Hercai: Season 2 Episode 24 Recap and Review

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Hercai 36

Reyyan's Bitter Truth

Well we knew it had to happen.  We just didn't know how it was going to happen or how she would react.  Reyyan learns that Hazar is not her biological father in the most traumatic of ways and at the worst possible time. The last episode ended with the shocker announcement (in front of everyone) from Yaren that Reyyan isn't a "real" Shadoglu.  This is right after Miran learns definitively that virtually everything his grandmother told him was a lie. 

Reyyan just having had the wind knocked out of her by this fact runs blindly out of the Shadoglu mansion followed by Shukran who manages to convince her to go back to the village with her. There are many heart touching flashbacks of Hazar and Reyyan when she was a child throughout the episode starting when she leaves the mansion and Shukran is a source of great comfort for Reyyan in her difficult time.

Miran, shocked by what he's heard, runs to Azize to confront her.  I honestly don't understand what he hoped to achieve by this because there is no earthly way anyone having been lied to as much as he has could possibly believe another word coming out of her mouth.  But he runs there and pointing a gun at her asks her if she knew that Reyyan wasn't Hazar daughter.  As expected Azize denies knowing this.  Whether Miran believes this or not isn't clear but perhaps his final words to her before he leaves might be a clue "You're not even worth me getting my hands bloody for."  

At the Shadoglu mansion all hell breaks loose.  Hazar demands that Yaren be thrown out and Nasuh complies by taking her to a remote farm and locking her up in a barn to be overseen by a very interesting looking shepherdess.  She of course blames Reyyan for her predicament and vows to kill her.  

Miran and Hazar go back to the village where Reyyan is and watch helplessly from a distance as she suffers in silence.  Neither is able to face her because they are the cause of her pain.  There is a heartfelt exchange between Hazar and Miran about their guilt and the two pass the night outside the house neither knowing how this will all turn out.  

The next morning Gul decides that her mother is needed to make everyone smile so she heads off alone to the bus station to go after Zehra.  Miran and Hazar wake up to Reyyan's wrath and Harun visits Yaren in her new prison.

After an overly dramatic confrontation with Hazar and Miran where Shukran learns the truth about Miran's revenge, Reyyan tells them to leave her alone.  Shukran furious about what Miran has done to Reyyan tells him him that he is not her grandson or Dilshah's son and casts him deeper into guilt.  Azize finds out that Gul is at the bus stop and has her henchman Mahmut bring her to the house.  Shukran goes to the Aslanbey mansion after having found out the truth about the revenge and shames everyone in the mansion for their role in the plot. Harun tells Yaren he will get her out of her prison if she marries him.

In the midst of their confrontation with Reyyan, Hazar learns that Gul is missing and heads off to find her. Miran and Reyyan have a conversation where she tells him that she realizes she can't rely on anyone in her life except herself and that she wants to make a decision about her life.

Miran learns that Gul is with Azize (most likely from Azize herself) and heads off to pick up Gul.  All the Shadoglu men including Miran converge at Esma's house where they pick up a frightened Gul. 

Yaren agrees to marry Harun to get out of the barn after being put to work by the shepherdess, and the two get married right outside the barn! Surprisingly comfortable with her new situation Yaren tells Nasuh that she'll make all of them pay for what they've done to her.

Gonul finally realizes that Azize lied to her about Firat being her brother.  In a conversation with Sultan she says she's sorry she couldn't find her brother but she will know for sure that night. She then goes to the cemetary to dig up her brother's grave... there she finds a blue note that tells her Azize lied to her but that her brother is indeed alive. 

Reyyan having made her decision goes back to the Shadoglu mansion, excoriates everyone in it including Miran and tells everyone she wants to live her life alone. The strange episode ends with her leaving everyone and heading off to somewhere unknown. 

Those were the events of this episode, now onto the analysis.

Reyyan's paternity had to come out in order for the story to move forward because the notion that either of the two could ever think that they are siblings would have been too creepy.  That Yaren brought this truth out is unusual and a bit puzzling.  Several people were aware of this fact including Azat who could have very calmly explained the situation to her. Would her reaction have been the same?  Most likely yes because the writers seem to be taking Reyyan in a totally different direction.  

Let's break it down a bit, shall we?  I want to do justice to Reyyan's plight, but I also cannot ignore everything else I've seen throughout this saga either. When Reyyan first discovers the truth she is shocked and hurt.  Her first memory of Hazar is when she is getting vaccinated.  He comforts her and even gets the vaccine along with her. But then she realizes that as much as he was their to soothe the pain she suffered after the fact, he did nothing to prevent the pain from happening in the first place in instances when he had the power. 

In recollecting this she also remembers all the injustices she has suffered at the hands of the Shadolgus: the beatings, the alienation, being kept from pursuing her dreams.  And of course the final injustice that Miran's revenge would not have been taken from her if her true paternity was known. It all makes sense to her now. With all this in mind, Reyyan decides to leave the family and everyone else behind to make decisions for her own life and her own future. 

