Tag: Menajerimi Ara

Best Shows Watched in 2020

Let’s be honest, 2020 was a crazy year. If we were being extremely honest with ourselves we would admit that all we did was watch a lot of TV shows and films. Some of this media was amazing, while others were… less than exciting!

Thus I decided to list my favourite TV shows that I watched in the past years.

(It is important to note this list is not in order according to my favourites and not all of these are 2020 releases, they are shows that I watched in 2020).

The Best in 2020

Dark Series 3

If you follow me on Tumblr you might be aware of the fact that I am simply obsessed with this Deutsch television. The third and final season of this mind-bending show was released in June of this year and let me tell you, it blew my mind! I’m inclined to be somewhat hesitant towards certain shows especially when the new seasons drop because I have such high expectation and feel like my expectations might not be met. Yet, Dark is a show that has met those expectations again and again and the final season was honestly so crazy (in the best way). So, if you are intrigued by watching a show about the mystery of two children who go missing in a small German town, please watch Dark. (Also, it’s not the German Stranger Things, it’s way better!).

Halka

I am going to start by saying this once (and probably a billion times afterwards), Halka is the best Turkish Dizi that I have ever watched. It is super easy to dismiss Halka due to the fact that it is a Turkish Dizi and one that is a mafia one at that. Perhaps you might not like the cast. However, the writers of Halka were able to create such a wonderful world and constantly had me at the edge of my seat as they unravelled the story. Every aspect of Halka is enjoyable from the characters to the plot to the cinematography. All of the characters (including the villains) had such interesting story arcs and captured my attention. The plot of the dizi was simply amazing and the cinematography was truly breathtaking. If you like the action/thriller genre, I highly suggest Halka, because it is well worth the watch. 

ted lasso

Ted Lasso was another show that seemed easy to dismiss. It’s a comedy about a bumbling American (with no knowledge of football) who becomes the coach of an English football team. However, Ted Lasso is a show that is filled with so much empathy and heart. The show is brimming with such caring and heart-warming characters. Every member of the cast was so funny, quirky, and charming and that was a large part of Ted Lasso’s success. If you want to watch a show that is kind to your heart, I highly suggest Ted Lasso. 

churails

Churails is a Pakistani TV series that dropped on ZEE5. It was written and directed by the award-winning British-Pakistani director Asim Abbasi. I have loved Abbasi’s work ever since I watched his debut feature-length film Cake, so I was beyond excited to watch Churails. Churails follows four women from different classes and sector of Pakistani society who come together to form a detective agency to expose philandering husbands. As their work at the agency expands they find themselves involved in a conspiracy. The show utilised the exciting and thrilling plot to discuss various issues in regards that women face in Pakistan every day. It was honestly such a good show.

Giri/Haji

Giri/Haji is a Japanese/British crime drama that follows a detective from Tokyo who finds himself in England while chasing down his missing brother. His brother, a member of the Yakuza, has been accused of murder and is wanted by the Japanese and English poilice, as well as the Yakuza. This is another show that had all around tremendous talent involved from the acting, directing, art direction, and cinematography. The show does a lovely job of delving into juxtaposition, such as the juxtaposition between duty and shame, good and bad, and Japanese and English culture. The explorations of these ideas are amazing and show the writer has the ability to understand the ideas that they are talking about. The show is an interesting insight into the popular “mafia” genre. If you are a fan of Halka or the mafia genre, I highly suggest this watch. The female characters own my heart and the found family trope is so heart-warming.

Doom patrol Season 2

Though the production had setbacks, the second season of Doom Patrol dropped earlier this year. Doom Patrol is probably my favourite superhero media that I dived into this year. The show is simply wild, wonderful, with a sense that the writers were allowed to do anything creating a feeling of wild abandon. However, the show is also filled with such heartwarming moments as the characters become closer and deal with their internal struggle. It’s hard to talk about Doom Patrol without giving away major spoilers but know that the show continues to be the wildest and heartwarming piece of superhero media that I have watched.

Trickster

Trickster is a Canadian TV series that dropped on CBC during the fall of 2020. Based on Eden Robinson’s best-selling novels, it tells the story of Jared, an indigenous teen struggling to keep his family afloat. Jared’s life changes when he meets a mysterious stranger, and finds himself becoming aware of the magical events that seem to follow him, as well as his heritage. Even though the recent news about the director and showrunner of the show has soured Trickster for me, it still worth the mention because of the many other people who worked on the show. The show featured a heavy First Nations crew in front of and behind the scene and it was such a treat to watch. I would highly recommend the show to anyone who is a fan of the Percy Jackson series and books along those lines.

Miracle workers Season 1

The first season of Miracle Workers was honestly such a delight. The show stars Daniel Radcliffe, Karan Soni, Steve Buscemi, and Geraldine Viswanathan and is about two low level angels who have to convince God not to destroy the earth. Thus, they make a bet with him that they’ll be able to pull off an impossible miracle, causing two humans to fall in love with each other. Daniel Radcliffe is so endearing as the socially awkward angel Craig and Geraldine Viswanathan is simply delightful in the role of his partner in crime Eliza. The show is so heartwarming and I adored it. It was also a pretty timely watch, seeing I watched it Pre-Covid.

Honorary Mentions

  • The Good Place: The Good Place came to an end earlier this year and it is a show that I truly adore. There was something so endearing about the group of misfits coming together to try to save humanity, and I will miss the show. 
  • Babylon Berlin (Series 3): Babylon Berlin is a Deutsch neo-noir television series that follows Gereon Rath, a police inspector and Charlotte Ritter an aspiring police inspector as they find themselves involved in a conspiracy. I adore Volker Bruch in the role of Gereon and Liv Lisa Fries as Charlotte Ritter. Their chemistry is unmatched and the story is fascinating.
  • Good Trouble: Good Trouble is spin-off of the Freeform show The Fosters, though I have never watched The Fosters, I loved Good Trouble. Some of the characters are so endearing and their struggle is something that is so real. The show does a good job in balancing social commentary and entertainment.
  • Zone Blanche: is a French-Belgian television supernatural thriller. The series focuses on a police chief, Laurène Weiss, and an eccentric new prosecutor, Franck Siriani, as they investigate a string of grisly crimes and eerie phenomena in an isolated town at the edge of a forest. The show is filled with beautiful cinematography and eerie shots that caught my interest.
  • Schitt’s Creek (Season 6): The final season of the beloved Canadian sitcom dropped at the start the year 2020. I love and am going to miss the show so much! The comedy is so funny and endearing filled with hilarious and heart-warming moments. Every episode causes me to laugh and the characters are so lovely and heart-warming.
  • Menajerima Ara (Episodes 1 – 8 + Honorary Mention to episode 18): If you’ve been paying any form of attention to my Blog/Twitter, you may know that I absolutely loved the first eight episodes of the dizi. Menajerima Ara, which is a remake of theFrench series Dix Pour Cent and follows the lives of acting agents. Deniz Can and Ahsen Eroğlu chemistry are simply electric. The show’s commentary on social issues and feminism was splendid. It is one of my favourite dizis that I watched in 2020.
Amie and Elias from SVT’s Eagles
  • Eagles: is Swedish Teen drama that revolves around the lives of a few teenagers living in the Swedish ice hockey town Oskarshamn. The show depicts their struggles, friendships, loves, and rivalries. I simply adore terrible teen dramas, and this particular show reminded me a lot of One Tree Hill (a personal guilty pleasure of mine). In particular, I have much love for Elias and Amie.
  • Skam: During the summer of 2020 I decided to allow the Internet to peer pressure me into watching the hit Norwegian TV series Skam (as well as its remakes). Ultimately, my favourite season and character in the original series remain Sana and Youssef. There was something super iconic about watching two young brown Muslim(ish) navigates life, love, and faith in Norway. The fourth season remains my favourite and the best.
Amira and Mohammed from Druck
  • Druck: Druck is the German remake of the hit Norwegian TV series Skam. By far it is my favourite of the remakes of the show. The cast and art direction was superb. I adore the interruption of the Sana, Amira as well as her love interest Mohammed. The lengths they went to properly cast the character was truly quite amazing. Additionally, the fifth season involving an original cast of characters specific to the German remake dropped in the fall of 2020. I adore the new group of characters, and the main character of Season 5, Nora. The exploration of mental health issues through her season was truly poignant. 

Guilty Pleasures

Sex Education Season 2:
THEY ARE THE ONLY PART OF SEX EDUCATION I CARE ABOUT!

Let me be brutally honest: I don’t care about Sex Education as a show. I mostly watch it because my friends and siblings love it. However, in Season 2 they introduced the Viv, who ended up being Jackson’s tutor and friend. They have it all; enemies to friends, fake dating, respect and care for each other. I adore them. I adore their friendship. They live rent-free in my head.

Le Bazar de la Charité

Le Bazar de la Charité is a French drama miniseries based on the real event of the fire at the Bazar de la Charité in Paris. The show follows three women whose lives are turned upside down by the fire. I adored the show, in particular the characters of Alice and Victor. What can I say; I am a hoe for the rich girl falls for the poor boy plot.

Hunters

Hunters is Amazon Prime’s highly controversial series about a group of people who decide to hunt down Nazis following WWII. Though the show received a lot of backlashes, I adored because Logan Lerman is adorable, and because I want whatever Roxy and Joe have.

The Baby Sitters’ Club

The Baby Sitters Club is a TV series based on the children’s novel of the same name by Ann M. Martin. When I was younger I watched the 1995 film read the books and generally enjoyed the series. Watching the show as an adult was definitely different, but still enjoyable.

Çarpışma
THEY ARE SO HOT! I DON’T CARE WHAT PEOPLE SAY!

Çarpışma is a Turkish action drama that focused on the lives of four individuals who find themselves in a car crash. Let me be brutally honest: I didn’t love care Çarpışma. I found the plot mostly entertaining. However, there was something about Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ as Kadir Adalı that caused my flight or fight response to engage. That being said, I love Melisa and Alperen in the roles of Kerem and Cemre. They had it all; rich girl/poor boy, enemies to lovers, communication skills, and respect and care for each other. I adore them.

Get Even

Get Even is a BBC Drama based on a book series by Gretchen McNeil. It was compared by my sister to Pretty Little Liars, and focuses on a group of schoolgirls who form a group to expose bullies at their school. However, they soon find themselves involved in a murder investigation when that they are framed for. What can I say; sometime you just need a dramatic BBC drama to get your mind off a global pandemic.

Worth the Rewatch

Watchmen

Watchmen is definitely one of the best super-hero TV shows I have ever watched. The show acts as a sequel to the comic of the same name that was released in 1986. The show is a fascinating take on the superhero genre and talked about racial violence, White supremacists, and police brutality. It used the Tulsa race massacre as a backdrop and really delved into it.

It retrospect re-watching Watchmen was extremely timely, especially in regards to the riots that happened in America earlier this year.

Altered Carbon (Season 1)

The first season of Altered Carbon is my guilty pleasure show (though I feel absolutely no guilt from watching and loving it). It is a tech-noir about a former soldier turned investigator, Takeshi Kovacs who lives in a world where consciousness can be transferred to different bodies.

There is something about Joel Kinnaman in the role of Takeshi that honestly is too much. He and Martha Higareda have crazy chemistry and I love the show and the world that it is set in.

The OA

The OA is one of those strange and unforgettable shows. Many fans of Dark have recommended The OA as a show to watch. It is a mind-bending show that tells the story of a young woman, Prairie Johnson, who resurfaces after having been missing for seven years. The show is part mystery, part drama, part sci-fi, part supernatural, and part fantasy. It has one of the most compelling and mind-boggling plots and I adore it.

Cloak and Dagger

Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger is a superhero series based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name. It too is one of the best superhero TV shows, as far as I am concerned. The series is set in New Orleans and tells the story of two teenagers from different backgrounds that acquired super-powers due to the same life-changing event.  The show discussed assault, police brutality, racial profiling and human trafficking through the superhero genre. It had the best slow burn and established wonderful enemies to friends to what could have been presumed as lovers if the show had not been cancelled.

Sanditon

Sanditon is a Period drama based Jane Austen’s unfinished manuscript of the same name. It stars Rose Williams and Theo James in the lead roles and follows the plot of a young woman who finds herself in a new seaside resort of Sanditon.

The show has everything: wonderful costuming, Jane Austen’s wit, a beautiful cast, the most lovely height difference as well as enemies to lovers slow burn. The show is a simple delight and I suggest it to any fan of Brigerton.

Emerald City

Emerald City is a reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz books. Directed by the acclaimed visionary director Tarsem Singh, the show is honestly breath taking. It features the ever-beautiful Adria Arjona alongside the Internet’s heartthrob Oliver Jackson-Cohen.

The show is simply beautiful and such a fun re-imagining of the popular and beloved story. It has absouletly gorgeous costumes and Adria Arjona and Oliver Jackson-Cohen have electric chemistry.

Still-Starcrossed

Still-Starcrossed is a period drama based on a book by Melinda Taub and produced by Shonda Rhimes. The show is pretty much an elaborate fanfic that is set after the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. To keep the peace between the Houses Montague and Capulet, Rosaline Capulet is betrothed against her will to Benvolio Montague. The two, though they hate each other, must prevent their marriage from going through and uncover a sinister plot as they do.

To be completely honest, Still Starcrossed has everything Brigerton wanted. It has people of colour in Period Drama, has that simply delicious enemies-to-lovers relationship, as well as hints of the fake relationship plot. It stars Lashana Lynch as the main character, which as far as I am concerned is everything one needs to know about the show.


