Tyrant 1.9: Tariq

In many ways the pivotal character of Tyrant 1.9 last night was Tariq.

First, it's clever indeed to mask Barry's gathering coup with the lie that Tariq is plotting a coup against Jamal.   This works for Barry because, as he tells us later, Tariq betrayed Barry's father Khaled, when Tariq attacked the Sheikh's people to undermine the peace Khaled was close to successfully negotiating with the Sheikh.

Barry plays this Tariq-coup card perfectly, not only with Jamal but with Leila, who is as ready to believe as is Jamal that Tariq is plotting to overthrow her husband.   What Barry has going for him at this critical juncture, of course, is  the trust that Jamal and Leila now have for him, since Barry in fact put the final nail in the Sheikh's coffin, at the crucial moment.

Which of the two - Jamal or Leila - will guess or see the truth first?  Likely Leila, not only because she's smarter than Jamal, but also because she a little more distance from the events.  The depth of Jamal's commitment to Barry is clearly seen when Jamal warns Tariq not to slander his good brother - a deliciously ironic moment, since the jailing of Tariq that led to his verbal slashing of Barry is part of the very plot by Barry to take Jamal's place.

But what will or would Leila do if and when she realizes what's actually going on?  As I mentioned last week, I think a part of Leila may not be completely sad to see Jamal gone, especially with Barry in his place and Molly gone back to the states.   She feels guilty now that her denial of Jamal's daydream of retiring to the Maldives put Jamal in such a vulnerable position, but just how far this guilt will go remains unclear.

All of this - including how Leila feels about this - hinges on what will happen to Jamal after the coup.  I can't see Barry killing him - he doesn't even want Tariq killed.  But if the coup succeeds, which I'd say is likely, can Barry afford to have Jamal hanging around?  Or will Jamal go, with or without Leila, to the Maldives - or, who knows, to the United States?

Should be a great season finale next week.

See also: Tyrant: Compelling Debut ... Tyrant 1.2: The Brother's Speech and His Wife ... Tyrant 1.3: A New Leaf? ... Tyrant 1.4: Close to the Bone ...Tyrant 1.6: Don't Mess with Jamal ... Tyrant 1.7-8: Coup

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