Previously on Tyrant
I need an hour with Sheik Rashid.
So, you want to use
Sheik Rashid to do an end run around Ihab?
Does your brother even know you're here?
Do it!
(Sheik Rashid) You understand our precautions?
Yesterday you were my enemy.
But today you are my guest.
He is meeting Ihab Rashid on my orders.
Bassam's been nowhere
near Ihab in the last 24 hours.
That is wrong.
We could try again, that's all.
We try and I fail... I will feel worse.
Change the subject.
I trusted you; you are my blood and you betrayed me.
Uh... you need to see something. (smacks lips)
(Sheik Rashid) I demand to sit
down with President Jamal Al Fayeed!
He demands?
Jamal.
You can end this... without firing a shot.
This is what you wanted.
(audience cheering over TV)
Is it?
General, tell your men to stand down.
(Tariq) But, Mr. President?
You lied to me. (glass thuds)
Failed to inform you of my every move, yes.
No, you didn't fail to
inform, you lied, and right now you are lying again to me.
For God's sake, I'm your brother.
Your blood.
Jamal, can't we just talk about the result?
It's the result that ultimately matters.
Why do you want to talk about the result?
(Barry sighs)
The result sickens me.
You were supposed to offer one
tribal monkey the opportunity to
talk to me, and instead tribal
monkey's father demands to talk to me.
(sighs)
I'm not a fool.
But you are making me look like a fool.
(Barry) You won't look like a fool.
Yes, it... it would have been nice
if things had happened the way
we wanted, but the net-net is the same.
The president of Abbudin is sitting down with the legendary
patriarch of the opposition.
Do you have any how huge that is?
How great that is?
Yeah, for him.
(reporter) Meanwhile, in the country of Abbudin...
citizens continue to overrun Founder's Plaza with calls for
everything from students' rights
to the complete overthrow of the ruling Al Fayeed family.
The elderly Sheik
continues to attract enormous crowds.
Today's estimates placed the number at upwards of 15,000.
Up significantly from yesterday's 12,000.
BARRY: This makes no sense.
We have a wonderfully elegant way out of this.
Yes.
We simply bend over and try not
to think about what is happening.
You just offered the sheik the same package you
offered Ihab three days ago.
Jamal, these are your deal points.
Why doesn't it rain?
Anything, something to drive the people out of the Plaza.
Hey, you know what?
I'm gonna call Tariq.
They have a mole in the Rashid camp; maybe they can tell us
what it is he's looking for.
(Jamal laughs) Yes, it's a good idea.
Tariq only wants to be of help.
He's a big fan of the sheik.
(laughs) Yeah.
Yeah, you're right.
Well, what about Ziad?
Maybe if he got some presidential love, he'd be
willing to play ball.
My point is, I'm gonna try and have all of the deal points
locked down before you even walk into the room, okay?
So, just, just sit with him;
that's all you have to do.
In return, he'll tell everyone
in the Plaza to go home, that
they're part of the process now.
And do you know who's gonna get the credit?
You will, President Jamal Al
Fayeed, for being willing to sit
down with him and for being willing to listen.
(sighs) Bargaining with sheep herders.
Look... I know it's hard, but sometimes
you have to give something to
get something, and I think what we get is huge.
Please, just... just sit with the man.
(Jamal sighs)
It'll be you, me and Yussef.
We'll do it in the council chambers and I've told them they
can bring two delegates if they want to.
(Jamal grunts)
And... what if I don't like what he has to say?
(Barry) It's not an issue.
If he asks for anything that
you're not prepared to give, you
just say, "Let me take that under advisement."
Nice one.
Let me... Let me take that under advisement.
Let me... Let me... Let me take that under advisement.
(groans)
(laughs)
If someone would have told me that the first visitor
I'd be receiving in my capacity
as first lady would be the sworn
enemy of your father, I would have roared with laughter.
(Jamal smacks lips)
The sheik is going to clear the Plaza.
He is going to clear the Plaza?
It's not his plaza, it's not his country.
Why are you so frightened of him?
Frightened?
Do I look like a frightened person?
(sighs) You are naive.
You have some idea in your mind,
that all a person has to do is
mow down his enemies, that that
is all there is to being a leader.
Call your cousin in Egypt.
It's not so simple anymore.
Everybody has a camera, everybody's on YouTube.
