Summary:

The episode begins with Balaban getting beaten and interrogated by Safir who demands to know who he’s working with that gives him the courage to attack the Old Man.  Balaban tells him he works for himself and refuses to give more details.  Safir continues his torture with a poisonous snake as a way to make him talk.

Burak realizes that Murat is not giving up his place as head of the family, so he decides to continue to work with Balaban to gather strength to go against the consortium, however, Fiko gives him the bad news that Ali Riza captured Balaban and took him to the Old Man.

After Halide takes Ms. Rukiya home, she stops by to see Ali Riza and try to finish their conversation from the previous night.  She’s upset that he left her and didn’t return as he promised, so Ali Riza tells her he did return but when he saw her sleeping, he preferred not to disturb her.  Halide doesn’t accept his excuse and continues to be upset at him. 

Before they can continue their discussion, Hasan and Ferit show up and Ali Riza asks them to stay so they can talk business.  When Halide attempts to leave, Ali Riza asks her to stay since it also concerns her.  He tells them that he captured Balaban and turned him into the Old Man.  He explains to Halide that Balaban has something to do with her family’s murder, but he’s still trying to find out who else is involved.  To keep her safe, Ali Riza informs Halide he’s putting security on her, so he doesn’t have to worry about her.  Halide, still upset, argues that he should spend time with her so he doesn’t worry but Ali Riza tells her he can’t be with her all the time.  Realizing that Halide is angry, Ali Riza promises to call her later that evening so they can continue their discussion.  

While Balaban continues to be held captive, he’s saved by masked men who attack Safir and the guards and is successfully kidnapped.  Once outside, one of the masked men turns out to be Ali Riza!  In a flashback scene, while Ali Riza is taking Balaban to the Old Man, he offers to tell him who killed his father in exchange for not turning him over to the Old Man.  Ali Riza tells him his father died during a mission, Balaban responds that his father was killed, and he has proof.  He offers to show him the video if he helps him get out of the Old Man’s imprisonment.  After Ali Riza saves him from the Old Man, he takes him to his car dealership where Balaban shows him a video of Safir shooting and killing his father that was ordered by the Old Man.  Balaban asks him if he’s going to join forces with him, Ali Riza tells him to give him time to think.  After he leaves, Ali Riza tells Hasan he plans to get close to the Old Man and kill her just like she had his father killed.  

Later that evening, Ali Riza meets with Halide who asks her what she talked to her mother about because he knows she’s hiding something from him.  Halide lies and says his mother is just worried about him, but Ali Riza feels there’s something else.  Halide asks him about the question he didn’t answer the previous night regarding their future together.  He tells her that she knows how he feels about her, but she says most of the time he’s too busy to concentrate on them.  When Ali Riza doesn’t give her a straight answer about his thoughts on marriage, Halide accuses him of not imagining them having a future together and abruptly gets up to leave.  Ali Riza tries to stop her to talk but he receives a call which further angers Halide.  She tells him he always has other more important things to do and walks away.  

The following day, Ali Riza meets with Balaban to let him know he’ll join him to take down the Old Man.  Balaban tells Ali Riza he wants a chair at the table with the consortium.  He claims the Old Man will accept his proposal once she finds out the money and weapons, she was shipping to the mafia have been stolen.  He says the Old Man will be desperate to get her shipment back which will guarantee his entrance into the consortium because of the importance of the shipment. 

