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One of the oldest ploys in scriptwriting is “idiot plotting” whereby the hero is forced to make foolish decisions to give a less clever villain plot relevance. I say this is when the intelligence of the show is brought down to the level of stupidity of the villains. Episode 17 seems a classic example of this.
We have Nisan believing Dinçer over the man who put his life on the line for her and her sister multiple times. On that belief, she finds it easy to accuse Eşref for Afra’s death, but really isn’t it Afra’s idiocy that landed her in Eşref’s world in the first place? She has judged him guilty until proven innocent and Eşref rightfully tells her that she’s willing to be everyone’s lawyer but judge and executioner when it comes to him. Nisan’s intelligence has become suspect but it can be somewhat explained by her emotional distress from Afra’s death.
Irmak, a smart, cool chic falls for the dumb Kenan’s ‘clever’ misdirection. She releases him from captivity, goes along with him in his car, and allows herself to be entrapped along with Gürdal. Was this supposed to be some sort of comedic relief? Her sassy talk and good aim seems sadly inadequate in the face of the ridiculous decisions that landed her in this predicament. I am not even going to address Müslüm’s contrived visit to the pharmacy that enables Irmak’s brainless move.
Eşref’s willingness to sacrifice himself for his loved ones and Çiğdem’s cunning are the only constants in what felt like a filler episode. She is the cat with nine lives and I look forward to watching her fall on her own sword someday. We end the episode with Eşref ready to go back to prison, even though he no longer needs to save Gürdal. Maybe he feels that his loved ones are safer with him behind bars but we know Dinçer won’t let that happen. His sadistic little heart wants to make sure Eşref suffers as much as possible and that suffering must happen at his hands.
Since his release from prison, Eşref is so busy putting out one fire after another being set by Dinçer, he has had no chance to address the biggest traitor of all time - Kadir, the degenerate who murdered his beloved Yakup Baba. It seems the pain of such a loss is forgotten. Apart from this plot hole, Eşref’s charisma remains intact throughout the various dilemmas he lands himself in. In this episode, he smoothly sidesteps the Russians, which forces a painful separation with his fıştık. How will he make sure the Russians receive their $200M for the drugs? This will be part of the intrigue next week but I hope it shows Eşref using his smart instincts to win the day.
That intelligence in Eşref has gone mostly missing in the new season, as he hurtles from one problem to the next one without getting any closer to displacing Kadir. The themes seem a little repetitive with Dinçer’s schemes, Nisan’s distrust, Eşref’s helplessness and a string of slip ups from his four buddies. I hope the next episode provides a turning point and moves the plot forward, with mindful steps towards disposing Kadir, more of their connection with the Yetimler, more of the four musketeers setting the tone of the games being played.
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Такер Карлсон — о причинах конфликта на Украине:
Мы только что проиграли войну с Россией. США вели эту войну. Военные, госдепартамент, ЦРУ и Пентагон ведут войну против России.
Это никогда не было связано с Украиной. Никого в Вашингтоне не волнует Украина. Факт в том, что эту страну засел��т выходцы из стран третьего мира. Я имею в виду Украину. Мы просто уничтожили Украину, всем плевать на нее. Это была война против России.
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As expected, Dinçer is manipulating the situation to wedge a distance between Eşref and Nisan, exploiting her vulnerability. He mistakenly thought they had collaborated in his father’s murder. Once he discovers that Eşref is unaware of Nisan’s identity as Rüya, he begins to use it to his advantage. He casts suspicion on Eşref and makes him the direct reason for Afra’s supposed murder by a disgruntled drug cartel. The reality is that Afra was indirectly killed because of Eşref’s choice to kill Dinçer’s father for his predatory actions against young Nisan. Once the full truth emerges, who will Nisan really blame?
For his part, Eşref wants to protect Nisan as she needs it. He is conflicted in his heart between his love for Nisan & his long-held desire for Rüya. Rüya is an easy scapegoat when worldly situations with Nisan begins to feel too complicated. It is the one claim that is the truth & the lie at the same time, which they both can believe. I hope the eventual reveal is a legendary reconciliation of unfulfilled love and life’s desire for itself for both of them.
