Caray, Caray!

ah, so the Biden/Trump debate will be "live" Tuesday replacing the novelas on the east coast but will run early on the west coast time, in which case Telemundo will fill in with a Falsa Identidad 2 "Especial".

thanks for the heads up Juanita!

 

Hija

I'll do the recap for tonight.

Nice to see you here, deb. Thanks for clearing up the scheduling.

dondi356
 

dondi, thanks.

tried watching Hija, aaa, but you guys are writing such fabulous recaps, I can't miss those.

I finished "Kuruluş:Osman / the Ottoman", every show a hard ride through the woods and a major sword fight, loved it. Here is that address again, no problems,

https://kayifamily.com/tv-show/kurulus-osman/

so, Osman was a sequel to "Dirilis Ertugrul", and some of the characters I came to love are here too, younger versions.

https://ardirilisertugrul.net/enertugrul.php

 

telemundo

Thanks, deb. I confess that I'm perplexed by Telemundo's scheduling tomorrow. It makes no sense to me to show a 2-hour special of Falsa Identidad2 on the West Coast and no telenovela on the East Coast. Then again, perhaps that's in keeping with the spirit of the times.
 

Osman & Ertugrul

deb,

I watched the first episode of Osman and I thought it was good. And as much as I love watching Burak Ozcivit, I had to put it on hold. I'm trying to finish a couple of other shows before starting another. I'm also watching two current Turkish shows that air once a week.

Others have recommended Ertugrul to me. It's currently on Netflix, all 5 seasons. I watched the first episode and it looks good too. But that would be a huge commitment like Magnificent Century and so that's on hold as well.

I'll let you know if/when I start watching.

Hope to see you back here commenting soon.

dondi356
 

Hija #20 part 1

Asu and Candan are face to face. Candan says, I didn’t know you had company. Asu says she’s not company. Cemal introduces them, saying Asu and I are childhood friends. Candan gets the signature and leaves. Asu starts, so you and Demir are after her? Do what you want with her, I don’t care. She finishes with, you don’t have any booze so bye-bye.

Oyku shows up at Ihsan’s office. He asks her where’s your dad? He asks her to sit down. Since she came alone, he supposes she didn’t talk to him. Oyku remembers that Ihsan wanted to run tests. Yes, he does. She asks him, can you do it now? She continues, maybe I’m fine now and I won’t have to tell my dad. Ihsan doesn’t think the diagnosis will change. Oyku says, ok if it doesn’t change, I’ll tell my dad.

Demir and Ugur are out walking. Demir says he needs to go to the laundromat. Ugur will go with him. No Ugur, Candan is going. Ugur laughs, oh Demir, how romantic. Demir’s phone rings. It’s Social Services. The address? Yes, I forgot. A home inspection? Uh, oh. Hold the phone, he asks Ugur for his address. Demir gives the address to Social Services and closes the call, see you tomorrow. Ok, Ugur I have to use your house for the visit. Ugur asks, what do I tell my mom?

Oyku is getting a CAT scan. She’s a little nervous. Ihsan explains the procedure. Don’t be afraid and don’t move or we’ll have to do it again. Oyku repeats stay calm, everything will be fine, don’t move. She begins to daydream that Demir and Candan are getting married. Gece is dressed for the occasion, too She imagines them happy together. Ihsan breaks into her dream, are you ok Oyku? It’s over? Yes, let’s go.

Demir meets Candan at the laundry. Demir loads a washer. I think he tried to hide his underwear from her as he put it in the machine. Now they sit and wait. Candan asks about Oyku. Demir says things are good but was he mad when Oyku took off like that. He was afraid something bad happened. Candan admits she would have been angry, too. It’s hard to lose a loved one.

Demir tells Candan that her brother had come to the hostel. She was asleep with Oyku so they went outside to talk. He told Demir what happened with Seda. She gets quiet and looks very sad. Demir says he’s sorry for fixing the bike. No, she’s glad he fixed it. She’s glad they came to her house. Candan says, you and Oyku are very important to me. You taught me to live to in the present and not to look back. She is grateful. Demir says he’s the one who should be grateful. She helped them very much. Candan plans to give the bike to Oyku. She wants to create good memories with it.

Back at Ihsan’s office, he asks Oyku if she wants juice while they wait. Then results come in. Ihsan reads and Oyku looks over his shoulder. What does it say? Oyku, it’s what we suspected. You have Niemann-Pick.

