Disclaimer: Our criticism is towards the characters’ behavior, but not the portrayal of the characters by the actors. We support the actors and are astonished by their absolute dedication and talent in portraying their roles!
Fouad
Aaah, what can we start with? Manipulation at its finest. Fouad and Engie are the couple everyone is rooting against; Engie being a naïve and delusional character, and Fouad becomes the guy who makes use of every opportunity to manipulate Engie. They start by being the “impossible relationship” as the guy is -yep you guessed it right- married, and he is chasing after the young girl who is unmarried and a hopeless romantic.
The dynamic is infuriating because the audience gets to know information about Fouad that Engie doesn’t know, and automatically everyone sides with Engie. The lies Fouad tells her to include and are not limited to being “almost divorced”, promises of a marriage that lasts longer than the honeymoon phase, and of course the classic one that is “my life with my wife is impossible, but oh I am staying for the kids.”
Not only does Fouad victimize himself by painting a picture where he is the sacrificing father who stays with a woman he doesn’t love for the sake of his kids, but Engie falls for every single lie that comes out of his lips. Needless to say, this is painful to watch.
Now how should an “Engie” behave with a “Fouad”
- Listen to your friends, Engie. If they all claim he is bad news, chances are…he is bad news. Often enough, people don’t listen to their friends because they believe they’re not in a position to see everything. But, sometimes, an outsider’s insight is necessary for the actual situation to be understood.
- Dig deeper? Why aren’t you asking Fouad to let you meet his “to-be-divorced” wife, Engie? Why aren’t you asking him to meet his kids; aren’t you going to be their stepmom? What are you doing to us, Engie?
- Assume the worst. Normally we should advocate for people assuming the best out of everyone. But seriously, Engie, here is where you assume the worst. Assume he is lying, and simply ask him to prove he is truthful. Loving a married man is not simple, and loving a guy much older than you gives him an advantage over you as he has more experience.
This leads us to our second least favorite character: Ramzy
If you want to continue following up with the show, get your Shahid account ready! And if you want to know our take on the performance of some of the stars of the show, we have a whole piece dedicated to Lina Sophia and Aya Samaha!
Stay tuned to part two of our series of “Characters We Hate Portrayed by Epic Actors We Love”