Netflix’s Mo has returned, and the main character, Mo Naijar, is playing catch up, trying to pick up where he left off. However, it seems as though life and the people he loves have moved on without him.

The second and final season of the comedy series picks up with Mo stranded at the border, highlighting his struggles as a stateless refugee — which plays an integral role in the overall story arc for creator and star Mo Amer.

“Having him stranded and then deporting himself in Mexico — [it] was important to take him there because I wanted people to see what it takes to come to the United States,” Amer told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “People risk their lives for a better future for themselves and their families. So it was really important. Most people think it’s so easy to just come to America and that you become a citizen right away. It’s not the process.”

“I really, really wanted to plant that seed in Season 1 of, you know, how many times they have to go to court, and all the things that would even take to get to court, and by the time you get a hearing … and then to see all the things that he has to overcome if you do step out of the country, whether accidentally, on purpose, for any reason whatsoever. What would that do to our character,” he said. “I wanted to pile these things on and put Mo in a pressure-cooker situation, not only to, like, display what it’s like to be an asylee in America but also, like, a lot of comedy will be born from his actions and the pressure cooker that we put him in.”

One of the main focuses of Mo’s second season is getting the main character’s family to their home in Palestine; Amer said it was important to paint a picture of the hardships people face to get there.

What happens with Mo’s relationship with longtime girlfriend Maria?

Mo is not only battling his family’s status in the states in this second season but also navigating relationship issues with his longtime girlfriend Maria, who has moved on following his time in the detention center. 

This update is just one of many that make Mo feel as though the world has left him behind after he found himself stranded and away from his loved ones.

“Being in a detention center, being away, and him — psychologically — Mo thinking that, you know, they need him for survival, like he’s a pivotal part of their survival. He puts all this pressure by supporting his family and stepping up like his dad put that pressure on him when he was a kid. ‘I need you to step up and be a man,’ … and then to come home and realize they’re just fine,” Amer explained. “Not only are they just fine, your room is essentially a closet now, filled with all these goods. That’s painful, right? Yeah, not only that, but now your own friend is hanging out with your girlfriend, and they’re all like, “Everything is cool,” and she’s dating somebody else. It just goes so badly for him.”

Amer added, “And I think that that is just like, ‘Hey, man, you take responsibility for your own actions. You know you need to really focus on being successful yourself so you can help others.’ And there’s a great line that my sister says to my mom in Episode 7, it’s one of my favorite scenes all season, where she says, ‘How are you going to take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself?’ And this is like, the main thing that Mo is missing, like, how are you going to do anything? How are you going to even be, like, desirable in any scenario, whether it be in a relationship or whether it be in your friend zone. … If you don’t value yourself and you don’t take care of yourself, how is anybody else going to value you?”

Houston is a character on ‘Mo’

The first season of Mo featured Houston legends Bun B and Paul Wall, and familiar faces like Slim Thug make an appearance in the show’s second season. These cameos fulfill Amer’s desire to showcase the Texas city.

“Houston is not only diverse in its people, but also landscapes,” Amer said. “So there’s a lot of different places. It used to even surprise me, like having the scenes in Episode 1 in Mexico. We filmed in three different countries. Basically, we filmed in Mexico City, and we filmed some parts of it in Houston, and there was this whole courtyard; essentially, this couple built an entire Mexican town in Houston; it’s called Harrisburg, and it’s in the Harrisburg area. And so that’s surprising. I’ve never seen that before.”

He continued, “Houston is such a great landscape, and has so many different opportunities to pull off so many different things, as far as, like, cinematography is concerned, and displaying different things. To me, Herman Park is so close to my heart. That’s where the museums are. That’s where the science museum is, the butterfly exhibition, the IMAX, the zoo. It’s all right there. It just feels like where everybody goes to hang out when it’s a beautiful day outside. Really, it’s just about making sure that it’s authentic and natural and really truly displays Houston.”

Created and executive produced by Amer and Ramy Youssef, the show is also executive produced by A24, Harris Danow and Solvan “Slick” Naim.

The second and final season of Netflix’s Mo is now streaming on Netflix.