This episode of Tyrant, you could say, was about connection, and more specifically the connections formed between people in the wake of tragedy. Several times throughout "Truth and Dignity" characters comment on the increased craziness and insanity of the world in which they live. At first, this was due to an increase in low-level attacks - the episode opens with one such attack, as a women asks a soldier for a selfie and then stabs him in the neck, in a moment that I couldn't help but giggle at - but ten minutes into the episode another attack takes place, when a man takes out a gun and starts shooting at the Truth and Dignity Commission, an attack that Daliyah found herself in the middle of.
This episode finds every character reaching out to others in the wake of such terrible violence, and on both sides of it. Just before the attack at the Truth and Dignity Commission Fauzi, in an action that not only surprised Daliyah but viewers also, proposed to Daliyah, at first stating the practical reasons for doing so before declaring his love for her. He comes across as a little pathetic in this scene, but this emotional honesty is only the first example of many in this episode.
Sammy attempted to reach out to his professor after his father learned of their relationship, but was turned away. This romance didn't work from the beginning, and I found myself not caring at all during the break-up scene. It felt completely rushed from the offset. It's a shame, as I feel Sammy (and the actor's performance) became a lot more interesting during the second season, and I hope the show finds a better use for him for the remainder of the season.
Some characters seek to reach out to other people in spite of their better judgement, such as Leila, who insists on continuing her relationship with Mr Big er...I mean Peter Florrick er...I mean General Cogswell, though it is bound to end badly, as the episode's conclusion makes clear. Another relationship that seems doomed is that between Barry and Daliyah, which despite only beginning last week is already under threat. Daliyah chooses not to marry Fauzi (poor Fauzi), but she does feel ashamed of her relationship with Barry nonetheless.
Ahmed continues to cling to Barry like he has done since learning the truth of his parentage, but while Barry mostly ignored him last week, this week the two seemed to grow closer, with Ahmed taking a position in the military at the end of the episode (though I can't think of any qualifications he may have that justifies him joining at such a high ranking).
Ihab Rashid also sought connection with someone, specifically newcomer Mahdiya, who, unlike others, doesn't baulk at his appearance, but instead wishes to help him. Ihab feeling self-conscious about his injuries hasn't really come up until now, but it gives the character an added layer, which I appreciate. But this also ties into another theme of this episode: that of appearance, and the image we present of ourselves to the world.
Leila resigns from her position to improve her image in the eyes of the public, while also engaging in an affair that would irreparably harm that image if it were to become public knowledge. Sheik Abdullah manipulated Sheik Al-Qadi's visit to Caliphate territory to hurt his public image, leading to Barry making the (admittedly terrible) decision to ban him from the Presidential race, thus further hurting his own image. Barry, at the start of this season, was seen as a hero, but the public's confidence in him has dwindled with every disastrous decision he has made (seriously, he needs to stop listening to his military advisor).
And of course Daliyah, in the aftermath of the attack, decided to keep the Truth and Dignity Commission open, in a public display of bravery and stoicism. Hell, she even recited the opening lines of "The Quality of Mercy" speech from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (I had no idea my Third Year English class had left a lasting impression on me until I started reciting the lines before Daliyah spoke them). In all, I rather enjoyed this episode. Not a lot of note really happened, but the episode was thematically unified enough that it got away with it.
