Hercai: Season 2 Episode 9 Recap and Review

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Words are not enough

What an amazing episode! Every week I think there’s no way that the next episode can surpass the one before, and every week I’m stunned.  The writers of Hercai have done it again.  They have created another masterpiece episode.  And this time the cinematography won the day.  Before I go into detail, let me just say that the end of the episode is a heartbreaker.  It’ll keep you thinking and puzzling for days to come.  The shock of it, the pain of it will stun you.  But until you get there, your heart will soar.  Your soul will be at peace. 

After Reyyan held his hand and stood determinedly in front of her mother, Miran attempts to make her feel better by taking her for a horse ride.  The couple get caught in a rainstorm and take shelter in a nearby cave.  Reyyan is devastated about what has happened:  how her mother cast her out, how her father is on his deathbed, how nothing is how she wanted it to be.  Sobbing uncontrollably she blames herself for everything that’s happened.  She blames her inability to leave Miran as the reason disaster has befallen her family.  Miran who watches her anguish helplessly, tries to comfort her to no avail.  And then he finally explodes.  Using reverse psychology he agrees with her.  He bellows that it’s all her fault.  Everything that happened is her fault and it was her selfishness that led to her father’s accident and all the troubles her family has gone through.  Reyyan, shocked and speechless takes in his harsh words, and as she collapses to the ground, Miran tenderly comforts her.  He tells her that nothing will change no matter how much she tortures herself and blames herself. He tells her that she has been taught all her life to take the blame for other people’s mistakes and that she takes them on herself because that is what she has been taught.  He tells her to stop blaming herself, that she is the only innocent person amongst all the evil and that she has done nothing wrong. 

The dialogue in this scene is superb.  The acting from the leads is Oscar worthy and the cinematography is exquisite.  The scene is shot with blue filter in the pouring rain and has the feel of a Victorian novel movie adaptation… like Wuthering Heights when Heathcliff chases Catherine through the misty moors..  If you don’t believe me, watch it.  Akin standing tall with his long overcoat against the barren rain soaked field and Ebru with her flowing dress soaked and clinging to her skin are the modern day Heathcliff and Catherine. 

After Reyyan is shocked into calm, the couple then make their way back to cave where Miran has built a fire.  What ensues are a series of the most romantic scenes I have seen in a long time.  Again, the scenes are filmed to match the mood, this time with a soft yellowish-orange filter to reflect the warmth of the crackling fire.  The young couple settle down for the night and exchange words of love.  The dreamy music makes your heart ache.  Miran’s soft comforting words send shivers up your spine, and Reyyan’s loving smile warms your heart.  In these scenes Miran is himself.  He is what he would be if there were no lies in his life, if he had a loving family, and the freedom to just be.  And Reyyan is at peace.  Here, by the warmth of the fire, alone, the two lovers heal each other. If only these moments were frozen in time.. if only there were no Aslanbey or Shadoglu families, and if only Hazar was not on his deathbed… But alas this is not to be. (scroll down to watch an excerpt from these scenes with English subtitles). 

The young couple head back to town in the morning after a healing night.  Hazar has woken up from his coma and wants to see the two of them. More on this later.

While the young couple are on their daylong adventure, Hazar has a seizure which we later find is related to the blood transfusion he has received during surgery.  The doctor explains to the Shadoglus there are two possible reasons for his condition; either he received the wrong blood type, or the blood was donated by a close relative.  The Shadoglus are puzzled by this as they are certain that the blood was not given by a relative but by a complete stranger.  Keep this little factoid in your mind. 

After the seizure Hazar, is revived, and receives an unannounced visit from Azize Aslanbey.  Standing over Hazar, she tells him that he cannot die just yet… he will not die until he has grieved the loss of a child.  But before this, she seems to say “You will die at the hands of your son” though it’s unclear whether Hazar actually heard her say this, or whether it was Azize thinking these words.  Whatever it was that he heard, Hazar who is now awake, asks his wife to bring him his belongings from the night of the fall.  Hazar is obviously looking for the letter, but as we know from the previous episode the letter has gone missing.

