The deaths of last week's episode reverberated throughout last night's hour. "A Prayer for Our Daughters" was not an easy episode, as it not only explored the personal and emotional consequences of the deaths of Jamal and Emma (especially the latter), but it also piled more tragedy and misery on top of all that after a drone strike ordered by Barry went horribly wrong, leading to the deaths of dozens of children. So really, what I'm trying to say is that this was one depressing hour of television.
TV has a long history of doing episodes set in the immediate aftermath of a significant death. These episodes are a useful tool for writers, as they give the opportunity to slow things down and explore the central characters in moments of intense grief. The most famous and successful of these episodes is probably Buffy's "The Body", which is a masterclass in direction, writing and acting. More recent and successful examples include The Good Wife's "The Last Call" and Person of Interest's "The Devil's Share". These are episodes not to be enjoyed, but they are to be appreciated, if done well.
And while I'm not saying this episode of Tyrant is at the same level of quality of those aforementioned episodes (it's not even close, really), I liked this episode a lot, and was surprised by how well this episode's material was handled, from the exploration of grief to the devastating drone strike. Dealing with such issues poorly, especially the latter, would be ruinous for a show, but here it was handled with more care and sensitivity that I expected.
Barry, Sammy, Leila and Ahmed all grieved in this episode, but no grief was more visceral than that of Molly (I'll take this moment to say that Jennifer Finnigan killed it in this episode). Molly's grief in this episode was ugly and raw, and lead her to doing some unpleasant things (including going on an anti-Muslim rant and striking a maid), but it was all completely understandable (though not acceptable) given what has transpired. Some of her actions in this episode likely eroded some of the sympathy viewers have for her, but by the end of the episode, I think I appreciated the character more. The grieving process is always unpleasant (especially when one loses a child), but we must endure it in order to heal as best we can.
Both Bary and Molly's pain will lessen over time, but they are both permanently changed by Emma's death, and it seems likely that their marriage will never truly recover from it. The damage has been done, it appears. Barry's grief is less visible, but no less potent. He struggled through the episode, first by reconciling with Fauzi and then by causing the death of dozens of innocent children in a rash drone strike. In a great irony, Barry, in an attempt to kill Ihab Rahid, caused many more parents to feel the same pain he himself feels. The drone strike could have come across as exploitative and as an attempt on the show's part to be even more "topical", but instead it came across as a damning look at the true cost of war.
The footage of the aftermath of the drone strike lead to Molly probably growing as a person, seeing her own pain echoed in so many other mothers. But unlike her child, the deaths of those other children won't receive widespread attention. Their names will not be repeated by news anchors across the world, thus confirming the words spoken by Nasifa early in the episode:
"When our children die we weep alone, yet they expect the whole world to howl at the death of one of theirs."
After remaining stoic for much of the episode, Barry breaks down in Daliyah's presence - similar to how he did so two episodes ago - thereby bringing the two of them even closer. Sammy also grew closer to his professor in the wake of his sister's death, and while I have no problem with Sammy having a romantic subplot, this one feels a little bit rushed. Leila spent some of the episode coming to terms with the death of the man she so loathed, while Ahmed struggled with the thought of knowing some part of his father would live on within him, before learning of his true parentage. This latter development is fairly significant, as it is (I think) the first time the show has confirmed that Barry is Ahmed's father (though it has been obvious from the beginning).
This episode wasn't without some plot advancement, mostly on the political front, as both Al-Qadi and Fauzi announcing their candidacy for President, the former running on a religious but peaceful platform, the latter running on a more secular platform. Leila's plans to run are also addressed in this episode, with new character James Kitfir (played by The Shield alum Jay Karnes) advising her to run on a platform of fear mongering (a perhaps intentional mirror of the current U.S Presidential election). But for the most part this was a quiet, character-focused episode, and a very effective one.