What’s going to happen now, asks Oyku? Ihsan says, you have to tell your dad. We will need to take more tests and start treatment. Oyku asks about the medicine. Is it expensive? Yes, it could be but Ihsan doesn’t want her to worry about that right now. He seems sure that Demir will be able to take care of it. Oyku tells him that her dad doesn’t have a lot of money. Ihsan insists that Oyku tell her father. He needs to come. Tell your father or I will. She says don’t tell him, I will. She leaves the office. Mu-rat spies Oyku on her way out. He does a double take. Clearly, he’s wondering why she’s there.

Asu wanders into a store. She lifts a bottle of booze. This time she gets stopped. What’s in your bag? Cut to her being put into a jail cell. I’m innocent, I tell ya!

Oyku is taking the bus. She thinks her dad won’t be able to afford the meds and he’ll do something bad. Maybe she should just go to orphanage. She’s back outside the school for dismissal time. She finds Mercan. Did Ms. Sevgi ask where I was? No. Then we didn’t get caught? No, she thought you were sick. She even announced it to the class.

dondi356

 

Hija #20 part 2

Demir picks up Oyku. He tells her that Social Services want an inspection. Demir thinks it’s best if they go to Ugur’s house and say they live there. He says if they come to the hostel, we both might end up in the orphanage. We have to lie asks oyku? Yes, and don’t open your mouth and say we have no money. Oyku asks Demir if they can spend some time together to do something different. Like fly a kite. Maybe invite Candan to go with us. No way says Demir. Candan is a busy person and I’m too old for that. So of course, in the next scene the three of them are flying the kite. Demir looks like he’s having fun.

Mufide is giving Ugur vitamins like he’s a little boy. Ugur starts the difficult conversation. Mom, we’re having guests tomorrow. Demir and his daughter. Mufide says Demir doesn’t have a daughter. He’s not even married. Wasn’t that girl his niece? Ugur spins a story how Demir was to get married but she died in a terrible accident. Mufide is shocked, how horrible. Why didn’t you tell me? Well, Demir doesn’t like to talk about it. Social Services might take her to the orphanage. Oh, no! Mufide liked that little girl. Ugur continues, Mom, we have to pretend we are the neighbors and that Demir lives here. She doesn’t want to lie but the thought of Oyku in the orphanage changes her mind. She agrees to it.

Demir drops Oyku off at school. She hugs him extra tight. You’re choking me, he says. He thinks this is strange and asks, am I going somewhere I don’t know about? No, see you later. She waits for Demir to go and then takes off.

Demir is shopping with Ugur to buy things for Oyku’s room. Ugur says Demir will need these things when he eventually gets an apartment. Ugur sees an opportunity to chat up a couple of women. He says to them, we are buying sheets for our daughter and need an opinion. This gets a strange look from the women and a comment, you are two fathers? Ah, no, he’s the father, pointing to an exasperated Demir. But we need help. One of the women makes the choice and then they quickly walk away.

Oyku is standing outside the orphanage gate. She sneaks in. She walks through the yard and there are lots of kids playing outside.

Asu is taken out of her cell. She can go; the owner dropped the charges. Cemal is there to meet her. He asks if she is ok. It wasn't easy but he convinced the owner to drop the charges. Let’s go home. We can get food if you’re hungry. How funny is this, she says. I get arrested and the only one I can call is you. Cemal responds, I’m always here, the one who left is you.

Oyku goes into the building. She wanders into the library. She thinks it’s nice. She chooses a book and drops it. A girl notices. Psst, hey are you new here? No, I’m just passing through. Why? Because I might have to live here, and I wanted to see what it’s like. The girl asks if she has parents. Oyku tells the girl, my mom died but I have a dad.

The girl tells Oyku, my mom died, too. And I have a dad, but he can’t take care of me. He’s poor. I have two siblings here as well. My dad visits sometimes. You know it’s a nice place and they take good care of us. The girl’s name is Ayse and she will show Oyku around. They need to be careful not to get caught.

Here is the dormitory. Oyku asks, you all sleep together? Who reads to you at night? Do you miss your house? Ayse says she came here when she was young and doesn’t remember much. She asks Oyku why her dad will send her to the orphanage. He doesn’t want you? Is he getting remarried? No. It’s hard for him to take care of me and it will get harder. Oyku has to decide if she wants to live here. Someone’s coming and Oyku must hide.

dondi356

 

Hija #20 part 3

A worker asks Ayse why she is there. She forgot her glasses. Go to the cafeteria now; it’s time for breakfast. Oyku wants to know how she can sneak out. Ayse tells her to go out the back, there’s a hole in the fence. They say goodbye. Oyku makes her exit from the building and finds the hole in the fence.

