'Baghdad Central' Season 1: A complex tale of loyalty and liberation that could have had a different ending
Spoilers for 'Baghdad Central' Season 1
Set in Iraq during the 2003 US-led invasion of the country — the first stage of the Iraq War — 'Baghdad Central' tells the story of the aftermath of the invasion through the lives of the people the war upended.
Based on the book of the same name by Elliot Colla, 'Baghdad Central' follows Inspector Muhsin al-Khafaji (Waleed Zuaiter), an ex-mid-level Iraqi cop who has lost everything and is desperate to keep his daughter Mrouj (July Namir) safe.
But when he finds out that his estranged daughter Sawsan (Leem Lubany) is missing, he sets out to find her despite all odds. However, he couldn't find out more until he met Frank Temple (Bertie Carvel in a devious performance), an ex-police officer from Britain, who has arrived to rebuild the Iraqi Police Force. His first recruit is Khafaji.
At first, you can't tell if he is a genuine fella or not. But something about his slouching, shrewd body is unsettling and soon enough we realize that he is not what he claims to be. He brings in Khafaji to help with a murder case claiming that Iraq needs an Iraqi police force that knows its people and its land.
His idea to mint money is deviously simple. Providing places (disguised as safe houses for those working with the coalition) to prostitution rings. Temple only wishes to make money here so that he can retire altogether and never look back. By the end of the series, you begin to despise the character Temple — once towering with power, is a coward begging for his life at gunpoint.
What begins as a murder investigation soon has Khafaji looking into the disappearance of young women translators working for the US Army. The dual-language means that the series demands concentration and patience from its audience. The series has its lulls but the pace is kept together by a detective investigation against the political backdrop.
The ending is redemptive and rather unbelievable because of how easily it comes. That said, it is a complex tale of loyalty, family, and liberation that could have benefitted instead from an alternate conclusion. We particularly liked Captain John Parodi (Corey Stoll) and Waleed Zuaiter onscreen together. Despite our grievances with the ending, we quite like the note on which the two characters ended - acknowledging the truth.
You must watch 'Baghdad Central' for its top-notch direction (by directors Alice Troughton and Ben A Williams) and meticulously written characters. Offering a very keen insight into Iraq after the 2003 liberation, the series is a father's frantic search for his daughter. Having already lost so much, Khafaji is holding on to everything he has right now and will do anything and everything to keep his family intact.
All six episodes of 'Baghdad Central' are currently streaming on Hulu.