In Episode 4, Serkan has Eda redraw her pictures until she is able to capture the soul of the landscape design worthy of Serkan's standards for his clients. I feel that is what the fandom did with the merry team of writers of Sen Cal Kapimi, until the show recaptured the soul of the story that the fandom fell for. And this episode brought it back with aplomb, with gorgeous cinematography, witty dialogue, genuinely funny skits and a thematic progress in the #EdSer relationship under the guise of laugh out loud comedy.
With all my disappointments from last week happily forgotten, without further ado, let me dive into all the stand-out components in the story this week.
MADE IN HEAVEN
The inexplicable bond between Serkan and Eda, despite their many differences, has been a beautiful representation of how the universe can conspire to manifest realities that are simply meant to be. Over the last few episodes, we needed to see Eda's ability to put herself back into the fire after being rejected so bluntly so that we could get an episode where she's neither awkward nor a subdued version of herself when in close proximity with Serkan. They share the splendid gift of repartee through what they find amusing in each other, and cannot stop themselves from nurturing the inner feeling of contentment that comes with the indulgence in such exchanges.
And the feeling I am left with after watching them is that theirs is what true love is meant to be. One that fights, morphs, gives, takes, fulfills but can never really separate.
Even though Serkan understands the dangers of spending too much time with Eda, he cannot stop himself from seeking out opportunities to be with her or to watch over her. For him, just as all roads lead to Rome, all the branches of his soul lead to Eda. As Sabahattin Ali says in his book "Madonna In A Fur Coat", "You showed me that there is another life in the world. That I have a soul. If I could not bear it, then it is not your fault."
Nothing else makes him feel in touch with the world as she does and perhaps he's beginning to realize that the choice of living with soul remains in his hands. He doesn't resist Efe's machinations of pairing him with Eda for the renovation project, and it is endearing to watch him, once again, fall for Eda as she puts her compassionate heart into standing next to those in need.
For Eda, even though she is angry at Serkan for walking away, it is obvious that she cannot hate him at all. When Serkan seems disturbed from the collapse at the Kafescioglu residence, while others go into problem solving mode she is the only one who stays back to ask about him. This continues at the office after Emre threatens the firm with a lawsuit, and she rises to the occasion to stand next to him, ignoring the ways he tries to push her away. She expresses her faith in him and questions possible mistakes, unlike his long time partners who tacitly accept that Serkan might have made a mistake. Eda seems the only one who understands the depth of Serkan's remorse in making a mistake that can endanger lives.
VC: www.expressdizi.com
This last exchange between them is the testament to what it means to love. When the other is in need, you forget everything about your own ego, convoluted logic and needs, and you step into give what the other needs. Serkan did this in episode 16, when he stayed next to Eda all night after her accident and couldn't leave her despite his resolve to do so. Eda does it with finesse here, communicating that regardless of her misgivings about how he treated their relationship, she has no doubts about his competence as an architect. She also does this when she agrees to help his mother. This skill of compartmentalizing the various dimensions in a relationship is what helps couples weather storms. One mistake does not black out everything else with a single brush stroke.
And this is the crux of why Sen Cal Kapimi rose to the position of a stand out production. Being able to portray these subtleties through the script and the acting is a master class in cinematic experience, and certainly a throwback to the intelligence woven into the earlier episodes that captured our hearts.
COMEDY OF ERRORS
While Serkan believes that Eda may be pregnant, in addition to the comical skits, it is also beautiful to see him cluck over her like a mother hen as opposed to experiencing an existential crisis from such a possibility. If she had confirmed the news, his behavior is a precursor to how he would have stepped up to his responsibility and seek ways to mend the distance with her.
Throughout the episode, the Kerem-isms (NNEEE? What's UP?!) and his kaleidoscope of comic expressions made this show a joy to watch. Here is a compilation made with great love and just goes on to demonstrate the versatility this actor brings to his body of work where just as much as we believe in his perfectionist ways, we also believe in the ways he has changed since the unpredictable force that is Eda entered his life.
VC: @Hailz12343, twitter
Among other funny elements, we meet mini-Serkan that leads to many comical exchanges, and we meet Emre, a mirror image of anal-retentive Serkan, who tries to control every actions in his wife's mothering skills. Serkan probably sees a lot of himself in Emre and realizes how ludicrous it may seem to the outside world. We see him loosen up at the party and actually laugh with/ at Engin, which also gives Eda an insight into what Serkan can be like with others outside the context of their relationship.