You just be sure... You just be sure...
that you smile when he walks through the door.
You are welcome.
(sighs)
(Molly) I'm proud of you, by the way.
Proud of a grown doctor who can't tie his own tie?
(laughs) Proud of you for getting people who thought
they'd never be in the same
country together, much less the same room...
to talk about how they can move forward.
Well, tell me that at
the end of the day when it's actually happened.
I keep feeling we're about an
inch from this whole thing falling apart. (sighs)
(engine roaring)
(Sheik Rashid coughs)
(Sheik Rashid clears throat)
Are you certain you can do this?
Everything that's happening here is ultimately for you.
For your brothers.
For your children.
I'm an old man, I am not long for this world.
I only ask you show the president the same respect he's
showing us by inviting us here.
He didn't invite us.
You demanded an audience, shamed him into it.
I took the same invitation he offered you
and turned it into a demand.
The point is, we are now facing
our enemy across a table instead of a battlefield.
And the world thinks it was our doing.
Now we must present ourselves accordingly.
As statesmen, as civilized human beings.
No bombast, no fire, just an eagerness to get things done.
Can you help me?
♪♪
(Sheik Rashid coughing)
Sheik.
Come.
(indistinct chatter) (cameras shuttering)
(Sheik Rashid) Walid.
Yes, my brother.
I know you wanted to accompany me here
today and now you have.
The pictures have been taken.
Now get back in the car and go home.
(laughs) E... Excuse me?
I came here to assist you... in these negotiations.
(laughs) I've been working with
the Al Fayeeds for over a decade now.
I know how they think.
You've made yourself a friend to the very
people who drove me from my home.
Get back to the car and leave.
(car door closes)
(water fountain running)
(people chattering indistinctly)
(Yuseef) Salaam alaikum.
Salaam alaikum.
(Yussef) Wa alaikum as-salaam.
Sheik Rashid.
- Bassam. - My wife Molly.
(Sheik Rashid) Hi.
- How are you? - Good
Welcome.
Sheik.
Salaam alaikum.
All set?
I just heard Ihab is here. (door closes)
Yeah, he's part of the delegation.
Apparently, it all happened at the last minute.
Here's hoping nothing
else happens at the last minute.
Tell me, Ziad is sure about these bargaining points?
Well, I asked him about 100 times.
That Ihab so much as looks at me cross-eyed and I'll
throw him back in the prison.
What about the sheik?
He can't help but look at you cross-eyed.
(Yussef and Barry chuckle)
(guard) Mr. President.
(secretary) Welcome, sir.
Mr. President.
Sheik Rashid.
Please.
(Sheik Rashid coughing)
(gagging)
(choking)
(Namir) Excuse me, have you a toilet?
His mouth's full of phlegm.
Yeah, of course.
(Sheik Rashid retching)
(violently coughing)
(groaning)
(Jamal sighs) Well, gentlemen, this is a meeting
decades in the making.
Where should we start?
Taxation?
Representation on the council?
Perhaps it's even time to rethink the nationalization of
some of Ma'an's natural resources.
You are very generous, President.
And very astute.
I know you very much want the
Founder's Plaza returned to normal.
People back in their homes.
Businesses able to receive customers.
I believe I can make all that happen.
There is really just one thing I want in return.
Tell me what is on your mind.
I would like to ask, now that your father has
passed, that you allow there to
be open and free elections for the office of president of
Abbudin, monitored by the U.N.,
open to any candidate, no matter
their political or religious affiliation.
Let me take that... under advisement.
Very well.
Sheik Rashid, can we
now rely upon you to clear the Founder's Plaza?
Let me take that... under advisement.
(Sheik Rashid clears throat softly)
Nothing to fear... just gravity.
(door closes)
Tyrant S01E06 "What the World Needs Now"
Sync and corrected by Gianluca Belfiglio
He wants elections!
Is he out of his mind?
I'm not begging the people for my right to lead them.
These talks were a horrible idea.
The talks were not a horrible idea.
- Yes, he outmaneuvered us... - Yes, I would say so.
(crickets chirping)
So, what do we do, Mr. Advisor?
What do we do, brother?
It turns out he wants to be George Washington.
(Tariq) Typically with a crowd of this size, I believe the
estimate for today is almost 20,000.
