TAYEA’: How Society Can Turn People into Savages

When Tayea first came out it was the biggest show during that time in Egypt. People reacting to the unexpected twists would share their thoughts to Twitter which caused it to be the number 1 trending topic in Egypt. This show is one of my favorite if not my favorite Egyptian Drama Show. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Whether you are emotional or not this show will bring out all of your emotions. The show is extremely accessible. It is available on both Netflix and YouTube.

Tayea, an Egyptian doctor played by Amr Youssef is put in prison for a small crime he committed on purpose. We later find out that he put himself in prison for protection. In upper Egypt, when there is a murder instead of reporting to the government revenge has to be taken from the family of the killer. For example if someone would have murdered your father to take his revenge called “Tar” he would kill the murderer’s father so he could feel the same pain that you have felt. This is the dilemma Tayea was put in.Tayea’s father is a “Dallal” which is a person who has the gift to find gold/tombs that are underground. Tayea’s Father along with another man worked for Harby. They both disappear which causes both families to think that their father was killed by the other man and the other man fled town. This causes the tension of “Tar” between the families which causes each family to attempt to kill someone from the other family. Tayea being the oldest son (the man of the house) is the main target. Harby is a man who illegally smuggles and sells Artifacts to people.The government wants to take Harby down but needs to get enough proof. They send Tayea on an undercover mission to get evidence on Harby.

Tayea is seen as a disgrace by his mother because he does not believe in “Tar”. He believes it is immoral and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. The two main conflicts in this story are both Tar and Harby’s illegal smuggling. Harby also has a Tar he’s been patiently waiting for. His daughter was murdered when she was pregnant, so he is waiting for the murderer’s daughter to get pregnant in order to get revenge. The dilemma is Tayea’s love is that woman, So her father disapproves of her getting married so Harby does not take his Tar.

The story is filled with suspense, drama, action,and romance. The Director Amr Salama brings out the best of each actor. None of the actors overwhelm one another. You can see the point of view of both the protagonist Tayea and the antagonist Harby who is played by Amr Abdel Galil. I found myself sympathizing with Harbyat some moments but furious with him atother moments. This caused an internal conflict with me as the viewer. My favorite character is Tayea’s younger brother Fawaz, who is played by Ahmed Dash. Fawaz falls into the hands of Harby and works for him which is his way of protection.You can clearly see Tayea’s character development go from a man who will do what’s right even if his reputation is on the line, into a man who is filled with rage and only has revenge on his mind. Tayea’s character development shows that external pressure from society can turn a person into a self destructive machine.One of my favorite things about this show is that there are no filler episodes. Everything happens for a reason. There is a scene in every intro to each episode where we see a young boy stranded in the desert. We do not find out who this is or what is the purpose of these scenes until the last few episodes. This example and many more like it fill the show with foreshadowing.The bombardment of foreshadowing leaves the viewer constantly critically thinking about past episodes and how they connect with what is currently happening at any point in the show.

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