By Monique
The Tyrant Season 2 finale has come and gone, and through the season, we were introduced to several new characters, including to the resourceful and smart Daliyah, played by Melia Kreiling.
Tyrant was a great introduction for Kreiling to America, even though she has been in some big name American productions already. You might have seen Kreiling as Bathsheba in The Bible or as Bereet in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. She was also in The Borgias as Bianca.
Keiling brought a different type of sensitivity to Tyrant. Despite there being several mothers in the series, Keiling’s Daliyah brought a purely maternal perspective that was refreshing and grounded Bassam’s arc as he grew into becoming the leader of the people. As I wrote about Daliyah in my Entertainment Weekly Community Blog article:
This season has featured several other well-rounded women alongside Leila and Nusrat. Daliyah, for example, has gone from being a dutiful wife to a prisoner of war to the right-hand of resistance leader “Khalil.” She has been able to keep her sanity by keeping her focus on her family’s safety—her young son in particular. Daliyah’s focus on family also shows that a woman’s strength doesn’t come from just how well she plays the men’s game; being a mother is a huge show of feminine strength.
I’m hoping that if Tyrant comes back for a third season, Daliyah comes back as well. I’d love to see her as the solar power engineer she’s always wanted to become.
What do you love about Melia Kreiling? Give your opinions in the comments section below!
TYRANT — “Pax Abuddin” — Episode 212 (Airs Tuesday, September 1,10:00 pm e/p) Pictured: Melia Kreiling as Daliyah. CR: Kata Vermes/FX
