I binged Safir last night up to the latest episode (getting back into dizis and now I'm back to being that basic b*tch who stays up until 2:30 am watching a dizi) and I have some thoughts! (SPOILERS!)
First, I am loving the drama already. It is so melo!! I have loved the lead actor (Ilhan Sen) and actress (Ozge Yagiz) and had seen their previous works and enjoyed their acting immensely. I am so happy these two beauties are in a drama together. Their chemistry is amazing and they do a wonderful job. Not only are they wonderful together, and I absolutely ship them, but they have great chemistry with the rest of the cast.
So let's get into it:
Plot (so far):
At the moment, the plot is really good. We have our female lead (Feraye) who was in a long committed relationship with the SML (Yaman Gulsoy). As she is the daughter of servants for the Gulsoy family, they kept their relationship hidden from his family, although all her friends and some of her family knew about their relationship. Feraye's story is very reminiscent of cinderella. She has the evil step-mother and evil-step sister. Yaman, and his younger brother Okan get into some trouble and the evil stepmother witnesses it and uses it to blackmail Yaman and Okan. She orders Yaman to immediately marry her own daughter (Aleyna) who has had a long time crush on Yaman (and doesn't know about his relationship with her step-sister). Yaman, in a panic, does so. Feraye, heartbroken and confused (because Yaman was in love with her one day and they were talking about marriage, but the next day tells her he married her sister and actually loves Aleyna instead of sitting down and explaining anything to her, he ruthlessly breaks her heart) attempts suicide by arson. Now, in the midst of all this chaos, the eldest Gulsoy son returns home (Ates) and he finds her in the burning vineyard and saves her life. At the hospital, they learn that she was pregnant. Over the course of figuring out what to do, Ates proposes to her, hoping to save her from breaking her beloved father's heart and also hoping to avoid being forced to marry someone of his (evil) grandfather's choosing. Win-win. Ates is very charismatic. He is sweet and caring for Feraye, and to the audience, there is definitely the appearance that he knows more than he lets on. Yaman, now married and a horrible husband, is distraught with jealousy and lets out his toxic behavior. He stalks, harasses, vilifies, and abuses Feraye. Instead of doing anything logical, he acts selfishly and with lack of foresight. He proposes to run away with Feraye and keep her as a mistress and abandon his current wife (who is also her sister - even if it is a terrible sister). He continues to pressure her to the extent that she decides to do away with marrying Ates, who she appreciates for his kindness and generosity but at this point is definitely not in love with, and run away. Her friend promised to bring money so they could leave for Istanbul together where she can live in hiding and have her baby. Unfortunately, her friend went to Ates' mother for money saying that Feraye would leave Ates for 2 million dollars. Ates learns of this (from his mother's boasting about how she was right) and soon after Yaman learns of it as well.
There's also some business shenanigans going on with the family being bankrupt and hiding it from Ates (although again, this kid seems like he knows more than we think) and Okan going crazy.
Characters (so far):
Feraye: Feraye so far is a mix bag, I pity her and admire her, but can also be a bit frustrated with her. In the beginning, when we meet her, she is very in love with Yaman. From her point of view, he cheated on her and abandoned her for her sister. Completely heartbroken, she agrees to marry his brother who proposes a logical solution to her problems, which comes with the massive hiccup of having her in close proximity to her toxic ex. Feraye exhibits typical behavior for someone being overwhelmed with feeling and super hormonal, is understandably distraught. Some of her behavior is frustrating to the some viewers who can't understand why she still loves this obviously crazy individual, however as it is literally only a couple weeks since they broke up in such a confusing way, I'm not too surpised by her emotional behavior. Ates can only protect her so much, and she doesn't tell him his brother is the father of her child (although I suspect he knows). She doesn't really waiver though. Everytime Yaman harasses her she does try to avoid him and push him away believing she can not trust him and not willing to hear his excuses. However, the trailer for episode 1x07 may have her waiver on this when Yaman gets into an accident. Nevertheless, I do feel a lot of pity for her as she is the main victim of Yaman, her stepmother, and Okan's behavior. No matter what happens in the future, I don't see her ever being able to trust Yaman again, whether or not she gets with Ates.