Demir shows up at the classroom. He needs to pick up Oyku early today for a family obligation. Huh? Ms. Sevgi doesn’t understand. She tells Demir, you called yesterday and said Oyku would be out sick. Demir asks, she didn’t come to school? Demir shoots a knowing look over to Mercan. He tells the teacher he will take care of this and he will keep her informed. Demir says Oyku won’t get away with this.

Ugur is decorating Oyku’s room. Mufide is confused. Why do we need all this stuff? He reminds her they need to show she has nice room, or they will take her. We can’t let this happen or Demir will kill himself! Oh, no! She takes this opportunity to warn Ugur if he ever shows up with a kid and he’s unmarried, she will wring his neck.

Demir is pacing outside of school waiting. Oyku comes over and he asks her how was school today. Good, the same as always. What did you study? How’s Mercan? She says, why are you asking these weird questions? Demir says, didn’t we promise not to lie? He yells. So why did you lie? So right now, tell me where you were for the last two days! Oyku is busted! Dad…

And we are out.

dondi356
 

hija

Thanks very much, dondi356, for this excellent recap. You've captured just about everything. I've got very little to add. I loved Oyku's trying to calm herself during the CAT scan by envisioning Demir and Candan getting married. I thought it was an especially good touch that even Gece had a fancy lace covering for the wedding! I'm glad you mentioned that.

Actually, I assumed (and still assume) that the other idyllic moment we see, where Demir and Oyku are together with Candan and flying a kite, is also a figment of Oyku's wishful imagination.

I wonder whether Mu-rat's seeing Oyku leaving the doctor's office at the hospital will turn out to be how Demir finds out about Oyku's illness. Mu-rat will surely mention to Candan that he saw Oyku, and perhaps Candan will mention it to Demir. In spite of Oyku's telling NSEDoctor that she'll tell Demir, I think she's unlikely to do so. And she's quite rightly worried about the expenses involved in treatment. Indeed, I'm somewhat bothered that NSEDoctor doesn't take her concern more seriously.

Ugur's relationship with his mother seems to me somewhat weird. On the one hand, he knows how to manipulate his mother to do what he wants, but at times with her he acts like a little child, not a 40-year-old man.

Where did Ugur get all the money he was spending on buying "furnishings" to make his mother's house look like Demir's? The last I'd heard, Ugur had just lost every last cent of his mother's money, and as far as I can tell, he has none of his own.
 

telemundo, hija, identidad2

deb, I just finished watching Falsa Identidad2, and at the end they announced that tomorrow would be given over to the presidential debate, and Falsa Identidad2 would resume on Wednesday. So apparently Zap2It was mistaken about there being two hours of Falsa Identidad2 on Tuesday from 9-11 pm. (I'm on the West Coast.)
 

"ENEMIGO 2" Gran Final recap from September 21st (very late, apologize):

1.) Turns out Carmen & Manuel escaped their captors at that big house by shooting them.

2.) Alejandro holds Roxana with a gun to her head & takes her to an undisclosed location, but he gets attacked from behind by one of the drug cartel lackeys.

3.) Roxana & Alejadro are held captive, watch as Dirty Cop shoots Alicia in the leg. In the meantime, both Roxana & Alejandro both have guns pointed at them.

4.) Carmen tells the folks at DF Law Enforcement HQ the situation on what's going on.

5.) Yet the incompetence of the DF Law Enforcement HQ & Co., still have no idea that Dirty Cop was the one, who whacked Commander Gomez (which Alejandro was framed for Gomez's murder).

6.) Roxana is forced to transfer $$$ to her so-called associate, who was conniving with Dirty Cop & the drug cartel lackeys.

7.) Don Jesus, who was supposedly shot dead in the middle of nowhere, was revealed to be wearing a bullet-proof vest the entire time & called his posse to pick him up.

8.) Once Don Jesus returns home, he threatens Hot Chick (who might be pregnant with what's his face's kid).

9.) Don Jesus calls his crew to plot a surprise on someone: keep an eye on that large brown trailer....

10.) Roxana's friends at the prison are still at the maximum prison for some reason.

11.) Whatever happened to Santilla ?

