by Paola Cesarini
Week after week "Çatı Katı Aşk" continues to do what is supposed to. Namely, deliver an entertaining ensemble romantic comedy, where the tale of a quirky but solid mahalle family intersects with the lives of two charming but very lonely young people. In the episodes under review, complex interpersonal dynamics take place within the contexts of a mahalle wedding, a Mantı (Turkish dumpling) contest, and a matchmaking ritual, often with hilarious outcomes. These are of course highly humorous but also stress-filled situations, which could only take place in Turkey!
Click on the numbers for reviews of episodes 1 and 2.
In Episode 3, the introduction of Ateş's aunt Gülriz to Yasemin's fake parents is suddenly interrupted by the early return of the Yilmaz family. In the ensuing turmoil, they learn that Ateş and Yasemin never had a proper wedding. Perihan thus decides to organize a mahalle dinner in their honor, which is later followed by a full-fledged street party organized in cooperation with Gülriz. Meanwhile, Babanne Saadet's suspicions about the attic couple grow. She eventually supports Perihan's wedding feast idea in the hope of revealing the truth about their marriage and, in turn, evict them. Also in Episode 3, when Ayşen needs to find a male model to display her collection, Ateş comes to her rescue. While the incident is still not enough to induce the young woman to accept his attentions, it constitutes nevertheless a small progress in their relationship.
In Episode 4, Asaf barges into Ateş and Yasemin's mahalle wedding celebration causing grief and offense to all in attendance. Sensing danger on the horizon, Celal in turn instructs his entire family to keep their distance from Ateş and Yasemin. When Asaf threatens Gülriz with returning her to a mental hospital, the episode indirectly reveals that Gülriz was punished for a past indiscretion involving Emin. Moreover, it appears highly probable that Ateş is their son. This would make him also Perihan's nephew and -- wait for it -- Ayşen's cousin! Upon hearing that the Yılmaz family cannot afford tuition for a critical Italian designer workshop for their youngest daughter, Ateş, Demir, Ayşen and Yasemin concoct a bold plan to bring more business to the Has Mantı Café, which involves a famous food critic. In full accordance with Murphy's law, however, everything that can go wrong effectively goes wrong.
In Episode 5, when Celal finds out that Demir and Ayşen lied to him, he decides to evict Ateş and Yasemin from the attic in order to remove their "bad" influence over his children. He soon reverses his decision when the famous food critic shows up to taste Yasemin's Mantı at the Café. Unfortunately, Asaf continues adversely to target anyone in the mahalle, who is helping Ateş, so that the latter might eventually be forced to return home with his tail between his legs. In this context, Ateş and Emin draw closer into what is slowly emerging as a meaningful father/son-like relationship. Babanne Saadet, still intent on plotting Ateş and Yasemin's eviction, sets Demir and Ayşen up with a matchmaker in order to induce them into marriage. Ateş and Yasemin get very jealous and actively interfere in order to prevent a possible engagement. What ensues is a pretty funny sequence of clever (and not so clever) tricks that, however, backfire when Ayşen ends up accepting Ömer's marriage proposal.
The best part of Episodes 3-5 is to watch Furkan Andıç and Nilay Deniz showcase their unique talent as a comedic duo. This is a rare instance in which two young and attractive protagonists repeatedly engage in sustained and brilliant humorous interaction with no romantic strings attached. While the situations in which they find themselves are at times absurd and borderline silly, their repartee is rarely pointless or annoying. Rather, Ateş and Yasemin's relationship is clearly maturing towards a fellowship of sorts based on camaraderie and cooperation, which is both delightful and refreshing!
