Friday, November 5, 2021

What I’m Watching: United States of Al

United States of Al: Season 2, Episode 3 “Mo/Masoud” (B)

Al’s eagerness to get his sister married off so that he can bring her to the United States seemed at first to be hyper-specific, demanding too much that wouldn’t be able to be met given where he was. But then he found the perfect person, who happened to be Kasim’s very own son, which anyone watching knew was too good to be true but he was happy to go along with anyway since it would ultimately help his sister. Mo was absolutely his family’s version of Lizzie, and while the whole non-Afghan thing might be a problem, I would be thrilled to see the two of them date. This was all a pretense for Al to reunite with Ariana, and while they were more invested in insulting each other than flirting, that kiss on the cheek that she gave him at the end of the episode indicated that she might be open to a courtship, which would be wonderful to see. Art and Kasim get along so well even if he’s not entirely hip to all of his, or Mo’s, references, and so the warm relationship would extend to multiple generations of the families. Riley and Freddy competing over who was the better bowler was both petty and immature, but it was a helpful opportunity for them to see eye-to-eye and for Riley to realize that Freddy is about the best possible stepfather he could hope for Hazel to have, even if he’s not totally ready to step aside and relinquish the possibility that he could save his marriage.

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