Ali Riza arrives at Haşmet's home for a meeting with the consortium and the Old Man to discuss the stolen shipment but before anyone else arrives, Haşmet warns Ali Riza that he hopes he understands the risk he’s taking with Balaban.  Ali Riza tells him he had to do it to find out who he’s working with.  Once the meeting begins, Haşmet informs them they’re still searching for the stolen shipment but suspect Balaban is responsible.  Ali Riza informs them he captured Balaban and turned him into the Old Man but was kidnapped, so the Old Man accuses one of them of helping Balaban.  Ali Riza accuses Burak, but Murat tells him if he doesn’t have evidence, then he shouldn’t be blaming him.  The Old Man agrees that someone is passing information and they need to find out who it is immediately and stop them before it all crashes down on them.  The Old Man adjourns the meeting but requests to speak with Haşmet and Ali Riza privately.  She asks Ali Riza how the abduction of Balaban helped his plan.  Apparently, she knew he was behind his abduction after Ali Riza proposed it to her.  In a flashback scene, Ali Riza informs the Old Man that he has a plan to find out who Balaban is working with by making him think he agreed to join forces with him.  Ali Riza informs her that Balaban wants to work together to destroy her.  The Old Man says it’s a dangerous game that may not end well for him, but Ali Riza tells her he’s aware of the risks but he’s willing to do it.  The Old Man is surprised at his determination but tells him if he succeeds then he will be getting a big reward at the end.  Back to the current time, Ali Riza informs the Old Man that Balaban’s intent is to sit at the table with the consortium, and in return, he will give her back her shipment.  The Old Man says if he returns the shipment first, then she will consider his proposal.  

After the meeting, Ali Riza informs Balaban the Old Man has agreed to give him the opportunity to discuss his request to join the consortium but only after he returns her shipment.  Balaban tells him the shipment is with the Russian mafia and provides their location.  After he hangs up, Ali Riza sees Ms. Rukiya talking to Muzaffer so he stops and after he asks Ms. Rukiya to wait for him in the car, Muzaffer takes the opportunity to ask Ali Riza why he’s ignoring his calls again.  Ali Riza tells him he’s not talking to him until he tells him the truth about his father.  Muzaffer warns him that he can punish him in one quick move, however, Ali Riza tells him he refuses to work with anyone he can’t trust and walks away.

Burak visits Derya to see her but his true intention is to speak with Mithat.  He tells him he can help him locate the Old Man’s missing shipment so he can impress the Old Man.  After Burak leaves, Melek asks Mithat what they were talking about so Mithat tells her he’s the only person who knows where the missing shipment is so he’s going to use him to get it.  

That evening, Halide sings at a club but is disappointed when Ali Riza doesn’t show up.  When she leaves, she takes a cab home and receives a voice message from Ali Riza.  In the message, he tries to explain that this is his first real relationship because he never bothered to look or think about anyone until he met her.  His message abruptly cuts off, so Halide decides to get of the cab and as she pays for the cab and the driver hands her the change, it turns out to be an engagement ring.  When she looks at the cab driver, it’s Ali Riza!  He finishes his message and further explains that he wants to spend every season with her and grow old with her.  Halide is surprised especially since he’s been avoiding the topic but is thrilled when she realizes her Ali Riza is proposing marriage.  She happily accepts.

Photo 4 Halide singing Photo 5 Marriage proposal 

Burak visits Murat to make peace with him or at least that’s what he wants Murat to think.  He says he understands what he did was to protect him, and he respects him for it.  He tells him that they don’t have anyone else, so they need to trust each other.  Later, Burak steals the shipment from the Russian mafia that he just sold to them the day before with Balaban’s help.  He plans to give it to Mithat so he can hand it over to the Old Man so he can look like he saved the day instead of Haşmet.

Cliffhangers:

Ali Riza finds Balaban in his office who gives him the address of where to locate the shipment as promised.  He arrives at the location and intercepts Burak who’s surprised to see him and asks who his informant is.  He’s shocked to see his brother, Murat, step out of Ali Riza’s car.  Murat confronts Burak and tells him that from now on, he’s nothing to him for stabbing him in the back for his greed to become head of their family.    

Photo 6 Ersoylu brothers      

Ali Riza takes Burak to the Old Man to inform her he got her shipment back and it’s ready to be transported as planned.  Before they finalize their plans, they all receive a video of a kidnapped Halide.   