Back at the Aslanbey mansion, Gonul confronts Azize and demands to know whether Firat is her brother.  Azize tells her that assuming he is her brother, if the Shadoglus find out that there is another Aslanbey, they will seek vengeance for what has happened to Hazar.  She convinces Gonul to wait but the young woman is no more sure of her brother’s identity than she was when she confronted Azize.  And neither is the audience. 

Also at the Aslanbey mansion, Elif is acting quite strange.  She still appears shaken and as if she knows something she’s not telling. She goes to the hospital but runs into Azat on her way in.  There she tells Azat that her brother Miran is not a murderer. Could it be she saw who pushed Hazar?  or was she the one who pushed him? What happened to Hazar that night brought back memories of the day of her parent’s fatal accident when Sultan’s inaction resulted in the death of Gonul’s father.  Could it be that she felt herself in the same position as Sultan… could it be that it was Elif’s inaction that had lead to Hazar’s fall? Or did she see Sultan push Hazar?

In the final scene, with Zehra in the room Hazar tells Reyyan that he did not fall, but that he was pushed by Miran.  The words “Miran pushed me” ring in Miran’s ears as the screen fades to black, leaving the audience and the people in the room in shock.

What the writers have done is brilliant.  This whole season they have been laying the strong foundation for Miran and Reyyan’s relationship.  Their story which began with an ugly act of betrayal must be cleansed.  They must walk through fire and rise from the ashes.  Beautiful words and promises are not enough in this instance.  Reyyan must truly and completely trust Miran from the depth of her soul.  She deserves no less in her life and neither does he.  If you recall, Reyyan married Miran to stop the bloodshed.  While she loved him, her marriage to him was for the wrong reason.  It never seemed right.  Two people in love should marry for love, for a common future, to share their lives.  And two people in love should trust each other.  With every tragedy that has befallen them this season, their bond has grown stronger.  With every tragedy, Reyyan has seen Miran’s steadfastness and nobility.  And all through out Miran has believed in Reyyan. 

The writers have also masterfully created a puzzle of vengeance based on events of the past.  They have strategically placed the pieces in layers. One layer for the viewing audience, and one layer for the characters. With each episode a piece of the puzzle fits in place. Hazar’s lie is devastating, incomprehensible, and completely out of character.  Why would he lie knowing that he will have signed Miran’s death warrant both literally and in Reyyan’s heart? Knowing that Reyyan will be devastated, and that his beloved Dilshah’s son would be doomed to death at worst or a life of misery at best, why would he do such a thing?  Clearly Azize’s visit and the missing letter played a part in his decision. What would Azize have done if she had seen the letter? Would she really kill Reyyan to make him suffer the loss of a child?  Azize brilliantly used the occasion of Hazar’s fall to turn the game in her favor.  We will find out Hazar’s motivation I am sure, but just as Zehra’s character was on display in the last episode, Hazar’s is in this episode.  Parents will go to great lengths to protect their children.  Perhaps this is what Hazar is doing.  But does the end justify the means?  That is the question the writers have put before us, and it is a question everyone must answer for themselves. What I do know is that Hazar's lie will put another puzzle in its place in due time.

But how will our lovers behave now?  The man Reyyan most admires and trusts in this world has told her Miran was the cause of his near fatal injury.  How can the two pass this test of their love? How can one expect Reyyan who has never had a reason to disbelieve Hazar, not to believe him over the man who started their relationship with a lie? And all indications are that she will believe Hazar. At least initially.  I don’t know how the two will find each other again, but they will. And I am sure it will be a beautiful sight to behold.

The scenes about Hazar’s transfusion induced seizure are not frivolous.  The writers went to great lengths to explain the likely causes of this reaction to the Shadoglus. Who will make the connection and when?

As difficult as the last scene was, and as painful as the next episode or episodes will likely be, I am certain our lovers will overcome this obstacle too and settle into their great love. So bring it on! Until next week… In the meantime check out the beautiful clip below.  Click on cc to see the subtitles in English.

 

 
 
 
 
Last Updated: Nov 18, 2019 01:26 am (UTC) Filed Under:
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@AkinNorth ~ Guest Contributor
Just a dizi lover