Spoilers from Episode 23 of Masumlar Apartmani are included in the following discussion.
Safiye & Naci
Waffles, earbuds and scooters* aside, there was a sadness that overwhelmed their scenes this episode. His time is running out and he knows that he may not be able to stay beside her much longer. When he leaves her at the cinema and appears before her once more, she, more out of fright than anger, tells him that he should not return to her, if he is only going to leave her again. Although she has not yet learned of his illness, the frankness with which she repeatedly questions him about his health suggests that a part of her, maybe her unconscious self, suspects that something is amiss with him. Her Naci wouldn’t leave his child, even to spend more time with her.
Though I don’t want Naci to die, if he must, there may be some poetic justice in having his illness help her rediscover herself: since her mother’s ‘health’ imprisoned her within that house, perhaps Naci’s illness will force her to leave that home to care for him. And, on finding herself in the role of a caretaker, once more, she may find that she still wishes to pursue some of her long forgotten and shelved dreams.
Many of their scenes together are enchanting, but their exchange at the cinema, with Naci gazing at Safiye and her responding in kind, deserves special mention. Using only their eyes, Ezgi Mola (Safiye) and Deniz Tansel Ongel (Naci) perfectly conveyed the depth of their desire and affection for each other. Bravo!
Neriman
Walking out on an exam and keying the principal’s car? Gone is the oblivious Neriman, and in her stead is a daring, albeit naive thrill seeker. Gamze, seeing the pedestal that Ege has placed Neriman upon, saw an opportunity to change “Neru” for her benefit, thinking: if the old Neriman no longer exists, then Ege would have no reason to pine for Neriman and could focus all of his attention on her. These developments were disappointing, but believable as Neriman has always admired Gamze, and by following her instructions, she is finally noticed by Emre and her other classmates. Sometimes, to transform, you have to bring things to a boil; but too much heat can cause everything to burn. I’m curious to see how far she will go before she begins to miss her old self.
Han & Inci
The most frightening part of Han’s character is how aggressive and possessive he is when he can’t play the hero. So long as Inci is gazing at him with love and wonder, he is happy to be her knight-in-shining armor. But, the moment he suspects that she is not being entirely candid with him, his entire demeanor changes for the worse. Similarly, with his sisters and father, he is happy to be the esteemed head of household, the older brother that endlessly dotes on his sisters, and hides all of their eccentricities. But, when Safiye allowed Naci to help her go outside and become reacquainted with her young self, he was angry and jealous. He seems to believe that everyone he loves should love only him, and love him best; he should be second to none in their eyes. This selfish outlook may be a result of his lonely upbringing, but it seems that it is also due in part to him never having received censure for any of his wrongdoings. These darker traits suggest that perhaps, there is a certain part of him that enables his sisters’, particularly Safiye’s, behaviors; maybe he worries that without their abnormal tendencies, they would no longer need him or love him as well as they do now. Unfortunately, this facet of his character makes him more like Hasibe and less like the loving brother and son he claims to be. He has the resources to clean out the upstairs apartment, or to force law enforcement agents to intervene, but he refuses to take that route, firmly focused on ‘protecting’ his family. When the officers do finally enter the suite, I suspect that he will have already cleaned it out. He seems to always have a ready explanation for his actions. That type of calculating behavior is deeply concerning, especially for someone like Inci, who trusts without verifying, and is very carefree. When she understands the depth of his subterfuge and premeditation, she may find that she and Han do not suit at all.
Thanks to Esra’s sleuthing, Inci has now learned more details about Han’s night escapades. There is still quite a lot that she does not know, but things are starting to come to light. The old car, the toy gun, the wig, the mannequin: each of these items made her feel uneasy; collectively, they are starting to paint a very different picture of Han than the charismatic businessman that she had met that first night in the hospital. I do hope that Inci continues to unravel the mysteries surrounding Han, and that he doesn’t continue to blind her to his behaviors. Loving an idea of the man that he is or could be, is not sufficient; for their marriage to succeed, she has to love him with full knowledge of who he is, flaws and all. Otherwise, her affection for him will wither away, just as dreams fade away a few moments after we awaken.
Gulben & Esat
This was the Gulben that we have been waiting to see! Overjoyed for Safiye, but deeply unhappy for her own sake, Gulben forces herself to stand firmly on real ground, not in a make-believe scene she had concocted. She could have let Esat see that Esra was meeting Cuneyt or could have tried to exploit her father’s mistaken belief that Esat had come to their home as a suitor for her, but no, she not only tried to prevent Esat from understanding that Cuneyt had visited Esra, but also tried to help Esat get through the fake marriage proposal to appease Hikmet Bey and allow him to move on to something else.
With her finally being herself around Esat, and mindfully telling him that she would never presume to suggest an intimacy between the two of them, he seems to be taking more notice of her. There is a refreshing honesty between these two. Esat knows that she loves him, and she knows that he doesn't love her; despite that, or perhaps because of that, he treats her with more gentleness and care than he otherwise would. He has sought her out multiple times; he offered to get rid of her 'black bag' for her; he told her that she could tell him anything. With his words and his gaze, he is starting to really see her, not merely as Han's sister, but as Gulben, a woman with a heart of gold.
*Nobody has time to stop
and see the subtle things.
They draw houses, children
and graves in the world
with broad brush strokes
and then move on.
When a song starts playing
they see the sadness
and close it.
The song
and all that is subtle
enter the night …”
[Gulten Akin, Spring]
