‘Tehran’ Recap: ‘Emergency Landing in Tehran’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Tehran’.
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If there is one genre out there that has managed to mold itself into a model of cliché and efficiency, it would have to be the spy genre. Because this particular type of story does a phenomenal job of offering up the audience a suave and dangerous hero. One that always knows how to handle any situation and is rarely caught when it comes to their observational endeavors, and in the event, something does go wrong in their travels around the globe; they are able to immediately course correct so that they can complete their mission and save the day. Which is a formula that we see in these stories time and time again, simply because it is a crowd pleaser and allows room for all kinds of action and adventure to take place. 

But as time goes on, it is becoming clear that audiences are beginning to demand more from spy themed stories. Because this is an era where people expect some level of realism to be injected into their storytelling and that is allowing for more realistic and gritty spy dramas to arrive on the market and it just so happens that Apple TV+ is getting into that game as well. Since Friday saw a brand new spy drama, one that meets the aforementioned criteria, arrive on the network by way of Tehran. A story that at first glance, seems like a formulaic spy story through and through. For ‘Emergency Landing in Tehran’ introduces us to Mossad Agent Tamar Rabinayan, who has snuck into Tehran and switched places with a local woman there, named Zhila, in the hopes of completing one incredible mission.

One that involves using her newfound status as someone else to infiltrate a key building, which will in turn, grant her access to the Iranian defense network; so that she can scramble radar and anti-air assets near a critical nuclear facility. All so that the Israeli Air Force can bomb it back to the stone age. Which seems like quite the straightforward mission, the kind that should go off without a hitch. But thankfully this story finds a way to point out that the spy business is a most dangerous game. One where anything that can go wrong, will go wrong and the first real issue that Tamar runs into, is the sheer fact an Iranian official is alerted to her presence in the country. Because the emergency landing that brought her to Tehran, was also host to two Israelis, one of whom worked at the same military base as Tamar and unfortunately… she spotted her old coworker and spoke of it in a monitored room after being detained.

But while that revelation brings forth concern from the Head of Investigations of The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a man named Faraz Kamali, his worry is ignored by the higher ups and for a brief moment it seems as though this danger will pass, and Tamar will complete her mission without any issue. However, there are other complications that await her in this tale. Such as the fact that Zhila is quite popular with her coworkers and her neighbors, and that makes a smooth entry into the target building, near impossible. Plus, it turns out that Zhila was having an uncomfortable and forced affair with her boss and once word gets out that ‘Zhila’ has come to work, things get ugly. Because Tamar finds herself pursued by the man, an act that forces her to abandon her mission and fight for her safety and unfortunately, that leads to the death of one disgusting boss; in plain sight of a bystander, no less.

If anything, that’s quite the stunning manner in which to end the opening chapter of this tale. Since it leaves the mission hanging on by a thread, and it leaves Tamar vulnerable to questioning and heaven knows where this disastrous twist will take us. But in the here and the now, it’s best we celebrate one stellar premiere. Because not only did this particular story offer up a gritty and realistic mission for Tamar to embark upon, the instant this story opens up; we are surrounded by danger and intrigue at every single turn. The kind that quite frankly elicits anxiety, since you simply don’t know who Tamar can trust and that sucks you into this story. Because now you’re eager to learn what comes next and whether or not the mission will actually be accomplished and well, that seems as good a time as any to sign off and return to this tense and dynamic world. In order to see what other realistic surprises await us in Tamar’s journey. Until next time.

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