12.) Dirty Cop & Co., force Alejandro & Roxana to get on their knees as it appears they're going to get shot to death. Both brother & sister have some final words to say to each other. Alicia still alive, but bleeding from the gunshot wound she got earlier.

The brown trailer explodes, it's not revealed who survived or who got killed.

13.) Next scene shows a red pickup van driving out of the undisclosed warehouse, but we assume it's Roxana & Alejandro inside the van.....

 

enemigo2

Thanks for the recap, Steve. I only watched the first episode of Season 1, but gathered that it involved siblings on the opposite sides of the law. And that both protagonists were good actors.

So...from the final scene, I suppose there is meant to be a 3rd season.

 

enemigo2

Thanks, Steve for posting the final for the record. I liked season 1 but season 2 didn't grab me so I stopped watching after the first week.

novelera, the leads in Enemigo were the actors who played Monica and Chacorta in ESDLC. Both very good.

Do we really need a season 3?

dondi356
 

hija

Another terrific recap, dondi. I really appreciate you and Juanita doing the "heavy lifting".

Juanita, you're not suspending disbelief enough! I suffer from the same malady, wondering where Ugur and Demir keep coming up with money.

Another thing I wonder about is the situation with Candan and the house she sold to Mu-rat. Are we to assume she sold everything inside the house as well? And, even though Ugur and Demir were supposed to give her a low-ball figure when they visited together, that would still have been a good sum of money. She just up sticks and moves to a hostel, leaving priceless paintings behind?

I think I'd like the novela better if the Asu and Cemal parts weren't even in there. Now that he's bailed her out, I suppose he'll begin pressuring her to ask for custody of Oyku. I don't know how Turkish courts work, but it surely seems to me that Demir would retain custody. He didn't know he had a child until the kid was abandoned, so he couldn't be accused of neglect. And, since then, he's definitely tried to be her father. And Asu is clearly incapable of parenting.

I also wondered if the Mu-rat sighting could mean he'd ask NSED why she was there. And pass on this to Candan.

Another thing that was unbelievable was NSED going ahead with the scan without a parent's approval. Perhaps they don't have as many lawyers in Turkey. And he now appears to not be evil at all. Of course the plot demanded she get the scan, but he was very kind and sympathetic throughout. I didn't catch a hint of his being happy he'd get funding for research, but maybe that comes later.
 

Hija

Thanks, Juanita.

Oyku’s wedding fantasy was nice. I noticed she didn’t put herself in there with them, but she did include Gece.

I didn’t take the kite flying to be a fantasy. Oyku was bugging Demir to do it on their way home from school. They cut that scene rather short. I checked the Turkish episode and this scene was longer and they played the instrumental theme, not the Spanish song we heard.

I wonder why they changed the opening credits and inserted a Spanish language theme song. Seems out of place.

Mu-rat has been on the sidelines for a while now. Don’t know if he’s going to be a snitch but it's probably time for him make trouble for Oyku and Demir again.

I think right now Dr. Ihsan is more concerned with Oyku’s medical case rather than expenses. Most doctors I know leave the money and insurance stuff to staff anyway. We know he’s not totally heartless, but we know he thinks this case will be a feather in his cap. If Demir’s lack of money becomes an impediment, maybe Ihsan will find a way to help Demir fund the treatment.

Yes, Ugur’s relationship with his mom is weird. Ugur has a serious case of arrested development.

Juanita, I’ve wondered how Demir and Ugur get their money, too. Demir and Ugur always claim to be flat broke but they seem to have at least a few bucks in their wallets at any given time. Ugur’s mother gets a pension so she likely gives him an allowance. But Demir?

dondi356

 

falsa identidad2

I'm hanging in there for Luis Ernesto Franco. I do love him in this role. He was especially good last night interacting with the woman, whose constant presence in the church has not yet been explained, and the priest. He was willing to give himself up to Mateo's thugs to save people.

I'm not thrilled with the evil and violent nature of so many characters in the 10PM novelas. I wonder about the portrayals of dozens and dozens of loyal thugs that constantly surround the headquarters of evil heads of cartels. It seems excessive. And I get bored seeing so many of them in scene after scene. Of course, in these bad economic times, I should be glad so many get at least "walkon" roles without any lines. Do narcos really employ that many?

Azela Robinson is particularly venomous as Ramona. Mateo at least loved his son and loves his grandchildren.
 

general

Something is going to have to give soon. I find myself hooked with re-watching Alborada. It airs from noon to 2PM. Even skipping the zillions of commercials when watching, there's more of my evening gone.

