‘Tehran’ Recap: ‘Yasamin’s Girl’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Tehran’.
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When one thinks of a spy drama, a specific set of images and expectations come to mind. Such as epic action and adventure, the kind that features death defying stunts and incredible explosions. Plus, one immediately thinks of colorful villains that have grand plans to take over the world, and kickass gadgets that allow for our intrepid spy to accomplish wonders and beat the odds. And all of that pops into our minds simply because the genre has done a phenomenal job of providing us with high octane stories that feature all of those elements. But there are some spy stories out there that focus on far different elements storytelling wise, such as the new AppleTV+ spy series; Tehran.
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For this particular tale leaves all of those tropes and clichés behind, replacing them instead with things that you just don’t find in the genre. Such as character development and moments to catch our breath, and for concrete proof that this series is a game-changer for the genre, then look no further than its third episode. For ‘Yasamin’s Girl’ does everything we just discussed, since it takes the time to finally tone down some of the high yield tension that’s been present from the get-go. All by having Tamar spend a little time with her family. Because it turns out that her aunt was actually okay with Tamar spending a day or two in her home, despite the sorted past present in this family’s history. And that allowed for Tamar and the audience to catch their breath and process this incredible story and get to know Tamar a little better, and what we learned was quite fascinating.

For it turns out that Tamar and her mother and father hail from Iran but decided after the revolution that the time had come to forge a better life in a different land. And unfortunately, the decision to leave Tehran and start over elsewhere, split the family down the middle. With Tamar’s Aunt staying behind while she grew up in Israel. Plus, we also came to learn that Tamar is not a traditional spy by any means. Because the bitter fury that is present in so many other spies in the genre is just not present within her soul, which explains why she left The Eagle behind in the last episode. And what matters most, is that she isn’t obsessed with the mission or other such things as her silver screen counterparts. She’s a person that has hopes and dreams and talents like the rest of us and this segment really did make for quite the fascinating character study, one that really did help us to understand what kind of person Tamar truly is.

However, while it was delightful to take a break and relax for a moment, this is still a spy series and a lack of tension or any progression of the plot would be a crime for certain. But thankfully the series found a way to inject that into the fabric of this tale, by having Tabrizi and Faraz play a little cat and mouse game with Tamar. For both men were eager to find her for different reasons and neither of them were successful in their endeavors. Because Tamar was able to blend in and forge her own path in this story. Since she worked with and met with Sick Boy to secure a passport out of town, and she even managed to observe a riot from afar as part of this overall plan to secure an escape on her own terms and well, for her efforts… neither the IRGC or The Eagle were able to capture her, but that doesn’t meant she’s out of danger just yet.

Because unfortunately, her cousin spotted her at the riot, and since she and her friends dealt with embarrassment there, they wanted some measure of payback and they may in fact, get it. For in the closing moments of this tale, Tamar found herself surrounded by a heavy number of angry people, and it should be interesting to see if she can settle this mess in a peaceful manner, or if fists are going to need to fly. But in the here and the now, it’s best we celebrate one quality tale. One that really did a phenomenal job of changing things up pacing wise, and really it just goes to show that Tehran is going to be quite the versatile series. One that can tell whatever kind of story it wishes to while still captivating us, thanks to its dynamic characters and unique setting and well, once again, this show found a way to keep us hooked with that tense cliffhanger. Which means that this reviewer will be counting down the minutes to tomorrow’s new episode. To see exactly how Tamar is going to get out of this particular mess. Until next time.   

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