The people will see your heavy
armor approaching, your tanks,
and almost immediately you will lose 2,000 or 3,000.
But in this particular instance,
since we've been visible to the
crowd for several days without
an order to proceed, we may not
see quite so many flee initially.
But once we initiate use of the
water cannons, the crowd will diminish by half.
It's that remaining 10,000.
The semi hard-core... That becomes a challenge to disperse.
We'll begin with the rubber
bullets, then conventional ammo.
All the while, the tanks...
are moving, converging on a center point.
And, obviously, anyone in their path...
The whole thing will take about 45 minutes.
Although that's not counting the cleanup.
You're going to need at least a
day of scrubbing before that
plaza is once again presentable to the civilian population.
What kind of injuries can we expect?
(Tariq) My guesstimate?
2,000 injured.
Perhaps 200 fatalities.
(Jamal sighs heavily)
Of course, every day you wait,
every minute you wait, those numbers rise.
Any of the great minds
here have any options to offer?
Or is this it?
We kill 200 today, then go to war with our people tomorrow.
(Tariq) Not to make light of
it, but, uh... we're quite good at going to war.
I have every confidence we will prevail.
I need an hour to reflect.
(sighs quietly)
(phone vibrating)
(Barry) Free and open
elections. Exactly what the sheik said.
No, think about it, it gives you
everything you want, everything
you could possibly hope for.
Um, what does it give me?
Options.
And all of them are good.
The first thing it gives you is, the Plaza will be empty.
What can the people possibly
protest about when the choice of who leads them is theirs?
Mm, but then... I have to run to regain leadership.
Okay.
And what's the worst that can happen?
(Jamal laughs softly)
Bassam... I lose.
Uh... Everything our father
built, everything we achieved...
everything we are ceases to be.
I get that. I do.
But look, the days when a single
family can continue to rule by
sheer force of will are pretty
much over, with or without elections.
So if you lose... You lose.
And you wake up the next day and
you start living the rest of your life, except no one's
hanging you, no one's shoving a
bayonet up your ass, the crowd
isn't calling for your head... You just go away.
You know, you move your money to Switzerland, or wherever guys
like you move your money, you
buy your own goddamn island, and
you're still one of the richest men in the world.
But here's the thing.
I don't think you're gonna lose.
I won't?
No.
These elections are a year, a year and a half away.
First you got to change the
constitution... that's gonna take
some time... and then comes the
campaign... that's a year, a year
and a half... and in that time,
the people are getting to know
you, and when they get to know you, they're gonna love you.
And while they're busy falling
in love with you, you're gonna
do what powerful people do.
You build 20 schools, ten hospitals, a bunch of parks.
And what's the sheik gonna build?
Well... he's not going to build shit.
No, he's just gonna cough and spit and... look at
people with that milky eye.
(Jamal chuckles)
So... we are going to win this?
I think we can.
(Jamal exhales)
(sighs)
(exhales loudly)
(Jamal chuckling quietly)
(Jamal sighs) Wake up.
Look who's back.
I'm pleased for you both.
Here's hoping the two of you will be very happy together.
What's wrong with you?
Bargaining away our lives.
Not to mention your child's birthright.
I can't believe you are still mad about this.
Three weeks and you are still mad about it.
Don't you watch television?
They are calling me "a beacon of hope in the Middle East."
Good for them.
Maybe you can call them and have
them play with your new friend.
I'm not interested.
(birds chirping)
(phone ringing)
(sighs)
Good morning, Yussef.
What can I do for you?
What? 60 Minutes?
What is... You mean the television show?
They want to do a piece about me?
(reporter) Spending a day
with the sheik is like trailing a rock star.
Wherever he goes, he is besieged
with requests for pictures and autographs.
(Barry) Jamal?
- (reporter) And he never hesitate to stop... - (Jamal) Huh? (clears throat)
- (reporter) ...to engage conversation with... - The, uh, council's waiting.
(Minister of Finance) It's a wonderful thing to want
to build schools, and hospitals, and parks.
I don't think that's the Office
of Budget Management's issue.
(Jamal) Then... what is their issue?
I'm the president.
I... I want this money.
I need this money.
The way we would normally fund these
sorts of projects would be to
sell bonds on the world market.
And I don't think under normal
circumstances that would be a problem.
Explain.
It's just... ever since you
- announce elections... - What about the elections?
