HELLO and a very big welcome back to Ask Hue Mann! So glad to be back! I’m unofficially done with university (you’re looking at a financial analyst to be *wink*) and I’ve returned from Ramadan bearing gifts!
Today, we’re going to talk about 4 of Ramadan’s most popular shows, and I’m going to give my opinions on each of them after watching them from start to finish (yes, start to finish, which is why it has taken me so long to review these shows, as I sat down and watched them one by one). The shows will be ranked from best to worst in my humble opinion, and we will be covering the following elements: Story/plot, main characters and their actors, cinematography, and music.
1. The Trip (الرحلة)
Plot Summary: The fates and lives of 6 people become intertwined after sharing a flight from Lebanon to Egypt. Unbeknownst to most of these passengers, they will all unwillingly become victims of Dr. Osama Ibrahim, an unusual looking toxicology professor who has forever separated himself and his wife and daughter from the rest of the world, or so he wanted to believe.
The story revolves around Osama after he fell in love with the unsuspecting Rania, whom he wanted to protect from “those people out there. Those beasts out there” in the real world, and so he did what he thought was the only logical thing to do. He trapped her in their house after they were married for years. 6 years later, Rania escapes with their daughter Salma and proceeds to run away to Egypt on that flight that connected 4 other people to her terrible life.
These 4 people didn’t think their personal problems would ever be connected to a story none of them could ever imagine, Rania’s story. There were the newly-weds Adam and Sara, who already faced betrayal and doubt in their relationship; there were Karima and her younger sister Karma, whose relationship would forever be shaken by the secrets Karima kept from the sister she had to raise alone. Because Karma took Salma’s picture, and Rania accidentally switched bags with Adam, things took a turn for the tragic for these 4 passengers.
Out of 5, I think the whole story would get a score of 4.2. I thought that there was a really good combination of melodrama, suspense, and a good few happy scenes. This series’ whole plot is one that really takes you down to the core of the people in it and makes you think and feel so many things that you’re just left gripped to the events that transpire in front of you. But I thought that the ending was a little too tragic for me, especially since this show got me quite attached to one or two certain characters. Not only that, but it included this element of trying to prove that maybe Osama is right in hating this world of beasts we live in, as it shows how some of the characters become corrupt by the end of the series.
Now a list of the main cast members and a short review of their acting in the series.
Basel El Khayat (Osama): His acting was exceptional. Osama is not an easy person to portray because he isn’t just your everyday psychopath. There is something else that was different about him. Basel El Khayat had to portray someone with a serious mental condition combined with a harsh upbringing, and he did so with flying colors.
Riham Abdul Ghafour (Rania): I’ve come across her before in the show Don’t Turn Off the Sun (لا تطفئ الشمس) from last Ramadan. She’s had to take on an entirely different role, the role of a terrified yet defiant victim of imprisonment and rape, as well as an unwilling addict. I think she did a great job, and definitely had me empathizing with Rania.
Hanan Motawea’ (Karima): I’ve also met Hanan last Ramadan in the show The Sweetness of Life (حلاوة الدنيا) and a few minutes into the first episode, it became no surprise that they chose Hanan for the role of Karima, almost ironic (watch the show to know what I mean). But despite that, it’s a very difficult role to take on and Hanan excelled in it. Perhaps her being in The Sweetness of Life actually helped her perform in The Trip so well.
Thoraa Gebil (Karma): Yet another actress I’ve met before from last Ramadan’s horror/murder mystery series, Kafr Delhab. Honestly, her performance in Kafr Delhab was hardly noticeable to me last year. But this year she improved significantly in her acting. She was much more comfortable in her role as Karma and portrayed her very well. She’s actually managed to be one of my favorites in this series.
Waleed Fawaz (Adam): The first time I’ve watched a show with this actor in it, but I do believe he was in Heba Crow’s Foot a couple of years ago. However, I’ve become well acquainted with Waleed’s acting style and I sincerely enjoyed it. It didn’t feel like he was acting, more like he was just being himself all through the series (until he inevitably lost some of his marbles by the end).
May Selim (Sara): She had to be my least favorite in this series. May Selim, in my opinion and without making any jokes about her, is only good at crying and acting like a b*tch (sorry). Other than that, her acting is really bad. She did not do her character justice.
