‘Mo’ Review: Mo Amer and Ramy Youssef’s Netflix Comedy Is an Incisive Portrait of Palestinian-American Life

Netflix’s first episode is late MO, the title character (played by Mo Amer, who also co-produced the series with Remy Joseph) is shot while shopping for cat food. Well, pasture – he will be fine after being treated at the hospital, paramedics reassure him. Mo panics, as terrified at the prospect of running up a medical bill without health insurance as he is from the fact of what really happened to him. Meanwhile, the troubled EMT took a jibe at his gurney about whether the shooting counted as “mass” if only four people, including the shooter, were killed.

The scene feels deeply funny and a touch surreal, the way real life’s most harrowing moments often do. this is a typical example of what MO does so well. Over eight half-hour episodes, the drama sustains itself through a similar sense of humor and an eye for clever details, even as it delves into the often deep, heavy waters.

unless MO Begins, Mo Najjar and his family – including Yusra (Farah Basso), his devoted mother, and Sameer (Omar Elba), his cat-loving older brother, who seem to be on the spectrum – have spent 22 years awaiting his application. Spent in Houston. First to Palestine, then to Kuwait for asylum approval after fleeing. For the time being, life is pretty good, though not without its challenges: Moe’s status as a “refugee free agent” without citizenship in any country has limited him, for now, is allowed to live in the US. Not allowed to work, and under constant threat of deportation for one wrong move.

As might be expected from a series named after him, centered on a character named after him and inspired by his own real-life experiences, MO Ultimately Amer’s charisma lives or dies, and luckily he has it in spades. Onscreen Mo is a friend’s teddy bear with an easy-going smile and an admirable (if often misguided) sense of security towards his friends and family. He’s only reluctantly and occasionally a salesman—he begins tossing out counterfeit luxury goods from his trunk when an ICE raid threat kicks him out of a previous job—but it’s clear that he One is natural, able to meet anyone on his level. Take it from the old white man, who initially dismisses Moe’s fake Yeezy as “alien shoes,” only to walk away with $300 worth of merchants a few minutes later.

MO It is built around that gift of connection. Amer shares a sweetly relaxing chemistry with classmates such as Teresa Ruiz, who plays his girlfriend Maria, or Tobey Ngwe, who plays his childhood BFF Nick; They’re by her side in her most desperate moments, but they’re also there to playfully throw pancakes in her face at brunch. MOThere are times more about these characters than Mo’s own perspective. For example, while Mo is insisting on supporting his family, MO Creating a subplot about Yusra’s own entrepreneurial ambitions. The downside, if you can call it that, is that the characters are so vivid and likeable that there isn’t always enough time to spend with them. In particular, I hope Sameer’s longing for romance, which is mentioned a few times in season one, can develop into a full-fledged story in season two.

In contrast to Moe’s unclear legal status, or the confusion that he continues to receive about his heritage – strangers often mistake Mo for Mexican, or believe that Palestine is the same as Pakistan – MO There is nothing, if not specific, about the cultures that have shaped its leadership. The story follows Mo as he participates in a free with his family, or sits around a hookah bar arguing with other Middle Eastern expats about hummus (according to Moe, the snack cups sold at American groceries are “a damn war crime”) . And they extend into recognizable Houston venues like Houston-based giant Presidential Heads or Funplex, which are often soundtracked by Houston-based artists like Paul Wall and DJ Screw.

MO Not prone to sentimentality, but it is oblivious to feelings – including the deep, sharp ones that take root during the season as Moe develops an addiction to being lean, a painful one about her late father (Mohammed Hindi). The mystery is revealed, inadvertently becomes indebted to a local gangster (Rafael Castillo), and generally struggles to keep it together. Amer captures the subtle expressions of bewilderment or guilt that flash across Mo’s face, whether he reassures others that he is okay, or tries to distract from his worries with a tense joke. There are rare moments when the character allows himself to open up, such as when he confesses to a Catholic priest that he feels like a “joke” for failing to live up to the standard set by his father, MO It can be heart-wrenching.

but MO Never loses the character of his name in troubles. Among his many personal habits, the one that is most commented upon is his insistence on carrying a bottle of Palestinian olive oil. Depending on the situation, this could be a punchline or a totem; It can serve as a taste, consecration or literal taste of expanded Palestinian culture to uninformed outsiders. Whatever it is, the humble glass bottle is a constant on the series. Moe, too, can be many things: a clown and a provider, a survivor and a victim, just some man making his way through the world or a rare representation of a super-special culture. Above all, however, MO Allows her to be just herself — and it’s this confident voice that makes the series such a treat to watch.