That would have been perfectly reasonable and even an expected outcome if that's all she did.  But being as it's a Turkish dizi there had to be loads of screaming, yelling, self pity, crying, blame throwing and cruel words. I definitely don't begrudge Reyyan her anger and pain.  But one can react with grace and class or in an uncontrolled frenzy. 

Reyyan chose the latter.  As much as I empathize with her plight I found it difficult to watch her tantrums and listen to her cruel words. It became very apparent to me that under that calm and seemingly compassionate demeanor is a very bitter person. A person who can be cruel. She says as much to Miran "I can't let loose because if I do you'll suffocate with all the things I've been keeping locked up inside me."

Oddly enough the tables have truly turned.  With all the psychological torment and brainwashing he endured Miran never lost his compassion.  Even on the day he committed his sin, he was filled with shame, guilt and regret and he spent the rest of his time trying to make up for his mistake. On the other hand, Reyyan who was the model of compassion, who in her own words sacrificed her dreams so that her father would not hear a bad word from his father, uses her tongue as a weapon far more powerful than any bullet or knife. But I suppose it's a function of her age.  She is very young and still immature. 

I'm reminded by an old folktale about the feathers in the wind.  One day a woman was spreading gossip about another villager, later on she finds out that this gossip wasn't true. She was upset that she had spread false information and wanted to right her wrongs, so she traveled to the wise man of the mountains. The wise man of the mountains told her that she must pluck out all the feathers, toss the feathers onto the road and wait until the next day to collect all the feathers. She did not question the wise man and so did exactly what he told her. The next day she returned to the wise man with only three feathers in her hand. The wise man asked her what had happened to all the other feathers. She answered, a little upset that she could not find them, they were all gone, lost. She asked, what did this mean, the wise man responded that gossip was just like the feathers, once they were tossed out into the road, the wind would pick them up and spread them wide and far. And that while you'd be able to pick up a few pieces here and there, for the most part, the feathers were lost to the wind and the world. 

Perhaps the folktale isn't exactly analogous, but you get my meaning.  The words that are said, are out there.  They stay with the person who hears them.  The two people she says she loves have heard her venom. I'm sure they'll both forgive her because they love her and she's in pain but can they ever forget her words?

There's no question Reyyan is right to want to pursue her dreams and to make her own decisions.  This is perfectly natural.  And she has every right to be furious at her family for perpetrating such an injustice against her.  But what she fails to realize is that this fact has nothing to do with whether or not Hazar is her biological father.  Or if she does realize, it is not clear to me.  

I had raised this issue a while back regarding Hazar when he lied about pushing Miran and even earlier when he stood by (along with the other Shadoglu men) as Nasuh beat Reyyan after the fake wedding and condemned her to die.  He is a very kind and generous man, but he is weak.  He bows to the ancient traditions of his culture and gives too much credence to his elders and his spouse. 

One source of contention for Reyyan, as we find out, is the fact she was never allowed to continue her education. Her grandfather prevented her from going to university and Hazar did nothing to stand in his way.  Likewise he didn't stand in Nasuh's way during Reyyan's beatings. She tells Hazar this in the final scenes of the episode. She minces no words as she excoriates the Shadoglus for what they've done to her.  It's as if now that she knows she's not a real Shadoglu she has license to speak freely.

My question is this: If it is wrong that Hazar didn't stand in the way of such abuse now that she knows she's not a Shadoglu, why wasn't it wrong before she knew the truth? Does this mean that before when she thought she was a Shadoglu she was compelled to endure the abuse? What is the message the writers want to impart to the audience.  If it is the injustice itself that's the issue then it shouldn't be confused with the question of paternity. 

Reyyan's bloodline has nothing to do with it because for all intents and purposes Hazar has been a true father for Reyyan. He does not distinguish between Gul and Reyyan. I can't say for sure, but I can reasonably deduce that if Gul had been older and if Nasuh had wanted to prevent her from going to university, that Hazar would have complied with his father's wishes.

This unquestioning faith in tradition when taken to its ultimate extreme is the actual problem.  If left to his own devices Hazar's generous and nonviolent nature would never have allowed any injustice against Reyyan or anyone else for that matter.  But his strong belief in tradition even when it goes against his nature and perhaps even his logic, is what makes Hazar a weak man. None of this diminishes his love for Reyyan and Reyyan should know this.  She should pity Hazar for being locked in the cage of tradition, but she should never question his love for her. Aside from being angry at not being told she should also feel disappointed that she wasn't trusted with the knowledge. And perhaps that will also come out in future episodes.  Sadly Nasuh did not get the drubbing he deserved, as Hazar and Miran bore the brunt of her rage.

What Reyyan should be experiencing, and which I hope will be made more clear in the next episode, is maturity.  All of us, as we grow up, see our parents failings more clearly.  We see that they are not infallible or omnicient, but that they are human and prone to mistakes, sometimes horrible mistakes. And while our view of our parents change, our love does not nor should it.  In fact, our responsibility as children increases.  I hope that Reyyan realizes that her father, and even her mother, are human beings and are very flawed in many respects. As Miran said in an earlier episode, "You shouldn't erase all the years of sacrifice they made for you because of isolated incidents."  I hope that when her wrath subsides she will apologize for her words and be grateful for his love over the years.  A man who raises another man's child as his own is rare.

