Masumlar Apartmani, Episode 8 Recap

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Spoilers from Episode 8 of Masumlar Apartmani are included in the following discussion. 

For years, Han’s reality was so unbearable that he created a dream world to escape to. But, when he met and married Inci, his reality changed, blurring the lines between fact and fiction, and causing confusion in his carefully organized life, which consisted of living in the reality of his obligations to his family during the day, and escaping into a world of fiction at night. The key difference between his imaginary life and reality is that in his fictional world, he could control how his hocam perceived him - the same way a puppeteer controls his puppets. Because this dynamic does not apply to real relationships, his myopic focus on Inci and keeping her beside him through increasingly aggressive acts, including almost strangling Uygar and her father, buying the radio station where she works, paying for Ege’s school fees, and most recently purchasing a home for her, are actually pushing her farther away from him. She asks him repeatedly to consult her, talk to her, decide with her, not for her, but he refuses. He is so terrified of losing her, or being honest with her and feeling disappointed in their reality that he refuses to even try. His single-minded focus on preventing her from leaving him is futile as he ends this episode doing the one thing that she expressly asked him not to do: unilaterally decide their future without her. He doesn’t even realize that in asking her grandfather for her hand in marriage, he is essentially doing the same thing that Uygar did when he revealed to Memduh Bey that he and Inci were together for the past two years, just a few episodes ago. If she was angry at Uygar then, she will likely be furious with Han, now.  

Birkan Sokullu’s portrayal of Han deserves special mention as he has expertly translated the various nuances of Han’s character, especially by demonstrating the darker side of Han. I was legitimately scared when he grabbed Inci’s hand on the balcony.  

Much of this episode focused on Han’s mother’s death anniversary and commemorating her life. Although Safiye is entirely devoted to her, their mother was not only cruel, violent and vengeful, but was also petty, vain and selfish. She is the cause of many of the behavioral conditions that her children still exhibit, and while she was unloved in her marriage, Hikmet Bey’s coldness towards her does not justify her actions. It is difficult to empathize with a character that harms children. 

Adding to the mystery of this dizi, Esat confesses to Han that he told Esra a version of the incident with their teacher, suggesting that Esat’s story may not be the whole truth. I wonder how much darker Han’s past was, as we have already learned quite a lot that shocks the conscience.  

Echoing the wishes made by so many, including the cast and crew of this dizigecmis olsun Izmir. 

Last Updated: Nov 5, 2020 18:56 pm (UTC) Filed Under:
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