Bassam "Barry" Al Fayeed: The Michael Corleone of the Middle East

[David T. Cole]

Your Barry topic!

[scrb]

So I'm not sure how much they will play up the Godfather angle.  Looks like the prodigal son returns, reluctant to take over the family business.  In fact, the family business made him run away in the first place.

[Constantinople]

Except Molly isn't Kay, she's Fredo.

 

And just how do you get Barry from Bassam?

[NorthstarATL]

Michael Corleone? I got more of a Bobby Ewing feel. With Jamal as JR. Only big difference was, rather than Romeo and Juliet, Barry comes with a ready-made family, not a new bride from an opposing clan.

[Iamsweetdee]

Oh shit, that's Aiden from Hunted? Didn't even recognize him. Oh well. He wasn't lighting the world on fire there either.

[Chaos Theory]

Part Corleones part Ewings with a touch the Prodigal son.

[annlaw78]

 

Oh shit, that's Aiden from Hunted? Didn't even recognize him. Oh well. He wasn't lighting the world on fire there either.

All I have to say is Mistresses UK -- he was certainly lighting many worlds on fire as Dominic!

[eejm]

From the Pilot thread:

 

 

 

So Barry has at least one bad secret from his past haunting him. But what's he going to do, hulk out and become a total despot, his father's son after an entire adulthood of being a meek pediatrician?

 

Years ago I saw a documentary on a group of male-to-female transgender people.  Evidently it is something of a trend that MTF folks were often previous fighter pilots, Navy SEALS, cops, etc.  These women gravitated toward these fields while still living as men in hopes that working in such a stereotypically hyper-masculine profession would either "prove" their masculinity or "cure" them of feelings that they were actually female. 

 

I thought of this again during the pilot episode in relation to Barry.  He's essentially done the same thing, only he's proving that he's not a cold-blooded psychopath.  The opposite of a psychopath would be a gentle, caring, empathetic person.  It's hard to think of a profession that is more stereotypically gentle and caring than a pediatrician, so that's what Barry became.  But, as in the case of the people I described in the first paragraph, Barry knows that his more cold, vicious side has never truly gone away.  Now that he's back in Abuddin for who knows how long, Barry's hidden psychopath is going to rear it's ugly head.

Edited July 8, 2014 by maraleia
FYI-changed term to transgender per standards of correct terminology

[Luckylyn]

I love the thread title because the Godfather parrallels are so strong.

 

What I don't understand is why he would go back at all when he knows the risk he's taking with his family?  He knows there's a dangerous side to himself he wants to repress but goes back to the place that will likely bring out the worst in him.  Was he on a subconscious level trying to force the issue and let that ruthless side to himself emerge?

[scrb]

Yeah how often has he seen his nephew?

 

He left at 16, now he's 40-something and they only mention the visit by the family to Disneyland, which must have been relatively recent for the kids to recall their uncle Jamal.

 

He hasn't returned to the country before this wedding.

 

I can see Michael having to attend the event in Godfather but Bassam seems to have more or less cut off ties to his family or kept it to a minimum.  The show will need to explain this at some point, maybe it would also explain the kind of choices he will be making.

[Enero]

I love the thread title because the Godfather parrallels are so strong.

 

What I don't understand is why he would go back at all when he knows the risk he's taking with his family?  He knows there's a dangerous side to himself he wants to repress but goes back to the place that will likely bring out the worst in him.  Was he on a subconscious level trying to force the issue and let that ruthless side to himself emerge?

I didn't get this either. He even asked his wife to promise him they'd return. So he knew there was a strong possibility that he would get caught up in his family's web and get trapped there. Returning for the wedding seemed like a weak excuse at best. That said, when he met with the reporter he did ask the man why he hadn't called him back. So perhaps he was compelled to return after reading some of the reporter's recent articles about the country, used the wedding as a cover for his return, but once there decided it was a terrible mistake. It could also be the subconscious at play too. Reading all that was going on in his country some part of him might've wanted to see his father again.

[scrb]

Heard that in one of their dialogues, it was hinted that Molly really nagged him until he finally relented and they ended up going.

[Abstract]

How did he acquire a completely American accent?

[Enero]

In tonight's episode he claimed he got rid of his Middle Eastern accent by watching CNN and FOX for the past 20 years.

