anomaly that it happened to be Sam that came to see Khalil.  The sort of thing that can only happen in a scripted drama.  

Edited August 5, 2015 by Human

[Constantinople]

Knowing there is money that they stand to inherit really isn't the same as Sammy actually having the money in hand.

I never said it was, so I don't understand your point.

 

I know a lot of people who stand to inherit a large sum of money but I wouldn't automatically think of them if I were told a rich donor had scheduled a meeting.  There are millions of millionaire Americans.  Statistically speaking several of those will have ties to Abuddin.  It's a statistical anomaly that it happened to be Sam that came to see Khalil.  The sort of thing that can only happen in a scripted drama.

Earlier in the season Khalil is cyberstalking Sammy so it's not as if Sammy hasn't been on Khalil's mind.

I didn't say Khalil should have concluded it was Sammy beforehand, only that he might have thought of it given that all of the available evidence was consistent with Sammy

 

• Rich - To re-cap, presumably Bassam\Khalil knows about the inheritance, and therefore given that Bassam is allegedly being dead, Sammy might just be rich (given that Jamal was unwilling to kill Bassam directly, Bassam/Khalil can't necessarily conclude that Jamal would withhold the money from Sammy)

   

• American - Aside from Bassam, who's initially ended-up there by accident, I believe the only other Americans in the area are the fanatics fighting for the Caliphate.  Yet this person doesn't want to give money to the fanatics (Bassam/Khalil didn't know about Sammy's earlier plan to pay a ransom to the Caliphate for Abdul)

   

• Kid - Sammy's the right age

 

Once again, I'm not saying that Barry/Bassam/Khalil should have concluded it was Sammy, but how many "rich, American kids" are there with sufficient ties to Abuddin that they'd be willing to fork over large sums of money?

 

If I'm supposed to believe that a pediatrician can, at the drop of a hat become an an expert campaign manager and then a successful rebel leader, then I think it's reasonable to ask why he didn't wonder or fear if it was Sammy who was the rich, American kid.

[JennyMominFL]

I'm going to say this and not regret it:

 

I actually don't see anything wrong with Rayner's acting.

 

I know a few guys like this, the quiet stoic type. They do act that way in real life.

 

And the episode was really good. I hope it's renewed for another season and keeps up with this level of writing.

I think he's good too, and honestly, I don't think Ashraf's acting is that great.

[Human]

I never said it was, so I don't understand your point.

 

Earlier in the season Khalil is cyberstalking Sammy so it's not as if Sammy hasn't been on Khalil's mind.

I didn't say Khalil should have concluded it was Sammy beforehand, only that he might have thought of it given that all of the available evidence was consistent with Sammy

 

• Rich - To re-cap, presumably Bassam\Khalil knows about the inheritance, and therefore given that Bassam is allegedly being dead, Sammy might just be rich (given that Jamal was unwilling to kill Bassam directly, Bassam/Khalil can't necessarily conclude that Jamal would withhold the money from Sammy)

   

• American - Aside from Bassam, who's initially ended-up there by accident, I believe the only other Americans in the area are the fanatics fighting for the Caliphate.  Yet this person doesn't want to give money to the fanatics (Bassam/Khalil didn't know about Sammy's earlier plan to pay a ransom to the Caliphate for Abdul)

   

• Kid - Sammy's the right age

 

Once again, I'm not saying that Barry/Bassam/Khalil should have concluded it was Sammy, but how many "rich, American kids" are there with sufficient ties to Abuddin that they'd be willing to fork over large sums of money?

 

If I'm supposed to believe that a pediatrician can, at the drop of a hat become an an expert campaign manager and then a successful rebel leader, then I think it's reasonable to ask why he didn't wonder or fear if it was Sammy who was the rich, American kid.

This seems very important to you so I'll go ahead and agree that yes, there was a small chance that an American with money could have turned out to be someone that Bassam knew so it would have made sense if Barry had gone through his mental rolodex about all of the rich Americans he knew, or at least Americans who had the potential to become rich, with Sammi appearing somewhere on that list.  

[scrb]

Manar didn't want to go to the event because he knew Bassam was planning an ambush.  But his brother was going to go.

 

Hmm, and then he saved him at the last minute?

 

BTW, the battery life of the phones that Bassam and everyone else has in a war zone is impressive!

[dubbel zout]

The Abbudin infrastructure is holding up very well.