As for cinematography, I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t too dark or too bright. The camera work was done very well, especially in the scenes that are flashbacks or crucial events in the plot. And the music in the background was really fitting. Not overly creepy, but really was composed in a way that helps to set the scene.
Overall score for the series is 4.5 out of 5.
2. Eugenie Nights (ليالي أوجيني)
Plot Summary: Set in a small town in Port Said in Egypt in the 1960s, are several stories of romance, as well as stories of betrayal and climbing out of a difficult past towards building a better future. In this small town, the lives of several people are intertwined and complicated when a young woman wanders into Eugenie, battered and bruised, and carrying secrets. Everyone from the doctor who helped to treat her wounds to the young singer who found her and took her into her home, to the woman who employed her at her café and all the way to the people close to each of them. And in each of these relationships are pasts wanted to be forgotten and love stories lived and lost.
The story starts with Kariman, a wife and loving mother, fled from her abusive husband after an altercation between them and her bashing him on the head. Trying to get away from these events that transpired, she found herself in Port Said, trying to catch the ship she believed her daughter was on, but to no avail. Kariman wanted to give up and die after she had lost everything, until the kind young singer Galila found her and took her in. That’s when the Kariman’s next story begins, when the handsome but quiet Dr. Farid comes after being called to treat her wounds. However, Dr. Farid is a married man, and his wife Aide soon becomes aware of what began between Kariman and Farid.
Overall, I would give this story a 3.9 out of 5. Yes, all the love stories in this series are all lovely and charming, but I found them somewhat cliché. The married doctor falls in love with the babysitter. The past young love between two people and the mother that hates the woman who stole her son’s heart and is preventing him from marriage. The rich but old business man that fell in love with his lower class employee and his disapproving daughter. I bet you that these have been told and retold in most drama series, especially Spanish and Turkish ones. Nevertheless, I did appreciate the way the story was brought to life in the era and setting it was in.
Now a list of the main cast members and a short review of their acting in the series.
Amina Khalil (Kariman): As usual, Amina Khalil has stolen my heart. She took on a role that was very different to her last two roles in Grand Hotel and Don’t Turn Off the Sun. She portrayed a mother desperate to find her child, a young woman who thought she found true love, and the terrified victim of domestic abuse, exceptionally well. Again, she portrayed a favorite character of mine.
Dhafer L’Abdine (Farid): Settle down ladies. As much as most of us (including myself) love the charms of Dhafer, I personally thought that this was not his best performance. Yes, his was the role of the quiet and secretly depressed doctor, but I didn’t really feel anything from or for Farid, and that could have been improved if Dhafer had portrayed him better.
Ingy El Mokadem (Sophia): I now have a new favorite because of Ingy. She portrayed the kind yet fiery soul of the Italian woman excellently. She even spoke Italian flawlessly, which was honestly a brilliant addition to her character instead of her just being known as an Italian. Sophia was definitely a favorite character, and Ingy is definitely a new favorite actress.
Mourad Makram (Aziz): This was the first time I’ve seen Mourad Makram on television and he was actually pretty good. He did well portraying the mama’s boy accountant who was still hung up on a past love in his youth that he could not keep, as well as being depressed and confused with what his purpose was in life. Mourad in my opinion deserved more screen time so we could have seen more of him. But from what I did see, I really enjoyed and connected with.
Carmen Bsaibes (Aida): If I were to describe what I thought of her acting, it would be either “Blah” or “meh”. Didn’t really feel like she made much of a contribution to the story. Not only was her character a bit boring, but her style of acting is also very boring, and somewhat unenthusiastic. So I didn’t enjoy having to watch her.
Asmaa Aboul Yazid (Galila): She’s a good singer, but a better actress actually. She’s brings this kind of energy to the screen where you just can’t help but love her. It was my first time seeing her, but I quickly fell for her charming portrayal of the kind and dream-seeking Galila, who was absolutely crucial to the story.
As for the cinematography, it was stunning. Port Said’s hidden beauty was shown, and the overall portrayal of Egypt in the 1960’s was just gorgeous. The music, the lighting, the atmosphere and warmth, makes you want do travel back in time and stay there forever.
Overall score for the series is 4.1 out of 5.