But...it's so good. I looked it up. Carla Estrada is only 64. Why isn't she producing any more fabulous novelas?
 

Hija

Thanks, novelera.

Yes, we never heard about the contents of Candan’s house after she moved. No more mention of the paintings. The only thing I can think of is that she has put everything she wanted to keep into storage. She did mention she saved the bike. Does it include the paintings?

At least Social Services is making the attempt to keep in touch with Demir. Demir is clearly the better parent at this point but he doesn’t have a job, money, or a home. I don’t know if his arrests would count against him, too. Kids go into foster care if there’s no one in the family deemed capable of adequately caring for them. Don’t know what the Turkish laws say about this.

Identidad2

BTW, I feel the same way about Falsa Identidad and the offerings at 10pm. I've liked Luis Ernesto Franco since I first saw him in Camelia La Texana. I'll try to stick with this although I'll likely lag behind.

General

I am curious about Alborada. Isn't that the novela that started this blog? But like you said there's not enough time to watch it all, something's gotta give.

dondi356

 

general

Yep, Alborada was the beginning of Caray. IIRC, Melinama (Jane Peppler) began writing recaps of Amor Real on her blog, Pratie Place. I found them there.

Earlier on, some friends in my Spanish class recommended novelas for improving comprehension. I still had problems figuring things out until my co-worker from Mexico told me when a new one was beginning on Univision. That was El Privilegio de Amar. I began on my old TV with no subtitles. I taped them on a VCR (!) and watched and backed up to re-watch a lot until I got the gist. Seeing from the beginning made all the difference. I could now see who hated whom and why.

IIRC, I googled Amor Real and Jane's blog came up. Eventually she felt that the novelas were overwhelming her other blog, so she started Caray. The name comes from Tia Isabel, the protagonist's aunt in Alborada, who said "Caray! Caray!" a lot when something surprised her.

My all-time favorite is Amor Real, with Alborada a close second. I'm sorry I didn't notice its mention on Rgv Chick's page for daytime novelas sooner. The first episode sets the stage for everything that follows.
 

hija

dondi356, much of my assumption that the kite scene was Oyku's fantasy is that it was so short. I would have expected more pushback from Demir before giving in, and more focus on the actual scene if it really occurred. But if the scene is much longer in the Turkish novela, then clearly you're right.

As for the doctor's seeming unconcern about the costs of treatment for Oyku's illness, I will withhold judgment for now. But I'm afraid NSEDoctor has pushed one of my buttons. When I see financial statements about my medical treatments, I'm astonished at the enormous prices being charged, the much smaller amounts medicare approves, the even smaller amount it pays, and the usually piddling amount I wind up having to pay. So who gets billed those enormous original prices? Mostly unfortunate folks without insurance. Whether any of this is relevant to Oyku's situation remains to be seen.
 

identidad2, telemundo

Arrgh! So last night, at the end of Falsa Identidad 2, they announced that there would be no eoisode tonight, but that the novela would return on Wednesday. But guess what... at 9 pm tonight (Tuesday), there was what looks like a special edition of Falsa! Thanks a lot, Telemundo, for being so unclear and unhelpful. I am sufficiently annoyed that I have decided not to watch it.
 

falsa identidad2

Juanita, I'd be willing to bet the farm that what they're showing is a recap of what we've seen so far. In fact, I turned it on for a second, and it was the very first scene, Diego lifting Isabel in his arms right after the wedding.

I suspect tomorrow night will resume at the cliffhanger we were left with Monday night.


 

identidad2

novelera, save your farm, I think you're right. The little I saw gave me a similar impression. There were three very quick scenes--the one you mentioned, one where Fernanda was leaving a "goodbye, you'll never see me again" message, and one where Mateo was standing near his son's tomb. But how they'll fill two hours, I'm not sure. You'd think if Telemundo wanted to help people who hadn't seen the first few episodes catch up, it would have done a better job (or any job) or publicizing this. Oh well....
 

Thank you, dondi, outstanding recap with so many small nuances that I missed!

The commentary is spot on with my line of thinking--

Juanita, "I wonder whether Mu-rat's seeing Oyku leaving the doctor's office at the hospital will turn out to be how Demir finds out about Oyku's illness. " I had the same thought, but now that Demir has Oyku cornered, I am hoping she FINALLY confides in him. I think what will push her to do it is his reminder that they would keep no secrets from each other...at least I hope it does because I really want Demir to hear about Oyku's illness from her. And...

