"Tehran" has become international, fun and sparkling, but has lost something important along the way

With a cheeky and extreme finale, the second season of The Thriller left no moment to breathe and became an effective and refined television candy.

But this fun comes alongside poor characters, unfounded plot, weak dialogues and flattening of the story.

What perhaps hurt her the most was the relinquishment of the Israeli arena, which blurred her identity

Nadav Menuhin

17/06/2022

Friday, 17 June 2022, 05:55 Updated: 06:14

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Actresses Glenn Close and Niv Sultan are interviewed by Sagi Ben-Nun for Walla! Culture, ahead of the second season of the "Tehran" series by Here and Apple TV Plus, starring (Walla!)

It is not clear how the secret war between Israel and Iran will develop, but in the world of "Tehran" it is close to boiling point.

The second season of this game of identities and loyalties has converged into a cheeky and extreme finale, devouring the cards again: the big players - the countries - will also enter a new game, and the small players, those who survived the dramatic chain of events, can no longer trust anyone (henceforth - spoilers) .

There is nothing to say: Tamar Rabinian has seen more beautiful and simpler days.

The end of the second season actually shatters most of the cornerstones of the plot: the main enemy, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards - is eliminated, but even Tamar's alliance has gone to hell: we will never know what could have happened to Feiman;

Mentor Marjan is murdered by Nahid Kamali;

The beloved Milad was killed in the explosion of the getaway vehicle - probably by the Mossad, and if this hypothesis is correct, it is also likely that Rabinian herself is no longer really wanted by the Israeli intelligence organization.

It was fun and fun it was.

Niv Sultan from "Tehran" (Photo: here 11)

This resounding finale, which eliminates in three minutes three main characters in the plot, befits the entire season, in which the action and suspense of "Tehran" has come as far as possible.

She left no moment to breathe, and displayed great chases and outstanding cat and mouse games.

Glenn Close and Sean Taub squirted charisma.

The high production values ​​and the large amount of money spilled this season have proven themselves: "Tehran" has become an effective and refined television candy.

All in all, it was fun and enjoyable - even if the end is accompanied by a sense of accomplishment.

But this fun comes largely alongside poor characters, unfounded turns, weak dialogues and flattening of the story, which in any case did not dive to particularly impressive depths even in the first season.

Not only did the characters shrink, their inner logic was also confused.

Both Milad, Marjan, and Faraz - all zigzagged this season, making inconsistent decisions.

In the case of Tamar and Milad, these were usually very bad decisions, as we also wrote at the beginning of the season.

More on Walla!

"Tehran" is so damaged and yet it is difficult to look away from it

To the full article

Sprinkle charisma everywhere.

Glenn Close and Sean Taub from "Tehran" (Photo: here 11)

In addition, at the same time as "Tehran" became international, glittering and tailored, she gave up her attempt to deal with Israel and Israeliness - something that was on the table last season, in scenes by the then head of the Mossad or Tamar's father, completely cut from the plot.

This is an end in itself, precisely because "Tehran" is a flagship series of the Public Broadcasting Corporation, and the one that opened its impressive wave of series from two years ago.

The loss of the Israeli arena has blurred the character and identity of the entire series, to the point that it has become an almost generic spy drama.

Equally it could have been a series about an agent of the KGB, the MI-6 or anything else, when just by chance the institution is the one at the center of the plot.

We said goodbye like that.

Sharbin Allenby and Niv Sultan, from "Tehran" (Photo: here 11)

Speaking of the Mossad: it's hard to believe how much the Israeli intelligence organization and its envoys have been described as a kind of rotten, amateurish, superficial, violent and unrestrained body - one that is willing to kill everything in its path, ready to manipulate mental contestants and hospitalized. Innocent into the cycle of violence.

For the two truly unforgivable acts - the exploitation of Nahid and the unnecessary killing of Peiman - Marjan and Milad are punished by the creators of the series and paid with their lives.

Will there be anyone to pay for Millad's murder?

How will it continue from here?

In fact, only two significant characters remain in the plot - Tamar and Faraz, two intelligence agents who despise each other and depend on each other.

Presumably the third season, when executed, will pave the way for both of them out - or the final confrontation between them - against the backdrop of an attempt to prevent an all-out war and defend themselves from two powerful intelligence agencies, who are apparently interested in their deaths.

Beyond that, it seems that Tamar's story is expected to end, and it is doubtful whether there is any point in continuing her plot line.

Season 4, if produced in the future, already needs other heroes.

This is fine: Tamar Rabinian has already made her contribution to Israeli television as an action heroine.

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Tags

• Tehran - Series

• Glenn Close

• Niv Sultan

• Sean Taub