'Mo' on Netflix: Short and pretty sweet

If, like me, you’re running out of things to distract you from the collapse of America, you might check out “Mo,” now in its second and last season on Netflix. It’s a good antidote to the stench of cruelty and corruption wafting forth from D.C. these days. 

It’s a smart and funny (and occasionally poignant) show about the trials of a Palestinian family living in Houston. The title character is played by creator Mo Amer. He and his family get by on various jobs and side hustles while trying to navigate the Orwellian hellscape that is the U.S. asylum and immigration system. (When certain blowhards go on about “open borders,” it’s clear they have no idea of the obstacles faced by immigrants not named Elon. Or Melania.) 

“Mo” is an excellent show in its own right, but is even better for the way it humanizes folks who, for whatever reason, no longer have a country of their own.  It ain’t easy being a stateless refugee. Especially in Texas, a state that loathes immigrants in general and brownish immigrants in particular. 

You’d expect a premise like that to pile on the pathos, but it never does. Mo and his family aren’t saints, and they aren’t looking for pity. Like most of us, they’re just out there doing the best they can. 

And I’m sort of glad Mo Amer decided to end the show after 16 episodes. Takes a certain integrity to pull the plug when the show is getting mostly rave reviews.