A Love So Beautiful

A Love So Beautiful is a Chinese series based on the novel To Our Pure Little Beauty by Zhao Qianqian. A Love So Beautiful tells the story of Chen Xiaoxi who has been in love with her neighbour and schoolmate Jiang Chen for a long time. The show depicts the ups and downs of school, family and growing up. It is a personal guilty pleasure of mine, though I feel like I only love it becomes it reminds me of my favourite Taiwanese film, Our Times.

Community

Community is a sitcom about a study group at a community college. The group of misfits and the hijinks that they got up to was too funny. I watched this show during the height of the pandemic and it was the perfect show to take my mind off all the pressing issues of the world.

The Nanny

The Nanny is a sitcom starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista who becomes the nanny of three children from the New York-British high society. The show was one of my mom and I’s favourite’s when I was younger, and I rewatched it recently. Fran Drescher as Fran Fine is honestly so endearing and hilarious. The humour is hilarious, and Fran and her boss Mr Sheffield have the most funny will they won’t they. And of course a special shout out to the king of sass, Niles!



Menajerimi Ara 10. Bölüm Review: or the End of an Era

Let me start by saying that I have been hesitant to watch Menajerimi Ara ever since the introduction of Emir and Ekin Atalar taking over as the screenwriter. I didn’t want to judge Menajerimi Ara due to these changes, seeing I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt.

However, being someone who watched Erkenci Kus and someone who is a huge fan of the DC superhero films, I know how new writers and directors can greatly change the original vision of a movie or show. Thus, though I wanted to enjoy the latest episode of Menajerimi Ara, I found it difficult to watch. In the words of @heviwillnot on Twitter, “the more I write [about episode 10], the more I’m realising they all end with “it doesn’t make sense”. 

Menajerimi Ara is a show that advertised itself as a look into the world of Diziland through the lens of a film agency. The first few episodes introduced and followed the lives of the various agents at Ego Agency all the while telling the story of Dicle and Barış (who some could argue were the main protagonists of the show). While it did all of this, Menajerimi Ara managed to have some pretty iconic Turkish talent guest star from the likes of Burçin Terzioğlu, Çağatay Ulusoy, and Gökçe Bahadır amongst many other huge names. From what I can tell, this is what drew audiences in and had them loving the dizi.

However, ever since the end of the 8th bölüm, the show has taken a turn that I cannot comprehend. The show seems to be revolving solely around Dicle, Beren, Emir and Barış (though he is being significantly side-lined in his own dizi).

We are seeing less and less of the rest of the agents at Ego Agency, unless their plots tie into Dicle, Beren, Emir and Barış’s lives. The guest stars aren’t as famous as the stars that came before the ninth bölüm, and they seem to mostly be written to advertise various products.

This has become more and more rampant in the dizi and makes me wonder if the show is having budgetary issues. The other issue that I had is that it felt like so many of the characters were caricatures of themselves.

Character Types & Menajerimi Ara

There are several character types in fiction. There are the protagonist and the antagonist. Some characters act as foils to other characters and other characters that are there to symbolise something. Two important character types groups include the dynamic and static character, and the round and flat character. 

A dynamic character is a character that goes through a significant internal change throughout the story. The change is typical because of the conflict the character faces. Typically this character is the main protagonist and their conflict is the conflict of the story. In comparison, a static character is a character that does not change or evolve. They maintain the same personality and outlook throughout the story and are usually secondary characters.

source : PlotBoilers

Then we have the round character versus the flat character. A round character is a character that is complex and layered. However, unlike the dynamic character, they do not go through any changes. A flat character, on the other hand, is a character that is one-dimensional and is often noted for having one or two traits that make up their whole personality. Flat characters are almost all static characters, but not all static characters are flat. 

source: flatriniami

While watching Menajerimi Ara the characters that I would expect to go through the most changes and be the epitome of a round character would potentially be Dicle, Barış, Kıraç, and maybe the other agents at Ego Agency. Meral and Emrah are some of the flat/static characters.

A great example of a round character in Menajerimi Ara is Dicle in the seventh episode. The episode plot shows the outcome of Dicle resigning from Ego Agency. By the end of that episode, due to her conflict with Kıraç, Dicle goes through her internal change and decides that she cannot prioritise the men in her life and must look after herself. We see Dicle grow and go through an internal change, that continues throughout the rest of the season. 

Watching the tenth bölüm of Menajerimi Ara felt like the complete opposite of that. It felt like seeing the definition of the phrase “one step forward two steps back” unfold in front of my very eyes. The writers establish one thing, before completely undermining it later, which left little space for any internal change. 

We see Barış, Feris, Kıraç all, rightfully, get upset at Beren for putting Dicle’s career and the agency at risk, only to later ask Beren for forgiveness.

We see Dicle stand up for herself against Beren, only to later ask everyone forgive Beren. We know that Barış has continuously prioritised Dicle’s opinion, yet in this episode, he listens to Beren instead of Dicle. 

So, to clarify, my apprehension about this episode is not about Emir, Dicle, Barış or my feelings about the lack of DicBar. It is not about a ship war for me, its about the fact that the story does not make sense because previously established plot points are being discarded to create drama.

I would also argue that one of the blunders of the tenth bölüm is how so many of the characters, including the previously established round characters, become flat characters. These characters who were previously written with nuance and layers are now written with one or two traits making up their entire personality. Dicle became a character that had strong moments but was sweet and kind to everyone. Barış lost his backbone and became a character that believed whatever others were saying. Beren and Gülin were depicted as just evil (with such strong sway over the plot). 

Beren the B*tch and Forgiveness

If there was one takeaway that various people I follow had about the 10th Bölüm of Menajerimi Ara it was that Beren’s character and plot largely overwhelmed the tenth bölüm… and that she is a bitch. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind if Beren is depicted as villainous. Do I think it’s overdone when it comes to dizi plots? Yes. Would I like to see her character do something else? Yes. However, how Beren was able to put Dicle’s life and work at risk and face no repercussions was exhausting. The fact that Beren was able to get forgiveness from her father, Barış and keep her job, in @heviwillnot’s words, “doesn’t make sense”. The fact that Beren used the good graces and forgiveness given to her to continue meddling in Dicle’s life was tedious. 

I would argue that Beren being forgiven by everyone points at mischaracterization of Dicle, seeing it is Dicle that asks them to forgive her. Dicle has been established as a layered and multifaceted character. She is sweet and kind and doesn’t want to cause trouble. Yet, she is also established as a character that is willing to do what it takes to grow in the sector. 

Thus, having Dicle ask everyone to forgive Beren, makes no sense for multiple reasons. Mostly because Beren has wronged Dicle and put her job at risk. It would be one thing if Dicle didn’t want to irritate Beren because she didn’t want Beren telling everyone that she is Kıraç’s daughter. However, it is Dicle’s selflessness led her to forgive Beren. As previously established, in previous episode Dicle goes through a journey where she realises that she can’t be as selfless as she is. By having her act so selflessly, we see Dicle regress instead of progress. 

When it comes to Beren’s forgiveness we also need to talk about Barış. Barış has confusing romantic feelings for Dicle. That was the whole point of him looking through his album of pictures of her, that’s why he broke up with Beren and that’s why he wanted to meet up with Dicle. 

Dicle telling Barış that he needs to talk to Beren is what causes him to reconcile with Beren. However, this decision makes no sense when you take into consideration Barış kicking his brother out for hurting Dicle. Even when Dicle talked to him about his brother, Barış still didn’t want to forgive him. So to have Barış be the one asking for forgiveness is really strange and doesn’t make sense. Barış has previously been depicted as a person who was Dicle’s love interest, a protagonist in the show, and someone who would defend Dicle. However, as the episodes continue we see less of that Barış.

Emir the Hero and Housing Issues

A key issue of conflict in this week’s episode was the fact that Dicle is having housing issues. In the episode with Burçin Terzioglu, we learn that Dicle and Meral are being kicked out of their house. I could not help but notice the way that the audience learns of this information. It is situated right after Burçin Terzioglu makes a speech about women being told that they don’t understand things, about violent thinking against women, and about women existing, working, and not keeping silent.       

Right after this powerful speech, Meral is told she needs to move out because the landlord’s son is coming back. Meral knows this is a lie, which is her literally depicting Burçin’s word by showing that women understand what is happening. She is able to learn that her landlord wants to kick them out because neighbours have seen Barış stay the night. The housing issue has carried on through the past two episodes, with Barış offering to help Dicle out, but her turning down his help because she wants to deal with it herself. In the latest episode, Emir is able to fix Dicle’s housing issues and I hated it. 

Part of the reason that I didn’t like the fact that it was Emir that came to Dicle’s rescue, is that the reason that the landlord was kicking Dicle and Meral out is so common in patriarchal societies and is rooted in the patriarchy.

It is rooted in a society that believes women must be kept pure (instead of teaching men how to treat women), in a society where everyone has to say on female autonomy beside the woman herself, and in a society that doesn’t listen to the female voices. With this and Burçin Terzioglu speech in mind, I thought the writers of Menajerimi Ara would use this plot point to discuss important issues. 

You might be aware that I originally presumed Barış was going to help Dicle with her housing issues.

However, after much thought, I came to the conclusion that based on the fact that they made Dicle so independent and reluctant to get his help, this was unlikely.

I then thought how powerful it would have been if Feris helped Dicle because we could have seen two powerful women come together to slowly chip away at dated and patriarchal ideas. 

Another idea would have been to have Kıraç help Dicle and Meral. This would have allowed us to see Kıraç and Dicle bond, as well as showing another way for men to interact with their daughters. It would have shown that daughters are people that can be trusted and that it not them that needs to change, but society. 

However, by having Emir be the one to save Dicle in her housing issues we seeing all of Dicle’s characterization are thrown away so Dicle can exist as a damsel in distress who needs to be saved. 

source : unknown (translated by heviwillnot on twitter)


Menajerimi Ara the End of an Era

With the focus of Menajerimi Ara shifting and focusing more on the drama between Dicle, Beren, Emir and Barış and focusing on Peri Masalı instead of the guest stars we are seeing a new era of storytelling. We are seeing old plot point being discarded (e.g. Barış’s issues with being a celebrity, Barış and Dicle’s relationship, the focus on feminist issues etc.) to focus on relationship drama. 

While there is nothing inherently wrong with these elements of storytelling… they are not for me. I was drawn to the world of Menajerimi Ara due to the promise of seeing this spunky and happy character played by Ahsen attempt to conquer diziland with wondrous guest stars being featured every week. I was promised to see Barış be some form of the main character. I was promised important conversations of feminism. What we have been getting in the past two episodes is not that. 

That being said, I’ve decided to stop watching Menajerimi Ara (and obviously will stop blogging and giffing it) because all I have is anger and frustration to the way the show is being handled. I would like to thank you to everyone who interacted with me on social media about Menajerimi Ara and DicBar. Than you to those who read my blog posts and those who stole my gifs. You have made this experience beautiful.

To the original writers of the show thank you for adapting such a beautiful world allowing us to enter it. 

To Ahsen Eroğlu, Happy Late Birthday! I hope your life is filled with success and the number 22. Thank you for bringing such joy to Dicle. 

To Deniz Can Aktaş I hope you eat as much healthy food as you want. Look after your hands, arms and hair they are a gift. Thank you for playing Barış.

           

           

           

Menajerimi Ara 9. Bölüm Review: or the Art of Adaptation

The newest episode of Menajerimi Ara was perhaps the most successful episode that has aired in a long time. The change in the broadcasting day caused the ratings to skyrocket and put it on the top 5 trending things on Twitter.

📈 Ratings: Star TV’s #MenajerimiAra scores big moving to Sundays! Originally tweeted by Dizilah 🇹🇷 (@dizilah) on October 19, 2020.

However, responses to the episode and the İzleme to the next episode were less than positive. Many fans, myself included, were unhappy. The reason that the episode was so lacklustre could be attributed to various things. It could be due to the fact there was a change in airdate with the episode airing two days earlier than it was supposed to. It could be that this episode is supposed to be a filler episode. It could because Ekin Atalar took over as writer of the show.    

Another reason could be that the latest episode and preview were a marketing strategy to boost viewership and engagement by adding drama. The newest episode certainly did that, causing the show to trend and the İzleme certainly left audiences riled up and in arms. 

There could be various reasons for why the writing of the newest episode of Menajerimi Ara was so uninspiring. However, I believe that the secret to the latest episode of Menajerimi Ara and the İzleme is because Menajerimi Ara is a remake of the French television series, Dix pour cent. 

The Art of Adaptation and Fidelity

We live in a world where there is an influx of global remakes. Turkey has taken remakes by the horn, accounting for countless success and failures. Yet, the art of adaptation is not as easy as one would make it seem. In an article called “A Crime Drama Between Fidelity and Cultural Specificity: Audiences’ Reception of Cinayet, the Turkish Remake of Forbrydelsen” author Yeşim Kaptan studied the failure of Cinayet the Turkish remake of the Swedish series Forbrydelsen. 

She noted that Cinayet followed the same style, form, and content of the original Swedish show. Cinayet was a word for word remake of Forbrydelsen, which garnered much criticism. The same criticism was made of Galip the Turkish remake of Monk, which critics argued was a “translated replica, rather than a localised remake”.

 

While studying the reception to Cinayet, Kaptan noted that the Turkish audience wanted a remake that represented the culture of Turkey while remaining a faithful adaption of Forbrydelsen.1

According to Kaptan, a remake is only successful if the production is faithful to the original text while Turkish specific norms, values, and issues are represented.

Yet, Kaptan explains that a remake of a show will undoubtedly because of the choices made by the local production team, in an attempt to localise it. The local production team has to keep in mind copyright law, as well as the local financial and filming laws. Thus, even if a show is a replica, there will be some differences. 

İrem İnceoğlu article, “Gender Representation in Turkish TV”, expanded on how Turkish television changed details when adapting shows. LGBT characters, characters who were involved in affairs, or female characters often went through extensive changes to strip away things that could be seen as abnormal or immoral by RTÜK or Turkish audiences.2

A large portion of İrem İnceoğlu article focused on the way that dizis, regardless of whether they were remakes or not, portrayed female characters. She argued that female characters were either love interest, mothers, or women who were co-dependent and related to the home life. Men, on the other hand, were written as emotionless fighters who were violent to some degree. İnceoğlu study found that four-fifths of roles depicting violence were written for men and two-thirds of roles depicting crying were written for women.

Marriage is often depicted as the goal, with emphasis put on relationships. However, İnceoğlu argued that there has been a shift to depicting women existing in the workplace, and men being caretakers. Yet, she noted that female characters in power and money related jobs were frowned upon.

The Localised Remake or A Replica?

All of these ideas are important while trying to understand the success or failure of Menajerimi Ara. Much like Cinayet, Galip, or many other Turkish remakes that exist, Menajerimi Ara may seem to be a word for word remake of its French counterpart. The plot points of 1 – 7 Bölüm follow faithfully the first seven episodes of Dix pour cent. Exceptions were made for the 8th Bölüm, which followed the 6th episode of season 2 of Dix pour cent. This change was probably made to coincide the 8th Bölüm airing with the Turkish International Film Festival. 

As İnceoğlu pointed out certain things were written out of Menajerimi Ara to abide by RTÜK laws and Turkish values. In Menajerimi Ara, both Feris and Emrah are depicted as heterosexual. Jülide is not Black and facing discrimination. Gülin is not a middle-aged woman who is in love with Kıraç. Beren is Mayda’s daughter from a previous marriage, unlike in the French show. Kıraç’s character is also re-written to not have an affair, with Dicle mother while Mayda is pregnant with Beren.

In Menajerimi Ara we see a character from Dix pour cent being split into two different characters, Beren and Barış.

The Adaption as a Good?

However, the writers of Menajerimi Ara are capable of adaption, telling nuanced stories, and discussing important feminist ideas. They are also capable of not holding themselves to the tropes and plots that are so common in dizis.

We see all of this through Dicle’s character. Menajerimi Ara follows Dicle’s life. Dicle is educated and a resourceful young woman who is so endearing, making her an easy protagonist to like. Camille, Dicle’s French counterpart, is one of the many characters that the Dix pour cent follows. Additionally, unlike Dicle, she is not educated and floated between interests before working at the agency.

By making Dicle educated women the writers managed to subvert the trope that constricts so many female characters in Dizis, seeing she is not associated to the house. Dicle being educated is especially interesting because, in comparison Barış, she is the more cultured one in the relationship. Additionally, Dicle chooses to work over her relationship with Barış, pushing aside the idea that female characters must be in a romantic relationship. Dicle goal and desires to work is such a powerful decision and has garnered a positive response by the fans. 

We also see the writers ability to balance adaption, feminism, and Turkish values, through the way that Feris and Burçin Terzioğlu. Through Feris we see the writers work to abide by RTÜK laws by not making Feris gay or philandering. Instead, they focus their attention on another issue in Turkey, by depicting as a work orientated woman and her struggles.

Through Burçin Terzioğlu’s we see the writers ability to adapt a feminist speech to fit issues that women face in Turkey. The writers are capable of balancing adaption, feminism, and Turkish values.

In Dix pour cent when Camille starts working at the agency, she starts a tentative relationship with Hippolyte, a young actor who is signed at the agency, only to realise that he is her half-brother. When she learns that Hippolyte is her brother, she calls off the relationship and tries to avoid him, unable to tell him the truth about their shared father. The truth is eventually revealed when Mathias is caught talking to Camille by his wife and son who assume he is having an affair.

Catherine leaves Mathias when she learns of his affair and opts to not buy the agency. However, it is important to know that she and Hippolyte do not hold anything against Camille, knowing it is Mathias who had the affair.

The decision to have Dicle not fall in love with her half-brother in Menajerimi Ara makes sense because of the family friendly values that RTÜK tries to uphold. I would argue that the introduction of Barış Havas is perhaps the best decision in regards to adapting the show. I love love stories, and Dicle and Barış have such strong chemistry. Their love is truly enjoyable to watch.

The Adaption as a Bad?

As İnceoğlu points out in Turkish TV there is an importance placed on characters falling in love. The introduction of Barış Havas as a love interest is unique to Menajerimi Ara, as is the introduction of Emir as a secondary love interest. Both of them reflect a Turkish sensibility. 

When I learnt that Emir was being introduced as a character, I released the deepest sigh of annoyance. I was also very apprehensive to watch the episode due to the drama that I foresaw coming by introducing Dicle to another love interest. However, I did not think that I would hate it as much as I did. 

https://twitter.com/leosfemme/status/1317929348675129345
https://twitter.com/leosfemme/status/1317929628418379776

 As leosfemme put it, the introduction of a secondary love interest in very commonplace in Dizis and media in general. It can allow the relationship or character to be tested or to make a characters understand their feelings.

Due to the way that the dizis are written and function, the secondary love interest is often introduced as a cheap way add drama to the show. This is another over-saturated dizi trope. However, the issue with adding drama for the sake of drama is that it can take away from established character arcs and character growth. 

To establish Emir as a potential love interest in Dicle’s life is bewildering when you take into consideration her decision to focus on work. The audience response to Emir seems to be that his character is invasive. By having Emir brag that he is going to see all the sides of Dicle, implies that he is there to change her, and shows that Emir might have some form of power over Dicle. That there is a power dynamic disparity in their relationship. He constantly puts Dicle in uncomfortable positions to see different sides of her. This is a sharp comparison to Barış who continuously offers listen to Dicle and generally doesn’t demand it of her.

Depicting Emir as a potential love interest and an invasive character is also super perplexing in regards to the episode that came before, where Burçin Terzioğlu’s makes a speech about consent and listening to female voices.

Additionally, when it comes to the jealousy trope in regards to Menajerimi Ara is the fact that we are already seeing it through Beren. Having Emir be the reason for jealousy brings no creativity to the table and is a cheap way to cause conflict between Barış and Dicle.

Barış Havas (or the Part Y’all Have Been Waiting For)

Finally, because this is a blog post that I am writing, I will be talking about the love of my life, Barış Havas. Maybe me writing about Barış will be ours always. As previously established the introduction of Barış Havas is perhaps my favourite aspect of the adaption. I love Dicle and Barış so much! However, I hated episode 9.

The way that Barış is written is wild, which is to say that I hate it and it makes no sense. 

In the last episode, we see Barış trying on suits with the help of Dicle. It is clear from this interaction that he is deeply attracted to her. The whole montage of him standing outside and thinking about Dicle shows that he likes her. Him wanting desperately to talk to Dicle at the end of the episode shows that he cares that they are on good terms and that she is okay. 

So, to see that Barış Havas in comparison to the one depicted in the 9th episode is frustrating. One could argue that Barış comforting Beren at the start of the episode because they are friends and colleagues. Okay, that’s cool. Barış thinking about sending Dicle a message saying that she is not being a good friend could also be excusable because he trusts her and maybe is hurt that she doesn’t feel the same about him.

We also see Barış on very friendly terms with Dicle. All of the pining and attraction and love that were depicted in the previous episode just mysteriously vanished replaced with platonic comradely. None of the music or longing gazes that filled the previous episodes is present. Which could make sense because they agreed to be friends. This could also explain why Barış kisses Beren.

The final and important scene in regards to the way that Barış is written is at the wedding shoot. To have Barış know that Beren is upset at Dicle and have him simply watch Beren hassle Dicle without intervening is strange.

Especially because it came from the same Barış Havas who cheered Dicle up when Beren yelled at her.

The same Barış Havas who defended Dicle against Beren and his brother. The same Barış Havas who has repeatedly prioritised Dicle over everyone else. To have that Barış Havas not intervene on Dicle behalf goes against the way that his character was written up to this point. 

The other reason that I was upset lies in the fact that in the 8th episode, Dicle admits that she wanted a serious relationship with him, but him being out with Beren changed her mind. She also mentions the night at his house.

If you remember Barış took Dicle leaving to imply that she didn’t like him. If he truly likes Dicle, than why didn’t this revelation affect him? Regardless of whether or not he’s trying to be a good friend, wouldn’t the admission by Dicle that she liked him have some form of effect on him? Wouldn’t it make him reconsider his closeness to Beren? Especially, because he started ‘dating’ Beren because he thought Dicle wasn’t interested.

The last straw for the fandom was not in regards to the episode but rather the İzleme. In the İzleme we see the fallout of Dicle being accused of leaking information at the agency. Barış approaches Dicle and asks her if it’s true, which offends her, as it should. 

This doesn’t make sense, seeing Barış stated multiple times that he trusts Dicle and that he doesn’t believe she is capable of doing anything bad. By having him question her about this, we see all the work that they’ve put into Barış and Dicle be disregarded for the sake of drama.

Find the difference. Originally tweeted by claudia 🍂 (@goldeniaz) on October 20, 2020.

Granted the introduction of Emir and making Barış like this could be explained. Through these two characters, we see Turkish television norms and value represented in the adaptation. As previously established, Barış’s French counterpart, Hippolyte and Camille also have a very important conversation where they decide to be friends.

This decision is brought on by the fact that they are related to each other and explains why they go from being romantically involved to platonically involved so quickly. Barış on the other hand has no reason to stop showing some form of romantic interest or trusting Dicle. If anything his interest should have been grown due to Dicle’s confession from the previous episode. 

The Adaption as a Ugly?

Through introduction of Mayda, Beren and even Gülin is where we see Menajerimi Ara incorporate the worst of Turkish television norms and values.

In my review for the previous episode of Menajerimi Ara, I argued that Beren and Mayda are such different characters to the other female characters in the show because their entire lives are tied to men.

Mayda, unlike her French counterpart is incredibly suspicious of Dicle, as is Beren. She becomes a key character in Menajerimi Ara and unlike Catherine doesn’t leave her husband or and does buy the agency. Her entire story arc is tied to the men.

Gülin’s French counter part is also suspicious of Camille because she loves Mathias. However, Gülin’s character is not jealous or vindictive to Camille. All of her suspicions toward Camille vanish as soon as she learn the truth of Camille’s parentage.

By the end of the first season, both women are on good terms with Camille.

As previously established, Beren doesn’t exist in Dix pour cent. Hippolyte and Camille are on good terms with each other when they find out that they are siblings. He is also quite busy with his film career and is not a central character in the agency, and we are not shown much of him. The character that Camille has the most tension with is Emrah’s character, because she gets promoted instead of him. 

A huge issue for me about Episode 9 is the fact that Beren, Mayda, and even Gülin are such an antagonistic force in Dicle’s life. All of them are suspicious of Dicle and want to get rid of her for various reasons. The decision to have these characters behave in such a way cannot be attributed to their French counterparts because they do not exist in the same capacity. It reveals an aspect of Turkish television norms, pitting women against each other.

Feminism in Dizis

The act of pitting women against each other is a staple of Turkish television. For as long as I have watched Dizis, the female protagonist is always on the receiving end hate from other women. It occurs in period dramas, in Mafia stories, in romantic comedies, and in family dramas and honestly, I am so tired of it!

TURKEY! PLEASE! STOP!

Famed feminist and social activist bell hooks wrote an article called “Sisterhood: Political Solidarity between Women”. bell hooks noted that women are taught that relationships between each other diminish rather than enrich their lives. women are taught to see other women as their natural enemies.

“we are taught that women are ‘natural’ enemies, that solidarity will never exist between [women] because [women] cannot, should not, and do not bond with one another”

bell hooks

Another important idea that bell hooks articulated is that sexism teaches women to be sex objects for men, which then causes women to feel superior when they are in a relationship. For bell hooks, sexism is what teaches women to hate each other. We see this idea of women being taught to hate each other over and over again in media and we see .3

The way in which women are pitted against each other usually comes down to two things a man and Freud’s idea of the “The Virgin-Whore Dichotomy.”

Freud theorised that women are deemed good when they were chaste and pure and bad because they are promiscuous and seductive. Men objectify sexy women to avoid emotional attachment, however, treat them with contempt. Chaste women, on the other hand, might not be seen as someone to objectify, however, are thought to be good long-term relationship material.4

However, the virgin-whore dichotomy manifests itself in many ways. One example found in media is the sacrificing, pure, naïve women vs. the scheming, selfish, vain one.5 These women are often pitted against each other, to justify one as more morally upright.3 

Dicle and Beren, like many women in dizis, embody this dichotomy. Dicle generally speaking wears more conservative clothing and is an earnest young woman who is trying her best to make it in the industry. On the other hand, Beren is dressed in more revealing clothing.

This is why I hate how the writers of Menajerimi Ara write Beren, Mayda, and even Gülin. They are all pitted against Dicle and are all women who are seen as scheming selfish, and vain. Dicle on the other hand is the embodiment of the sacrificing, pure, naïve women.

For me, Mayda and Gülin’s characters are so much more annoying then Beren’s because they are characters that were not originally written this way. There was a conscious choice by the writers to have Dicle come in conflict with Gülin instead of Emrah and to have Mayda take over the agency and to keep her around to stir up trouble for Dicle. There was a conscious decision to leave Mayda out of the loop about Dicle’s parentage to draw out drama. It was a conscious choice to pit these women against Dicle.

Beren, on the other hand, received much contempt from fans for scheming against Dicle. I am fans. Her reasoning for scheming and being jealous of Dicle makes sense narratively. Why would you not be jealous of the person who has your crushes attention and who you learn is your secret stepsister?

However, as previously established the decision to depict her this way was a conscious choice by the writers. The writers chose to make Beren an original character, chose to make her jealous of Dicle, chose to make Beren’s entire life revolve around Barış, and chose to pit her against Dicle. This disappointment is heightened by the fact that at the end of the episode, when Dicle is accused of leaking information to the press, not even Feris defends Dicle. Thus, we see more examples of women being pitted against each other.

Though it may make sense to a condemn people who are selfish, vain, and bitter, it is very harmful when it comes to the dichotomy and feminist issues. As bell hooks points out, hating on other women is an issue rooted in misogyny. The concept of the virgin and the whore and benefits only the patriarchy and men.

Women are taught to hate each other. We use the Virgin-Whore Dichotomy as a means to do so. However, all this does is uphold patriarchal ideas and allows men to get away with the violence they inflict on women. It tears apart a collective sisterhood.

You spend your life seeking the approval of men and then you suddenly realise that, actually, you could get a quite exciting and fulfilling relationship from being friends with another woman and that that might be more interesting,” 

Emily Mortimer, Belfast Telegraph

It allows men to say what type of women have worth and gives men an excuse to perpetrate and defend violence against women.

In a patriarchal society that enforces the Virgin-Whore dynamic, woman who are seen with contempt, are seen to be deserving of the violence against her. Slut shaming is then justified and so are more atrocious acts of violence and assault.

This is why I abhor when women are pitted against each other. It is just another means to engrain patriarchal values. It is especially underwhelming because I feel like the writers of the show have proved that they are capable of depicting strong feminist characters.

For them to write Beren, Mayda, and Gülin in this, even if it shows Turkish television norms and value represented, is very disappointing. I completely understand that pitting female characters against each other is a norm for most media; I just wish that every female character related to Beren or who were about Dicle’s age was not immediately seen as a threat to Dicle.

Conclusion

I would argue that the dizifictaion of Menajerimi Ara, though it has given us some truly beautiful moments (Deniz Can’s hands + Dicbar + Dicle), it also shows how dizis and Turkish media continuously depict and enforce sexist writing.

However, another idea of adding drama for the sake of drama, is not good storytelling… If anything it gets in the way of good storytelling, ostracises fans, and throws away all the hard work put by the cast and crew.

Though the writers were capable of adapting the story to show us strong female characters and seem to be aware of the importance of feminism, they have continuously enforced misogyny in their writing.

References:

  1. Kaptan, Yeşim. “A Crime Drama Between Fidelity and Cultural Specificity: Audiences’ Reception of Cinayet, the Turkish Remake of Forbrydelsen” from European Television Crime Drama and Beyond.
  2. İnceoğlu, İ. (2020). “Gender Representation on Turkish TV.” In The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication (eds K. Ross, I. Bachmann, V. Cardo, S. Moorti and M. Scarcelli).
  3. hooks, bell. “Sisterhood: Political Solidarity between Women.” Feminist Review.
  4. Bareket et al. “The Madonna-Whore Dichotomy: Men Who Perceive Women’s Nurturance and Sexuality as Mutually Exclusive Endorse Patriarchy and Show Lower Relationship Satisfaction”
  5. Monsters & Muses, “The Virgin-Whore Dichotomy and Why Women Cannot Destroy it”

Menajerimi Ara 7+8 Bölüm Recap : Or A Woman’s Compromise and A Man’s Growth

Earlier this week I watched the trailer to Tessa Thompson’s new film, Sylvie’s Love. The film follows Tessa Thompson’s character, a young Black woman who has dreams of working in television and finds a job working as an Assistant Producer.

This job is not generally one given to a married woman, much less a Black Woman and it follows Sylvie, the titular character, as she attempts to live her dreams and struggles with her love life. In a scene, Sylvie’s dreams come into conflict with her husband, who wants her to be the perfect wife, so she tells him:

I can’t be the woman of your dreams while also trying to be the woman of my dreams.


This quote, I would argue, coincides with what the last two episodes of Menajerima Ara. In the seventh episode of Menajerima Ara we see Dicle giving up on her dream in order to make Kıraç’s life easier. As Dicle herself puts it, she is willing to risk her dreams to make Kıraç’s life easier, and yet he would not do the same for her.

Dicle’s Dream : 7. Bölüm

The seventh episode of Menajerima Ara was perhaps the most difficult to watch, and it largely has to do with the fact that Dicle gives up is giving up her dreams. She is hurt by her father, hurt by Barış choosing Beren over her, and hurt by Feris for not fighting to keep her at the agency. 

Yet, as the seventh episode unfolds we watch Dicle come to terms that her selflessness, though it is a great strength, is also causing her problems. We see Dicle establish boundaries and not compromise on her dreams. Firstly, she turns down Barış offers to be his assistant. As Dicle puts it her decision to turn down Barış’s offer didn’t come from a place of hating Barış, but rather because she wants to follow her dreams and establish herself in the sector.

The other moment that we see Dicle establish healthy boundaries comes from her decision to stay working at Ego Agency. This is a choice that Dicle makes because she realises that Kıraç would rather allow Mayda to believe that he and Dicle are having an affair than admit that Dicle is his daughter. While she was willing to give up on her dreams, Kıraç was not okay with being uncomfortable. Resigning and taking Barış’s job offer would be the selfless thing to do, however, we see Dicle grow and establish boundaries and think about herself to live her dreams.

Women & Compromise : 8. Bölüm

This idea of being the woman of one’s dream is carried to the next episode and is made prominent by the various women of the 8th episode. 

The entire episode focuses on the various women who exist in different areas of life who are all trying to live their dreams. There’s Dicle, who’s trying to establish herself in the sector, and Feris who is a very prominent manager who knows her place, and finally Burçin Terzioğlu who is a super famous actress. All of these women have different moments in the episode where they are put into a position where they are expected to compromise. 

For Feris, this comes through her work. Though Feris loves her work she feels like she needs to sacrifice it to be in a relationship with Nejat. She believes this so firmly that she thinks that Nejat would for her sure break up with her after her outburst at the restaurant when she tells him that she priorities her work. However, at the end of the episode, we see Nejat accept this aspect of 

Through Burçin Terzioğlu we see a different form of compromise, a compromise that would allow violence against women to continue to exist. As you can see from this powerful speech, women are expected to not speak up, to compromise their voices, which would allow the countless incidents of female violence to continue to exist. Though I hate to say it, it would have made sense if Burçin had compromised her voice to stay on good terms with the sponsor, because that is a thing that is so commonplace. However, she chose to speak up and not be silenced.

Lastly, we have the Dicle. As previously established, in the last episode we saw the fallout of Dicle compromising her dreams for men, and realising that she is not something that she is willing to do that. At the end of that episode, we also see Dicle promise herself that she won’t let the sector change her and make her heartless. We see the outcome of those decisions throughout the episode. On one hand, Dicle chooses to stay working at Ego Agency, yet she chose to be kind to Kıraç by not outing him as her father to Mayda. 

We also see Dicle establish better boundaries in her relationship with Barış by not willing to compromise her dreams to be in a relationship with him. She confesses that she did want something romantic to happen between them, however, because she is hurt by his decision to engage in a relationship with Beren. She makes it known that she wants to focus on her work and establish himself in the industry and Barış accepts that decision. 

Like Mother, Like Daughter

On a side note, I would like to add that this is probably why Beren, Gülin, Mayda are such unlikeable female characters. We see Dicle, Feris, and even Jülide struggle to establish themselves in the industry and follow their dreams. While all the other women are attempting to live their dreams Beren and Mayda’s are making decisions as a result of the men in their life. Mayda only bought the Agency as a result of her falling out with Kıraç and Beren’s whole life revolves around being close to Barış. 

As Barış and many others have pointed out, Beren’s relationship with Barış is superficial seeing she doesn’t listen to him. She has an idealised picture of their relationship and their connection seems very dependent on their work and their lives as celebrities. In the scene where Beren makes him dinner, she gets distracted from this cooking because she is afraid of what could be happening between Barış and Dicle. As we see from Kıraç’s outburst, she risked her job and the quality of her cooking to spy on them, which is almost directly the opposite of what Dicle does this episode when she decides to not risk her career for Barış. 

Barış’s Journey

In comparison, Barış is going on a completely different journey. I know that within the fandom there is much debate about Barış as a character and the decisions that he makes… But if you have read my blog post, you know that I believe that his decisions make sense and he is not “bipolar”.

Let me say that again for the people in the back, Barış is not bipolar, so stop labelling him as such.

I would argue that the quote that explains Barış’s actions and character arc is Dicle mother’s “Motherly Advice”. 

Dicle’s mother advises to Dicle to not to find someone who she loves, but rather someone who loves her. Someone who will love and appreciate her and who will carry her in their arms. Someone who won’t leave her behind in the same way that Kıraç left them. 

I know, I know, your thinking Erica, this is absurd advice when it comes to Barış. Barış is so selfish, he only thinks of himself. He has repeatedly thought about himself, completely disregarding Dicle’s (and even Beren’s) feelings. He says so himself in the club scene from the episode 7, he sometimes is insensitive and uncaring.

A Relationship Built on Lies (Not Really, But Still) : 7. Bölüm

However, before we start talking about Barış we need to establish something of Dicle and Barış’s relationship: it is one that is uneven and filled with miscommunication and misunderstanding.

Dicle entered the relationship expecting something romantic to grow out of it. Barış on the other hand, though he is attracted to Dicle, seems to see her more as a form of comfort. This all comes to head when Barış asks Dicle to stay the night, which changes their relationship, adding so much miscommunication. Their decision to forget about the night and move on is since Barış took Dicle not staying the night to mean she wasn’t interested in him, and Dicle took him saying that he was drunk and wanted to forget about the night to mean the same thing. However, neither character spoke to the other about their intentions and read meaning into the actions of the other without the other saying it explicitly. 

Another huge area of unevenness in their relationship comes from how they see each other. There is another aspect to their uneven relationship that comes from Dicle side. While Barış may feel like Dicle is the only person that he can be himself around, Dicle does not feel that way because she is hiding her feelings from him, as well as her secret about her father. Dicle is unable to be herself around Barış.

Yet, another area of complete miscommunication comes from the way that Barış sees Dicle. We know that he sees her as the only person in his life that understands him. This could explain him saying “I don’t want another, I want you” remark, especially because he has pushed away his brother and by his admission, Beren doesn’t understand him. However, in the club scene, we see more of this miscommunication. Barış laments the fact that he is being “insensitive and selfish” towards others (which is what caused Beren to be upset at the club), however, he tells Dicle that she would never do something like this.

Through this, we see an example of Menajerima Ara subverting tropes. When I suggested that my friend watch the dizi she explained that though she was enjoying the dizi, she found it made her anxious especially in regards to Dicle and Barış’s relationship.

She explained how she hated the status difference between Dicle and Barış and explained how exhausting she would find it if the drama revolved around Dicle not feeling good enough for Barış because of his fame. This is a common trope in stories where a celebrity falls for a normal person. Another common trope is that the normal person might have a romantised version of the celebrity that doesn’t reflect reality. Yet, in Menajerima Ara it is Barış who feels like he is inferior to Dicle and puts Dicle on a pedestal. He has a very idealised idea of Dicle, thinking that she is completely selfless.

In Dicle and Barış last interactions in the 7th episode, we see Barış’s insensitive nature furthered when he offers Dicle a job as his assistant. We see Barış impulsive nature through this offer and Dicle rightly turns down the offer leaving a confused Barış at the sidewalk. Later in the episode, Barış goes and apologies to Dicle for making the offer and she explains her reasoning. 

Barış Havas and a Journey of Growth : 8. Bölüm

In the 8th Bölüm, we see Barış is going on his journey and many of the scenes in this episode parallel ones that have come before in previous episodes and show Barış’s growth. 

The most obvious example comes from the scene where Barış is trying on clothes, which is a direct parallel to their first encounter, a thing that Barış brings up.

How it started. How is going

Originally tweeted by selo shelby (@gigiibebe) on October 10, 2020.

On one hand, I love this call back because it’s so cute and I love Dicle and Barış together. I think there is another element to it because as @heviwillnot, points out, the scene where Dicle is helping Barış with his clothes is such a call back to their relationship earlier where they laughed, joked, and there was warmth between them before all of the drama in episode occurred.

Dicle notices that Barış has been calling her by her name, instead of “Assistant Kiz”. While this may seem like a tiny step (and it is) it shows growth on Barış’s part it is a direct call back to the previous episode where Barış sees Dicle exclusively as an Assistant Girl without taking into consideration her dreams or desires. Here, however, we finally see Barış accept Dicle as she is. We see him further prioritise Dicle feelings by asking her if there is something wrong. 

https://twitter.com/menajerimiara/status/1316094968356909057

The other important scene that occurs comes when Beren tries to cook Barış’s favourite meal. This is Beren’s attempt to romance Barış, and it backfires and is lowkey the stuff of horror movies and a complete waste of food.

However, the Barış we see in this scene is the complete opposite of the Barış in the previous episode. In the previous episode, we see Barış go to the club, think insensitively about his words to Beren, and allows her to stay the night. We see him listen to the fans, his producers, and even Dicle who have all pushed him towards being in a relationship with Beren. 

Episode 7 vs. Episode 8

In this episode Barış makes it clear that though he will eat dinner with Beren he doesn’t want to go to the club nor does he want her to come back to his house with him. He is establishing some boundaries in their relationship and distancing himself from Beren. Much like Dicle, he is choosing to prioritise his work (reading his script) instead of focusing on relationships. Ultimately Barış does get distracted by a relationship just not his relationship with Beren, but with Dicle.

Originally tweeted by alara (@saudadeshipper) on October 16, 2020.

All of this leads to the final scene of the episode where Dicle tells Barış that she just wants them to remain friends with him and nothing more. While I understand that some might be upset by this decision, when it comes to the overall theme of the episode and Barış’s character arc, his decision to remain friends with her is important. 

Firstly, we get a parallel to the scene where Barış tells Dicle that he wants to forget about the night that he asked her to stay over and just remain friends with her. 

Most importantly though by having Barış accept Dicle request to remain, friends, we see him follow through with both Dicle’s mother and Burçin Terzioğl’s speeches. Burçin Terzioğl speech was about the importance of the women’s voices, Dicle mother’s advice was about the importance of finding a man who would prioritise Dicle. By listening to Dicle request to stay friends, Barış is prioritising Dicle, her voice, and her dreams, regardless of how it impacts his feelings. He is finally sacrificing for her and not thinking about himself.

However, throughout this episode we see something else occurring between Dicle and Barış clearer communication. Barış sees Dicle not think and say whatever was on her mind about Burçin Terzioğl dress. We also see better communication. Dicle tells Barış that she wants to be friends with him, not due to some hidden expectation she had of him, but due to her desires. She lays it out as it is and they are both on the same level as each other.

Furthermore, from the synopsis and fragman of the next episode, it seems like Barış might learn about Dicle’s secret, which would create even more clarity between them.

From the Episode 9 Summary: Learning that Dicle is Kıraç’s daughter, Beren decides to remove Dicle from their lives…. Barış, on the other hand, tries to stand by Dicle and stop Beren

Additional Thoughts/Questions:

  • I absouletly adore the way that the guest stars were integrated into the eighth episode. If you are unaware, Filmekimi and Istanbul Film Festival, two of the biggest film festivals in Turkey, were happening when the 8 Bölüm aired. Having Burçin Terzioğlu be preparing to present at the Istanbul Film Festival is very topical and shows the writers ability to integrate the very real aspects of the film sector in this very fictional show. The other guest star is Hazal Kaya, who much like the episode depicts, has recently signed on to be the ambassador of Cif Türkiye.
  • I really need Barış to admit his feelings for Dicle make a move. Up until this point, he has been a bit passive in their relationship… Additionally, if we are robbed of Dicle and Barış scenes because of the new dude… I will riot!
  • Lastly, I need Barış and Dicle to hug.

Mental Health in Diziland

If you’ve been paying attention to Turkish media in any form or capacity, you know that we are seeing lots of conversations about social issues. The strongest example of real-life issues being depicted in diziland comes from the ridiculous success of Masumlar Apartmanı or Kırmızı Oda and the rise of the psychological drama.

Various other pieces of media, even those that veer towards being melodramatic, have taken it upon themselves to depict social issues people face every day. This is evident through the accusations brought against Gülseren Budayıcıoğlu, the depiction of phobias in Sen Çal Kapımı, the depiction of suicide and depression in Sen Kiminle Dans Ediyorsun, and the consensus by fans of Menajerimi Ara that Barış is bipolar.

However, not every depiction or discussion of mental illness in media is edifying. Thus, I want to briefly discuss the way that mental health has been stereotyped in media and connect it to Turkish media.

Mental Health in Turkey

Research was conducted by two psychiatric nurses on the stigmas surrounding mental health issues in Turkey. Through their research, the authors, Fatma Öz and Gamze Sarıkoç found that a common prejudice about individuals with mental disorders includes the individual being considered unpredictable and thus dangerous. They went on to discuss how the negative labelling of the mentally ill can lead to deliberating issues such as housing/job discrimination and income loss, the feeling of isolation, friendship/relationship failures or conflict, an increase in depressive symptoms and a decline in social skills. Öz and Sarıkoç mention that these prejudices are established and generalised by mass media.

With this in mind, it is important to understand that though media is not real life, it does affect shaping people’s perception.

The Mentally Ill as Villains

Since the release of the 1960 Hollywood film Psycho, there has been a trend to stereotype the mentally ill as “homicidal maniacs and narcissistic parasites.” This has contributed to the stigmatisation of mental illness. This is why narratives like Masumlar Apartmanı are important. Through the character of Safiye in Masumlar Apartmanı we see OCD and acrophobia being depicted. Flashbacks are used to give insight into Safiye’s life, making her actions understandable and veers away from depicting her as one dimensional and simply “unpredictable”.

In Masumlar Apartmanı we are given a heart wrenching look at what it could be like to live with OCD and the effects it might have on one’s family. However, it could be argued (based on the first two episodes) that because Safiye is pitted against Han and Inci, she is cast in the antagonist role. Safiye’s actions, though comprehensible, have been depicted as dangerous and her control issues are troubling. Because the dizi is so new and the show is still airing it is too soon to make any judgement. This is especially true because Safiye is not the only character with a mental illness and there is so much to learn about all of the characters including Han, who might also be mentally ill.

Am I Mentally Ill? Or Am I “Quirky”?

Another common depiction of mental illness in media is that the mental illness is quirky and something that can be cured by love. In an article found in the Metro UK, writer Hattie Gladwell explains the problems with depicting mental illness as quirky is that it takes the severity away from the illness. It suggests that mental illness is not an actual illness, a belief that many people hold.

Being ‘quirky’ is something that is in your control. It’s something that you could change should you want to. Mental illness is not. Mental illness doesn’t care who it affects and it’ll do all it can to prevent the person living with it from recovering from it.

Hattie Gladwell, Metro UK

The belief that mental illness is quirky is dangerous because it leads it to be romanticised. This could lead to dangerous behaviours being romanticised or by making it so that it is not taken seriously. 

This leads us to our next issue, the idea that love can be the cure for mental illness. This idea is evident in the American hit film, Silver Linings Playbook. While many have applauded the film for its realistic depiction of living with a bipolar disorder, it was greatly criticised for implying that love can cure it.


While being loved and loving someone can create a positive impact in one’s lives, it does not cure one of mental illness.

Mental illness doesn’t rely on love or lack thereof.

Laura A. Barton, HealthyPlace

Believing that mental illnesses can be cured by love perpetuates the idea that it is not a real illness. It also can perpetuate the idea that those who are mentally ill are not trying hard enough to get better or that they are only a whole person when they are in love (and when they are not in love they are less than). This idea relates to Gladwell points, that mental illness is not taken as seriously it should be. 

The protagonist of Sen Kiminle Dans Ediyorsun is suicidal and depressed. Since the film is a comedy, the suicide attempt is played off as humour. While I understand that there is something to be said about comedy it is important to note that by playing it for laughs, the film does not take the issue seriously. 

Clinical Diagnosis in Everyday Vocabulary

Lastly, we have the character of Barış in Menajerimi Ara. In fan spaces, a consensus seems to be have made that Barış is bipolar. After some research, I concluded this has to do with Barış’s actions and fickle nature. He is an impulsive character and is often shown saying one thing, but doing something else. It is this act, I would argue, that has garnered the bipolar label. However, as you may know from my article, I do not believe that Barış is bipolar. The label seems to be caused by a misunderstanding of bipolar disorders.


In an article found in The Huffington Post, writer Jenna Birch advocates against using the label bipolar when discussing mood changes. In the article, Birch explains that bipolar disorders are often mistaken as a quick and intense switch between emotions and behaviours. Bipolar disorders are marked by the tendency of manic episodes to alternate with major depressive ones in an unending roller coaster. However, the change happens slowly.

Birch also points out that there exists an important difference between a bipolar disorder and a mood swing. Mood swings are normal ups and downs relating to things that occur in everyday life. In comparison, a manic or depressive episode of a bipolar disorder can last for days and be triggered by many things, which might not have to do with ups and downs of everyday life. 

BBC released an article discussing how clinical diagnosis terms have entered the everyday vocabulary. While some people may believe that a clinical diagnosis can be used jokingly or metaphorically, most agree that it would cause further misunderstandings of a widely misunderstood and stigmatised illness.

Andrew McCulloch, the chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, argues that the problem with using clinical diagnosis to describe minor personality is that they all end up meaning the same thing.

For example, the fact that Barış is labelled bipolar when he is more likely having a mood swing creates a stigma that a bipolar disorder is just a mood swing. As previously established they are completely different things.

Therefore I really urge fans of the show to stop labelling Barış as bipolar, because it is not true and helps to create stigmas about the illness.

In conclusion there is a movement to acknowledge mental illness. However, there is still a long way to go and there are still many stigmas surrounding and perpetuated in media about mental health issues

Menajerimi Ara or the Dizi of My Heart 6. Bölüm Recap Pt. 1

Usually, this edition of “Menajerimi Ara or the Dizi of My Heart” would be pretty abridged and found with the rest of my recap at the end of the week. However, because I took notes of the newest bölüm and screamed with various friends about it, I’ve decided to dedicate an entire post where I talk about the show. And yes, in a surprising twist, I will just be talking about the show and won’t be mentioning Deniz Can Aktaş’s hands.

The Guest Stars & Making It in The Film Industry

We are introduced to Riza Kocaoğlu, who has decided to take on a role as what I can only presume is a homeless person with a developmental disability. To get into character Riza has decided to go method, which causes an issue seeing that he is also signed on to film a dizi at the same time. I don’t have any problem with method acting, however, I cannot help but think of what Robert Pattinson said about method acting

as well as the fact that there has been a protest against able-bodied actors playing disabled characters and the type of acclaim they get for doing so (especially when actors with disabilities often don’t have a place at the table).

https://twitter.com/JWLawson57/status/1217547439009222657

This phenomenon is also found in Turkey, with actresses like Ezgi Mola being celebrated for her role in the character Safiye in Masumlar Apartmanı. However, through Riza Kocaoğlu story arc we see one extreme in which actors get into the roles that they play, by going method.

Boran Kuzum makes his guest appearance. He is called to the agency to audition for a role and is to some degree ill-prepared. The audience is treated to a comedic and slightly embarrassing scene as Boran tries to get into the role, and fails because he can’t achieve what the director wants. He struggles to say his lines in the way that the director would like him too. When Çınar reveals to Boran that the director would probably be moving to another actor, Boran takes matters into his own hands. He manages to learn his lines and wear make-up to seem darker (seeing the character has tan skin and is short) and tracks down the director. Boran bumps into the director who doesn’t recognise him and manages to say the line correctly, getting him the role.

Jülide, though not a guest star, is also trying to make it in the film industry. Against the suggestions of her boss and manager, Çınar, she auditions for a role though it doesn’t pay. However, to make a good dizi or film, you need money. This act of going against Çınar to audition comes at the cost of her work relationship with him and he decides to stop being her boss.

Through all of these interactions, we see just how precarious the film industry is and how it makes no promises to those who are part of it, as well as the work that is needed to be put into work.

The Recap + Thoughts

I would personally make the argument that two ideas are mentioned in this episode that has thematic relevance. Firstly, Dicle’s confession early in the episode that Barış doesn’t see her when the lights and cameras are flashing, and secondly Barış explaining his “accumulated scream”. 

The first part is, of course, Dicle response to Barış when he asks her to stay the night. This idea is very relevant because it is a throwback to previous episodes where Barış ignored Dicle at parties or in the office. It also shows her belief that they exist in different worlds, him in the limelight and her behind the scenes, something she has told him previously. 

While this idea is important in regards to their past, it also carries a certain weight in regards to the rest of the episode. Dicle softens the blow of her rejecting him by a pressing a kiss to his cheek (AND LET ME TELL YOU IT WAS SO CUTE)!

After this interaction both Dicle and Barış need time to debrief their feelings. Both decide to talk to their roommates. While Dicle is willing to admit she has feelings for Barış to Meral, she also discusses her fears and hesitations about him, noting how fickle he is. She can’t help but compare Barış to her father. Dicle decides that she will only talk to Barış about her feelings if he is the one to bring up the kiss that occurred the night before.

Barış, on the other hand, is confused by the fact that Dicle didn’t stay the night. He admits to his brother that he enjoys spending time with her because she calms him down. He hints at the fact that when he is around Dicle he feels like he can be himself, seeing Dicle doesn’t see him as the famous dizi actor (as a lot of people do). However, Barış also considers the fact that he doesn’t feel like he is good enough for Dicle because he is not as educated as she is. Aydın tries to cheer up Barış by reminding him that his fans love him, and also his relationship with Beren. However, it is clear that this is not the response Barış wants, and that his brother might not understand Barış conflicted relationship with the limelight and Beren.

Beren is hurt by the fact that Barış turned down the role movie without consulting her. She feels isolated from him and tries to convince her father to become her agent again. However Kıraç, in a move that made me respect him, tells Beren she must live with the consequences of the decisions she makes. As an aside, did anyone realise that Beren was low-key dressed like Dicle, or was it just me?

Barış calls Dicle and it is clear from this interaction that Barış wants to ask Dicle about what occurred last night. However, neither Barış nor Dicle can ask the other one about their feelings and dance around the subject. Both seem discouraged by this outcome. 

While at the office Dicle approaches Kıraç, who admits to Dicle that he visited her in her childhood and found joy from being around her. Dicle reveals the reason she asked Kıraç to not visit as a child was that she felt like he was unhappy being a father. With this in light, we realise that Kıraç may have paternal feelings toward Dicle, which comes to conflict with his wife wanting Dicle fired. However, Dicle warm feelings towards her father are ruined when Kıraç reveals to the company that he plans on buying shares of it. Feris is upset by the fact that Kıraç maybe her future boss and confides in Dicle that Kıraç has asked her to fire Dicle on multiple occasions. 

Tensions rise as a new dizi’s ratings beat that of Barış and Beren’s. Beren and Barış take a drive to distract themselves. It is here that Beren brings up the idea that they should post more on social media to have a better audience response. She then admits to Barış that she is tired of pretending to be in a relationship with him, not because of the lies, but rather because she has real feelings for him. Beren seems almost embarrassed by her admission when Barış doesn’t respond. To save face she admits that she knows that Barış doesn’t feel the same, using Barış went to Dicle for advice as an example. When she attempts to leave, Barış pulls her in for a kiss. However, it is clear from their kiss that they are having different reactions to the kiss with Beren seeming hopeful and Barış confused. 

Barış visits the office, but with Feris out meeting all day, he decides to talk to Dicle. Dicle then asks the question on everyone’s mind, what was the meaning of Barış asking Dicle to stay the night. Though Barış has feelings for Dicle, he tells her that what happened the night before was due to the alcohol and says he doesn’t want it to affect their relationship. Dicle seems satisfied with the answer, especially because Barış tells her that they are “Good for each other”, asking her if they can go back to the way they were before.

Barış discusses that with his Dizi’s ratings falling he is having second thoughts about not taking the film deal. However, as always, Dicle encourages Barış telling him that he loves cinema, and “Love never goes unrequited,” which could potentially be fascinating foreshadowing. Dicle and Barış are interrupted by Feris’ return as well as the appearance of the show producer, Mr Jalal.

The meeting between Barış, Feris, and Mr Jalal is too funny because it seemed awfully Meta. Barış’s show has competition with way better ratings, which is causing everyone to be worried. Similarly, Menajerimi Ara has some serious competition in the form of Masumlar Apartmanı. Feris argues that Barış’s show is superior because Barış and Beren have such stronger chemistry, and argues that the other show will eventually fail because it will have repetitive storylines. This argument is amusing because anyone who has watched Menajerimi Ara knows that while Deniz Can Aktaş and Yaprak Medine are both beautiful, they do not have chemistry.

Moreover, if any dizi is repetitive it is Menajerimi Ara, as we see Dicle cry about either her father or Barış in literally every episode. 

https://twitter.com/bl_ph/status/1311044958007234560

Mr Jalal brings up the idea that the success of the competition dizi may be tied to the fact that the main lead actors post on social media. This comment had me thinking of the stars of Sen Çal Kapımı, a show with really high ratings and stars who constantly post on social media. However, this also had me wondering if Ahsen Eroğlu and Deniz Can Aktaş are going to take the advice of their show and post on social media since Menajerimi Ara’s ratings are going down so drastically. 

Barış and Feris are both upset by the comments by Mr Jalal, however, Barış takes them worse. Feris asks Dicle to follow after Barış to make sure he doesn’t do anything drastic. They end up on a clifftop over a beach, an odd parallel to the scene earlier where he and Beren kiss at the beach.

However, on the clifftop, Barış does the talking admitting to Dicle that sometimes when he feels his emotions rising and crushing him, he feels a scream accumulating. Seeing he can’t fight fans or others due to his public image he comes to this location to release all of the feelings that have accumulated. 

At home, Dicle explains her day to Meral. She describes Barış’s accumulated scream, as well as their decision to not think too much about Barış asking her to stay the night and their plan to forget about it completely. However, because Meral is the only one with the brain cells, she tells Dicle that Barış is probably reacting this way because his feelings are hurt. Meral is also sceptical of Barış and Dicle plan to remain friends (as she should be). Meral is doubtful about Kıraç being the type of person who would fire his daughter. 

Meral, Queen of the Braincells, done with her friends BS.

On the other hand, without Barış knowledge, Aydın invites Beren over to their house for dinner. As they prepared to eat togather, I couldn’t help but notice that Barış makes no move to serve Beren any food, a direct comparison to the fact that Barış both made Dicle toast and bought her pizza. By showing Aydın inviting Beren over and serving her food, we get the idea that it is Aydın who is invested in Barış’s relationship with Beren. 

As they eat Beren reads the news, revealing that the film that Barış turned down had found new leads, with news outlets making it seem like the director didn’t want Barış and Beren to star in it, not the other way. Aydın becomes agitated by the fact that Barış turned down the role, initially saying Feris is doing a bad job as his agent. However, he finds Dicle’s note on Barış script.

Both Beren and Aydın are hurt by Barış decision to go to Dicle for help, instead of listening to them. Beren is extremely upset realising that there may be more to Dicle and Barış relationship and laments his lack of honesty, wishing he had been straightforward before she confessed her feelings. Beren is hurt and so doesn’t believe Barış when he denies having a relationship with Dicle.

We are then treated with a heart-warming scene of Kıraç and Beren as he comforts her telling her that false news is the way of the industry, and tells her he will settle the issue. 

Barış, with nowhere else to go, ends up Dicle’s house. He eventually opens up to Dicle, explaining that while people may believe he fell into dizi-land, he worked hard to get to the place he is. He worked as a mover, a construction worker, and in a factory, and risked not being able to pay rent to follow his dreams. 

It is in this revelation that Barış levels the playing field, revealing a similarity between Dicle and him seeing they both have humble beginnings. It also may explain why Barış believes that Dicle is too good for him (that he is not as educated as she is), seeing he is implying that he might not have had the university education that she does. 

Barış than explains what fame and money have done for him. However, he acknowledges that though popularity brought him fame and fortune, it to some degree stripped him of his identity, seeing in most people’s eyes he is just Barış the popular dizi actor. He confesses to Dicle that he feels at peace in her house, remarking that with her he can be himself. 

He is, in essence, responding to her accusation that he doesn’t see when the lights are on, when the cameras are flashing, by saying that she is the only person that sees who he truly is. Dicle accepts this and opens her house to him inviting him to come over whenever he needs and is willing to be there for him in any capacity needed. Barış tells Dicle that he will sleep well with her in the next room because she makes him feel at peace. However, I cannot help but question what the cost of this peace is, seeing it puts Dicle in a precarious position. 

Dicle is about to sleep feeling elated, when Barış calls, only to tell her that she deserves someone better and more educated because he is bad for her, leaves her crying herself to sleep. 

The next day, Barış leaves without telling anyone and leaves Meral and Dicle confused. Aydın visits the agency to talk to Feris but decides to take out his frustration at Dicle instead, yelling at her for swaying Barış opinion on the film deal. Çınar and Feris eventually intervene, sending Aydın on his way.

https://twitter.com/menajerimiara/status/1311038660914089992

It is in this interaction that we see Kıraç’s fatherly instinct, as he becomes upset at the idea of someone, beside himself apparently, verbally abusing Dicle. Though Feris jumped to Dicle defence she is upset about Dicle giving Barış advice. She seems to become almost suspicious of their relationship. 

Through Beren talking to her mom, we see another instance of an accumulated scream. The show has established that Mayda is suspicious of Dicle and wants her gone. However, it is Beren revelation that Barış is willing to risk Beren and Barış’s job due to advice from Dicle that pushes Mayda over the edge. She calls Kıraç ordering him to come home, before releasing her accumulated scream and demanding that Kıraç fire Dicle to prove that he is not having an affair with her. Horrified by the accusation and unable to tell his wife the truth, Kıraç leaves the house potentially ending their relationship. 

Meral and Dicle talk again and Meral advises Dicle to tell Barış how she feels, even though it may end badly. Dicle however, is afraid that it would change their friendship if Barış doesn’t feel the same. Yet, she listens to Meral’s advice and goes to his house. Though she is hesitant to approach the door, Dicle manages to ring the doorbell and tries to explain her feelings. Dicle manages to stammer something about the previous night (the night when he slept over) when in classic dizi fashion, Beren interrupts.

We see the brilliance in Ahsen Eroğlu’s acting as her expression changes from anxious/hopeful to being sad and dejected in mere moments.In Beren’s presence, Dicle changes her story, making it seem like she escorted Barış home and lost a notebook, instead of him staying at her house. This scene is charged with the unsaid, with Dicle lying to cover her story and Barış completely aware of it.

Barış almost seems hurt or sad that Dicle changed her story, and seems aware that her general demeanour has changed. Beren unaware of the lie uses this opportunity to kiss Barış and we again see such different responses to the kiss. Beren seems satisfied as seen by the fact that she later thanks Dicle for bringing her and Barış together. Barış, however, did not kiss Beren back and seemed more confused.

After the women leave, Aydın comes downstairs and misunderstands Dicle intentions for coming to their house. He believes that Dicle is there to tell Barış about him confronting her. However, Barış is shocked by the revelation and becomes visibly upset by the fact that Aydın yelled at Dicle.

This was fascinating to me for two reasons. Partially because we see the theme of the accumulated scream again and it reveals something of the brothers and their relationship.

The show establishes that while Barış and Aydın, love each other, their relationship is troubled. The brothers disagree on certain things with Aydın having certain ideas the decisions Barış should be making in regards to his fame, and Barış being frustrated by Aydın monetising on said fame. These are all aspects of Barış’s soon to be accumulated scream, and yet they are not the tipping point, seeing the brothers seem capable of moving past these issues.

The thing that pushed Barış to his limit is Dicle. The idea that his brother verbally abused her is what sets off Barış accumulated scream. Yet, his scream doesn’t manifest in yelling or fighting, as it has done in the past. Instead, Barış calmly kicks Aydın out. Through this, we see Barış involuntarily admit something that we’ve wanted him to admit this entire time, the importance of Dicle in his life. We have seen that he is willing to lose work opportunity because of her advice (as seen by the fact that he rejected the movie). However, here we see him choosing her over even that of familial ties. Both brothers are clearly hurt by this decision, and it seems that Barış regrets it, yet he ultimately allows his brother to leave.

It is also interesting to see how the rest of the show will deal with this decision… What else would Barış risk to keep Dicle in his life and happiness? How will he react when he learns of Beren’s mother’s campaign to get Dicle fired, or when his job is at stake because of whatever relationship he might have with Dicle. 

Dicle encounters Kıraç who has spent the night in the office. He reveals to Dicle that his marriage is failing and this only started occurring when Dicle entered their lives. However, Kıraç also admits that it is not Dicle fault seeing that he knew that this would happen regardless of whether Dicle was part of his life or not. Dicle has her accumulated scream and goes to the roof of the building screaming, before deciding to quit.

Menajerimi Ara 6. Bölüm Recap Pt. 2: or In Defense of Barış

When I initially watched the sixth episode of Menajerimi Ara, I watched it without English subtitles. Needles to say, I was pretty upset with Barış. The accusation that he is using Dicle and leading her own seemed relevant and Dicle’s belief that Barış goes from being hot to cold, seemed truthful AF. However, now that I have watched the episode in its entirety (with English subtitles) I cannot help but feel for Barış. However, that being said I do not forgive him or the writers for the repeated offence of him leading Dicle only to break her heart.

Barış has a lot on his plate. Though he wants to be the type of actor who cares about his craft rather than money (an admirable trait in the world of capitalism), this decision does not come without problems. His choice to turn down the film offer is tested in this episode because his Dizi’s ratings are goings down, and anyone who is an avid dizi watcher knows that could mean a sudden cancellation. Bay Yanlış anyone?

If he had taken the film role, he would have some certainty of a job and income. Additionally, a lot of people in his life are pushing him towards Beren from the fans of the show to his brother to Mr Jalal.  

With all of this uncertainty, Beren promises some form of certainty. Due Beren and him have such strong chemistry, their dizi is popular and has the ability to continue airing. As you might have noticed from the show, or my previous post, Barış is being pressured to be in a relationship with Beren for the sake of dizi ratings.

His brother also keeps on pushing them together. This idea is seen through the fact that when because when Barış tries to talk to his brother about Dicle, his brother doesn’t seem to understand. Instead he point out all of the fans that love Barış, and and points out Beren and Barış’s chemistry, ignoring the fact that Barış denies it saying its an act. Instead, Barış’s brother insists that Barış should give up Dicle and instead focus on Beren.

This is what could be happening when Barış and Beren kiss on the beach. When Beren admits her feelings for Barış, Barış doesn’t really react. It is only when Beren name drops Dicle that something seems to overcome Barış and he goes for the kiss. However, the kiss seems to confuse him more than entice him. It is almost like he is testing the waters to see if there is really something there.

I think that all of the voices in his head have confused him. However, I feel like he is not a complete idiot and is aware of his feelings for Dicle as well as her feelings for him. Yet, to me, it seems like he is afraid to act on these feelings for various reasons. We see this early on during the phone call, when he is hesitant to ask her about the night before.

Barış does thinks highly of Dicle, though, and wants her in his life. As he has told her multiple times, the fans expect to see the actor Barış, and not the person. His brother, to some degree expects the same. As far as Barış is concerned, Dicle doesn’t care about his fame, beside the way in which it affects her work, and that’s why he’s so drawn to her. So maybe, Barış is hesitant and doesn’t want to ruin this “good thing they have” by acting on their feelings. 

However, another area of the frustration fans have seems to come from the fact that Barış went to Dicle house, told her how important she is to him, before breaking her heart by telling her that they wouldn’t work, because she’s too good for him. 

At this revelation, I completely understand fans frustrations. However, I want to add that I have a love/hate relationship with Barış thinking he’s not good enough for Dicle. On one hand, it is such an overrated trope, and if Barış truly believes that Dicle deserves better than he should be better instead of giving up. 

And though I hate this trope, I also love it (blame it on my One Tree Hill days, Naley anyone?). The reason that I love it in regards to Menajerimi Ara  it kind of subverts a common dizi trope. In Dizi-Land it is not uncommon to find narratives where the rich, successful, cultured man falls for a woman who does not come from the same means. Erkenci Kus is a perfect example of this, with Can being the rich, cultured and successful man and Sanem being significantly more disadvantaged and less cultured than him. 

In Menajerimi Ara we see this parallel on a surface level. Barış is the epitome of that rich and cultured man, and Dicle is clearly poorer and works for him. However, unlike the Can Divit and Serkan Bolat’s of the world Barış isn’t born into money and probably doesn’t have a university education. Instead, he worked menial jobs as a construction and factory worker and a mover. With his dizi ratings going down, his job may not be as successful as it seems. 

On the other hand, Dicle is the character that went to university. She is cultured one of the duo. While we still see a power structure at play, we still see some subversion of this trope. Though her job at the agency is not perfect, job security is not something she needs to be worried about, and by all accounts, she is successful in her jobs. 

I would argue, because Barış is so rich and confident, his insecurity in pursuing Dicle romantically is probably hard to watch. However, it has the ability to be understandable, because of everything he is going through.

It is also important to note, that Barış does seem to like Dicle and be willing to make exceptions and do nice things for her. I made a gif set if anyone needs references to the moments I speak of. One of these examples, comes from the fact that Barış is described as a character that cares about his work, and yet turned down work because of Dicle.

Another example comes from his relationship with his brother. As everyone knows, Barış and Aydın relationship is rocky. The brothers disagree on certain things with Aydın having certain ideas the decisions Barış should be making in regards to his fame, and Barış being frustrated by Aydın monetising on said fame. Barış, it seems to me, feels like his brother doesn’t understand him.

As I explained it in the previous blog post, the episode is filled with accumulated screams. This comes to fruition in Barış’s relationship with Aydın, when Aydın reveals he confronted Dicle. For Barış this is the tipping point. While he was able to live with his brother when his brother was pushing him towards Beren, or monetising on his fame, he can’t condone the idea of Aydın verbally abusing Dicle. The idea that his brother verbally abused her is what sets off Barış accumulated scream. Yet, his scream doesn’t manifest in yelling or fighting, as it has done in the past. Instead, Barış calmly kicks Aydın out.

Through this, we see Barış involuntarily admit something that we’ve wanted him to admit this entire time, the importance of Dicle in his life. We have seen that he is willing to lose work opportunity because of her advice (as seen by the fact that he rejected the movie). However, here we see him choosing her over even that of familial ties. Both brothers are clearly hurt by this decision, and it seems that Barış regrets it, yet he ultimately allows his brother to leave.

With this being said, Barış’s reaction when he thinks Dicle is coming to set makes sense. He, has on some level isolated himself because of the way that people are treating her. However, that being said Barış should know its okay to have friends beyond your love interest. In fact its healthy.

It is will also be interesting to see how the rest of the show will deal with this decision… What else would Barış risk to keep Dicle in his life and her happy? How will he react when he learns of Beren’s mother’s campaign to get Dicle fired, or when his job is at stake because of whatever relationship he might have with Dicle? Or when it is revealed who her father is?

A Dizi(ng) Week (A Recap) : Or A Week Of “Git Me” (Or Some Variant Of It)

This week was a hectic week. With my life going from being in hiatus (due to, you know… the global pandemic) to have to go to job interviews lined up, it was crazy. But nothing would have prepared me for the craziness of events that would occur in dizi land. So let’s start this recap, shall we?

Masumlar Apartmanı or the Gift That Keeps on Giving 

When I first saw the promo and fragments for Masumlar Apartmanı, I wasn’t overly keen on watching the show. However, when the Internet keeps on going on and on about what an amazing show, you have to listen? Right? Needless to say, I had no choice but to watch it… and let me tell I all but screamed!


That’s right, I screamed “VAMPIRE JESUS!” as soon as Birkan Sokullu appeared on my screen, what can I say. You see the first dizi I watched with him in it, was Immortals and let me tell you, Numel had some serious Jesus vibes going for him.

I had a very similar and visceral reaction when Farah Zeynep Abdullah appeared on my screen, seeing the first Dizi I ever watched was Kurt Seyit ve Sura. So, seeing these actors who I had become so familiar with on my screen again was heart-warming. 

Masumlar Apartmanı was a dizi that I was immediately drawn too. The writing of the show is well thought out, the editing is great all making it easy to watch. However, I think what makes this show stand out is the characters and how the cast plays them. Maybe its, because Birkan Sokullu acts in the Turkish remake of This Is Us, but I couldn’t help but compare the show to This Is Us. 

This Is Us is show that has much acclaim for how it depicted the very complicated and beautiful family ties of the Pearson family. It delves into the childhoods of the main characters and delves into how it might shape the way it deals with their lives, all the while dealing with important issues such as addiction, mental health issues, fatphobia, racism, and numerous other issues. 

At first glance, the show could seem like a love story between Han, the only son of his family who is holding his family together and the angel that comes into his life, Inci, with their respective families playing foils in this electric love story. 

However, in the first two episodes, we are immediately shown that all of the characters have such depth and are all dealing with such huge problems. From, Safiye one of Han’s sister who initially seems like just the over-controlling older sister, only to pull back the curtain of her childhood showing how her mother treatment towards her, to Han, who is dealing with his OCD tendencies and Inci who is dealing with the trauma and grief at the loss of her mother. 

Each of these looks into the characters lives and pasts add such a rich element to the storytelling and makes you care about all of the characters. The first two episodes did a really good job in establishing the characters and the complex relationships between them. Farah Zeynep Abdullah and Birkan Sokullu are so charming in the roles of Han and Inci you can’t help but be drawn to them and root for their relationships. In Han’s family and sisters (Safiye, Gulben, Neriman) and father, we see the difficulties and struggles of living with someone who has a mental illness such as OCD. Through Inci we see how loss and grief can change a person. All of this being said I am super excited for the upcoming episode of the show. 

(Also, I will probably be posting a more thorough analysis of the first episode.)

Lastly, because this blog post is called “A Dizi(ng) Week (A Recap) : Or A Week Of “Git Me” (Or Some Variant Of It)”… the episode ends with Inci locked out of her house with Han. Without having any options left, Han says the magical words.

Additional Thoughts/Questions

  • Though the first two episodes of the show seem great and the way that they are delving into these social issues is such beautiful. However, I hope we do not see the vilification of Safiye as she deals with her OCD and Agoraphobia. After the reaction to 6. Bölüm of Sen Çal Kapımı it is clear that mental health is important to Dizi watchers. There is also something to be said of mental illness issues being depicted in a less than positive light in media.

Menajerimi Ara, the Dizi of My Heart 

Okay, if for whatever reason you’ve been reading my blog, you know that last week I made the outlandish claim that Menajerimi Ara is my favourite dizis of the season. I just wanted to start by saying, that after spending a week giffing the Bölüm, I have no choice but to accept the facts. I have great taste, and Menajerimi Ara is my favourite dizi of the season.

The bölüm starts with a sleep-deprived Dicle being put in another pickle as Feris wakes Dicle up early in the morning demanding coffee though none of the coffee shops is open. With Dicle not owning a coffee machine herself, she has no choice but to go to Barış for help… Because the famous and rich actor totally has one… and he’s her only hope (or so Meral insists).

With the help of Barış, Dicle can make coffee and meet with Feris who is still upset with Kıraç. Attention is drawn to Dicle because she is the one who told Feris that Kıraç plans. Lines are drawn in the agency with Kıraç on one side and all the other agents on the other. This tension is heightened since Feris is now Beren’s agent and Beren and Barış have been offered a new movie. Meanwhile, Kıraç is dealing with one of his clients, Şükran Ovalı trying to return to acting after the birth of her child and Çınar sets Jülide up with a small role in a dizi.

Beren and Barış are at a crossroads, to take the film role or not. Much like Şükran Ovalı, Beren wants to take the role to stay relevant in the film sector. Aydın, Barış’ brother also insists the film role would be good. However, Barış has doubts seeing the script is bad, and he wants to make something of his art.

With everyone telling him to do something, and Barış unsure of the best choice, Barış goes to Dicle asking for her opinion on the script, because she understands his desire to make it in the film industry and what it means to come from nothing. 

However, shit hits the fan when the news of Kıraç leaving is leaked in the press. This issue is resolved only to have another issue arise, Barış’ decision. At a dinner party Barış’ reveals he plans on turning down the role a thing he didn’t confide Beren in. Beren is hurt and becomes apprehensive of Barış’ relationship with Dicle. However, things become messier when it is revealed that Aydın is using his brother and connection with celebrities to make money. Barış and Dicle leave the party together, and go back to his house… and because this post is called “A Week Of “Git Me” you know how this episode ended.

Additional Thoughts/Questions:

  • Okay… So I am aware that in the fandom there is much debate about whether Barış is using Dicle. I completely understand why people take that stance. He only talks/pays attention to her when it suits his purpose (when he needed help on making a decision) or when he has to for work. However, I love Barış and Dicle as a ship. I also love the fact that the narrative is aware that he is like this (and isn’t romanticizing his lack of interest)… However, Barış does care, because he helped her run away from her dad in the first episode, he bought her pizza, and he fixed her light fixture.
  • However, I firmly believe that Barış is unaware of his feelings towards Dicle and her feelings towards him, and thus doesn’t understand how she’s interpreting their interactions. That being said if he hurts her feelings unintentionally or not… HE BEST BE READY TO CATCH THESE FISTS! 🔪🔪🔪🔪
  • As for Kıraç, the man just needs to get over himself, owe up to fathering a child, and stop hurting and trying to fire Dicle.
  • I also love how the film industry was shown in the episode. We see just how fleeting fame and fortune can be (from Jülide’s scenes being cut, to Şükran Ovalı, Beren, and Barış being worried about staying relevant). We also see that though the film industry is an industry that is dreamlike, sometimes compromises must be made to stay afloat and that actors can’t always have the roles that they want
  • Also, as you know from the previous blog post, I am a total hoe for handholding… and let me tell you, this week had me giggling when it came to the hand holding! It was so cute and Deniz’s hands are so BIG and Ahsen’s are so tiny in comparison! (I made an entire twitter thread). 

However, that being said, I would like to note that I am not a huge fan of the grabbing wrist method of hand-holding that Dizi-Land is obsessed with… 

 Maybe it’s the fact that I grew up watching Kuch Kuch Hota Ha and that method of hand-holding reminds me of Aman dragging Anjali to the wedding… but I hate it.

@ the writers of Menajerimi Ara, use your resources aka Deniz’s huge hands, and have him gently hold Ahsen’s in his… BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY THE FANS WILL GO MAD!

(Yes, I am fans!).

On Wednesday We Watch Sen Çal Kapimi 

This week’s episode of Sen Çal Kapimi starts where the previous episode ended. With Selin shooting her shot and telling Serkan that she would drop Ferit for Serkan but before he can answer, Eda and Ferit interrupt him… And at that moment all I could do was roll my eyes and quote a wise woman who said:

“If you are so ready to drop your fiance for another man… Maybe don’t marry at all. Instead go to therapy?”

I cannot help but to agree. However, Serkan pulls a fast one and pulls Eda in for some casual hand-holding, making his intentions known (to Selin). Eda kisses Serkan confusing the robot man. 

Next, we see Engin who is meeting with Ceren to ask for forgiveness. However, I think it is important to note that Ceren is hiding the fact that her father is the bossman at the law firm she is working at, and she hasn’t told Engin this who believes she is a lowly intern. The only reason I bring this up is that as I have said repeatedly, the Engin, Ceren, Pırıl love triangle reflects the Serkan, Eda, Selin nonsense. That being said, in this episode Engin learns that Ceren comes from money, and I believe this will reflect Serkan’s finding out about Eda also coming from money and more about her family (and her grandma) in the upcoming episode. But to get back to the actual plot of the show, Engin eventually learns about Ceren and decides to distance himself from her, focusing more on Pırıl.

Eda talks to Ceren about her feeling for Serkan, and Serkan talks to Engin. Engin asks Serkan to prove that he doesn’t have feels for Eda by distancing himself from her. Ceren, however, asks Eda to dress in a way that would draw Serkan’s eyes to her. Eda dressed to impress is picked up by Serkan (who apparently can’t stay away).

Ayfer finds out about the contract and clause about Eda’s education and is immediately upset. She decides to call Grandma Yıldız to help Eda financially without Eda’s knowledge.

Serkan in an attempt to keep Eda close shows her a house that the firm is going to be working on and asks Eda’s help. She reminds him that she doesn’t work for him anymore and that the contract is void, seeing Selin is getting married. However, Serkan convinces her to stay and they discuss the house and the owner. I am almost 99% sure that this house either already belongs to Serkan, or that he is going to buy it for Eda. 

In a hilarious scene that is reminiscent of the drain the pool scene, Serkan tries to get Eda to stay in his life by having Engin offer him a job. Eda’s scholarship to Italy “mysteriously” comes through. With the prospects of Eda leaving haunting Serkan, he pushes everyone out of his life and finds himself becoming ill. Aydan calls Selin to talk to Serkan, however, unbeknownst to her, Seyfi calls Eda. Eda and Serkan read a bit from the book, The Little Prince a thing the folks at the DizzyForDizi podcast probably went crazy about.

Serkan’s fever takes for the worst and he starts having bad dreams. When he asks Eda to take him with her to Italy, Eda has but no choice but to stay and keep him warm. 

Which leads me to a random rant. What is up with the Turkish Dizis I’m watching and the characters choosing terrible sleeping positions? Like Serkan has a whole bed in his room, as do Han and Barış and yet all of these idiots decide the best place to fall asleep is on the floor or the couch. Your beds have got to feel better my dudes, make smarter decisions. 

  • Han your back is going to hurt. Inci the bed is literally there.
  • If Eda moves she’d literally fall off the couch.
  • Barış barley fits on the couch

Eda is hurt when she realises that Serkan has no memories of asking Eda to take him with her leaves. She is preparing to leave to Italy when Serkan pulls her car over…

and you know what he says! Serkan does what we’ve wanted him to do and confesses his undying love to her and they kiss.

Yeni Hayat or the Things I Do For Serkan Çayoglu

Okay, I have a confession to make. Though this part of the segment is called “The Things I Do For Serkan Çayoglu” and the post is called “A Week Of “Git Me” (Or Some Variant Of It)” I can’t recall this episode… lololol. 

I feel like that largely had to do with the fact that this episode felt a lot like a filler episode and I felt like they didn’t need 2 hours and 30 minutes to tell me what happened. The episode starts with Yasemin still “abducted” and asking for ransom money. Timur summons Adem and asks him and only him for help, pushing aside everyone else who works for him. Adem sees this as an opportunity to gain Timur’s trust, however, finds the events leading to Yasemin’s abduction suspicious. 

Nevin and Melahat face stress when she learns that Ferda, a woman in prison who has some connection to her and Ece starts asking for money or threatens to tell Adem the truth. 

I have a feeling that this Ferda lady may be Ece’s biological mother or the person who helped Nevin acquire a baby seeing that in the previous episode Nevin mentions she can’t have children of her own. 

While all of this is happening, Özgür, Timur right-hand man is jealous of Adem taking his place. Özgür’s wife Berna is also unhappy and seems to hate Yasemin planting thoughts in Gökçe’s head about Yasemin. 

Adem puts the plan to save Yasemin into motion, however, it is revealed that Kunduzi is working with Timur’s business partner whose name I can’t remember. It is then revealed that they have no plans on keeping Yasemin alive and plan on killing her. However, before they can, Adem saves Yasemin and is shot saving Timur.

Adem reveals to Nevin that he plans on continuing working for Timur, much to Nevin’s surprise. Then we get the most important episode in this whole damn show, the scene where Ece and Adem eat breakfast together. It’s freaking adorable and I literally cannot. 

Yasemin talks to Adem about why she wants to run away from Timur, telling Adem of the abuse she faced in her marriage. The episode ends with the Karatan family at breakfast when Adem joins them. Yasemin and Adem receive pictures of their kiss, and the episode ends with Timur’s phone receiving a message.

Additional Thoughts/Questions:

  • As you can tell, this episode doesn’t end with “Git Me” (Or Some Variant Of It), which may be why I don’t like this episode as much as I liked all the other episodes. 
  • However, with apparently seven dizi cancellations looming, I cannot help but be saddened by the potential loss of Yeni Hayat.
  • I am super excited about next week’s episode. I love how the show advertised itself as a show about adultery, yet we are getting a much more complicated story… 
  • and can I say I am super excited about next weeks episode… Adem teaching Yasemin how to fight? YESSSS!!!!


A Dizi(ng) Week (A Recap) : Or A Week Of Indecisive Men

When I started my blog, it seemed like a really quaint idea. I’d sit there and talk about the media that I was consuming and it would be great. However, after exactly 0.5 seconds of having a blog, I turned into Nick Miller…

WRITING IS HARD! 

However, on this fine Friday afternoon, where I have nothing to do but avoid my responsibilities, I’ve decided that while writing is hard, watching a Week of the Men of Dizi Land being Indecisive AF was harder… so let’s start this recap!

Menajerimi Ara, the Dizi of My Heart

If you’ve been following me on tumblr, you know that Menajerimi Ara has quickly become one of my favourite dizis of this season (yes I am including Sen Çal Kapimi in that list, and no I will not be taking criticism). I don’t know if it was Çağatay Ulusoy appearing out of nowhere, cooking fish, giving great advice, and promoting his upcoming film last week, but this dizi has won a special place in my heart.

Can I just say it was a brilliant decision on the writer’s of Menajerimi Ara to have the guest stars on Menajerimi Ara play themselves and bring aspects of their actual life into the show. It adds an almost Meta element of reality to the agency and makes it believable that Menajerimi Ara is a show about the film industry.

However, maybe my excitement comes from the fact that Dicle is such a lovable lead. Ahsen Eroğlu brings this rawness to the character making her more than just the naïve protagonist, but imbues her with her strength as she deals with the conflict that comes her way. Also, Ahsen Eroğlu literally has such a gorgeous smile and she is so endearing! Or maybe it’s because whenever Bariş and Dicle smile at each other it sparks joy in my life. Like seriously, look at them!


Whatever the reasoning is I love Menajerimi Ara and was super excited for this weeks episode.

This week’s episode guest starred pop singer Edis, as well as Netflix’s Atiye actress Melisa Şenolsun. Now because I don’t listen to Turkish pop, and I haven’t watched Atiye yet, I was a bit out of my depth. So, I did what any normal person would do and harassed my friends till they explained everything to me.

In this weeks episode Feris and Çınar have to deal with Edis and Melisa Şenolsun who are co-stars who don’t get along, though they play lovers in dizi. Dicle on the other hand is dealing with the repercussions of last week’s episode (Kıraç trying to get rid of her). Though she debates going home, Dicle continues working at the agency, and tries to avoid Kıraç even as she keeps on being pushed to work with Beren. Beren is trying to become her own woman without her father controlling her life. Bariş is trying to reconcile his fame and money with what the show is suggesting is a more humble upbringing. Finally, it is revealed that Kıraç has signed on with a different agency.

All in all I really liked this weeks episode. Not only did we get plenty of scenes where Bariş and Dicle were staring at each other with love in their eyes, which is obviously the most important part of this whole show.

We got insight on what it would look like to change your media presentation, as Beren does a photo-shoot that is more grown up (at least according to her father) and what the effects of co-stars who don’t get along would have on a productions.

Can I just say that the photoshoot that Barış and Beren was extremely hot. Deniz Can Aktaş and Yaprak Medine certainly know how to serve looks.

However, as you probably noticed from the blog title, this week was a week of indecisive men. So, while I think that Bariş is hurting Dicle unintentionally (because the himbo in him jumped and he doesn’t realise the power of his smiles or his shirtless self) I do think that he really needs to realise that to some degree he is giving her the wrong idea.

But more importantly I hope show allows Dicle that she doesn’t need the validation of the men in her life, whether it her father or Bariş, in order to do well in life, because ultimately seeking validation from them just ‘causes her to have heart break!

Additional thoughts:

  • I am obsessed with the dynamic between Edis and Melisa Şenolsun… Don’t hate me, I lowkey ship it!
I’d watch an entire Dizi about them!
  • I really need a scene in a very Pride and Prejudice like manner where Bariş is holding Dicle hands, because his hands are just SO big in comparison to hers…

  • Kıraç needs to choke for all of the times that he broke Dicle’s heart!
  • Lastly, they name dropped Demet this episode! When is she going to appear out of nowhere!

On Wednesday’s We Watch Sen Çal Kapimi

Can I just be completely frank with everyone? Though, I love, absolutely adore Sen Çal Kapimi, at this point I just need both Eda and Serkan to stop playing the proverbial game of chicken, and confess their undying love for each other. If you’ve talked to me about SÇK you know that last weeks episode left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Though I love Serkan, that man needs to learn how to say sorry. Watching him do all of those grand things like low-key abduct Eda, and not ask for forgiveness then and there… that rubbed me wrong.

In this weeks episode we learn what the announcement that Selin and Ferit were going to make last season is they plan on getting married in a week. This throws a ranch in whatever truce Eda and Serkan just brokered.  Serkan is clearly upset by this and continuously tries to undermine and get rid of Ferit. Eda announces that Serkan and her are also getting married. Aydan tries to convince Selin to break up with Ferit all the while trying to make her husband jealous. Both couples (Selin/Ferit and Eda/Serkan) end up spending a lot of time together doing an interview for a magazine and visiting the mountain house.

Though it is evident that Serkan has romantical feelings for Eda, he thinks that she doesn’t reciprocate his feels. Eda on the other hand, takes Serkan’s sudden hostility Serkan being upset because Selin is getting married. The episode ends with Selin overhearing Serkan talking to Engin on the phone about Eda, and believes that he is talking about her… so she makes her move.

Now, if you have been following me on Tumblr you know that I believe that the Pırıl-Engin-Ceren plot parallels that of the Selin-Serkan-Eda.

Both Serkan and Engin have enlisted these women to fake a relationship with them in order to make the other women jealous. However, for the most the Pırıl-Engin-Ceren storyline is depicted comedic and light, a direct comparison to Selin-Serkan-Eda. From this episode it becomes clear that Engin and Serkan do not know what women want, with Engin attempting to ask both Pırıl and Ceren for forgiveness at the same fancy dinner.

Serkan on the other hand, doesn’t know woman (or Eda) enough to know that she is in love with him, and he just needs to shoot his show, as the young people would say. Though, literally everyone on the show from Ayden to Serkan need to just go talk to their significant others instead of trying to connive and play games in order to get what they want.

Though alot of this episode felt underwhelming there were various moments that I loved. I loved that Eda sprung her apparent wedding on everyone (including Serkan). I loved Eda and Serkan talking about their future family and Eda telling Ceren about it! I love Eda opening up to Serkan about her life. (You wanna know what I didn’t love, Eda’s dress)

All of that being said, I’m excited for next weeks episode. The potential of Eda nursing Serkan back to life is fun. However, I personally would actually love to see Eda go to Italy and become an established architect and see how that plot goes.

Yeni Hayat or the Things I Do For Serkan Çayoglu

As you know, originally I was just watching this particular dizi for Serkan Çayoglu. However, after watching three episodes, I’ve actually been enjoying Yeni Hayat.

The episode starts where the last one left off, with Yasemin’s kissing Adem. This has some immediate ramifications with Adem immediately growing suspicious of Yasemin. Instead of redirecting Adem’s attention, Adem is even more focused on Yasemin, which puts her in a tight spot as she tries to cover up her mistake with new mistakes.

Yasemin is also under pressure as she tries to come up with the money she needs in order to create her new life. Timur is facing some backlash from his partners in crime (literally) because he hired Adem as Yasemin’s bodyguard. As always Gökçe is trying to flirt with Adem, hating on Yasemin, and trying to get her father’s attention. Nevin becomes apprehensive as Adem puts distance between himself and his family. Adem, however, is debating quiting his job.

However, perhaps the most interesting development of this episode was Adem learning about Timur’s business. As a hard-core Halka fan (I literally had a dream about that Halka a couple of days ago), this developlment was my favourite.

When this aspect of the show was depicted in the trailer for the show, me and my friend immediately drew parallels to Halka. After watching both Halka and the scene where Adem’s police friend reveals to him that Timur is smuggling/selling guns and asks Adem to help him take down Timur… I can’t help but continue to compare it to the scene in Halka where Kaan is enlisted by the police to join the Tepeli family in order to take down the various crime families in the show.

It also adds an interesting element to the story, because the show introduced Adem as a person who has a solid set of morals. The Karatan family however, has been depicted as immoral. Timur is involved in the underworld and is abusive, Gökçe is almost hedonistic in her pursuit of happiness (parties, her father’s attention, and Adem) as well as unempathetic to Yasemin. Yasemin though she is a victim of abuse, is apparently willing to break up someone’s marriage in order to be free.

By having Adem learn about Timur’s business, plus the way the show is advertised as one that deals with adultery, we might really see Adem not being the morally upright character we are introduced to. In previous episodes it is Yasemin who is trying to escape and so working against Timur and playing with Adem’s feelings in order to get her will. Now, Adem (if the show doesn’t get cancelled) will also be the one who is working against Timur, and will probably use Yasemine as an instrument to dig into Timur’s life. 

I am also very fascinated to see what secrets Nevin could be hiding. Also, I am very intrigued to see how Yasemin and Adem’s relationship grows seeing that until this point in the narrative, though they are clearly interested in each other, she is using him and he is suspicious of her.

Finally, can I just say that whoever was in charge of the wardrobe this week definitely did something? Adem in that white shirt, and obviously all of Yasemin’s outfits are completely on point!

Additional thoughts:

  • I love how (at this point in the show) they haven’t pitted Yasemin and Nevin against each other… I really enjoyed the scene where Yasemin defends Nevin from her snobby rich friends.
  • I am very confused on the purpose of having Gökçe be so in love with Adem? Like what does it bring to the story? Unless its to further the animosity between Yasemin and Gökçe… or to further prove that Adem is good looking, which I feel like the narrative does well without Gökçe being obsessed with Adem…
    (Also if its about Adem’s good looks, anyone with eyes knows that Serkan is beautiful).
  • Why is everyone super tan in this episode?
  • Finally watching this episode has me curious about labour laws when it comes to children in the film industry in Turkey…