Mo

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A couple of years ago we caught season 1 of a show called ‘Mo.’

It was a show that we found by accident and was an odd one to be sure about a Palestinian man living in Houston, Texas.

We didn’t know much about a Palestine man or their culture. Mo was funny, and the show’s plot was fast paced. The end of first season had him stuck in Mexico, unable to get back into the United States.

On to season two, and the real news of the day played right into the plot as Mo tries to get back across the border legally.

Imagine it.

A man of Palestinian descent who is actually an American citizen, trapped in Mexico, and needing to prove that he’s not just trying to illegally enter.

It’s a comedy, but my heart sink to see men stuffed into makeshift cages as they waited for their names to be called so their cases could be heard.

Dehumanizing.

They have access to a jug of dirty water, and are handed a packet of crackers.

There was another room where men were waiting that was just wall-to-wall men with an exposed toilet in the room for them all to share.

Mo mentions how horrible the smell is.

Those in charge of monitoring the border are tired. One of the guards mentions that every day is the same…

…dealing with desperate people telling them same desperate stories.

He mentions that he doesn’t feel a connection to any of them.

It’s a sad, confusing subject that, in a perfect world, would be handled with compassion and understanding.

Spoiler alert:

It ain’t.

Yet, I enjoyed the glimpse into the lives of a Palestinian family.

They talk, and laugh and hurt and feel…

…just like every other citizen of every other nation in the world.

It also applies to the men and women who don’t feel as though they have a country.

Mo.

A funny show with a lot of heart.

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