But whatever the impetus, Reyyan is now faced with reality and a life she feels is rife with injustice.  She sets off to live her life without the Shadoglus and without Miran.  This new truth has brought another wave of hatred towards Miran. Once again in the worst possible way and with the cruelest words that are unfortunately now in line with her character, Reyyan reminds him of what he's done and leaves him behind. The injustice of this is more than I can articulate. 

She writes in a letter to her mother that she is angry at everyone who made her live her life in a lie.  The irony of her words escape her.  Over the past several episodes she has watched as Miran discovered that everything he's been told is a lie (and he still doesn't even know the full truth).  Yet even in his confusion and anguish Miran does not leave Reyyan.  He pulls away because it's his nature to go into himself at times like these, but he stays with her. Throughout the entire series, Miran has left Reyyan only once and that was the day after their fake wedding. But by my count this is the third time Reyyan has abandoned Miran.  She left him when she thought he had pushed Hazar, she left him when he did not come to Elif's wedding dinner, and she left him now. 

If I were Miran, I would let her go. Let her go find herself.  Let her go live her life. Because there is too much water under this bridge and the bridge has collapsed.  Reyyan's words to Miran were so hurtful that if I were the one hearing them I would never forget.  Not because the words were not true, but because they were said with intent to hurt.  

Miran's whole life has been a lie too... and unlike the lie that destroyed Reyyan's dreams, the lies he's lived destroyed his conscience and his soul. He is truly a tragic figure.  Reyyan tells Miran: "if there's a victim in this story, it's me"  but she's wrong... she's not the only victim.  She's not even the most tragic victim. She can walk away, go and make a new life for herself, dream new dreams and never look back.  But Miran cannot.  He's drowning in the guilt of his actions and he will probably continue to do so for the rest of his life.  And even more than that, he has the misfortune of being the primary weapon in Azize quest for revenge.  Azize will not rest until she watches him kill his father. No matter where Miran goes, he will be plagued.

Sadly Miran has no lifeline but Reyyan. And this lifeline is unreliable and tenuous at best.  Or so it seems right now. I honestly have no idea how the two can come back together in a way that is acceptable.  It would be ridiculous and difficult to watch Miran run after Reyyan, and if she comes back to him, I don't know how he can feel confident she won't leave him at the drop of a hat. I truly hope the writers have something rational in mind.

On the positive side Reyyan is finally free of her family's influence and that is a very good thing. I wish her luck in pursuing her future whatever it may be. I do hope she allows her family to make up for their actions and I hope she is grateful for the love of her father.. but who knows what the writers have in mind.  Another positive is that for a change someone other than Miran screamed and yelled. 

Other interesting notes..

Gonul has a conversation with Sultan where she apologizes for failing to bring her son to her.  In a later scene she is shown digging up a grave. In the grave there is a blue note.  How did the blue note get in there?  And how on earth did the third party know that she was going to dig up the grave?  This goes towards validating my suspicion that Sultan is somehow involved with the mysterious third party.  Although it's not properly explained, Sultan probably gathered from their conversation earlier that she was planning to dig up her brother's grave and alerted the blue note person. I guess....

Also when Gul leaves with the Shadoglus after her quick stint with Azize, the very important little pink doll that she carries around everywhere and which holds the all important secret about Miran's paternity, is not with her.  I wonder who in that house will find it?  Esma, Mahmut or Azize??? Or is it even still in the doll?? 

Esma comes back to the Aslanbey mansion to pick up some things and runs into Firat.  Firat asks her why she left with Azize knowing all the wrong that Azize had done and Esma says "Things are not as they seem, son".. making me think that Esma is with Azize for some purpose other than friendship and loyalty. 

In one of the scenes when Azize realizes that Reyyan's paternity is out of the bag, she grins her evil grin and says "Good! now we can make Reyyan leave Miran and get back to carrying out our revenge."  When asked how by her loyal watchdog Mahmut, she says "By revealing Reyyan's real father".  This is a very interesting concept since apparently Azize seems to know who and perhaps even where Reyyan's real father is.  

And finally, there is one particular scene that has gone viral and really should not be missed.  It is emblematic of Akin's amazing acting skills. In this scene Shukran has just found out what Miran did to Reyyan.  She slaps him, shuns him, and sends him away.  The video clip below is his reaction to her words. 

After this episode I am a bit afraid to see what will happen next.  I will watch it of course, but I worry that Miran will once again be humiliated and that will be very hard for me to watch.  At the same time I'm curious where Reyyan thinks she can go with no money, no skills and no resources.  That hasn't stopped people before, and perhaps it won't stop Reyyan.  Let's see what happens.  I have my fingers crossed. 

 

 

 

Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020 05:53 am (UTC) Filed Under:
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@AkinNorth ~ Guest Contributor
Just a dizi lover