Season 3 Of Hulu’s ‘Ramy’ Keeps Cracking The Character Open

The critically acclaimed Hulu series Ramy has always been about inner crisis, and the third season is no different.

In the series, the antics of both the protagonist and the many supporting players are both absurd and hilarious. But every humorous adventure starts from a place of deep, internal struggle. In season one we ultimately find Ramy lost in the sands of Egypt while hallucinating about his attractive cousin. But this confused outcome only happens because of Ramy’s mad search for a deeper religious path. Season two has Ramy tripping into the bizarre predicament of needing to shoot the perfect arrow in order to secure funds for his mosque and keep his dog. But again, he only gets here because of his need to prove himself to his sheikh.

Ramy’s story is a compelling one of constant challenge and uphill battles, but very few actual victories. His journey is, intriguingly, one of near-perpetual setbacks trying their hardest to see how far they can go to break him.

Watching that lack of progress may become frustrating for a viewer. But, according to series co-creator and lead actor Ramy Youssef, this is precisely the point.

“It feels like the most interesting choice to make with the lead character of a show,” said Youssef. “Because I think for me, philosophically, this character is not designed to be a hero. He’s not designed to be an anti-hero. He is designed to be naked. And he is designed to kind of just be cracked open.”

It can become difficult to see this person fumble and ruin every goal so completely. But, in a twisted way, it is also fascinating to see what a life of constant setback unearths of a person’s core.

And of course Ramy is not the only person going through tribulations. The show does not hold back in putting the rest of his family through similar struggles, with season three in particular finding the family wrestling with their financial struggles and the choices that got them here.

“It feels like everything is ups and downs with Dena,” said May Calamawy who plays Ramy’s sister on the show. “I think a lot of her struggle is that she is still not living for herself. She is trying to either be a contrarian to what her family wants of her— or hasn’t really asked herself, maybe, why she’s doing what she’s doing.”

I recently spoke further with both Ramy Youssef and May Calamawy on the paths their characters have been on, what unexpected challenges await them in season three, and what things may look like even further down the line.

Below is a combined summary of our conversations, edited for length and clarity.

Anhar Karim: You’ve said previously season one was about Ramy being aspirational. Season 2 is transformational. So what is his through-line in season three? What’s really going to change here?

Ramy Youssef: I think he’s really having a crisis of faith. You know, the show has always been about, for me, building this idea between higher self and lower self. Who you want to be, and who you actually are. And I think Ramy the character is massively symbolic of that. We really wanted to kind of find him in a place where— yeah he’s gotten lost in this act of performing faith and trying to understand what it means.

And we [also] catch up to like where his family’s at, and I think it’s where a lot of families are at. They’re in this really financially vulnerable place. It’s a very immigrant thing to define yourself by your bank account. And I think a lot of what this season is about, outside of just a crisis of faith spiritually, is kind of a crisis of faith in the American dream. And kind of seeing what that reality is. And this family is kind of taking stock. You know, they’ve been here for decades. And now they’re like what— what’s the result? Where are we at with this negotiation that we entered?

Anhar Karim: At the beginning of Dena’s season two episode she gets her scholarship and is very happy. But that was of course followed by a very, very bad day from there. So, in this season, is Dena given some more room to breathe? Is there more room for happiness?

May Calamawy: It feels like everything is ups and downs with Dena. I think a lot of her struggle is that she is still not living for herself. She is trying to either be a contrarian to what her family wants of her— or hasn’t really asked herself, maybe, why she’s doing what she’s doing. So it’s like she doesn’t know her. If someone were to ask her, like, what do you want? I feel like she’d be like— maybe I should ask what I want, you know? Like— you’re never gonna be fully happy if you’re somehow living under what someone or something’s expectations of you should be.

Anhar Karim: Switching gears a bit, a lot of what happens in the show really captures what I’d call “anxiety-inducing cringe,” right? With Maysa oversharing, the moment in Atlantic City with Steve and Ramy, even Ramy and the investor in season two. So just how do you and the writers even begin to think of those scenes? And do we have more to look forward to in season three?

Ramy Youssef: Definitely a lot of anxiety-inducing cringe, for sure. I mean I think a lot of it is like, what if this? And then what if this? Oh, okay. But now what if this?

So it’s like…one of our titles of an episode last season was “You Are Naked In Front Of Your Sheikh.” Which is a thing that in our tradition you say. It’s like you go in front of the sheikh— who knows people, knows where you’re at. It’s not about words. She can read it on your face. And we really like having this character in that naked state. And it feels like the most interesting choice to make with the lead character of a show. Because I think for me, philosophically, this character is not designed to be a hero. He’s not designed to be an anti-hero. He is designed to be naked. And he is designed to kind of just be cracked open.

Anhar Karim: Out of all the crazy antics Ramy gets into, what does Dena think about all this? Does she wish Ramy was somewhat different? Is she going to try and pull him in? Being in her head, what do you think is her reaction to everything he does?

May Calamawy: Yeah, in some ways he’s like what she doesn’t want to be. But also, [he’s] what she can’t be. Because, as a woman, she hasn’t been treated in a similar way to him. It’s almost like he can do what he wants and it doesn’t matter. She knows she doesn’t have the same liberties. So she’s like— I just have to forge my path. I want to have things figured out as much as I can. Because I don’t want to be lost and I…it won’t be okay for me. I’ll just like— they’ll try to marry me off [Laughs].

Anhar Karim: I don’t know when this show is going to end. Hopefully it goes on for a while. But with this being about a flawed guy growing and changing, what do you imagine the end being like? What will he need to have learned for the show to finish? Do you have that final picture in mind?

Ramy Youssef: I do. I have a final picture that I thought of kind of at the end of the first season. And I think my dream with this show for a while now has been that we would do four seasons and kind of put it down for a bit. And then, you know, I’d go live a bunch of life and then, hopefully, come back to Hulu at some point in the next decade and say, hey, you know, there’s all this stuff about being a dad that I think would be fun to put into a show.

So I think it’s something that could have many iterations. But this first chapter of the show I’ve had this idea of how it could resolve for a bit. So, hopefully we get to make that reality. Inshallah.

Season three of RAMY premieres on Hulu September 30th, 2022. The show stars Ramy Youssef, Amr Waked, Hiam Abbass, and May Calamawy.

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