“People where you live," the little prince said, "grow five thousand roses in one garden... yet they don't find what they're looking for...
They don't find it," I answered.
And yet what they're looking for could be found in a single rose, or a little water..."
Of course," I answered.
And the little prince added, "But eyes are blind. You have to look with the heart.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
It wasn’t a dream!!
After many frustrating conversations and misleading signals, our Robot finally worked up the courage to admit his love for the Fairy Kiz. In a long, drawn-out dance around each other, where it was so plain where their hearts truly lay, in the beautiful final scene of episode 11 we got a sunset kiss and an ‘I love you’. Glory Hallelujah.
Episode 11 lived up to the promise of being the episode where our lovers would finally coming together and also laid out the groundwork of stories yet to be told. Eda and Serkan spent the episode pining for each other, so much so that Serkan made himself sick. Eda resolved to let him go and be happy with Selin, but we know that it’s Eda herself that is his happiness. While it is inevitably going to be a very bumpy ride for them, their journey is at least starting in a place of true love.
This week, I'd like to gush just a bit more about the writing in Sen Çal Kapimi, as we continue seeing the results of an entire story being doled out to us in weekly pieces. In other words, the story holds together and there’s consistency in the narrative, and most importantly, what presented in early episodes is expanded on in further episodes.
As an example, the book that Selin gives Serkan from his father for his birthday is a copy of The Little Prince, all the audience sees is a brief look at the cover of the book in Episode 7 but in Episode 11, the story behind it is revealed. Eda reads parts of it out to Serkan and we see how it applies to their circumstances. The writers have chosen to illuminate the epic love story of the Robot and the Fairy Kiz in a variety of ways, not least of which is drawing on other literary sources to frame the Sen Çal Kapimi story around.
Previously, I've drawn parallels between SÇK and Pride and Prejudice and now the writers have given us a direct glimpse into their source material by having Eda read quotes from The Little Prince to Serkan. It speaks to a love of the craft of writing, to the love of reading and literary parallelism, and how there are not endless stories to be told only endless ways to tell them.
What this also illustrates to me is that Ayse Üner Kutlu and her team have this entire show mapped out and are able to have the episodes feed into each other. For me, this is such tight writing and so enjoyable, it is a pleasure to look backwards at episodes and be able to say, ‘Oh, that’s what that meant!’.
What I loved
Where to start….
Serkan and Eda
Serkan was frantic this episode because Eda was leaving, first Art/Life and then for Italy. He really was beside himself at this idea, even going so far as to get Engin to try and give her a job. Engin’s ‘O-HA!’ at Serkan’s suggestion that Engin offer Eda his own position was hilarious.
The scenes of Eda looking after a sick Serkan were so precious and showed the depth of her love for him. She made him tea, tucked him in, read to him and stayed with him until he fell asleep. However, it was the nightmare he had and his declaration that he wanted her to stay or take him with her wherever she goes that gave her hope that he felt as much for her as she did for him. Those hopes were dashed in the morning because Serkan didn’t remember, and caused her to leave without saying goodbye.
In those days, I didn't understand anything. I should have judged her according to her actions, not her words. She perfumed my planet and lit up my life. I should never have run away! I ought to have realized the tenderness underlying her silly pretensions. Flowers are so contradictory! But I was too young to know how to love her.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Serkan overcame his insecurities and made a decision to believe what Eda’s actions said versus what her words had told him. She had left him a note saying as much but tore it up when in the morning he didn’t remember his fevered plea to her to stay with him or let him come with her. Our sentimental idiot actually taped it back together and was carrying it in his pocket, like he carried her ring.
And not least, Serkan decided, after ditching meeting up with Selin, to chase Eda down as the taxi was taking her to the airport. He pulled her note out of his pocket and made a U-turn to go back towards her. After flagging down her taxi, he convinces her to talk and takes her suitcase out of the trunk. Did you notice her asks her if she packed ‘flip-flops’, I love snarky Serkan.
He finally says the words he should have said all along ‘Gitme, Eda’, it’s what she has been hoping to hear and what he really wants. He pulls her to him and kisses her as the sun sets into the hills across the water. *Sigh* so perfect. The star-crossed lovers have finally found their way to each other.
Eda, Ayfer and the Kizlar
Ayfer is easily my favourite mother figure in any turk dizi. She is loving, tough and vulnerable. She has instilled in Eda a strong sense of self and self-worth that has carried her through some tough years, she has also taught her to love and find love all around her. Eda’s relationship with Ayfer is wonderful and real, and Ayfer has no problem unleashing her crazy side when necessary to protect and defend her niece.
Ayfer finds out about the contract between Eda and Serkan and is both appalled and guilty. She feels as if she is to blame for Eda having to make such a deal just to be able to go back to university. No matter how much Eda tells her she isn’t responsible, Ayfer feels like she has failed her and so resorts to calling Eda’s grandmother to ask for the money to send Eda to Italy to finish university. Eda is not going to be happy when she figures this out.
Ayfer’s confrontation with Aydan put into stark relief the differences between the two women. Ayfer is furious at being lied to especially by Aydan, and Aydan continues to be condescending and rude to Ayfer. Aydan is still just mostly concerned with their social status and securing the right bride for her son, not whether or not the way they go about that is right or not. Aydan did not come out of this conversation looking very good. Ayfer is also very disappointed in Seyfi and he at least has the decency to look ashamed.
