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FX's riveting 'Tyrant' demands attention By Jacqueline Cutler © Zap2it It's not surprising that Dr. Bassam "Barry" Al-Fayeed is a runner. FX's taut drama "Tyrant," premiering Tuesday, June 24, opens with its main character on his daily run. As the pilot unfolds, it be- comes clear he ran away from a rarified life and wishes he could have kept running. "Barry is a man running from himself, as he has been through his entire adult life," says Adam Rayner ("Hawthorne") of his char- acter. "He has been doing it during his marriage, and running from aspects of him- self. He's a malcontent, only inwardly." Barry is a pediatrician, speaking in preternaturally calming tones, undoubtedly a result of having to calm frantic parents. Initially, he comes off as a gentle man, married for 19 years to Molly (Jennifer Finnigan, "Better With You"), also a doctor. They have two teenagers and are on their way to a wedding on his side of the family. After 20 years away, he's reluctantly returning to his homeland. Protests are be- ing staged in his country against his family. The first indication of who this family is happens when they arrive late to the airport, and the plane — the seats on which were all purchased by his father — is waiting for them. While the son has no problem instantly adapting to the life of luxury, the daughter, more like her dad, does. Barry petulantly stalks to his seat in coach, and Molly follows, trying to get him to open up. When it comes to his family, Barry is taciturn. Once the family lands in Abbudin, a fictionalized Middle Eastern land, the audience understands why. Barry's father is the presi- dent, though dictator would also be correct. The country is sup- posed to be "near Syria and Jordan, wedged in there," Rayner says. "It is not a Gulf state, not an Islamic theoc- racy. It is an authoritarian secular regime." Of course those totalitar- ian bindings fray as anyone perceived to be an enemy of the state is slaughtered. Barry hails from the sort of wealth accrued from lifetimes of skimming a country's assets. His father has an iron grip on the na- tion, and Barry's flashbacks to scenes from his childhood explain why he suffers from PTSD. The magnificent cinema- tography shows a scene in which Barry's father and older brother, Jamal (Ashraf Barhom), are cutting the rib- bon on a new bridge. A tank comes barreling down on a path to kill them. Jamal, groomed to lead, was the heir; Barry, the spare. Jamal, however, nev- er had the inner fortitude of Barry. While Jamal could not kill an insurgent, Barry did. The memories haunt him. Barry had wanted no part of this, but Jamal completely bought into the life. Bred to believe he is superior to "Someone compared it to 'The Godfather,' which I loved. In terms of theme, it is family. It is distribution of power, acquiring of power, loyalty, deception, fear, love and violence. "There is everywhere to go from there," she contin- ues, "and opening up an en- tirely new world to American audiences. This is bold." Just as "The Sopranos" caught relentless criticism for its portrayal of Italian Americans, "Tyrant" has already attracted the atten- tion of some Islamic groups, convinced, sight unseen, that it shows Muslims in a bad light. The drama reveals a world many probably do not know too much about, a world of extreme wealth and all that buys. The palace is depicted as one would expect, luxurious and gorgeous, where the women wear haute couture and the men drive expen- sive sports cars. Ultimately, this is the story of family and the fascinating dynamic of power. As the aging father walks with his younger son through the palace, the fa- ther says, "After everything I have given the people, they are still not satisfied. They say they want free- dom. Freedom to do what? Kill each other? I give them order and prosperity, and all they want is chaos." Much more chaos is to come, and given how the pilot unwinds, Barry will be drafted back into service of his family and country — re- gardless of his wants. Then it's pretty likely that the soft- spoken pediatrician will live up to the title of "Tyrant." "I am fascinated by how a person can distance themselves yet when they come back, there is this visceral switch and it is switched on," Finnigan says. "And he becomes who he is destined to be — his father." "Tyrant" premieres Tuesday on FX. all, Jamal is consequently violent, brutal, vulgar and grossly entitled. The scene in a steam room, in which he cuts off a man's finger, lingers. Jamal heard this man was planning an uprising at his son's wedding, the reason Barry and family have trav- eled to this exquisite corner of the world. The reactions of the two brothers perfect- ly illustrate the differences between them. Barry intuitively under- stands the value of keeping your enemies close. He convinces Jamal to invite the would-be terrorists and their families and seat them among guests at each table of the wedding celebration to avoid gunplay. Rayner and Finnigan, in separate interviews, liken the family dynamic to that in "The Godfather." "Someone called it a saga," Finnigan says. 2 The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • June 23 - 29, 2014 Nobody Covers Your Hometown Better! 114 S. Main St., Goshen Tired of feeling like you're in a precarious position at work? Find the job security you crave in the classifieds. GET ON SOLID GROUND! Call 533-2151 to start your subscription today!

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