Abby – Google

A great show if you're looking for a fun time! It had a wonderful plot, pace and cast that wrapped up the story. I cheered, I cried, I yelled, I sighed...*chef's kiss* I'm gonna miss looking forward to a new season now that it's over. The Protector is a storyline that doesn't make classical history so convoluted by talking down to you, nor does it simplify the plot like it's YA-rated. Death, loneliness and the yearning from suffering amongst adults is a very real and present theme throughout the show and I think that is one of the things that makes it so compelling to watch. ... Let's be candid. It isn't as polished or philosophically clever as other Netflix shows (such as La Casa De Lapel), nor is it meant to be a mega world-building project created to blow your minds (Game of Thrones comes to mind). The Protector is a story meant to have you sit in your chair and appreciate the wonders and treasures of Constantinople itself. It is a love letter to the old city that has protected its citizens for centuries and it shows you this through a quick yet riveting lens of the passion one group of people have to protect Istanbul, and the desire to destroy it by another (as it has always been for centuries). The Protector is not meant to convince you of any one type of the city's reality, but to immerse you in many realities at once, dreamt by hundreds who have lived and are living there now. With their budget and filming capacity (and knowing how much the current political climate is in Turkey), the show does more than enough to stretch the location and space they could work with (and I loved every scene and environment utilized). And while the script is a little choppy, I think the message is conveyed really well across TV: People's choices (especially when driven by love or duty) will affect others no matter how fair, passionate or chaotic those choices may be - and it's how one chooses to live with such outcomes that will decide who they want to be (or ultimately become) in the end. ... I also loved ALL the actors, dead and alive! (Even if I felt that Okan Yalabik got a longer script than everyone else - but I really liked his acting anyway LMAO.)

I watch this film like every 6 months - it's just THAT good! I watched this when I moved out on my own for the time too so it really resonated with me. Everyone should watch this. It's such a soft storytelling of making it on your own and finding your own passion. It's definitely refreshing as most Hindi films have the lead male usually follow in his father's footsteps, and Siddarth (Ranbir Kapoor) chooses not to. On a personal level, my first boyfriend was also younger than me l, and he lived with me during my first summer in the new city...and we DID sleep on the floor since my apartment was so small. 😅 So this definitely gave me fond memories every time I watch... What a beautiful, gentle movie. *sigh* Highly recommend to anyone old and new to Hindi films! ♥️