Ates: Ates is by far my favorite character. Where a lot of characters in the show are led by their emotions, he is very cool and calm. A lot of his backstory is still unknown. So far, we know is very upfront about a lot. He doesn't like being lied to, which is unfortunately what everyone in his family is doing to him, and hates being out of control. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a sociopath, honestly, and with so much unknown about him,the writers may even make him into a villain, but to be honest, I would still be on his side because even if he is a mastermind manipulator, I am loving his character so much. He left for the US years earlier and is just returning now. He is trying to bond with his family again and though they started out okay, by becoming engaged to Feraye it has strained those bonds. However, Ates doesn't waiver. He doesn't hide his feelings. Unlike Yaman who hid his relationship with Feraye because he worried that she would not be accepted, Ates is very upfront (and I will admit it is likely because he needed to speed up the process so that he can believably be passed as the father of her child). He doesn't hide his relationship and does everything by the book. He has a demeanor that makes people fear his reaction if he is angry. Honestly the way people keep f*cking around, I can't wait to see what happens when he rains down fire on them like his behavior suggests he can do if he is pushed far enough. I'm looking forward to seeing him be a guy that teaches Feraye to trust again.
Yaman: The other end of our love triangle is a little b*tch. But honestly, I will admit that in the beginning, I did pity him. He obviously loves Feraye and seemed like a sweet boyfriend (although some of the latest flashbacks do show some signs of red flags tbh). He is a good older brother, protecting Okan and that is the reason for his trouble, not anything he did. So I can understand his frustration. He didn't deliberately do anything wrong in the beginning. Honestly, if this was a different story, I can see how the story would have him as the main lead and end-game for Feraye (which I really hope doesn't happen) -- and some people seem to continue to ship them despite his very obvious red flag behavior. See, my sympathy is not limitless. I think that once you shit the bed you can have second chances, but you can't have more chances than you deserve, especially when you're not actually trying to fix anything beyond yelling that you deserve a chance. Yaman, after breaking up with his girlfriend (brutally), marrying her sister, refusing to explain anything (even in vague terms), he then regrets. Which okay, yeah, I get it. Totally understandable that he panicked and after having done everything, he now tries to return to normal. But he just never does anything logically. After failing to talk to Feraye, who also very understandably doesn't want to hear his excuses, he doesn't try to have a civilized conversation with Ates. He doesn't do anything but continuously harass Feraye and refuses to take accountability for how the relationship ending was his fault. When he believes that she cheated on him with his brother during their relationship, he becomes the epitome of TOXIC. It's not a good look. And while some viewers may be able to stomach it and it can echo other male lead's 'passion' for their female leads, it is really just a good showing of how many red flags people ignore in excuse for 'true love.' Not a fan. It's really just toxic love, selfish love, obsession. I'm not saying his feelings aren't valid. But how he displays them is wrong. I also think his behavior towards Aleyna is disgusting, no matter how much I dislike her. What's distressing is that I understand him, I understand why he is acting this way, but I don't excuse it.
Cemile (evil-stepmother): Ugh the absolute worst! I honestly hate her. She is the one that started all of this and her motivations are extremely mercenary. She says she wants to do everything for her daughter, and I do believe she loves her daughter, but she is not the brightest woman. Blackmailing a guy into marrying your daughter isn't going to make her happy. She's going to be in a loveless marriage where she'll be a pushover because of unrequited love. She's a really stupid, jealous and selfish woman and I just really want to see what her comeuppance will be.
Okan: Okan is the youngest Gulsoy and by far the dumbest. He's easily led, doesn't have many braincells and is rather spineless. Now, he's the baby of the family, and so his family very obviously babies him a bit. In the beginning, the trouble is basically pushed way out of proportion of what it should have been because of his stupidity and panic. His actions lead to massive consequences for those around him and he is aware that he's dug a grave he's not going to be able to get himself out of and instead of lying in it himself, he's basically digging graves for everyone around him. Already, he's had a psychotic break from all the lies he's telling, pressured by his family and his fear. I'm not going to lie, Ates is doing a really good job guilt tripping him (whether or not he knows he's being lied to by Okan or not, it's really fun to watch) and it's a treat. The poor kid is out of his mind. Despite his guilt towards Ates, he's firmly on Yaman's side, feeling more guilty to Yaman for being the reason his relationship is in turmoil (broken). But like I said with Yaman, while I can understand his actions, I can't excuse them.