3. Disappearance (اختفاء)
Plot Summary: It all started that one day when a well-known journalist and author surprises his wife with a painting of her. Only it was her in the portrait, it was a woman named Nasima Sovalyan, and the portrait was painted in the 1960’s, yet the resemblance was uncanny. The journalist, Sherif, wanted to know more about the woman in the painting as well as the painter, Nader Al Refaie, who was her husband and was said to have disappeared a couple of years after he finished that portrait. Sherif, who was digging up more and more mysterious facts, suspected a big business tycoon of murdering Nader, until he fell victim to a car crash and went into a coma. Nearly two years later, he appears alive and well, to the surprise of his wife, Farida, and stating his claims against the business man to the public. Soon after, he disappears and the entire country is looking for him.
This story surrounds the lives of two women, who are not related in any way and yet look exactly the same, and how their lives would be connected by one portrait. Little did they know that their lives would also be connected by the same man; business tycoon Soliman Abdul Dayem. Did he actually kill Nader? What other secrets was he hiding from the entire country? And why was he trying to bury the past so deeply that he even he believed his own lies?
Overall, the story was kind of interesting (a 3.5 out of 5). However there were many clichés to it. The rich and bored foreign woman falls for a local and charming artist. The neighbor who was secretly some sort of spy on their life together who ends up falling for her and growing more and more jealous of the artist who won her heart. The journalist who unearthed this story 50 years later disappearing in mysterious circumstances and his wife who tries to find him. Even the whole two completely unrelated women, 50 years apart, who happen to look identical idea. I’ve heard or read it all before. Yet I enjoyed watching the series, no matter how predictable some of it was.
Now a list of the main cast members and a short review of their acting in the series.
Nelly Karim (Nasima and Farida): I’m mostly going to say what everyone else thinks of Nelly Karim’s acting by now. Yes, she’s only ever brilliant when she’s acting out melodramatic emotions and scenes. I wasn’t convinced whenever she was acting out being happy and in love and rosy, in fact I was annoyed by it because of how unbelievable it was. You can at least relate if you’ve seen last year’s show she starred in, For The Highest Price.
Mohamed Mamdouh (Soliman): We’ve all been gripped by his extraordinary acting, ever since we first really met him in Grand Hotel, and then again in Don’t Turn Off The Sun. But this year was a whole different story. He was equally exceptional, but in a role I never saw him taking on. The role of the antagonist is one thing, but Soliman’s character is extremely complicated. You loved him at the start, then hated him in the middle, and then felt sorry for him by the end, and you bounced between so many other emotions all through the series. The best actor in the entire series, by far.
Hisham Selim (Sherif): I’d also give him a “meh” in this case. I felt like he was only really good at yelling very convincingly (no offence). Sherif’s character was an important one, and Hisham Selim could have done a much better job at portraying him, especially because his disappearance was a catalyst in the series.
Mohamed Alaa (Nader): Frankly speaking and being brutally honest, Mohamed Alaa was just there for the plot, since the story revolved around his character’s disappearance. Other than that, I felt like his presence was very pointless.
Basma (Solafa): She wasn’t there from the start, and I saw no point of her being there at all. Solafa’s story was tied to Nasima’s, yes, but only slightly. I saw no point of having her be some sort of plot twist in the series, since it wasn’t very shocking or interesting. I think she could have been a different character that could have been more important, but as is, I saw no significance.
As for the cinematography, the camera work and lighting effects were outstanding. They were adjusted to fit both the eras portrayed in the series very well, bouncing between present day and the 1960’s effortlessly and with flawless execution. The music however, had it’s annoying moments, so much so that when the episodes were uploaded to YouTube, the sound was cut unless someone was speaking. And I think that was to the relief of the viewers and myself.
Overall score for the series is 3.9 out of 5.
4. The Eagle of Al Saeed (نسر الصعيد)
Plot Summary: In the Egyptian countryside, known as Al Saeed, there is a town called Qina where there is a governing family, who’s head was Saleh Al Qinawi, a righteous, godly, and just man who sought justice for everyone in his town. His first wife gave him his first born son who was later on to carry the mantle he wore, Zein. After Zein’s mother died, Saleh’s second wife Saleha raised him as her own. Zein grows up to be a young man with the aspiration to become a police officer because of his desire to help people. Soon after he was accepted into the police academy, Saleh was secretly murdered by a man whom he crossed twice in his life, named Hitler. Years later, Zein finds himself crossing Hitler and unknowingly finishing what his father started. He faces challenges in his career as a police officer that conflicted his morals as a man.
So, the story revolves entirely around Zein, while including some details about the people surrounding him in his family. In every police officer’s career, there is one particular case the hit them where it hurts. Here, we see Zein attempt to solve this case in his own career, the murder of a young woman who had attempted to ask him for help before he turns her away as he was off duty. Plagued with guilt, Zein pursues this case with a fire that wouldn’t stop raging until he catches her killer. Unbeknownst to him, the killer was a lot closer than he thought, and his mistake in finding that out nearly caused him to send the wrong man to be executed, even if he was Hitler’s son.
Overall, this story is just one big cliché (a 3 out of 5). I won’t deny that it does have some good points, but it’s mostly just revolving around this one man that everyone either idolized or hated because of how “perfect” he was. In my opinion, the perfectionistic take on this story is the biggest flaw. There is no such thing as a man who can do no wrong, and that is what this show is saying, that Zein is that man. There were also many pointless plots just thrown in there for the sake of screen time, like Zein’s wife’s (Fayrouz) sister who is actually an unappreciating spoiled brat who lead her marriage to divorce and losing her only child. And Zein’s wife’s brother who was a cheating bastard and lead his wife to having an accident that caused her a life changing injury. What’s the point of those in Zein’s story? I have no clue.
Now a list of the main cast members and a short review of their acting in the series.
Mohamed Ramadan (Saleh and Zein): Yes you read that right. Mohamed Ramadan, for some bizarre reason that might just be his huge ego, played both the role of Zein and his father Saleh. I never did see the reason for all the hype over Mohamed Ramadan, and I still don’t. I don’t think his acting is good when weighed against all the buzz and money he’s getting. I expected to be impressed, and in the end all I saw was someone who looked like he was on the verge of tears all the time because of how “emotional” things were.
Dorra (Fayrouz): I don’t know where to begin with Dorra and her portrayal as Fayrouz because I don’t have much to say. She was bland, boring, and very unconvincing. I couldn’t quite fit her in as anything of significance in the story, except that she was just a breaking point for Zein. Other than that, she really wasn’t interesting.
Sayed Ragab (Hitler): At first I was surprised that an Egyptian living in Qina would even be named Hitler. Then Sayed Ragab managed live up to that name in the series. Hitler was known for being psychotic yet sometimes making sense and having a soft side. Hitler in this story was not genocidal, thankfully, but he carried just as much rage, yet had a soft side toward his son who was Zein’s target suspect in the case. In the end he was made to realize how he failed as a father and sought redemption in his own way, and Sayed Ragab portrayed that greatly. He made Hitler the most interesting character in the entire series.
Wafaa Amer (Saleha): I’m not surprised that they named Saleh Al Qinawi’s wife and true love “Saleha” since most of this story just reeks with unoriginality, but Wafaa Amer was brilliant in this series. She portrayed the Saeedy mother persona exceptionally well, showing us the kind and caring soul but the firm hand that commands obedience and respect, which raises good men like Zein. I haven’t seen much of her on TV, but she’s absolutely brilliant.
Aisha Ibn Ahmed (Laila): She’s not a main character, but you can’t help but love her. Laila is the girl who grew up with Zein and has always loved him, but never managed to win his heart, and Aisha Ibn Ahmed really acted that role out well, to the point that made my heart ache for her and want to give her a hug. And not a lot of actors can do that with me.
Mohamed Ezz (Mosaad): Yes, Mosaad Hitler was mostly there just to be Zein’s target suspect, but by the end he really was given a chance to show his true talent. Mosaad had a scene in jail where he found God again after a life of sinning, and a scene where he told Hitler of his ultimate betrayal to him, not raising him to be a good man. I think Mohamed Ezz showed his true talent but unfortunately it was only by the end of the series.
As for the cinematography, it was okay, and the camera work was decent. But there was nothing exceptional about it in my opinion, or more accurately it was at the standard. And the music was pretty bland as well, even the opening and closing credits songs, except that they were sometimes just loud and obnoxious.
Over score for the series is 2.5 out of 5.
Well, that's all that I have to say for these series! If you'd like to see them yourself, just go to YouTube and you'll find the full episodes on the official YouTube channels of their respective providers.
I hope you enjoyed this review, and as usual, if you have any suggestions, questions, or critiques, you can always leave them in the comment section here on the blog, or in the comments on the blog facebook page, or you can reach me on my social media links.
Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you in the next post!
Hue Mann, over and out!! ;)