 

I'm not sure what to think of Bassam's decision making tonight. One minute he's refusing to help resolve the kidnapping situation. The next minute he's showing up at the scene and demanding to talk to the kidnappers. One minute he's determined to go home to California. The next minute he's having an epiphany and deciding to stay on to help his brother rule. Everything with him seemed a bit rushed tonight. There wasn't much nuance or conflict, just a jump from one decision to the next with minimal logic.

[FreakyBunny]

In tonight's episode he claimed he got rid of his Middle Eastern accent by watching CNN and FOX for the past 20 years.

 

I'm not sure what to think of Bassam's decision making tonight. One minute he's refusing to help resolve the kidnapping situation. The next minute he's showing up at the scene and demanding to talk to the kidnappers. One minute he's determined to go home to California. The next minute he's having an epiphany and deciding to stay on to help his brother rule. Everything with him seemed a bit rushed tonight. There wasn't much nuance or conflict, just a jump from one decision to the next with minimal logic.

 

Bear in mind his father just died. I'm sure he has all sorts of daddy issues and a lot of guilt for turning his back on them. Grief is a powerful and chaotic thing...he's acting like he doesn't know up from down. Maybe he's got some kind of saviour complex and will start off trying to bring democracy and freedom to his people, and end up making things worse. Who knows, but at this point he's an interesting guy. I wonder how many scenes they cut, maybe they would shed a little light on some of his quick turns. 

[Enero]

Well it didn't take long for Bassam to come to the conclusion that he and only he can turn Abuddin around. When he woke Molly up in the middle of the night and begged her to stay stating that he 'couldn't do this by himself' it screamed plot plot plot to the highest heavens. From there he went on to give Jamal a full proof plan on how to get the people of Abuddin on his side and gave him a hanging to boot. All in days work. There's no lingering conflict from him and it's as if he never left.

 

I do wonder though, everyone's talking about Molly being a plant, what if Bassam is a plant? Many of us thought his excuse to return to Abuddin after 19 years for a wedding was weak at best. Now, in less than a week he's already taking on political agendas that will drastically change the country. Perhaps he's been turned and have returned to eventually unseat Jamal (I think this will happen whether he's an agent or not) and take over Abuddin and become one of the US's biggest allies.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Enero

[scrb]

I think his attempt to try to make the country more civilized is believable in one respect.  We are to believe that he was horrified by what his father was doing so that he left as a teen and didn't come back until now.

 

So it would make sense that as a grown man, who seems to have his brother's respect (the way he talked Jamal out of cutting out the guy's fingers and inviting him and the nephew to the wedding instead), Bassam would try to tap into his ideals and make a difference where he can.

 

He managed to get Jamal to go far beyond what even the US diplomat (Andy from Weeds) was willing to accept.

 

Now, if you want to say how could a sheltered teen of a despot develop this sense of justice and revulsion at the tyranny of his father (to the point of leaving his family and country) in the first place, that's an interesting question.  Certainly they could explore that in flashbacks.  Maybe he had a Western tutor or maybe his British mother gave him some sense of Western values into the precocious teen.

So the scorecard so far:

 

S1E1 - Barry gets Jamal to invite the dissident and his cousin to the wedding, instead of (further) dismembering him and killing them.

 

S1E2 - Barry manages to get the hostage takers to surrender, saves their lives temporarily and saves the life of the wife of his nephew.

 

S1E3 - Barry gets the real conspirator of the plot to kill Jamal to confess, gets political prisoners and the wrongly-accused free from prison, makes sure the chldren of the accused are taken care of.

 

 

So thus far, he's done all the things which would make him sympathetic to Western audiences.  Now does he flip to the tyrant that his father wanted him to be and when does it occur?

[glitterpants]

Now, if you want to say how could a sheltered teen of a despot develop this sense of justice and revulsion at the tyranny of his father (to the point of leaving his family and country) in the first place, that's an interesting question.  Certainly they could explore that in flashbacks.  Maybe he had a Western tutor or maybe his British mother gave him some sense of Western values into the precocious teen.

 

Why does Bassam need a specifically Western influence to be like "oh shit, I could end up doing (more) really messed up shit if I stay here, bye"? I really hope that the show doesn't try to pin his "goodness" on something like that, it'd be disappointing.

Edited July 9, 2014 by glitterpants

[Constantinople]

I too think it would be disappointing.

 

In any case, I'd be surprised if the influence was from his mother.  After all, she chose to marry a dictator, and remained with him all his life, so it seems to me she was obviously much more comfortable with the Al Fayeed regime than Bassam ever was.

 

If Bassam's parents felt the need to hire a Western tutor for him, I imagine such person would have been carefully screened.  It's not as if there aren't plenty of people in the West who would agree with Bassam's father that in certain regions of the world "freedom" means freedom to kill one another.

 

If there was a specific individual who influenced Bassam in developing a sense of justice different from Al Fayeed justice, Fauzi Nadal, the journalist, seems like a good candidate.  Aren't the two of them childhood friends?  So far, Bassam always seems to be justifying himself to Fauzi or seeking his approval, as well as feeling close enough to him to want to help his daughter.

 

As for revulsion of the tyranny of his father, that could simply be an extension of the revulsion Bassam sometimes feels for his father as an individual.  Bassam has been pretty explicit that his father was a manipulator, and over time appears to have concluded that trying to nag a little kid into shooting someone is pretty fucked up, because it is.  It's also interesting that sole flashback we have of Leila so far involves her trying to manipulate him.

 

And some of it may not have been "Western influence" per se so much as having doubts, doubts that he was able to think more clearly about once he left home.

[Chaos Theory]

Its funny I think Bassam is probably the least interesting of his family.  I think it was a mistake to make him the lead or at least to make the show about his problems.  He has a good deal of potential in the short run but very little in the long run unless the show actually becomes a family drama based in the Middle East.  I  find his family far more interesting at least in the long run.  I know Molly gets no love but once the writers actually give her some material (what DOES she do when her husband is running Fakistan?) I can see her becoming interesting.  Their kids are at the right age to be intriguing if written correctly.  I know the show got compared at one point to Homeland but it is not Homeland and shouldn't be expected to be but I will make a comparison anyway;  Dana Brody.  She was a divisive character but she was at least interesting and was written like a real teenager.  Just think real American teenagers being forced to spend an extended time in the Middle East.  The son is interesting because he likes the idea of being ELITE but is blind to the danger that surrounds him and his Cousins Asshatery.  And the daughter is interesting because she is an idealist who is blind to the fact that her ideals don't always translate into the real world.  Oh the drama.  

Edited July 17, 2014 by Chaos Theory

[MissScarlett]

Its funny I think Bassam is probably the least interesting of his family.  I think it was a mistake to make him the lead or at least to make the show about his problems.  He has a good deal of potential in the short run but very little in the long run unless the show actually becomes a family drama based in the Middle East.  I  find his family far more interesting at least in the long run.  I know Molly gets no love but once the writers actually give her some material (what DOES she do when her husband is running Fakistan?) I can see her becoming interesting.  Their kids are at the right age to be intriguing if written correctly.  I know the show got compared at one point to Homeland but it is not Homeland and shouldn't be expected to be but I will make a comparison anyway;  Dana Brody.  She was a divisive character but she was at least interesting and was written like a real teenager.  Just think real American teenagers being forced to spend an extended time in the Middle East.  The son is interesting because he likes the idea of being ELITE but is blind to the danger that surrounds him and his Cousins Asshatery.  And the daughter is interesting because she is an idealist who is blind to the fact that her ideals don't always translate into the real world.  Oh the drama.  

 

I actually think that Bassam has the potential to be very interesting but I think this might be a slow build. Even though he has grown up in Abbudin and knows that it is far from the American ideal democracy, he still comes to the table as a trusted adviser to Jamal and someone who is trying to implement some very American / Western ideals.  Would the people of Abbudin even know what to do with democracy?  From everything we've seen so far, it looks like the leaders see Democracy as a weak form of leadership.

 

There has been some talk in other threads about Bassam being the Tyrant. There were a couple of small incidents that make me think it is possible for him to turn.  So far, we've seen kid-Bassam kill a man so that his father would leave his brother alone.  We've seen adult-Bassam slap the shit out of Sammy in a panic.  However, I don't see complete Tyranny unless something happens to Molly or his kids.  Molly seems to ground him.