"Ugur's relationship with his mother seems to me somewhat weird." I was really taken aback when I saw him lying on her lap and being fed by her. Wow, no wonder he is such a dependent nitwit.

Novelera, "I suffer from the same malady, wondering where Ugur and Demir keep coming up with money." I'm there too! when they were at the store, I thought he was only buying the sheets and the stuffed animal, but then they showed the room and WOWSERS!! a total remodel! And...

"Another thing that was unbelievable was NSED going ahead with the scan without a parent's approval." That was really mind-boggling! I remember him telling Oyku that he couldn't run any tests without her father's consent; so QTH??

My favorite scene was Demir and Candan at the laundry, especially when they sat down and had their talk. Dondi, I recall Candan mentioning having the bike in storage and agree that everything else in the house is in storage too. What surprised me was that Candan wants to give Oyku the bike? I would think that she would be afraid of history repeating itself.

I also enjoyed the kite-flying (which I too didn't take for a fantasy) and Oyku's fantasy wedding. Gece wearing the lace cape was too cute! I also noticed that Oyku was not present in the fantasy, but then I figured she was the one who was videotaping Demir and Candan.

I was surprised that Oyku went to visit the orphanage, which actually seemed like a very nice place. This little girl is so sharp; is she thinking that by living at the orphanage, the government will pick up the costs for her meds and treatment??




 

hija

Glad you're with us on the Turkish vessel, Rgv Chick! That's an interesting thought that Oyku might think the government would pick up the tab.

I suppose I thought that, if she went to the orphanage, she would just disappear from both Demir and the doctor. And die all alone there so as not to compel her father to do dishonest things to pay for her medications.

As a child I spent a fair amount of time at my grandparents. They lived less than a mile from my parents. My grandma had a huge house with a full, finished attic. In this attic there was a window seat. I could sit on the window seat and feel as if I were in a tree house because outside the window were the leaves and branches of a large maple tree.

In that attic there were boxes of books that had been the childhood books of my father and his brothers. One that I read regularly on the window seat was Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Those of you who have read the Grimms Brothers will know how terrifying many of them are. I remember The Little Match Girl and The Girl Who Stepped on a Loaf. Little girls did not fare well in these stories.

Oyku reminds me of one of those plucky little girls, with lots of doom hanging over her head.
 

hija

I will do some sort of recap of tonight's episode.
 

hija

Rgv Chick, we're clearly on similar wave lengths. I felt very uncomfortable when Candan said she wanted to give the bike to Oyku, adding that she wanted to have some good memories from it. Perhaps I've just watched too many telenovelas, but that statement seemed a prelude to disaster. I strongly hope that I'm wrong. (I do have an overactive imagination of disaster, and so it's quite possible that all will be well in spite of my forebodings.)
 

Todo por mi hija - #21 - p 1 de 3

The episode starts where the previous one left off. Demir has asked Oyku why she skipped school, why she lied, where she's been for the last two days. We see Oyku again say "Papa...." "Well?" says Demir. Instead of an answer, the scene shifts to Cemal and Asu! Cemal asks Asu why she stole the bottle of liquor. She tells him she didn't have any money. He replies that if she helps him with Demir, he'll give her money. Asu again insists that she does not want to take Oyku from Demir. "I'd rather steal," she says. Cemal tells her in that case, she can leave. "You know where the door is."

Oyku and Demir are now at Ugur's mother's house, awaiting the arrival of the Social Service people. Demir is still very angry at Oyku, and he tells Ugur's mother not to spoil her with kindness. Mufide hugs Oyku. Ugur and Demir go into "Oyku's room" to talk. Demir informs Ugur that Oyku has skipped school for the past two days. Ugur wants to know where she went. Demir tells him he doesn't know. "What are you hiding, Oyku?" Demir says loudly enough to be heard in the next room. Mufide tells Oyku that parents yell at their children, but they love them. Ugur tells Demir to calm down. Demir says, "I do everything to make her happy, but...." Ugur assures Demir that they'll talk with Oyku about this, but not now. They leave to return to the living room. We now see that Ugur has hung the letters O Y K U on the door of "Oyku's room."