Separately, Kadir is continuing in his petty life of false grandiosity. Just when one thinks he can’t sink any lower, he does. He kidnaps Gürdal to blackmail Eşref into doing his drug trade with the Russians. Eşref is not one to abandon his principles and boldly takes out the Russians with Hidir’s help. This puts a mark on Eşref’s back but since Dinçer wants Eşref all to himself, he will intervene. This will be an intriguing thread which may come back to haunt Eşref in the future.
Çiğdem’s effectiveness as a villain pales in comparison to the bigger pieces in play in Eşref’s world. Her mother, the Chief prosecutor, is suspicious of her own daughter but, with their complex history, she may end up compromising on her rigid principles to cushion Ciğdem’s inevitable fall from grace. In another parent child dynamic, we are getting hints that Hidir may be Eşref’s biological father. There might be a plot loophole here because it was suggested in S1 that Kadir brought Eşref to Yakup, but we see.
Demet steals the show in this episode in how she grieves for Afra. Her baby sister was her reason to live after the sudden death of their parents and Demet does well to portray the soul-crushing grief that comes with this loss. If she can find anything to blame, she will embrace it fully. Even if it means blaming Eşref and using that as a means to increase her self-loathing for loving such a man. She’s broken, unaware of the insidious games around her and she is now guilty about reaching for the one thing that gives her strength - Eşref. Her upcoming journey of understanding and acceptance will be worth watching as Demet’s interpretation of Nisan is fantastic.
Çağatay as Eşref is creating a heroic legend. His expressions as he takes on his opponents are curated perfectly. His wet eyes when Kadir places his ultimatum for Gürdal captures not just his anger but his sadness that a brother in arms has sunk so low. With the Russian, he is impenetrable; with Çiğdem, he is dismissive; with Dinçer he is instinctively testy. With his loved ones, he’s soft and affable. All of these could have been a one-note expression, but Çağatay’s interpretation brings the layers of Eşref to life. Kudos to the lead pair.
The strong performances and an overall superior production value make it a compelling watch. The way the visual narrative has unfolded thus far, Uluç Bey is masterful. From his turn in İçerde and now this, I find his storytelling is always underscored by a grandiosity that makes each of the scenes with dramatic conflicts linger with the audience long after the curtain drops. It reeks of the pace and energy of Hollywood mafia movies from their peak in the 90s. Tebrikler to the whole team!
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Ferman (Çağatay Ulusoy) bir görev adamı; soğukkanlılığıyla tanınan, profesyonel bir ajan. Saye (Elçin Sangu) ise geçmişine gömülmüş, gizemli ve duvarlarla çevrili bir kadın. Farklı noktalardan aynı karanlığa sürüklenen ikili, karşılaştıklarında sadece planlarını değil, iç dünyalarını da sarsıyor. Film, aksiyon sahnelerinin ötesinde Ferman’ın disiplinli yapısı ile Saye’nin duygusal zırhı arasındaki çelişkiyi ve Ferman’ın geçmiş travmalarının ilişkilerini nasıl etkilediğini gözler önüne seriyor. Bu karşılaşma, sadece bir ajanlık hikâyesi değil; hayatta kalmakla hayatta kalmayı hak etmek arasındaki çizgiyi sorgulayan bir anlatı sunuyor. Ferit Kaya, Barış Falay, Tamer Levent, Cengiz Bozkurt, Musa Uzunlar ve Hüseyin Avni Danyal gibi yıldız oyuncuların derin karakterleriyle desteklenen Uykucu, klasik ajan filmlerinin ötesinde, duygusal bağlar, içsel mücadeleler ve geçmişle yüzleşmeyi merkezine alıyor. Hem temposu hem de alt metniyle yılın en iddialı yerli yapımlarından biri olarak öne çıkıyor. #Uykucu, 29 Ekim’de sinemalarda!
#ÇağatayUlusoy looks extraordinary! Can you believe what this actor is capable of? What an amazing transformation he achieved for the role of #Ferman in #Uykucu, considering that he had only recently finished filming the first season of #EşrefRuya?