Aleyna: Aleyna is the most oblivious character. She is the one who knows absolutely nothing, living in a fairytale world where she's the main character. She's led by her wants and desires and has a remarkable lack of self-awareness. She knows when she's not wanted but she goes anyway, she knows when she's annoying but she acts out anyway, she knows when she's being treated badly but she excuses it anyway. In a lot of aspects, she's a pitiful person, and I don't like the way Yaman treats her, but she had a lot of power to walk away from that treatment because that relationship was based entirely on her imagination. She's just a spoiled child. Whether she gains any depth later on is to be seen.
Concluding notes:
I just really enjoy where this show is going. Waiting a week for updates is exhausting. I really hope it continues to do well. It's excellently directed and written so far, so hopefully they can keep up the good work. Now, with most dramas, after the first 9-12 episodes it falls into the trap of exhausted story lines, so while I expect it to happen again to this one, I'm enjoying the ride while it's good. And if it doesn't happen, I'll be pleasantly surprised.
Пост поклонения статуэткообразному идеалу, прикидывающегося обычным мужиком. Атеш, этот сериал не заслужил такого прекрасного тебя, стань злодеем и устрой форшмак из близких и недалеких (коих там абсолютное большинство) родственников.
Я уже говорила, что в турецких сериалах все бабы идиотки? Ферайе - флагман движения "дебильная баба - каждому турдизи".
I previously wrote a review of the show up until episode 1x06, please reference that to see my initial impressions.
Welp... the latest episode dropped... I had to take a minute to really process all that. See SPOILERS below.
It was an episode filled with Yaman and Feraya.
Plot: Where the last episodes left off with a resolution that Feraya was ready to run away to Istanbul with her friend and raise her baby alone, because of all the harassment from Yaman, it kind of goes to shit when Yaman chases after her. He's holding onto some last hope that maybe Feraya didn't cheat on him (which she didn't) and that he can confront her about it (I don't know why he thought this time would be different when she hadn't told him before but...). They go to the vineyard where they shared a lot of special moments during their relationship (also where she tried to kill herself in the first episode, but they didn't put flashbacks of that in there, or of him confronting her with a gun when he broke up with her... do I sound bitter?) and have this moment of longing. Where I had hoped for some closure in this encounter, there was none. After she basically reaffirms her previous excuse that she's marrying Ates because they're in love, Yaman becomes very morose, calls Ates and leaves. Ates and Feraya speak (you know, because she dipped after taking money from his mom, leaving him in an uncomfortable position of having to explain and make excuses for her, and also getting blamed by her dad). He offers her an out, basically telling her that if she wants to leave for Istanbul, he'd make excuses for her and she can disappear. Feraya doesn't take the out, and decides to go through with the marriage, although she looks miserable the entire time. Yaman in the meantime makes plans to go to London (which the viewers can clearly tell is not what the actual plan is). Ates threatens everyone (mainly his mom) to stay out of his and Feraya's business and he looks hot doing so. Okan, having seen some liaisons, blackmails his way into learning about Feraya's pregnancy through one of the other characters (Bade), and the reason for her marriage to Ates, but he does not tell this to anyone.
The day of the wedding arrives, Ates gets a text from an ex (who learned of his wedding from his mother), Yaman takes a last look at Feraya and leaves a letter confessing everything for Ates in his room. Then he goes and drives himself into a wall. Feraya, who is his emergency contact, gets called about it and immediately runs to go to him. He's in critical condition when she arrives, flatlining and everything. She's in so much stress that she also collapses.
Some other shenanigans happen but that's secondary plot that I'm not going to get into at the moment.
Characters:
Feraye: I honestly don't have much to say about Feraye right now. She's an emotional mess. The girl is stressed. She's been having cramps the entire episode because of the stress she's under. I'm very sympathetic towards her feelings, but at the same time, this 'bond' that she apparently shares with Yaman is starting to piss me off. Also, I'm super pissed that she decided to go through with the wedding when she so clearly didn't want to. And f*ck Cemile's threats, because that woman does not have the reach she pretends she does. She's so clearly dreading this wedding, although I don't know why because she's marrying a GOAT, and she knows she's marrying a really sweet guy but she's acting like she's being led to her execution. And the way she clutched her chest like she 'felt' Yaman's crash... SPARE. ME! so freaking dramatic. Gross. But I'm being very harsh. The girl, as I've said previously, is still mourning her long term relationship with a guy that has been emotionally (and physically) abusing her since it ended. And now that he's 'backing off' apparently, it's like being abandoned all over again. It's like going through withdrawal almost. And rushing to his side when he's had an accident is also understandable. This is a guy that she's been with for years, has so much history with, is about to have his baby, and now he's on death's door. So I'm not going to be pissed at her for going to him. I will be pissed if she forgives him, stays with him after he's stable, and decides to trust him again, but that's future episodes problem.