Ugur suggests that they practice in preparation for the arrival of the Social Services people. He explains again to his mother that he and she don't live here, they're neighbors. "No," says Mufide. "This is my house." Ugur urges her to pretend, for Oyku's sake. OK, for Oyku, agrees Mufide. Once again, Ugur knows exactly what to say to make his mother do what he wants.

Ugur then decides that they need to have a photo on display. Demir and Oyku are sitting at opposite ends of the sofa, both of them looking grim. Ugur urges them to move closer. Closer. Smile. Show your teeth. Say cheese. As soon as Ugur has taken the picture, Demir and Oyku move back to their respective corners and resume their grim looks. Ugur leaves to have the photo printed.

Cemal tells Asu she doesn't have to leave. Indeed, he urges her to stay. She responds, "You did me a favor, and I'm grateful, but I can't do what you want. I'll leave, I'll go back to Germany." She tells him that Istanbul brings back bad memories of "Demir, the girl, you." He doesn't want her to leave, now that he has found her again. "Hasta nunca, Cemal," she replies, and she leaves.

Ugur returns with printed photos, including a framed one of Demir and Oyku sitting next to each other and smiling. He puts it on display in the room. A few minutes later, the Social Services people arrive, a man and a woman. They look around. I was waiting for them to notice that the clothes Demir and Oyku are wearing in the photo are the same ones they're wearing now, but apparently they haven't watched enough mystery programs.
 

Todo por mi hija - #21 - p 2 de 3

After Demir gives the woman from Social Services a brief tour of the house, she and her partner question Oyku. "Are you happy with your life?" Oyku replies in a lackluster voice, "It's OK." Ugur volunteers that Oyku loves school, and, pointing, he urges Oyku to show them the present she gave to her father. "Do you mean this?" asks Oyku, picking up a "Father of the Year" trophy that Ugur seems to have bought as part of the house's new furnishings. The man from Social Services then asks Oyku, "Would you rather live here or in an orphanage?" "It doesn't matter," replies Oyku. She then adds, "If I decide to go to the orphanage, I'll let you know." Understandably, Demir seems bothered by her reply, but the man tells him "Oyku is free to decide. Let her think it over." Then the two Social Services people leave.

Demir is disheartened. "So you don't care? Why have I tried so hard?" he asks. He then leaves the house. Oyku cries, and she gets up. I thought she'd run after him, but no, she goes to "her" room and lies down on the bed.

Mu-rat is waiting for Ilsan in Ilsan's office. He notices a file on his desk with Oyku's name. Ilsan comes into the office, and Mu-rat asks him about the file. Ilsan explains that Oyku is the one with Niemann-Pick. Mu-rat asks whether Candan knows this. No, no one knows. "Oyku didn't want her father to know. I tried to contact him, but he didn't come." Mu-rat is furious that Ilsan has told no one. He threatens to kick Ilsan out of the hospital.

Demir is sitting on a bench by the water remembering Oyku's lie about the cat. "You liked again," he says to her in his mind. "You promised. What are you hiding from me, Oyku?" At that moment, his phone rings. It's Dr. Ilsan Erbil, asking him to come to the hospital ASAP. "We need to talk."

At the same time, Mu-rt calls Candan. He tells her he's coming to see her.

Cemal comes to see his friend (from the car dealership?). The friend asks Cemal why he has come. Cemal tells him he needs another favor. He urgently wants to find someone and shows the friend a piece of paper with the person's name (which I couldn't see). Apparently the person he wants to find is Asu's father. Cemal says finding him is the only way to keep Asu here.

Demir comes to see Ilsan, and Mu-rat comes to see Candan. The scenes keep alternating between the two reveals. Demir asks "Why did you want to see me?" Ilsan explains that when he examined Oyku at the hospital, he had doubts, but he didn't do anything. But they did tests, blood tests, a CAT scan. Demir looks puzzled. Ilsan tells him, "Oyku is afraid you'd abandon her if you knew the truth. She is very ill."

Candan asks Mu-rat, "She's sick?"

The doctor tells Demir about Niemann-Pick. "It's a very rare illness, afflicting only one in 150,000 people. Over time, some patients lose their memory or lose control over their fine motor skills." Demir remembers Oyku reciting the train stations, and his asking her "Are you hiding something from me?"

Demir stands up. He asks the doctor, "Are you talking about Oyku? She's only 8 years old. She's very smart. You can't be talking about Oyku." But he immediately follows this by asking "When does treatment start? What medicine does she need?" "Unfortunately," replies the doctor, "there is no treatment for this illness."