There's concern that the debt holder
might change, and might not be interested in honoring the
obligations these bonds represent.
No, no, no, no, no.
The debt holder is not going to
change... That's the whole point.
Now, we want the people to vote for me...
so we need money to build things.
(Tariq) Why?
You are the president.
The constitution does not call for these elections.
There's no need for these elections.
We gain nothing from these elections, and in fact may have
created for ourselves the mechanism of our own demise.
Call them off.
And what about the people?
We've already told them.
I'll deal with the people.
I always have.
Mr. President, please.
Embrace who you are and what is yours.
Let's put an end to this foolishness.
"60 Minutes" called.
Pardon me?
Didn't Yussef tell you?
"60 Minutes" called.
They want to do a piece about me.
Have they ever wanted to do a piece about you?
How about you?
Well... (clears throat)
I've been called... to an
emergency meeting with a delegation from Norway.
When I return, I want to hear that these new construction
projects have been financed.
I also want to hear how excited the military is about the
prospects for free elections in Abbudin.
Thank you, gentlemen.
This meeting is adjourned.
Uh, Ziad.
The Norwegian president has asked me to meet him alone.
Something about a pipeline situation.
No one even knows he's here, so
I'll text you as soon as I am safely in the room.
(car door opens)
(footsteps echoing)
(door creaks)
(woman) No hello?
No "it's been a long time"?
No "I missed you"?
Hello.
(clears throat)
It's been a long time.
And as you can see, I've missed you.
(woman laughs)
(breathing heavily)
(woman) You need to come see me more often.
That was like an explosion. (laughs)
- A presidential explosion? - (woman laughs)
A presidential eruption.
Can I ask you something?
Mm.
Do you think the people love me?
Well, the people don't know you.
But if they did, I am sure that they would love you.
How could anyone not love you?
(door opens) (Barry) May I?
I know we, uh, we don't see eye to eye on a few things.
The elections, the sheik.
If you've come here to
tell me what to say or to drill
me the way you've been drilling
my husband and the others... let me remind you:
I've been in the public eye since I was 18.
I know what to say when the cameras are on.
And I know what to do when the cameras are off.
Of course you do.
What?
You.
You're so...
impressed with yourself.
"Look at me.
Look at what I did.
I'm bringing democracy to Abbudin."
You really believe he can do this?
Win the votes and the love of the people?
Yes.
Yes, I do.
I guess it helps to be away from him for 20 years.
Forgive the intrusion.
You cannot outrun history.
One would be a fool to stick one's head in the sand and not
see how change is sweeping the Middle East.
Change... and cell phones.
Everyone has a voice, everyone
has an opinion, and everyone has a camera.
It simply stands to reason then,
that everyone would expect to
have a say about how they are governed.
Well, he's my son, so
of course I think he's special.
And he's always seen things differently than his father,
so I'm not entirely surprised
that he's turning everything on its head.
Trying things that have never been tried before.
But the main thing is that I
think he wants what's best for the country.
Even if it's not him.
And I think that gives you a
hint at just how special he is.
(Jamal) I don't say these things for effect.
I say them because... this is the reality.
This is how I truly feel about it.
We are coming to this place one way or the other.
We can either be in front of it or behind it.
(cameraman) Just look at me.
Here we go.
You served for three decades as
the head of the military for an ironfisted dictator.
Now here comes the son, and he's
freeing political prisoners, sitting down with opposition
leaders, calling for elections.
Isn't your head spinning?
(Tariq laughs)
Yes and no.
My nephew is a visionary.
But he is also very much like his father, my brother.
My brother looked at the vast desert, the warring tribes,
the hostile outside forces conspiring against him
and nonetheless felt that he could build a nation.
Insane.
And yet here we are.
A nation.
With abundant schools and hospitals and a vibrant economy.
And now my nephew says, what if we have elections?
What if we let the people choose?
You think they might choose me?
An old dog like me thinks... insane.
But then I remember his father.
And I think crazier things have happened.
Are we through?
(director) All right, set.
A wife always wants to
believe she's her husband's greatest love.
But long ago I made peace with
the fact that I'm in second place.
(journalist) I'm sorry. Second place to who?
To Abbudin.
(journalist) Your opponent, Sheik Rashid, a sworn enemy of your
family for over two decades,
calls you either the bravest
or the most foolish man on the continent.
