‘Tehran’ Recap: ‘Shakira and Sickboy’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four ‘Tehran’.

When we last settled in to discuss the phenomenal new AppleTV+ series, Tehran, we closed out our recap on an ominous note. For ‘Yasamin’s Girl’ ended with Tamar surrounded by an angry group of people, led by her cousin, and it certainly did not look as though anyone wanted to have a simple chat about what happened earlier in the day. Which meant that we were all left wondering, as to whether or not Tamar would find a peaceful resolution to this tense standoff, or if she was going to have to rely upon her training as a Mossad agent to get out of this mess, and potentially expose her true identity in the process. And it just so happens that the next episode in this fascinating tale, wasted no time in answering that particular question. 

For ‘Shakira and Sickboy’ picked up immediately where we left off, allowing for us to bear witness to a hybrid answer to that all-important question. Because Tamar did indeed throw down and fight when necessary, even going so far as to break her cousin’s arm and drop one of her friends, all in the hopes of getting this group to back down, quickly. But the other fighters present were eager for revenge and quickly overpowered Tamar, and the only thing that saved her from being beaten within an inch of her life was a witness. And once Tamar was able to stumble away in great pain, she quickly made her way to Sickboy’s place to find refuge and an opportunity to heal from her sudden and ugly wounds, and thankfully he was receptive to her arrival and even took the time to tend to her cuts and bruises. 

But while that made it seem as tough this story was going to remain in tender territory, shaking up the narrative once again, that simply wasn’t the case. Instead this episode went to some intense territory. For while Tamar recovered from her fight, Faraz went on quite the rampage. For he was determined to find the spy that snuck into his country and that led him to perform some brutal interrogations. The kind that left Tabrizi sitting in his own filth while he watched people that mattered to him suffer. And this quest for ‘justice’ also brought about some serious fractures in Tamar’s family. For her aunt went under the microscope and opened up about her connection to Tamar, after that annoying cousin spilled the beans to the IRGC about everything. But while Faraz was able to finally uncover Tamar's true identity, this information served him little purpose. For her whereabouts remained a mystery and that worked in her favor, for certain.

Because it allowed for Tamar to operate in silence when she was feeling better, so that she could secure a clean passport for Sickboy. All so that he could help her escape the country, and despite a few close calls with the IRGC, she was able to get her hands on what he needed and keep her cover intact when Sickboy started asking too many questions. If anything, it truly seemed as though Tamar’s harrowing journey was about to come to a close, since she finally had a ticket to Israel and a passport that would get her through customs. But an off the cuff suggestion from Sickboy, one involving another opportunity to gain access to the electrical grid awakened something within her. And in the closing moments of this story she opted to stay behind after all. In order to complete the mission and head home a hero. 

In the end, this was simply another quality tale through and through. Because not only did it allow for Tamar to finally show of her skills as a spy, it also helped to establish just how difficult her mission is going to be going forward. Because Faraz is simply relentless, and he leaves no stone unturned in his quest to accomplish his goals and the longer she stays in Iran, the better the odds that Faraz will find her. Which means that all we can hope for at this point, is that she’s able to get the job done in a hurry and get home without a care in the world. But the harsh reality of the matter is, that is likely going to be easier said than done. For Faraz is closing in and his desire to capture her is only going to lead to more heart-pounding moments as Tamar works to complete her mission at last. Until next time.   

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