What I Loved:

Halide and Haşmet have a wonderful father-daughter conversation.  We hear a concerned father talk to his daughter who’s getting ready to make a big decision about her life.  Haşmet tells Halide about an anniversary dinner he missed that caused his wife to leave him.  He explains that his wife endured a lot for him, she was patient, quiet, and understanding of his way of life and points out that Halide isn’t like that.  He shares the story with her so she can make the right choice about her future.  I love that Halide appreciates his advice and actually listens to what he says instead of ignoring him or not making time for him.       

I also love the advice Melek gave Halide when she tells her about the argument she had with Ali Riza.  I completely agree with Melek that Ali Riza has his own way of showing his love for her and that she should follow her heart.  She should know by now that Ali Riza is not an open book and not very talkative by nature so her being upset at him is a little unfair. 

Of course, I LOVED the marriage proposal.  I loved how it was done in the same setting as how they met for the very first time and that it was a complete surprise for Halide.  I thought it was the most romantic proposal and absolutely perfect for our beautiful couple.

What I Disliked:

I dislike Fusun’s constant questioning and attitude towards Murat because she knew what she was getting into from the beginning.  Yes, Murat promised to step away from the family business, but everything changed when Fuat died so she needs to be more understanding if she truly loves him.  She should know that he’s not comfortable in the position he’s in, but he can’t walk away until he finishes what he started otherwise they won’t be able to live a normal life away from the Ersoylu business.  

I’m not sure why Halide was questioning Ali Riza’s feelings about her or about their relationship.  I understand that he didn’t answer her questions when she asked him about marriage, but in my opinion, I think it’s too soon to think about that.  They’re both young and should enjoy their relationship for a while.  Ali Riza has proven time and time again that he’s very much in love with her.  Most guys shy away from talking about marriage so early in the relationship so I think Ali Riza was just reacting like a normal guy.     

I hate that Muzaffer threatened Ali Riza for no longer wanting to work with him.  What does he expect?  He’s been lying to him and only giving him partial information to get him to do what he wants AND telling him to forget about Halide?!  It’s about time Ali Riza cut ties with him.      

Questions Left Unanswered:

Is the video that Balaban showed Ali Riza of his father’s murder real or did he manipulate it to get Ali Riza on his side?

Who did Melek call to inform the plan was still on after Mithat left to meet with Burak about locating the shipment?  Is she working with Murat and Ali Riza or someone else?

Is Ali Riza really Mehmet’s son as Ms. Rukiya suspects?  She told Halide he loved Ali Riza right from the beginning which caused her to suspect that he was truly his son that he could have had with someone else but didn’t tell her.

Will Muzaffer act on his threats against Ali Riza to get him back on his side?

What will happen next between Burak and Murat now that Burak has been discovered as Balaban's associate?

The biggest question from this episode is who kidnapped Halide?  

My Thoughts:

I am absolutely loving the addition of the new characters, Safir, Balaban, and the Old Man.  I think they all interact well with the original cast and add a new level to the show that I hope will include a lot more action scenes in upcoming episodes. 

My first thought about who is behind Halide’s kidnapping is Muzaffer.  I think he’s using Halide to get Ali Riza back on his side so he can continue to help him even though his true intentions are not clear.  

I loved that Halide sang again but I hope we get some flashback scenes that lead up to it.  I felt like this scene was just thrown into the episode because it had no preface.  We don’t know if Halide made plans with Ali Riza to go together or if it was a last-minute surprise for him especially since she wasn’t talking to him.  

I also think Halide was being too harsh with Ali Riza for questioning his feelings about her.  The man has risked his life for her a few times so I’m not sure what other proof she wants.  I think she’s just hurt that he wouldn’t talk about their future together but perhaps it’s because he’s still trying to figure it out.  

And last, I can’t wait to see Ali Riza ask Haşmet for Halide’s hand in marriage.  It will be epic because Haşmet is not going to make it easy for our Ali Riza at all.  He will make sure Ali Riza knows what it takes to be her husband before he gives his approval.