Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538080
6 0 P E R S P E C T I V E J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 Mo Najjar's escape from the Customs and Border Protection detention facility, a dream sequence, became a touchstone for the season's larger themes. Symbolism, memory and surrealism shaped our design approach to Mo's ongoing quest for belonging. The show thrives on layering tones, genres and realities, and that moment became a microcosm of the world we were building, one where comedy, trauma, absurdity and beauty all coexist. Designing Mo season 2 was like mapping an emotional odyssey. Mo's journey takes him from Mexico City to a detention center, and then to reconnect with his family in the West Bank. That arc demanded constant shifts in tone and aesthetic. The design team needed to create spaces that felt emotionally true, whether we were in the hyperreality of a dream, the muted confines of a holding facility, or the vibrant, lived-in homes of Mo's friends. The Art Department treated every set, location and texture as an extension of Mo's interior state. In a comedy like this, the laughs are often tethered to pain. As a designer, that is a beautiful challenge: How do you build environments that carry both? Dream Logic and Grounded Symbolism The dream sequences allowed the production to be expressive and metaphorical. Mo's inner world is cinematic, emotional, and full of visual cues. In episode 7, he approaches an indigenous teepee marked with the same Tatreez pattern as the olive oil bottles his family is trying to sell. That Tatreez motif emerged from deep research into Mo's cultural heritage. Graphic Designer, Shaina Hedlund created a custom pattern that we wove into multiple aspects of the design. We leaned into visual codes of identity and belonging, asking ourselves how these woven patterns echo across memory and diaspora. I chose to feature the olive tree on Yusra's bottle as a symbol of freedom. For Mo, the olive tree was first introduced in season 1, when he attempts to get back the stolen saplings from Buddy's farm and ends up stuck in Mexico. In season 2, that motif evolves into a broader metaphor for heritage and land. Through design, it becomes a totem of liberation, giving Yusra and Sameer both financial independence and a tangible link to their Palestinian identity. A recurring symbolic thread across the season was a skeleton key, carefully sourced by property master Kevin Blosser. First appearing in Hameed and Dallas's house, the key becomes an object of significance in Mo's dreams, unlocking meaning and memory. This motif culminates in the final episode, when Mo returns a lost child to a farmer in Palestine. The moment evokes a deep connection to his late father, casting Mo's dreams as an allegorical bridge to his lineage and sense of home. A. "1947 OLIVE OIL" CUSTOM LABEL. INSPIRED BY THE PALESTINIAN TATREEZ, A TRADITIONAL PALESTINIAN HAND- STITCHING CRAFT. DESIGN BY GRAPHIC ARTIST SHAINA HEDLUND. B. OLIVE OIL BOTTLE. PRODUCTION STILL. A B