When I began watching, I did not understand the low IMDb rating of 5/10. But now I am near the end, and I believe this rating is actually perfect. The first half deserves 10/10. The second half deserves 0/10. I will explain this in an intelligent & philosophical manner.
The show starts very strong. It's beautifully made & paced soap opera. The characters are not cartoons, they have their own thoughts, concerns, and emotions. You will see even the "bad guys" behaving realistically, making jokes & pining for love. I appreciate all of this.
But as the later half of the series unfolds, the focus of the show becomes more narrow. It begins to obsess over the relationship of Fatmagul & Kerim. This begins to eat up the majority of the screen time, and all the other (more interesting) story lines & characters are damaged as a result.
There is nothing wrong with the show evolving from suspense to romance. But the problem is that the relationship being focused on is completely ABSURD.
From the very first episode, you see that Kerim & his friends are the reason for Fatmagul's ruin. They keep pursuing her, despite the fact that she is completely resistive. They don't know anything about her, except for the fact that she is physically beautiful. Their obsession with her physical beauty culminates in her rape.
By contrast, it is important to understand one important philosophical point. From the start, there is one man who actually has a genuine relationship with Fatmagul. They meet each other, and begin their relationship...long before her "physical beauty" is even a consideration. His name is Mustafa.
If Fatmagul should evolve into a love story, the one that makes the most sense is the reconciliation of Mustafa & Fatmagul. How do they rebuild trust? Do they grow from innocent love into something more mature?
Instead, the show presents the absurd spectacle of Kerim constantly apologizing & demanding Fatmagul's love. Kerim's involvement & instigation of her rape is presented as something "in the past". His ritual of apology & running errands for Fatmagul eventually breaks her inner defenses, until she accepts him as a lover. HOW ROMANTIC!
This is a very sad end for the show. I hope this show is re-made in the future. Writers should study the beautiful & exciting first half, but correct the bad mistakes of the last half. The show should end in a more realistic & philosophically poignant manner.
The show starts very strong. It's beautifully made & paced soap opera. The characters are not cartoons, they have their own thoughts, concerns, and emotions. You will see even the "bad guys" behaving realistically, making jokes & pining for love. I appreciate all of this.
But as the later half of the series unfolds, the focus of the show becomes more narrow. It begins to obsess over the relationship of Fatmagul & Kerim. This begins to eat up the majority of the screen time, and all the other (more interesting) story lines & characters are damaged as a result.
There is nothing wrong with the show evolving from suspense to romance. But the problem is that the relationship being focused on is completely ABSURD.
From the very first episode, you see that Kerim & his friends are the reason for Fatmagul's ruin. They keep pursuing her, despite the fact that she is completely resistive. They don't know anything about her, except for the fact that she is physically beautiful. Their obsession with her physical beauty culminates in her rape.
By contrast, it is important to understand one important philosophical point. From the start, there is one man who actually has a genuine relationship with Fatmagul. They meet each other, and begin their relationship...long before her "physical beauty" is even a consideration. His name is Mustafa.
If Fatmagul should evolve into a love story, the one that makes the most sense is the reconciliation of Mustafa & Fatmagul. How do they rebuild trust? Do they grow from innocent love into something more mature?
Instead, the show presents the absurd spectacle of Kerim constantly apologizing & demanding Fatmagul's love. Kerim's involvement & instigation of her rape is presented as something "in the past". His ritual of apology & running errands for Fatmagul eventually breaks her inner defenses, until she accepts him as a lover. HOW ROMANTIC!
This is a very sad end for the show. I hope this show is re-made in the future. Writers should study the beautiful & exciting first half, but correct the bad mistakes of the last half. The show should end in a more realistic & philosophically poignant manner.