"Making our protagonist a woman was a political decision": Tehran creator Moshe Zonder opens up about Tamar (Exclusive) 

After a thrilling first season, Tehran is back again for another run with our protagonist Tamar, the Mossad spy and hacker. Although the spy series took some time to gain momentum, Tehran today has come to be regarded as one of the best espionage series ever made.

In light of the premiere of the second season, which dropped on Apple+ TV on May 6, 2022, questions have risen in the minds of viewers regarding the series in general and Niv Sultan's character in particular. With this in mind, Sportskeeda's Sneha Haldar engaged Tehran creator Moshe Zonder in a conversation regarding Tehran's protagonist, the quick and bright Mossad hacker agent and spy, Tamar.

The brief chat with Mr Zonder started off with him saying how making his protagonist a woman was a political decision,

"It's true that in most of the spy series we see the protagonist is a man, but it was a political decision of my co-writer Omri Shenhar and me to make our protagonist a young woman."

This revelation made Niv Sultan's character even more intriguing. Mr Zonder then proceeded to talk about his protagonist, Tamar, and what inspired him to write her character.

---

Tehran creator Moshe Zonder talks about the relevance of a female spy in his series

From James Bond to Ethan Hunt, the history of popular culture is loaded with portrayals of male spies who win hearts with their charisma and bravery. It is hardly ever that we hear of a female spy who has managed to navigate and find a place for herself in this very male dominated field. But once in a while a character like Tamar comes around who wins hearts with her softness and tenacity, and we are left wondering about the inspiration behind such an awe-inspiring figure.

In response to this query, Mr. Zonder opened up about the inspiration behind Tamar and the struggles behind writing such a feminist character in the socio-political climate of the Middle-East:

It was also much more interesting for us to write Tamar's reactions and decisions, physically and emotionally, from a female point of view. In the second season, we pushed even more the feminine power and the show only earned from it. The new head of the Mossad is a woman and the most important agent the Mossad has in Iran is a woman, played by the phenomenal actress Glenn Close. "

In his response, Moshe has tried to fill in a lacuna that exists in the world of espionage. He has also touched upon the requirements of a female spy for whom certain spaces are more accessible and who can operationalize her femininity to get work done. Viewers of the show will relate with this from certain incidents in the second season.

---

Tamar's character arc from season 1 to season 2

What was very striking in Tehran season 2 was the progress Tamar had made from the last season. She is now more capable and more sure of herself. Commenting on how he developed the character of Tamar, Moshe said:

"The character of Tamar Rabinyan was developed in a very dramatic way from episode 1 in the first season, until the beginning of season 2. Actually Tamar was much more than a hacker, even if she was the best in the west to break Iran's cyber defense, then a Mossad agent. And in a way she was more than a teenager than a young woman.

Talking more on Tamar, Moshe mentions how the young woman got caught up in a mission that was only supposed to be brief:

"Tamar was supposed to be in Tehran for only 24 hours. But then things got mixed up and she had to stay. In the second season she is much more mature and she thinks every time before she is willing to do the orders she gets from the Mossad. Throughout the second season she has all the time a conflict between her loyalty to her family and her loyalty to her country.

In this context, Tamar's character arc becomes very important. We saw her progress from a young woman to a capable agent in the second season. Not only did she mature, but she also formed important relationships which revealed a lot about her progress. Elaborating more on this, Mr. Zonder says,

"Two months have passed in Tamar and Milad's life between the end of the first season and the beginning of the second season. Tamar and Milad are lovers by now and both of them want to start a new life together in Vancouver, Canada, without needing their life to be in the middle of the Israel-Iran's conflict. But then Tamar feels she must get involved in one last rescue mission of an Israeli pilot and from there everything gets mixed up again".

---

There is still more to find out about Moshe Zonder and his creation Tehran. Watch this space for more conversations from Mr. Zonder, who will further elaborate on the context of Tehran and its political purpose amidst the ongoing Iran-Israel crisis.