Edited August 5, 2015 by dubbel zout

[Ariah]

 

BTW, the battery life of the phones that Bassam and everyone else has in a war zone is impressive!

 

Maybe it's Nokia 3310. Nothing could kill that phone.

[Human]

I had been curious if there were signs that there was power still available.  I didn't pay attention enough to notice.  But I did wonder how the phone could still be working.  I'm also curious about whether or not it's believable that communication lines like cell phone towers weren't targeted by the Abbudin government.  The Caliphate probably have reason not to destroy them, but would the government? Should the phone lines be damaged by now or do all sides have reason to protect them? 

[Rhetorica]

I enjoyed the episode, especially Sammy & Bassam. Their scenes were much more emotive than last year. Poor Jamaal. Even if he's not being punished, he thinks he is. I'm afraid Rami is going to be the sacrificial lamb Jamal offers to God for absolution. I hate to see Nusrat go. Maybe the actress took leave to act in Tut. Molly, as always, brings every scene down.

[sjohnson]

When did Sammy come out to Daddy? 

 

The cleric was telling Jamal the enemy in the palace was Jamal, and the poison was inside Jamal. But when Jamal misinterpreted he lost his nerve to be really blunt. 

 

All the byplay about not wanting to bomb civilians is nonsense. First, the gas attacks have already let that horse out of the barn. Second, whether civilians are being bombed or whether there is collateral damage is a question answered by foreign policy. If Western governments in universe do not like Jamal al-Fayeed, nothing he does will be acceptable. It has nothing to do with the facts. 

 

I do have to wonder if these people never heard of in vitro fertilization and surrogacy. Technically, it is perfectly feasible for Nusrat and Ahmed to have a child. 

[SoothingDave]

Anyone else surprised how easy it is to get on the phone and get to talk to your nation's top generals?  

 

This show has become good, especially in the last two episodes.  Apart from Sammy being stupid.  He deserves to be kidnapped.

 

It might help if we knew more about his old grudges against his dad, accusing him of being distant or not caring for him.  Is that supposed to be real or just teenage BS?

[dubbel zout]

Anyone else surprised how easy it is to get on the phone and get to talk to your nation's top generals?

Bassam was a cabinet member last season. I'm sure he had access to everyone's contact info. He has a good memory, though. Heh.

[candall]

I don't care how broken up he was to see Barry--I still can't stand Sammy.

 

"I'm not leaving!" = the leader of the insurgency has to be distracted and prioritize keeping his son safe in a war zone that's being bombed all to hell  +  risking the capture of an Al Fayeed family member to leverage the other Caliphate opponent, Jamal.

 

And furthermore, Sammy needs to go back and download the financing.  No wire tranfers available in Ma'an at the moment.

 

Whose side is this kid on, anyway? 

 

Grrrr.

 

 

 

[ganesh]

I don't know, I kind of liked that Sammy was like, "you weren't that good of a dad, and I thought it was me, but it's not." "I'm still your father." "No he died." I don't see that on tv much. In a way, it's kind of cool. Barry "dying" gets Sammy the money to give to Barry to beat back the caliphate. And neither like Molly that much either. 

[dubbel zout]

Sammy's relationship with his father before Bassam died wasn't that great, so I don't expect him to do a 180 just because he's alive. Bassam is an idiot to expect otherwise. But then, he's been kind of an idiot since the very first episode. I don't mind his idealism, but I wish they'd made him a bit more pragmatic.

[BrooklynRat]

Count me as another who can't stand Sammy. What's the terrible parenting he's accusing Barry of? Unless there's some off-screen abuse they're keeping secret, at worse he's been a little neglected. This is a reason to actually seem pissed his father is actually alive?

Speaking of which: maybe I wasn't paying enough attention but I was surprised to learn Bassam was actually intentionally not letting his family know he was alive. I thought it was just his current circumstances preventing him from reaching out. Molly seemed pretty destroyed the day before his "execution" and in general they seemed to have a decent marriage. Why did he decide to simply walk away? And what was his game plan? Spend a couple months helping to defeat the caliphate then return to California and assume another identity? Doesn't make any send to me.

[candall]

Count me as another who can't stand Sammy. What's the terrible parenting he's accusing Barry of? Unless there's some off-screen abuse they're keeping secret, at worse he's been a little neglected. This is a reason to actually seem pissed his father is actually alive?