Ates: Poor boy was done dirty this episode. Like he says, they are really pushing the limits of his patience here. First he gets scolded by Feraye's father who acts like he did something wrong for her to leave, and he has to find excuses for her family, then he has to deal with his own mother so she doesn't spill the beans to his grandfather that Feraye can be bought off, then he has to deal with Bade who's got some sort of snooping thing in his personal life right now. He's also got to console and reassure Feraye, when any mortal would be super pissed at this point, he is still very patient and kind to her. Now, I'm still firmly on his side, but if he turns out to be a sociopath, I wouldn't be surprised because he's getting remarkably threatening to others. I really want to see what he'd do once he's pushed off the edge of his patience. And we get a little insight into his backstory... he left a girl (Melis) at the altar. So I'm excited to see what drama will emerge with that character when she appears.
Yaman: I have a lot to say about Yaman, and a lot of it won't be good, so don't come at me, I'm giving you a warning. ... ready? okay. This LITTLE SHIT! no. I'm not sympathetic that he tried to kill himself. This jack*ss knew exactly what he was doing. He was being so manipulative, and so selfish. This is an abuser tactic. This mentally that, 'I'm thinking about you and I'm filled with you, so you have to be filled with me.' He tried to kill himself ON HER WEDDING DAY!! Forever, that day will be stained with his death. It's exactly the same thing he did with the wedding rings during the coffee ceremony (telling her "Whenever you see this ring you'll think of me") Yes, as an audience we know that this wedding means nothing to her, but he thought she was moving on, and he believed that his brother honestly loved her. He did this as a way to ruin that for them. And, I'm sorry, but are we even sure this was an honest suicide attempt? The ambulance got there awfully fast for him to be in the middle of no where crashing his car. Did he call them first? I wouldn't be surprised because this guy is an honest sh*t stain. And when did he decide to 'kill himself.'? When he didn't get the answer he wanted out of her. When she said that she is marrying his brother because she was 'caught' with him. (a lie but whatever). He did this specifically to make her feel guilty. This was entirely an abusive move on his part. Abusers do this! They say, 'if you leave me I'll die' (and wasn't that the whole point of the gun in the first episode as well). They have such an unhealthy dynamic where they are so dependent on each other and the minute she tries to move on, he's basically saying, 'look what happens when you try to move away from me. I can't live without you.' IT'S DISGUSTING! He did this just to hurt her. And as for what he's doing to his brother is also gross. He's not thinking about how he's hurting Ates by doing this on his wedding day. It's entirely a statement of 'I had her first and this day (your wedding day) is going to be mine now.' Also, he's having his older brother clean up his mess, after all the sh*t. UGGGH. Now I'm not saying the he wasn't overwhelmed. Yes, the situation is very stressful and he was likely very tired and exhausted of having his life turned upside down, and not getting any respite anywhere he goes. But he had a plan to go to London. He literally could have gone to London and just lived his life free of all of it. His wife would never have to join him or even if she did, he could ditch her anywhere in London. This suicide attempt was entirely about Feraye, not the situation with Okan and Cemile and Aleyna. This was about making Feraye see that he can't live without her. And I'm so grossed out. Massive ick. I hope he lives in the next episode and I hope he gets a massive dose of BOUNDARIES.
Okan: Maybe the real villain of this story is the childlike Okan. He's kind of a sh*t. Actually, scratch the kind of. He is a sh*t. Now, I didn't want him to tell Yaman about Feraye's pregnancy, but the fact that he didn't is a real dick move to the brother he owes a lot to. Also, I'm getting major, it's a creep, vibes from the kid.
Conclusion:
What a frustrating episode. I can't wait for the next one. I really need to see what happens next.
Пару дней извергаюсь идеями по Атешу и Гюнеш - повлияло общее умиление от пары в последних сериях и гребаный разрыв сердца от фрага грядущей. И это одновременно с отсутствием сил написать десятистраничный миник - ни вдохновения заканчивать, ни удовлетворения от уже написанного. Адский ад с понями.