(Jamal chuckles)
That's really funny.
I didn't know Sheik Rashid has that sense of humor.
Uh, but, uh... I like Sheik Rashid.
Uh, I would not vote for him, for sure.
But I like him.
(journalist) The people like him, too.
He is leading in the polling.
(Jamal) It's early to say.
The elections are a long way off.
And I think, in time, people
will realize that what they feel
for the sheik is actually what
you feel for an uncle that
you haven't seen for a long time.
Uh, nostalgia.
But if you look around, you can
see what we have built together, as a nation.
And I'm sure you will say, I love that.
I want more of that.
I want more of the people, of the family, that did that.
(journalist) You sound very confident.
Uh-huh.
(journalist) Would you be interested
in hearing what the sheik had to say about you?
(recorder clicks)
(on video) What do you make of
this new, young president Al Fayeed?
Obviously, he
marches to the beat of his own drummer.
And when you sit with him in a
room, you know you are sitting with a lion.
Of course, not all lions are friendly, and every so
often one will bite your head off.
(journalist #2) But you have to admire his courage.
He didn't have to allow these elections.
He could have simply said no.
Yes.
He knows wise counsel when he hears it.
(journalist #2) Wise counsel?
(Sheik Rasid) He has a younger brother.
Bassam.
An American.
Like I said, Jamal may be a lion.
But I suspect his brother is the lion tamer.
The brother who tells the lion what to do.
(Ziad) We are getting reports
that for the first time in 30 years, a significant
number of young men of draft age
are simply not showing up for induction.
This is despite the fact they know the penalty is death or life imprisonment.
Additionally, among men already serving, we are seeing a
measurable uptick in deserters.
Again, these men are staring at
certain death, and yet... they don't care.
And finally, assaults against
officers by conscripted men are
up 11% compared to this same time last year.
(sighs) And why do you think this is?
Shifting sands, Mr. President.
The country is sensing change.
And change is not good for the status quo.
People don't obediently serve
in a military they suspect of being disbanded.
And those already serving start
looking for an exit strategy.
It's human nature.
Are you saying this is
because I have announced elections?
Well, when you look at
- the latest polling... - Latest polling?
Mr. President, there is new polling.
And unfortunately it shows you just with 33% of the vote,
while the sheik has 44% of the vote.
That's not perfect.
But... still early.
And 44 to 33 is not really terrible.
No, Mr. President.
It is not.
Although it is somewhat troubling that just two weeks
ago you had 37 and he 41.
(Jamal exhales)
(sighs) Let me think about all of that, okay?
Thank you very much for your
patience, for your support and encouragements.
(knocking)
- (man speaks Arabic) - Thank you.
(door closes)
Forgive me for not getting up.
Some days the legs cooperate happily.
Some days they don't.
(laughs)
- Please. - Thank you.
Thank you for, uh, seeing me at such short notice.
You made it sound urgent.
What was urgent was my
brother not having to see me for
a few days after hearing what
you said on "60 Minutes".
(Sheik Rashid chuckles)
You knew exactly what you were doing.
Does it serve my interests for there to be
friction between the man I'm
running against and the man I've
come to believe is responsible
for any success he's experiencing?
The answer is yes.
Be flattered.
You remind me of your father.
(pouring liquid) Really?
And is that a good thing or a bad thing?
This may shock
you, but I considered your father an extraordinary
statesman right up until the the moment he betrayed me.
Don't you mean
right up until the moment you betrayed him?
You bombed an army barracks.
Killed dozens of Abbudin soldiers without provocation.
Did I?
It's what happened.
You bombed us, we gassed you.
Our sin was greater, but I doubt
it would have happened if you hadn't attacked first.
I was looking for a peace with a man I
believed wanted the same thing.
I never struck first.
I never struck at all, nor did any of my people.
Then, who did?
Maybe a man who
wanted to gas 20,000 people in Ma'an and needed a reason.
So, you're saying my
father sacrificed his own men
to give himself a reason to attack Ma'an?
I am offering a
possible scenario, no more, no less.
But you didn't come here to debate history with me.
I'm here to extend you an invitation.
My brother would like you to be
present for the signing of the
motion to amend the constitution
to allow free elections in Abbudin.
The motion to amend.
The tiny first step.
