Ramy
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Ramy is going to Israel, despite his misgivings in the last episode.
While Naseem is being held, Ramy meets Ayala, the head of the Diamond Club and Yuvals aunt.
I am home, says Naseem.
Its like kissing a family member, she says.
A cousin or something, you know?
As we remember from previous seasons,Ramy knows what kissing a cousin is like.
Are we supposed to have sex because you went through a checkpoint?
she asks, and he cruelly asks her if she has that many options, given the occupation.
Ramy is still as entitled as ever.
For him, women are just objects a means to an end.
She tells him he should do the deal, even with the Israelis.
The whole conflict, she says, is not about religion.
He tells the IDF guard that a gang of Palestinian kids attacked him and took his passport.
The guard calls for reinforcements and calls it a terrorist attack.
They grab another kid and throw him in the truck.
Still, this is likely the heaviest, most complicated topicRamyhas dealt with during its run.
Meanwhile, Naseem is never able to get into Israel.
He cant set foot in his homeland beyond the airport and interrogation room.
The IDF guard, trying to soften the blow, says he got him an aisle seat.
The things you take from us, and then you give me an aisle seat?
Fuck you, says Naseem.
Ayala finds Ramy sitting outside her house alone after missing the business dinner.
He tells her about what happened and asks how she can live here, given what the government does.
Israel and America both like to hide the truth, she says.
She asks Ramy if hes proud to be American, and he says, sometimes.
Well, sometimes, shes proud to live in Israel.
She says shell use her connections in the army to double-check the Palestinian kid gets home.
He complies and pulls his pants most of the way down because of course he does; hes Ramy.
She then agrees to the business deal with him and asks if hes hard.
For the first time in a while, he is.
Ramy, meanwhile, is turned on by her power over him.
Shes the only woman hes met so far that he cant hurt or use.
He didnt care about elevating Naseems jewelry business, it seems.
He just wanted to elevate himself.
Weirdly, hes making kind of a profound point, not unlike the point that Ramys Tinder date made.
Its not about religion.
In fact, Judaism and Islam have a lot of similarities, as was established in the last episode.
She responds, Muslims in the West are so fucking uptight.
It really upended some stereotypes about Muslims that even I have, as a Muslim American.
This episode sticks to themes of home and identity.
Ramy is both Egyptian and American.
Despite Americas atrocities, he probably wouldnt live anywhere else.
Its his home, just like Israel is now the home of so many Israelis.
And people like Naseem dont even have a sense of home.
Is New York his home?
Ramy was born in America, but not Naseem.
Naseem cant enter his actual homeland.
When Ramy learns that Ayalas mother is a Holocaust survivor, he says, Congratulations, to everyones dismay.
He says, You just had a baby.
You survived the Holocaust.
I could barely watch it because it was so cringey but also so funny.
He goes further and says, Just from the bottom of my heart, congratulations … And Allahu Akbar.
Because God is great.
