If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you may recall a little known gem on the streamer titled Mo, which aired its first eight-episode season back in the Summer of 2022. The series, which serves as a loose adaptation of stand-up comedian Mo Amer’s real life, follows a Palestinian refugee hustling his way through daily life within the United States. Though super-fans have surely been frustrated with the extended wait between seasons, it’s fitting that season two of Mo is finally arriving now, as immigration, asylum seeking and Palestinian cultural identities are making massive waves in the news. Both seasons of the series currently tout a staggering 100 percent certified fresh critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Season two of the critically acclaimed show landed on Netflix on Jan. 30, but you’d be excused for being a little fuzzy on the details of season one, considering the two and a half year wait. Luckily, we’ve got you covered, with a comprehensive guide recapping the show’s plot, characters and ending, ensuring that your memory is sufficiently jogged and braced to enjoy everything the new episodes have to offer. As you can expect, the following write up will contain spoilers for the first season of the Netflix original series, so feel free to bookmark this page and return later if you’re not up to date.
What Happens in ‘Mo’ Season 1?
As stated above, Mo centers on a Palestinian asylum seeker named Mohammed “Mo” Najjar. Mo notes right in the show’s initial launch trailer that he’s never been to Palestine, and feels no direct connection to his motherland, though he laments that he is not technically an American citizen, as his family’s asylum paperwork has been in limbo for over 20 years. Mo has a very modern outlook on the world. Early on in the series he loses his job, leaving him with no means to make money other than flipping designer items such as purses, watches and jewelry from the trunk of his car. His work visa won’t allow him to take any other job, so Mo has effectively fallen through the cracks of the system. Despite his boujie outlook, the titular character was raised very traditional, and remains close with his mother, who holds values from her homeland near and dear.
Nowhere is this clash of cultures more evident than in Mo’s relationship with his girlfriend, Maria. Maria is a Hispanic woman who runs a local body shop, and wishes to take her relationship with Mo to the next level. He has reservations about settling down, as he knows that his mother, Yusra, won’t approve of him dating outside of his culture. Furthermore, he feels that marrying Maria now would run the risk of looking like a green card wedding, and he wants his relationship to be built on a mutual trust with no ulterior motives. While the couple exhibit a myriad of cultural differences, none are more prominent than their religious backgrounds. Maria is a devout Christian, who attempts to bring Mo into church with her, while Mo is a loud and proud Muslim, with no interest in converting.
Do Mo and Maria Break Up?
As Mo hustles to make money with his bootleg luxury sales gig, he winds up crossing paths with a few nefarious characters, who put his life in serious danger. He even agrees to sell drugs in order to pay off a debt to a local gang banger. This brush with danger helps Mo to realize that he never wants to be without Maria again, even if his mother doesn’t approve. Unfortunately, his grand romantic gesture is too little too late, as Maria rejects his marriage proposal. Mo tries to outline his entire experience in the interest of transparency, but the whole thing is just too off-the-walls for the young woman to handle. Her desire to grow her business, combined with her general lack of trust in Mo, leaves her to break up with him on the spot, citing her need for consistency and honesty in a life-long partner.
Mo is obviously heartbroken, and Yusra ultimately blames herself for driving a wedge between the happy couple. As an act of apology, Yusra bottles a small jar of her specially-made authentic Palestinian olive oil, and gifts it to Maria. Though Maria remains unsure of her future with Mo, this gift brings her closer to his family and finally makes her feel accepted by Yusra. For now, there’s no telling if the young couple will truly find a way to work through their issues or not, but fans far and wide are certainly hoping to see a resolution in Mo season two.
Does the Najjar Family Ever Get Their Asylum Granted?
As the first season of Mo carries on, the title character seems to be experiencing an all time low. Not only has he lost his job and his girlfriend, he’s also struggling to overcome an addiction to lean, which he picked up from his love of hip hop culture. While struggling to kick the dangerous habit, Mo also feels excruciating guilt about not being able to provide for his family. We also come to learn over the first few episodes that Mo’s father died before the rest of the Najjar clan could make it to the United States. He sacrificed himself in order to send his wife and children off for a better life. As the oldest child, Mo has taken on the responsibility of finalizing his family’s immigration status, but the gears of the justice system turn excruciatingly slow, trapping him in a state of limbo.
To rectify this issue, Mo decides to meet with an esteemed immigration lawyer, who fights voraciously on his behalf. She even gets him in a one-on-one meeting with a local judge, who is meant to oversee the Najjar family’s documentation. Unfortunately, this plan backfires tremendously, as the judge explains that he feels too connected to the case after sitting down with Mo. To avoid any conflict of interest, the judge recuses himself from the case, which effectively shuffles the Najjar crew to the back of the line. The scene is comedic in nature, but it’s clear that this is a crippling blow to Mo and his family. Much like his journey through love, Mo will have to wait until season two to see this documentation issue resolved, if it ever goes through at all.
How Does Season 1 End?
Even when Mo is at his lowest point, he does find some spiritual solace and connection to his culture through his mother’s hobby turned side hustle making her own olive oil. As Mo’s life falls apart around him, Yusra reassures him that everything will be okay, with a tender matriarchal speech about the crucial role that his culture plays in his daily life, even when he doesn’t actively feel it. Inspired, Mo decides to help Yusra ramp up production on her oil in order to make more money. Unfortunately, the local farm that supplies authentic middle eastern olives for Yusra is robbed, with dozens of trees uprooted and hauled away. Mo agrees to help the farmer recover his saplings, and embarks upon a quixotic adventure to get them back.
In a shocking turn of events, Mo discovers a truckload of olive trees, and sneaks into the back before the drivers can spot him. He plans to figure out where these bandits are taking the trees before returning with his own equipment to steal them back. Unfortunately, when Mo gets off the back of the truck, he realizes that he has been transported over the border into Mexico, with no recourse to return to the United States. Mo is horrified, and reaches out to Maria in a panic. He asks if she can get him in contact with some of her cousins south of the border, and perhaps set him up with an illegal transport back into the nation. The season closes with Mo trapped hundreds of miles from home in an unfamiliar land, raising a number of fascinating points about the state of American immigration, border security and asylum seekers.
What’s Next for Mo?
Netflix has announced that Mo will conclude with season two, meaning we should have all of our pressing questions answered with the new batch of episodes. Those who have seen the new season have already provided glowing reviews, as indicated by the series’ 100 percent perfect score on the Tomatometer. If you’re wondering how Mo returns home to Texas, how he gets back in touch with his roots and how he manages to save his family from the throes of immigration limbo, be sure to check out season two.