Differently put, in "Çatı Katı Aşk", Ateş and Yasemin experience strategic interaction based on common interests rather than reciprocal attraction. While they clearly seek to keep hold of the Yılmaz's attic for economic/survival reasons, as the series goes on an even more powerful motive is taking shape. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, they are where they belong and are thus willing to go to incredible lengths in order to remain there. The outdoor dinner and wedding scenes of Episode 3 are particularly revealing in this regard. The simple but heart-warming community effort to celebrate their (non-existent) marriage touches Ateş and Yasemin deeply. Therefore, their growing emotional attachment to the mahalle, to the Yılmaz family, to Usta Hilmi's auto repair shop, to Celal's Mantı Cafè, to Emin's Antique Shop, and to Ateş and Demir has increasingly less to do with their economic circumstances in the present, than with their hopes and dreams for the future.
Regrettably, in Episode 3-5, the romance takes a back seat. Ateş and Ayşen's relationship comes to a virtual standstill. Notwithstanding the various pinning against the wall, the deep stares, the slaps, and the endless confrontations, their relationship is advancing at glaciation pace, largely due to Ayşen's fault. While an orphan at birth, she grew up in a loving family and witnessed first-hand the loving relationship between Celal and Perihan. Why is she then so scared about love? And what will it take for Ateş finally to get under her skin? In short, lest the audience begins to see their love story as hopeless, the screenwriters are better to get Ateş and Ayşen's relationship moving sooner rather than later.
Similarly, in episode 3-5, Yasemin and Demir don't do much besides fighting. Demir, however, is now fully aware that Ateş and Yasemin's marriage is a hoax and shows clear signs of jealousy. Hopefully, this will prompt him into action in the near future. While the last three episodes of "Çatı Katı Aşk" are somewhat disappointing in the romance department, there is hope that an old relationship might soon rekindle. Will Emir and Gülriz's great love finally meet a happy end?
Any Turkish rom-com worth of the label includes a healthy dose of drama to stir the pot and thus maintain the audience's interest in the show. The opening scene of Episode 4 clarifies the tension, which will accompany viewers in "Çatı Katı Aşk." Ateş's father, Asaf, publicly reveals himself as a loveless tyrant, whose despicable attitude towards his "son" clearly hides some dark secret. His invasion of Ateş and Yasemin's wedding party is a masterpiece of entitlement, arrogance, and rudeness. While the scene gains Ateş some credibility in Ayşen's eyes, Asaf's character is so hateful as to result frankly over-the-top. His continuing poisoning of the well, however, will be justified in the long run if the screenwriters will eventually provide him with a fully deserved comeuppance. In this context, the dramatic scenes with his father, his aunt, Emin, and Ayşen in Episodes 3-5 abundantly confirm that Furkan Andıç's acting talent goes far beyond comedy. Hopefully, in the coming episodes, "Çatı Katı Aşk" will find ways further to capitalize on this young performer's extraordinary skills.
Episode 3-5 offer again great laugh-out-loud scenes magistrally carried out by the consummate Bülent Seyran as Şuayip. In Episode 3, he gives his very best shot at impersonating a super-model on the runway. And in Episodes 4-5 he regales us with another of his outlandish scheme to make money, this time involving Saadet's chickens. Stuttering Real Estate Agent Muhsin also offers welcome comic relief, especially in Episode 5 when he shows up for a non-existent BBQ at the Yılmaz residence. The whole arranged marriage affair cunningly concocted by Babanne during Episode 5 is pretty funny as well. It also effectively shows the length to which Ateş is willing to go for Ayşen's love.
Anyone looking for an authentic Turkish show and a sizeable dose of the country's idiosyncratic humor should definitely tune into "Çatı Katı Aşk." The series, in this reviewer's opinion, still offers good entertainment within the rom-com genre. This being said, it would perhaps work better if each episode were condensed into 1.5 hours. Unless the screenwriters decide considerably to beef up the romance portion and/or introduce more drama, sit-coms such as "Çatı Katı Aşk" might indeed be better suited for shorter episodes.
Episode 6 of "Çatı Katı Aşk" will air this Thursday in Turkey. Here is the trailer:
@ Article Copyright by Dizilah and Paola Cesarini
Sources: https://www.kanald.com.tr/cati-kati-ask and http://www.ranini.tv
All pictures and video clips belong to their original owners, where applicable. No copyright infringement intended.