(Barry laughs airily)
I mean what I say.
Those days before the attack on
Ma'an, I really thought your father was one of the most
extraordinary individuals I had ever met.
I disagreed with almost everything he stood for, but I
admired his will to get things
done, his willingness to listen
to other opinions and ideas.
You are... your father's son.
I don't know why, but
I can't seem to get the peoples'
love.
I give them elections.
I free prisoners.
Doesn't matter.
Perhaps I'm just not lovable.
Well, I find you very lovable.
Yeah, I know.
I think I'm lovable, too, but, the point is, when I...
when I... when I think about who actually loves me... Yeah.
My father... He liked me sometimes.
Sometimes, yes.
Sometimes, no.
My mother... You know, she's my mother.
She... She loves her children no matter who they are.
And my brother.
My younger brother.
My little brother.
(Jamal sighs)
I see him look at me with pity.
I think he thinks that is love, but I know it's just pity.
(woman) That sounds very lonely.
What about your wife?
- (Jamal scoffs) - (woman sighs)
Well... I love you.
Well, I know that.
I... I can tell.
With all your heart, right?
With all my heart,
Mr. President.
(Barry) Hey, don't jump.
Screw the sheik.
Does your boyfriend
know you talk about him like that?
(both laugh)
So, (sighs) long time, no see.
- Hmm, I've been busy. - (Barry laughs)
You know, it's not easy hanging onto 33% of the vote.
I wanted to talk to you about that.
You know these polls are only
accurate to within five points, right? You know what that means?
It means I'm losing?
No, it means you could have 38 points, and he could
have 39, which basically means you're in a dead heat.
Well, tell that to my trusted council.
Down the hall, there are people that have come from
all over the world to see you do
what you're about to do today.
When you put your pen to that
document, the world will be different.
How many men get the chance to
effect that kind of change in their lifetime?
You are making history today.
Really?
You sure it's not you?
(Molly) Wow.
Look at these two.
Which one do you want?
(Leila) Are there two?
I see only one.
(Barry) So, we'll, uh... we'll
see you guys down in the ballroom.
They're setting up for some pictures with the sheik,
and then we'll move to the actual signing.
(door opens and closes)
(Jamal sighs)
We were just out there.
People seem to be very excited
about what you are going to do.
Are you?
LEILA: I think that you have it in you to be... a great man
and do great things.
But do I think this is one of them?
I'm not sure.
That doesn't change how I feel about you.
And how do you feel about me?
Jamal, if you don't know by now...
Oh, I plead for your
love, and all I get is... anger.
That's not true.
Then... give me your love... here, now.
Don't be ridiculous.
I'll meet you down there.
(door opens)
(indistinct chatter)
(camera shutter clicking)
Mr. President.
He's a force of nature, isn't he?
(camera shutter clicking)
(Jamal sighs heavily)
Excuse me.
I will be right back.
Sure.
(Jamal sighs)
(door opens)
(man) Right through that door, Sheik Rashid.
(Sheik Rashid coughs)
(loud coughing)
(coughs) So... this is where you are hiding.
(laughs)
Great minds think alike.
(Sheik Rashid laughs)
Ah. (water running)
(Sheik Rashid coughs, spits)
(Sheik Rashid sighs)
(water stops running) You are amazing to watch.
The people... they really love you.
(Sheik Rashid sniffles)
Well, of course they do.
I am a benign old man.
What's not to love?
I also love them right back.
And my brother Bassam.
Do you love him?
(sniffles) I don't know about love, but he is a very
clever fellow, your brother.
Very wise, very principled.
(Sheik Rashid sighs)
I'll tell you another thing.
There's not a morning I don't
wake up and thank God I am not running against him.
(Sheik Rashid laughs)
(both laugh)
(Jamal) Ah.
(Sheik Rashid coughs)
Huh?
(coughing)
You're okay?
(Sheik Rashid coughs)
(loud, labored coughing)
That's it, cough it up.
Cough it up, old man.
(loud coughing)
Cough the whole lung!
You want me to get Bassam to help you?
You need a whack in the back.
(grunts)
(Sheik Rashid groaning)
Did that help?
(Jamal grunts)
How about that?
(Jamal panting)
(sighs)
You think everybody loves you?
Well... forgive me. I don't.
♪ ♪
Sync and corrected by Gianluca Belfiglio