Review by: Catherine Evans Joseph

The short
An army-smuggling family navigates business whilst upholding strong family ties.

The long
Set near the Lebanese-Syrian border in a fictional village “Al Hayba,” the series follows a recently widowed Alia and her son Joe (also named Jabal), who decides to travel to Lebanon to fulfill her husband’s wish to be buried in his home country. The journey, which was expected to be short-lived, leads to an encounter with the prominent clan “Sheikh Al Jabal,” which controls the village territory and the arm smuggling business. The story follows the family as it navigates  an ongoing historic feud with another Lebanese clan “Al Said” whilst upholding  strong family ties amid internal strife. The series audio is in the Syrian Dialect, Lebanese Standard Dialect & Lebanese Baalbek Dialect of Arabic, while offering subtitles options in English, German, French, Turkish and Russian.

To watch or not to watch?
Definitely a must watch! The series emulates how important having a strong family bond is in the Levant. Also, we see how Lebanon has been influenced by the French culture from using some French terms, such as “Ciao,” “Bonjour,” and “Merci,” to the houses resembling French cottages, court, and villas.