Spoilers from Episode 15 of Masumlar Apartmani follow.
Sus artik! She finally said it. After learning about her mother’s deceit, Safiye, finally was able to silence her mother’s voice. Despite seeing Naci’s loving eyes, and learning that his marriage was no longer an obstacle to their union, Safiye could not rid herself of her mother. But, when she discovered that Naci had left her all those years ago because her mother had written him a farewell letter, which Han had delivered to him, Safiye finally was able to consciously see Hasibe for the cruel, selfish woman she was. This was such a satisfying scene: after the many, many, many exchanges that we have seen with Hasibe tormenting her eldest, to finally see Safiye refuse to listen to her hateful words was delightful.
And, the other reason that Safiye was able to silence her mother? Naci’s return, and her first step outside since she promised her mother she would not leave the building. But, having stepped outside, and seen the sky with Naci beside her, Safiye could not immediately return to her former self. She went through stages of denial, telling herself that this man, who was beat up in front of her, was not her Naci; her Naci had been hit by a bus long ago, and had recovered some months after, becoming well again. And though there was a part of her that wept over their tragic story and the love that could have been, she couldn’t stop her mother’s voice from dominating her own. Even when Naci confessed to her, pleadingly asking for her to give him a sign to stay, she told him to leave, despite knowing that whether he stayed beside her or moved far away from her, she remained for him as he did for her; no one else would do because the moment their eyes met was explosive*, the kind of jarring connection that can only happen once in a lifetime. Happily, on the morning that he was about to depart, he sees a white dove on her window, seeing a sign, asking him to stay. Unable to contain his joy, he sprints towards her. Their masterful performances have elevated the eloquence and beauty of the poetry that has been referenced throughout these past few episodes.
Ege, broken over his father’s condition, convinces Inci to visit him in the hospital. Although Inci finally relents, and agrees to visit him, she refuses to forgive him, telling him that her mother’s dying wish was to see him, and since she had been deprived of her final desire, he would not receive her forgiveness on his deathbed either. These words do not end up being their last parting remarks as Memduh Bey brings her ill father back to their apartment suite the following morning. Haluk Bey inspires very little sympathy; from what we know of him so far, he is abusive, manipulative, and selfish. This gives him very little room (if any) for redemption. For Inci, Haluk Bey’s presence in her life once more may force her to confront her growing unease with Han’s threatening, domineering behavior, which is deeply troubling to her. She is a bit stuck on this point, as she loves him, and worries about negative judgment from Esra and her grandfather, but doesn’t know how to fix this gaping flaw in their relationship. Apart from this, Han is lying to her more; perhaps, he felt uneasy about sharing Safiye’s past history with Naci, but he could have told her about Melek. Why lie?
After refusing to talk to her or eat beside her for many episodes, Memduh Bey finally softened towards Inci. He gifted her with a car, to replace the one she sold to pay for Ege’s school fees, when she returned from visiting her wretched father in the hospital. It was the perfect moment for this scene, and beautifully solidified the father-daughter bond that these two share. By finding a job in his field, once more, and receiving a generous advance on his salary, Memduh Bey feels more like a contributor and provider once more, and this feeling helped him be less threatened by Inci's relationship with Han. All in all, Han did well by orchestrating this new situation for him.
The comedic scenes between the petite Inci and the playful Safiye were fun and funny. I hope they have more exchanges like this together in future episodes.
Gulben played a key role in this episode. Though her perceptions of love and romance for herself were fictional and delusional, when she sees the book of poetry in Safiye’s cupboard, and notices Safiye's tears during Naci’s song, Gulben tells Han, how much she wishes that someone had told her that it was okay to love. Maybe, then, she would have found ‘happy’ as well. This prompted Han to confess to Safiye about his role in ending her relationship with Naci, and allowing her to finally ‘bury’ their late mother.
Gulru, Naci's ex-wife, arrives on scene just as Naci is making his way towards Safiye. I expect we will learn more about her as the story unfolds.
This was a truly wonderful episode. We were able to glimpse a Safiye that has long been absent, and watch her triumph over longstanding inner obstacles that have been harming her for so long. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
*Infilak (Explosion) by Edip Cansever (1928-1986)
[…]
Even if I leave, it exists a bit every where.
An untimely record in memories,
A hotel door, a few train stations.
That, being together with you always exists.
Our hands meet from far away,
An as if we are eyes to eyes, suddenly, an explosion.
