Throughout the first 10 episodes of Hulu’s “Ramy,” our lead Ramy Hassan’s love life is pulled in two different directions: either he settles down with a Muslim girl at the wishes of his parents, or he goes out-of-the-box and just does what feels right. In the season finale, Hassan somehow manages to do both, locking lips with someone he really connected with in Egypt who’s also Muslim.
Except– wait — it’s his cousin.
“The relationship my character finds in Cairo is definitely an unconventional one,” “Ramy” co-creator and star Ramy Youssef tells TheWrap of the finale. “It’s going to be really exciting to unravel the complications that Ramy has created for himself in season two.”
Alongside Youssef as a fictional version of himself, the show also stars Amr Waked (Farouk Hassan), Hiam Abbas (Maysa Hassan), Dena Calmawy (Dena Hassan) as his fictional family and Mohammed Amer (Mo), Dave Merheje (Ahmed) and Steve Way (Steve) as his friends. The story of “Ramy” follows the title character as he tries to balance his life in the Muslim and millennial cultures.
That quest leads Ramy to Egypt, where he meets his cousin Amani (played by Rosaline Elbay). One day, Ramy and Amani go to their grandfather’s funeral, an overwrought moment they both acknowledge later on may be giving them mixed emotions. Ramy’s final decision to kiss her that night is emblematic of his inconsistent decision making, illustrating “the pull that happens between what you believe and what you actually do,” Youssef said
“You could be someone who starts his day with 7 a.m. yoga class. You have a green juice and did it right. But then at 1:00 a.m. in the morning you’re having chicken nuggets and a frosty at the drive thru,” Youssef said. “You get torn by your desires.”
For those who watch his show, Youssef wants Ramy’s journey to help people who also feel torn by two different sides of their life, to feel less alone.
“We really wanted to make something that was introspective so people could see what its like to battle yourself,” he said.
Youssef acknowledges that the show and its ending may be controversial to some. Youssef liked a comment he heard that “Ramy” was “destroying people’s brains” and that no one should watch it because of what happens in finale.
“I’m like wow. It destroys your mind but you made it to the end? That’s really exciting. I think that guy will watch season two,” Youssef said.
“For season two, I’m excited to take bigger swings, bigger risks,” he added.
The New York Times called the show a “quietly revolutionary comedy,” and Youssef is debuting his first HBO stand-up special on June 29.