Diksha Sundriyal
‘Tehran’ is an Israeli espionage thriller that reminds of shows like ‘Homeland’ and ‘The Americans’. The series opens with a thrilling first episode that uses its one-hour runtime to set the ground for the dangers, secrets, and life-threatening situations that lie ahead for the characters. It uses the political tension between Israel and Iran to infuse palpable risk for the characters and to underline that sense of peril, it gives us scenes like two tourists forced to enter an enemy country and a man, convicted of embezzlement, publicly hung in the middle of the city. These scenes act as a reminder of the challenges that are in waiting for the protagonist and what would happen to her if she is caught. The first episode not only delivers an exciting episode about a dangerous mission but also ends on a note that makes us wonder what happens to a spy stuck inside enemy lines. Here’s what the ending means. SPOILERS AHEAD
Tehran Season 1 Episode 1 Recap
Tamar is a Mossad agent who arrives in Tehran to hack into the Iranian defenses and allow the Israeli Air Force to go forward with a critical attack on Iranian forces. For this, she boards a flight from Amman to New Delhi, which is force-landed in Tehran by the Mossad. Here, she switches identities with a local woman, named Zhila, who works in the electric company. The problem arises when two Israelis board the same flight at the last minute and find themselves in a lot of trouble when the plane lands in Tehran. The interaction between Tamar and the Israeli girl leads to a complication that paves the way for more risks for the spy. An Iranian officer begins his pursuit and Tamar makes a grave mistake.
The Ending
The first episode of ‘Tehran’ creates a lot of tension for all the characters, all of whom move like chess pieces to ensure that the plot is pushed forward with paranoia that anything can wrong at any time. Shira and Yoni, who had found themselves in a particularly tricky situation when the plane landed in Tehran, had almost accepted the fact that they would never get out of there. The moment they heard that the connecting flight would mean for them to land in an enemy state, they started panicking, and their fears were not ill-placed. In the interrogation room, Shira is asked about her time in the Israeli army and if she ever came across confidential information. Things get all the more dangerous when her and Yoni’s conversation is translated and the mention of an Israeli officer in the guise of an Iranian flight attendant is brought to light. Faraz, the Iranian officer who interrogates Shira, decides to keep both of them in detention for a bit longer but has to give in to the demands of his superiors who do not want an international incident.
Against Faraz’s wishes, Shira and Yoni are allowed to board the connecting flight to New Delhi. However, this does nothing to shake off his suspicions about the flight attendant. He scours through the security footage and locates both Tamar and Zhila. While the other officer takes his time to distinguish one woman from the other, Faraz quickly understands what has happened here. He knows that they have switched and that the original flight attendant is now on her way to New Delhi. He tries to have the plane stopped but is too late for it. While one woman has escaped, he knows that the other is still somewhere in Iran. There is no doubt about the fact that she is a spy and has come to Tehran to foil the country’s plans (which is why they don’t want an international incident at this time). He knows what she looks like and it shouldn’t be too difficult to track down the woman with whom she switched identities. It would be a huge win for him, but that means that he would have to cancel the trip to Paris. He arrives at the airport to tell his wife that he has work to do and won’t be able to join her.
Meanwhile, Tamar, who doesn’t know that her cover has already been blown, continues on her mission. She secures the codes that Zhila was supposed to provide them with, all the while trying to pass off as Zhila. The hitch in her mission comes when Zhila’s superior, who had been abusive towards her for a long time, attacks Tamar, not knowing who she really is. Due to this, Tamar has to leave her work, but that’s not even the most problematic thing to happen to her. In trying to contain the situation, she kills the attacker, which means that she has brought more attention to herself. It will only make Faraz’s job easier and the only thing that she can do now is to go into hiding. This also leaves us wondering about Mossad’s plan and what they intend to do now that Tamar has failed her mission.
Read More: Is Apple TV+’s Tehran a True Story?
