Noor Taher’s performance in the role of Layan in the first season of Alrawabi School for Girls is exceptional. Layan has been portrayed as the biggest bully in the school, who harasses people and shames them, judging them on the basis of their looks. While others may choose to focus only on her negative personality traits, I would say that she is one of the most loyal friends in the first season. She was, however, exceedingly hostile to the people that she considered to be her opponents! Layan is extreme in everything she does, and has no middle ground; she is either too friendly or a complete nightmare!
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was Layan So Hostile Toward Mariam?
Layan was an aggressive bully who would often harass Mariam for no reason at all. She was mean towards her and would often try to demean her. Being one of the most popular girls, nobody ever dared to talk back to her. Mariam was an expectation who didn’t think twice before talking back when she was insulted. Layan was so vengeful that she planned to frame Mariam for groping her inappropriately after she was punished for harassing her.
Layan got furious when she got to know that Mariam had reported her to the head teacher about her bunking school to meet her boyfriend. She got hold of Mariam and beat her to ensure that she learned a lesson. Layan got so aggressive that she caused a serious head injury to Mariam. Layan thought that she could get away with anything at the school, as her father was a donor there.
When the investigation began, she denied her part in hitting Mariam and instead pinned the blame on her. She said that Mariam had tried to touch her inappropriately, and in self-defense, she had pushed her. This incident proved that Layan could be extremely vicious if she wanted. She could have chosen to keep quiet and let matters slide, but she chose to blame Mariam and prove that she was the culprit. Layan wanted to ensure that Mariam would never dare raise her voice against her again. Later, when Mariam came back to school, Layan did not stop harassing her. Layan stole her personal journal and let everyone know about Mariam’s secrets and that she was visiting a psychiatrist. It is possible that she saw Mariam as a strong competitor and was afraid of losing her position, so she tried to demean her at every step!
Was Layan A Loyal Friend?
No matter how vicious Layan was to her bullies, she was extremely loyal to her friends. She made sure that her friends, Rania and Ruqayya, were safe. When Ruqayya got into trouble after her picture without a headscarf went viral on social media, Layan promised to find out the main culprit behind it. She constantly tried to contact Ruqayya when she had been taken away from the school by her mother after the incident. Rania said that they should not try to contact her anymore because her mother was vicious, but Layan decided to turn up at her house. She was genuinely concerned about Ruqayya. Her loyalty to Rania was shown, as she would support her in every little step. She was the best of friends with Rania, and she often advised her to take steps to avoid ending up like Ruqayya. When Rania was busted for sneaking out with her boyfriend while on a school trip, Layan tried to save her, but Rania asked her to leave the spot. Layan would have stood right by Rania’s side to face the consequences if Rania had not asked her to go away.
Why Did Layan Help Noaf?
Layan’s softer side was revealed when Noaf got into trouble on the excursion, and she decided to help her out. While Noaf was at the spa, an elderly man approached her and tried touching her inappropriately. When Noaf started calling out to others for help, Layan ran to her rescue and told the man off. Layan tried to complain about it to Ms. Abeer, but Noaf stopped her, which immensely disappointed Layan. She did not like the fact that Noaf was trying to put the matter under wraps and thought that she was a coward for letting it slide. Later, when she saw Noaf struggling to deal with the situation, she stood by her side. Layan asked Noaf to go out and party with her and Rania to get her mind off of the incident. Despite knowing that Noaf was Mariam’s friend and could turn against her at any time, she decided to extend a helping hand to her. For some reason, Layan had taken a liking to Noaf and did not want her to undergo any mental trauma after the physical harassment. This incident brought out the softer side of the bully and her compassion for others.
What Event Led To Layan’s Demise?
Layan’s character had taken a complete u-turn by the end of the first season. She had stopped being vile to the other girls and was only invested in her own matters by that point. However, she was not aware of Mariam’s plan to avenge her humiliation in school. When Layan bunked school again and went out to meet her boyfriend, Mariam planned to let her family know about it. She knew that the news of Layan going out to meet her boyfriend would infuriate her extremely controlling brother, Hazem. Mariam sent him Layan’s location, and he immediately set out to look for her. Upon reaching Layan’s location, he saw that she had been snuggling up to her boyfriend and shot her impulsively. Mariam, however, had no idea that Layan’s brother was capable of killing her in the name of honor. She must have thought that Layan would simply get a taste of her own medicine, and hence she did not listen to Noaf or Rania when they tried to warn her about the consequences.
Final Words
Layan’s well-rounded character portrayed all the colors that she had in herself. Both the hard shell and the soft inner core of Layan have been explored in the series. The fact that even a bully has a home and reputation has been depicted. Layan’s aggressive nature had been triggered by the way she was treated in her home. Her overprotective brothers would control her every move, trying to crush her liberty and freedom to speak openly. This highlights the misogyny that she has been facing since childhood. Her brothers would get all the freedom, while she felt like a caged bird because she was a woman. She felt so worthless at home that she wanted to vent all her frustrations on her weaker classmates. However, her softer side has also been revealed, bringing to light the fact that she was a good person deep within. Her charismatic nature helped her easily attain an army of loyal followers like Rania and Ruqayya. Her ability to think beyond herself and protect her clan brought out her excellent leadership skills. Despite being the antagonist, Layan’s demise has left a gaping hole in the hearts of the audiences.