On another note, we finally meet the comic duo of AySquared (Ayfer + Aydan), and I loved how they are used as tools to appreciate the many ways Eda and Serkan are perfect fits for each other. Aydan has suddenly converted to a slightly scattered, wholly idiosyncratic and completely endearing character and I love the transformation. This is well aligned with the potential I had seen in Aydan and Ayfer as mother figures; women who are enlightened but quirky, loving but protective.
WALL OF SHAME
Serkan has been rightfully suspicious of Efe from the beginning and we get more insight into that in this episode. Efe is duplicitous and manipulative but he overestimated his cleverness. His modifications of Serkan's blueprint, obviously done in cahoots with his secret investor, result in a collapse far larger than what he had planned for but it is designed to mirror what had happened to the retaining wall in Eda's parents' summer home.
Assuming that Babanne is orchestrating this scenario to expose the holding's responsibility in her son's death, the public relations nightmare it has led to is something Efe had underestimated. In addition to hurting Serkan's reputation, value of the holding will be hurt, his own reputation will be sullied from being affiliated with the holding, their portfolio of investments will become risky as clients pull their business, and the careers of other professionals affiliated with the brand will also be in jeopardy. This is a thoughtless, vengeful act that will expose Efe/ Babanne for what they are.
At some point, the truth will come to light, from both the mistakes of the past and the present, and it will only validate to Eda that her choice to stay away from Babanne was the right thing to do. Alptekin had made a genuine mistake and is looking for an opportunity to redeem himself. Serkan is paying the price of this mistake with his soul. But Babanne is knowingly using espionage to harm someone else's livelihood, her need for vengeance superseding her love for her granddaughter, who is obviously in love with Serkan for all the right reasons.
This is the conflict that will come to pass in ensuing episodes, and it will be glorious to witness Eda's soulful, righteous principles come to light as she takes on the fight for justice.
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE
Unrelated to #EdSer, but I loved the Ferit-Selin-Ceren exchange. We continue to see how good hearted Ferit really is, and how he is willing to take advice from Ceren that allows him to grow beyond his pettiness. It reminds me of the riddle that if you already have a line drawn in the sand, how do you get a longer line without touching the original one? And the answer, of course, is that you simply draw a longer one next to it. Bickering and fighting to establish dominance is a losing game for both.
Selin, unfortunately, has exposed herself as a bit of a spoilt brat, unreasonably competitive and laying the entire blame of their separation on Ferit. Bige is such a masterful performer that when she was chopping up Ferit's photos in Episode 14, the way she was flailing her arms as she cut the pictures captured a petulant woman who refuses to accept any responsibility in the debacle, still holding onto Serkan as her back up option. Her rebellious attitude towards Ferit is not fully justified, and as more people become acquainted with Ferit's affable personality, he naturally invites their friendship such that none of Engin, Serkan or Piril feel the need to take sides.
VC: www.expressdizi.com
I love that Ceren is shown as someone who knows to stand her ground with grace, and it will be good for Selin to be put in her place. Women actively choosing to undermine other women is a nasty phenomenon that should be exposed for what it is - a lack of self-confidence and self-worth. As mentioned earlier, you cannot be bigger by making someone else smaller; you need to be bigger on your own merit. I look forward to more such exchanges that demonstrate the positive ways women can grow as an individual and a professional.
UP WE GO
I am beyond delighted that the enchantment of the show permeated through every scene in this episode and I had a smile pasted on my face for most of the time, while I could still feel both Eda and Serkan struggling with being separated from each other. The cinematography is top-notch, where every frame seems pleasing to the eye, and the plot was creative and varied. I don't know what magic Ayse and her team of writers had to pull out of their hats to change the tone so drastically from what we saw last week, but it is a very welcome shift. And it reflects in the rise in ratings this week, where the numbers indicate that viewership has increased in demographics other than AB, ABC1, which are not usually reported by the ratings system.
Having attended the NATPE event hosted by MADD Entertainment earlier this week, where Sen Cal Kapimi was featured, I loved that CEO of MFYapim Asena Bulbuloglu categorized the show as a Romatic Dramedy. This is not a genre we see in the Western world but it is so appropriate for Turkish dizis, where even light-hearted shows explore flawed human emotions in ways that can take thought-provoking and dramatic turns. With the range of themes the show addresses, it is no wonder that this show appeals to a wide swathe of demographics and spectrum of maturity.
Waiting for more of the same, till we meet again.
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Mh-musings... what a great review of such an awesome episode. Brilliant performances by the gorgeous Kerem Bursin and beautiful Hande Ercel. SCK never fails to surprise us each week and I cannot wait for more! Vielen Dank...