Eda confesses and apologizes to the girls about not telling them that her engagement to Serkan wasn’t real. Fifi and Melo are very angry, but they all realize that they have kept secrets and told lies. They all confess and promise to not lie to each other anymore, well, except Fifi. These women really love and support each other and I’m glad everyone is in the know now. The farewell to Eda was so sweet, I don’t know what it is about this group of characters but their relationships come across as real and sincere.
The parallel conversations between Eda and Ceren and between Serkan and Engin very much gave me a When Harry Met Sally vibe. With these conversations, Eda and Serkan are both getting to the aha moment where they realize they are not alone in their feelings. I so appreciate that characters actually talk to one another.
Seyfi calls Eda to tell her that Serkan is ill. He knows how much Serkan feels for Eda and is quite happy to work behind Aydan’s back for their benefit.
What I liked
This weird little trio of Engin, Ceren, and Piril is surprisingly mature and, although I have no idea where the writers are going with it, it isn’t too annoying yet. It helps that all three actors are interesting and appealing and so far there doesn’t seem to any hint of jealous stupidity brewing so I am cautiously optimistic for this storyline.
Engin, is the MVP this episode for giving Serkan some solid advice. He points out to Serkan how much Eda seems to care for him, the way she looks at him, how much she’s done for him; sometimes it does take someone from the outside looking in to point things out to us. Serkan keeps saying that Eda can’t wait to be rid of him, but Engin is convinced that if you look at all of Eda’s actions it proves the depth of her feelings for Serkan.
What I didn’t like
Unfortunately, there was a lot I didn’t like this episode.
First and foremost, I didn’t like that we discovered that Serkan’s father is indirectly responsible for the death of Eda’s parents in the same episode that we have the love confession. It means that we can’t bask in the good feelings as much as we should because we know there are going to be some terrible moments between the lovers when this is brought to light.
“Words are the source of misunderstandings.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Selin needs some girlfriends to talk her out of her obsession with Serkan. The very first scene has him grab Eda’s hand and stare at Selin intently as much as to say ‘this is where I want to be’. But Selin persists in her quest for him. I know that part of the blame for this lays with Eda and Aydan, but Selin has a very short memory and nothing in current Serkan’s behaviour shouts ‘I love you, Selin’. He talks to her about Ferit and says Ferit isn’t right for her but never tells her he wants her back. She really needs a friend to tell it to her straight.
Aydan was infuriating this episode. She tells Eda how much she appreciates her and that she brought Serkan back to life and helped her too, but doesn’t want her in Serkan’s life? Eda has done so much for them but Selin is still the better choice? It doesn’t make any sense unless it’s only about the birthright and ease of the relationship, Aydan is proving here that she doesn’t care about her son’s feelings or happiness only that the family stays at status quo. It’s shallow and self-serving, and paints Aydan as a very selfish woman. Also the jealousy game and bugging (literally) of Alptekin’s bedroom came off as pathetic. This character has so much potential, and we have seen some growth with her, so I am a bit surprised that they are keeping her as the snobby, status-obsessed woman she is currently.
After the conversation with Alptekin, we get the confirmation that two weeks after his brother died Serkan was shipped off to boarding school in London. Serkan’s nightmare flashback was of his father packing crying Serkan in the car to take him away from home. I can’t imagine how painful the loss of a child would be for parents, but to ship off your remaining grieving child to a school thousands of kilometres away seems unbelievably heartless. Serkan states to his father that this is why he has learned to only trust himself. I don’t know, there may have been more going on than the brief flashback showed, but the contentious relationship Serkan has with his father is unsurprising now.
What needs to happen next
Things are set up to be very contentious between Ayfer and Aydan, and she isn’t going to view Serkan very kindly either, I do look forward to a confrontation between them. Serkan is going to have to put the work in to win her over.
I’m hoping we are going to get a visit from the grandmother soon, we’ve been teased with it for long enough. The dizi twitter detectives have figured out that Eda and Ayfer’s original last name was Yildirim, which is the same as Fifi’s so there is speculation that Fifi is somehow related to them and spying for the grandmother? I’m not convinced, as I think Yildirim is a fairly common Turkish surname.
We need to learn the full story behind the death of Serkan’s brother, was it illness, accident?
I am curious, and I may curse myself later, to see what they do with the Engin, Pyril and Ceren story. I like all three characters so I’ll be pretty happy with anything except the two women fighting over the man. No thank you.
Regardless of the many things I didn’t like, this was possibly my favourite episode. How can it not be when Serkan has finally wound up his courage and tells Eda just how much he loves her. And he looks so pleased with himself after he kisses her, I can’t tell if that was scripted or if that was all Kerem, but it was funny and sweet. I know it seems trite to say, but the chemistry between Kerem and Hande really is great and the fact that the whole cast seems to get along adds to my enjoyment of the show as a whole. This being a turk dizi we know we are in for a bad time with our lovers, but I’m hoping that we get to spend a little time with the two of them happy in their love for one another, they deserve it. The doors are open now to a whole new world of possibility for them.
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“You're beautiful, but you're empty...One couldn't die for you. Of course, an ordinary passerby would think my rose looked just like you. But my rose, all on her own, is more important than all of you together, since she's the one I've watered. Since she's the one I put under glass, since she's the one I sheltered behind the screen…. Since she's the one I listened to when she complained, or when she boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing at all. Since she's my rose.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
