Mo season 2 took us, and the titular character, on quite the journey in this final season of the Netflix series. And honestly, it was great! Though there were a couple of scenes and plot points that felt a little unnecessary or dramatized for the sake of the story, overall this was a really strong season for the comedy-drama. And as always, Mo managed to keep a smile on our faces. Which is the main message the show leaves viewers with in its final moments. Alright, here's what happened. SPOILERS BELOW.
After a few months and some hiccups, Mo manages to make it back into Houston after crossing the border into Mexico. However, it comes with some hardships. He receives a deportation order. Though since he's a stateless person and was in the U.S. seeking asylum, he can technically stay in America since there's nowhere for him to go. The judge asks for him to wear an ankle monitor though, which is how he spends mot of the episodes.
While he's stuck where he is for now, his mother Yusra and brother Sameer finally get granted the asylum they've been waiting over 20 years for. Which means they're able to finally go back home and visit Palestine! Of course they weren't able to travel anywhere and out of the country before because they didn't have a citizenship. With their asylum case now resolved and granted, it's time for them to pack their bags.
Mo has to stay behind, though his luck changes thanks to Maria. Most of the season we see her dating Israeli chef, Guy, though she breaks up with him as the two want different things. And she admits to Mo that he was a rebound anyway. Mo and Maria don't officially get back together, but she cares a lot about him and wants him to be able to visit his homeland too. So she decides to marry Mo, with the ring her aunt gave him while he was in Mexico, so he can get a green card and a ticket out of the U.S. for a visit to the Middle East.
If the series had continued, I don't know if the marriage and relationship would become real or if it would strictly remain a green card marriage as we see by the end of the series. But nonetheless, Maria is truly a real one and this allows Mo to go to Palestine with his mom and brother, which has been their dream since they moved to the U.S. Yay!
They are finally able to get there and reunite with their family, which includes Yusra's sisters and brother. The finale of Mo season 2 is truly special as the whole episode is set in Palestine. And the reason Mo was dreaming about his grandparents and a key throughout the season is revealed.
When he comes face to face with an Israeli citizen almost shooting him after his son wandered off - Mo was just trying to get the kid back to his family - it turns out the guy's name is Akiva, which sounds like "a key." When Mo starts muttering "a key," that catches Akiva's attention when he asks how he knew his name, and settles him down enough not to shoot Mo. This saves his life and like his mother said, perhaps the spirits of Mo's grandparents are watching over him and protecting him.
Even though it's a wonderful reunion, Mo sees the realities of how his family are living and the extent of what rights they have - which aren't many. Since Buddy is selling the farm, Mo wants to try and get the olive oil business running from the land they own in Palestine. Though it's a complicated process that needs permits and jumping through hoops of many exporting rules that wouldn't make it work.
So even though by the end of the comedy-drama this part of the story is left open-ended, hopefully now that Mo has a green card, and his mother and Sameer's asylum cases are resolved, the family has more job opportunities to make a living. If there's one thing about Mo, it's that he's a hustler and can adapt to many situations. So we're not worried about him.
As they go to the airport to make their way back home to Texas, we see the date is Oct. 6, 2023. The date is significant as in real life, it's the day before the events of Oct. 7 between Hamas and Israel, which lead to more than a year-long onslaught on Gaza with thousands of lives lost. As of this writing, the two sides have reached a ceasefire with Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being released as part of the deal.
Mo Amer, who is the lead and co-created the Netflix show with Ramy Youssef, told Variety there were a number of reasons he and the creative team decided not to address Oct. 7 as a plot point in the season. One of those reasons is that he felt "responding to real-world news too specifically might make the show feel dated" since at the time of writing and creating the season, they didn't know what the outcome would be," per Variety writer Selome Hailu.
The final episode of Mo season 2 ends with Mo and his family going in for an additional screening before boarding their plane back to Houston. An Isreali security agent learns the video tape he pulls out is the only footage Mo and the family have of his father. Despite this, the agent breaks it on purpose because he felt like doing so..
Though Mo initially gets angry and wants to lash out as he usually does, Mo remembers his mother's words - "the world will always try to tear us down. And when they do, we smile. Because we know who we are." And that's exactly what Mo does as the story comes to a close.
So by the end, not everything is tied up in a perfect bow. But that's how real life is. Whether it's about Israel and Palestine or America and Mexico, which was also highlighted a lot in the season, there's still so many disagreements going on. And so the truly perfect way to end a show that addresses so much in so little time is bringing it to a close in the bittersweet way it did. And they do it all with a smile.
Mo seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix.