Daniel Selinski

Saw this series on Netflix during yet another one of those stereotypical Netflix browsing sessions last night. Decided to take the plunge. And I definitely do not regret it. Well acted, well shot, with great scholarly commentary. I particularly enjoyed the story of Sultan Mehmed II growing up from being a child lost in the mire of Ottoman dynastic politics, and having lost his mother early on, to pulling off one of the greatest victories of all time with the fall of Constantinople, the last vestige of the Roman Empire and one of the most powerful and fortified cities of the era. Other standouts for me were Halil Pasha, whose actor did a great job playing the old school politician type, being a great foil to the young and ambitious Sultan; as well as Giustiniani being the charismatic defender he was. I definitely enjoyed the series and look forward to seeing more... Perhaps one season depicting the zenith of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the Magnificent?