Speaking of which: maybe I wasn't paying enough attention but I was surprised to learn Bassam was actually intentionally not letting his family know he was alive. I thought it was just his current circumstances preventing him from reaching out. Molly seemed pretty destroyed the day before his "execution" and in general they seemed to have a decent marriage. Why did he decide to simply walk away? And what was his game plan? Spend a couple months helping to defeat the caliphate then return to California and assume another identity? Doesn't make any send to me.

I believe Barry's thinking was that his true identity put the entire Bedouin village in danger.  The older man loaned him a cell phone to contact his family as soon as Barry was conscious, but he declined, which I thought was a good move--no way to control the security leaks if Molly and the kids know.  They've certainly shown themselves to be stupid enough to inform the State Department and then the cat's way out of the bag.

 

So then he was just going to stay long enough to recover before crossing the border, but he got bogged down promising to take care of Gjani until Deliyah came back from solar school.  Then the Caliphate, Mrs. Faisal, and the last minute change of heart in the desert.

 

You can tell he thought the only way his host family would be totally safe was if no one knew who he was.  He must have been dying to tell the old man why it was imperative he not be captured when the man accused him of being a coward and running away instead of repaying the hospitality by protecting the man's two sons.  I would have understood if he'd whispered in the old man's ear, but it's better he didn't since Son No.1 became a true blue Caliphate extremist.

 

Woof, I'm so long-winded, but basically Barry was just trying to get to the nearest American Consulate before notifying his family that he was alive.

Edited August 12, 2015 by candall

[Ottis]

Speaking of which: maybe I wasn't paying enough attention but I was surprised to learn Bassam was actually intentionally not letting his family know he was alive. I thought it was just his current circumstances preventing him from reaching out.

 

 

You're not alone. True, when he had a cellphone, he didn't get a message to his family (which was puzzling, but OK, maybe he was still too focused on his "I am an Abuddinian" walkabout). But his self-confessed intentional choice to not tell his family he was alive? I missed that as well. Because what was his end game? To die fighting the caliphate? To show up back in the US in a few years and start anew? To eventually rule the country (hey, Tyrant!)? I don't get it. Getting a message to his family that he was alive and making his way back to them wouldn't have endangered anything, unless he said where he was.

 

Woof, I'm so long-winded, but basically Barry was just trying to get to the nearest American Consulate before notifying his family that he was alive.

 

 

Except that, Barry told Sammy that he didn't let them know because he wanted them to move on, not get stuck. That makes no sense if his plan was to return to them.

 

Also, I FF through all the scenes with Molly and the lawyer. I don't think it has caused me to miss anything important.

 

This was the first episode where I liked Sammy. He has some balls, or he's stupid, or maybe both. But some integrity there.

Edited August 12, 2015 by Ottis

[candall]

 

Except that, Barry told Sammy that he didn't let them know because he wanted them to move on, not get stuck. That makes no sense if his plan was to return to them.

Oy.  That's a pivotal remark I missed.  Could he have been referring to "in the likely event my Red Hand gig goes south, no need to mourn twice"?

 

He was lovingly keeping up with the family Facebook posts.  I can't believe this show would have missed the opportunity to give us several scenes of anguish--see: Jamal--if Barry felt he'd dishonored his family to such a degree they were better off without him. . .

 

Dunno.  This is weird.

[Rahul]

I noticed that Bassam did not tell Sammy that his people did not know his real identity so that he needed to keep it a secret.

 

Only he didn't. Instead of faking an accent, Bassam merely pulled a scarf over his mouth in an attempt to muffle his voice. Art imitates life it seems, because that was a very lazy choice by the character following a slew of lazy choices by the actor. At this point I'm convinced Adam Raynor is a substandard actor who is incapable of truly emoting.

 

I did choke up at the reunion of father and son, but only because Sammy was doing all the heavy lifting in that scene. Glad to see Noah Silver's ability and range has improved considerably. That is how a usually stoic-natured individual in the midst of a highly emotional situation should be played.

 

 

I do have to wonder if these people never heard of in vitro fertilization and surrogacy. Technically, it is perfectly feasible for Nusrat and Ahmed to have a child. 

 

Absolutely. Especially with all the billions of dollars the al-Fayeeds have at their disposal. This story just seems to be setting up the groundwork for Nusrat to elope or abscond from Abuddin with Rami.

 

On an unrelated note, I am not so secretly hoping Molly will not make it safely back to the USA but will rather be captured and killed in the midst of this civil war.