Little Mosque on the Prairie Season Premiere
Episode 401 Love Thy Neighbor Summary and Review
Oct 1, 2009
The hit Canadian sitcom Little Mosque on the Prairie was created by Muslim writer and producer Zarqa Nawat. The show revolves around a Muslim community in the small Canadian town of Mercy. Little Mosque examines ideas about religious tolerance and stereotypes as well as interpersonal relationships, all within a light-hearted comedy/drama.
Previously on Little Mosque
Little Mosque on the Prairie began with former lawyer Amaar Rashid (Zaib Shaikh, the cast's only actual Muslim) arriving in Mercy to serve as the Imam for the Muslim community, which rents space for their mosque from Mercy Anglican Church. Although he and Dr. Rayyan Hamoudi (Sitara Hewitt) seemed to share an attraction that went beyond friendship, she became engaged to J.J. Jaffer (Stephen Lobo) at the end of Little Mosque's second season. Eventually, however, J.J. realized that he and Rayyan weren't right for each other, and left her at the altar in the third season finale, "Can I Get a Witness?"
A New Player in Mercy
In "Love Thy Neighbor," the fourth season premiere of Little Mosque on the Prairie, it is revealed that Reverend Duncan Magee (Derek McGrath) left Mercy for a new parish. His replacement, Reverend William Thorne (Brandon Firla), is not as tolerant of Mercy's Muslim community as Rev. Magee was, and conspires to get the mosque out of Mercy Anglican. Fortunately, the members of Mercy Anglican like having a mosque in their church, although not for quite the right reasons: it makes them feel more "urban" despite living in such a small town.
Rayyan's Wedding Gifts
Meanwhile, Rayyan has to return her wedding gifts and face the Mercy community amidst rumors that she sits around in her wedding dress and is completely devastated by J.J.'s rejection. She has her doubts about the breakup, however, when she finds a compass in the wedding gifts and believes that it's a sign from J.J. telling her to come back to him. Eventually, she discovers that J.J. is engaged to someone else and that the compass was a gift from Baber (Manoj Sood), who consoles her in his own strange way.
A New Direction for Little Mosque
Although the loss of Rev. Magee was a blow to the show's humor and balance (Magee was the only truly tolerant Christian in the main cast), the introduction of Rev. Thorne will doubtless provide a strong source of conflict for the Muslims in Mercy throughout the fourth season of Little Mosque. Thankfully, Little Mosque seems to be moving away from romantic drama; the entire third season was painfully slow and often unfunny, because it was clear to viewers from the start that J.J. and Rayyan would not work out. "Love Thy Neighbor" is a promising start to Little Mosque's new fourth season.
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