Ramy season 1 & 2 review

Ramy season 1 & 2 review written by Tanya Djavadzadeh

Created by: Ramy Youssef, Ari Katcher, Ryan Welch

Rating: most excellent

 Is he finding himself? Or is he finding love? For Ramy, sometimes it’s both. The award winning series is a dramedy about an Egyptian American man, Ramy, and his family who are trying to make their American dream come true in New Jersey. The show is full of insightful moments about the Islamic religion. It’s also layered with some pretty crazy situations that make me question what I'm watching. Ramy gets himself into many sticky situations which are pretty weird to watch at times, but it’s just a different form of comedy at times. 

After watching Mo, I realized the importance of why I need to watch Ramy right away. Unlike the characters in both of these shows, I am not Muslim. However, I am a child of middle eastern immigrants. I am a first generation Iranian American, eldest child of my mother's, and the first person in my family to graduate from university (by one week lol). I relate to characters on both of these shows, but some of the storylines in Ramy felt as if I'm watching my own life.

Ramy is about an Egyptian American who struggles to make his way in life. Ramy is a family man who finds himself in promiscuous situations with other women. They make him question himself and his worth to the point where his faith is all he can truly rely on. The stories shared throughout the series come from the point of views of each of the characters. These characters all reminded me of my family and family friends.

The character I resonate with the most was Ramy's sister, Dena, played by May Calamawy. Being the daughter, there's always more worry for the parent. Who are you hanging around? Where are you going? Why are you wearing that? You're not allowed to date that boy. You're never going to find a husband wearing that. Etc. Etc. It's what we call "brown girl problems." Ramy shows the trials and tribulations of this in authentic ways.

The dynamic with the parents is so pure. The struggle for the American dream is real and this is displayed so beautifully in this series. Ramy's dad struggling to provide for his family which causes him anxiety. Ramy's mom trying to understand language barriers and how her words can negatively effect the people she interacts with. The loneliness which comes the feeling of - I belong here, but I'm not from there. These are real situations many immigrants face at times.

As for Ramy, LMAO. He gets himself in some crazy ass situations. Absolutely insane, kinda gross, but also hilarious situations. This show helps the audience understand the beauty and purity which comes from Islamic practices. It also shows negative situations people can get in to protect their views on religion.

The writing of Ramy reminds me of Dave and Atlanta - as equally humorous as it is dark. Each share stories of important social and human rights issues with great heart through incredibly writing. I highly recommend checking out this binge worthy show.