Sherri Wood

Honestly, I watched this because of Engin & Tuba. I loved them in Kara Para Ask and was thrilled they were together again. However, Tuba (Mavi) enters at Episode 37, so to better understand the story, I watched episodes 1-36 on Turkflix, a subscription website for Turkish series with English subtitles. I just didn’t connect with the story. The male chauvinism, sexism and portrayal of 2 men fighting (literally) for the same women like she was a prize turned me off. The story portrays more traditional, religious and rural characters that I had trouble relating to. Sometimes it felt like the writers had little idea where to take the story and came up with ridiculous scenarios that didn’t do justice to the serious nature of the story. Although I really like Engin, in the beginning his character (Sancar) was either shouting or crying, which seemed odd extremes for such a macho character. However, overall his performance was very good. Also the character’s jealousy issues are so exaggerated & silly. It’s possessive men like that who can become abusers. I’m glad they toned it down later on. I also didn't get what was "epic" about their love. They meet as kids (even though in reality boys and girls don't hang out at that age) and have a teenage summer romance like many people. Then they decide to marry & it's the year 2009 but he acts like it's 1809 and he gets furious on their wedding night because he realizes she’s not a virgin & thinks she cheated on him (she was raped but he doesn’t believe her). Anyway, she jumps off a cliff and disappears and this is an epic or legendary love? More like a tragic love. They meet up again some years later and they seem like two very different people with nothing in common. (And this man has been celibate for 9 years?? 🤔). I did not feel that Engin & Neslihan (Nare) had great chemistry as a couple (I just can’t help but to compare to the amazing chemistry of Engin/Tuba in KPA). They argue & cry a lot but there is a lack of romantic moments except flashbacks to when they were young. Engin is able to convey intense passion & longing for a woman but to me Neshilan was a bit awkward & unaffectionate and does not display the same intensity and sensuality. They have these strange hover in mid-air kiss scenes where their lips don't touch and their family group hugs. Neshilan (Nare character) leaves the series due to illness, but to me it appears there was more to it. 2 main characters leave within 2 episodes, just seems very odd to me and her farewell message was rather cold. Also the writers of the series quit too. The character Nare is written out of the series by necessity because the actress left (and without much notice I’ve read). To people who say they should have waited for Neshilan to return, it seemed to me by her statement that she was leaving for good, with no intention of returning. Couldn’t she have negotiated a return or reduced work schedule if she wanted to. The episodes with Tuba (37-52) were nice to watch and portray a more mature love story, but again the story remains repetitive, unoriginal and implausible. However, Tuba and Engin are an adorable couple, so natural, effortless and compatible with each other. I'm sure all the affection/kisses shown between their characters was not always in the script but due to the comfort they seem to have between them, something I did not see between Engin & Neslihan. Perhaps the worst thing about this series is the divisions amongst fans of the actors that came about because of what happened. There remains a lot of resentment & anger.

My mom was watching this and I was initially teasing her because she was always watching it. When she was more than halfway through the series, I decided to watch with her & got hooked! It became our nightly ritual to watch a few episodes & it was hard to turn off and go to bed! When we were done with the series, my mom encouraged me to watch from the beginning & I was hesitant at first but I wanted to see how the relationship developed between the beautiful main couple. I’m glad I did because I fell in love with the couple & the actors playing them (especially Engin). I looked forward to watching everyday and was so sad it was over and missed all the characters. I learned a lot about Turkish culture & wanted to visit Turkey to eat the food they were eating and see the beautiful scenery. It was touching to me that a story from another culture could be so universal & relatable. I’m giving it 5 stars because of how much I liked it; I’m sure a professional tv critic would find fault - yes it is melodramatic, repetitive at times and there are plot holes but it was so entertaining. Elif and Omer spoiled me and now no onscreen couple can compare. (I couldn’t even get into the Bridgerton couple). The downside is now I’m a little obsessed & can’t find anything I like as much. Oh, and it’s not just a romantic series, it is a intriguing crime story with twists and turns with amazing performances from both the heroes & villains. Also, don’t get put off by the subtitles or the length of the series. The episodes are only about 40 minutes and they go very fast. You get used to the subtitles quickly.