Demir returns to Ugur's mother's house. Oyku is lying in bed reciting the train stations. Demir adds the next one. They recite them together. He hugs her. (And I'm about to cry as I type this.) Oyku is crying but happy. Demir tells her, "You said everything's fine, but it's not." He keeps hugging her.
 

Todo por mi hija - #21 - p 3 de 3

Ugur's mother doesn't want Demir to scold Oyku. She offers them tea. Oyku tells her they have to go. Ugur asks if everything's OK. Yes. "OK," says Ugur, "No problem." Demir and Oyku leave, holding hands. "Are you still angry with me?" she asks. "Why didn't you tell me?" asks Demir. "What?" asks Oyku." Why did you skip school?" "I went to the orphanage." "Why?" "I wanted to know what it was like to be there." "Did you like it," asks Demir. "It was fine, I was just curious" replies Oyku. Demir remembers Oyku desperately not wanting to go to the hospital. (I found it interesting that at no point during their conversation does either of them actually say that Oyku has an illness.)

Demir tells Oyku that from now on, she is not to go anywhere without telling him, and she's not to skip school. Oyku agrees. He then decides that he should punish her for lying to him and for skipping school. However, he has no idea how to do this. "What did your aunt do to punish you?" he asks. Oyku replies that her aunt never punished her. He says perhaps he should call Mercan's mother and ask for advice. Oyku pleads with him not to do that. He then suggests that he'll call Ilayda's mother. "She's a witch. She'll have experience punishing Ilayda. Perhaps she has ilayda carrying rocks or cleaning the house. I bet she throws her to the lions."

The scene switches back to Candan. She's clearly very shaken by what Mu-rat has told her (which we don't see, since it would simply repeat what Ilsan has told Demir). Mu-rat wants to stay, but Candan tells him she needs to be alone right now. She thanks him for telling her, and she asks that he not let Demir or Oyku know that she knows. He asks why. She tells him, "I wouldn't know what to do. I don't know how to deal with it." Mu-rat points out that Candan is constantly hanging out with them. She tells him that she will try to stay away from them for a while, at least until she feels better.

Demir and Oyku are returning to the inn and are discussing a possible punishment for Oyku. She suggests she could sit still for an hour without moving. Demir tells her she wouldn't last for more than five minutes. She then proposes to stand on one foot. Demir tells her this is not the military. Her next suggestion is that she write "I will not skip school" fifty times. He dismisses this idea as well, since she could do that in two minutes, and that's not an adequate punishment. He tells her to stop this discussion and do her homework. OK, she replies. "What do you mean, OK? Were you in school today? Do you know what your homework is?" She shakes her head no. He accuses her of trying to trick him. "You take after me," he tells her, "and that's why you're smart. But you're not smarter than me. You can't fool me." "Really?" she replies. Suddenly her tone changes. Alarmed, she cries out "There's a bug on your back! It's ugly!" Demir panics. Oyku takes a pillow and starts hitting Demir's back. "Kill it, kill it!" he cries. She continues to hit his back. "Kill it, not me!" he says. She bursts out laughing. "You said I couldn't fool you," she says, triumphantly.

After a little horseplay, Demir leaves Oyku on the bed, telling her he has to go to the bathroom. Once in the room, it's clear that he simply needed to get away to think. He recalls what the doctor told him about Niemann-Pick, detail by detail. The episode ends with the camera focused on a mournful Demir, standing against the bathroom wall.
 

HIJA

Juanita, thank you for such a sensational recap of such a sad episode.

So Demir finally found out about Oyku's illness and it was mainly thanks to MuRAT pressuring NSEDoc into calling Demir ASAP! If we changed EDoc to NSEDoc, should we change MuRAT to MuNSARAT (Mu-Not-Such-A-RAT)? :-) But I still don't like MuRAT; I don't think it was his place (or even ethical) to tell Candan about Oyku. And I hate that Candan feels that she has to distance herself from Oyku for a while. Now is the time when Demir and Oyku will need her most.

I felt so sorry for Demir when NSEDoc was telling him about Oyku's illness. I think the director's did an excellent job of showing how shocked he was, yet he was connecting everything that Oyku had done (or not done) in the past to her illness; it was as if he was in a trance.

And OMGoodness, Juanita, I too want to cry as I read your scene about Demir returning to Ugur's house and reciting the train stops with Oyku. Such an emotional moment!

I too think it was odd that Demir and Oyku never mentioned her illness, but I think Demir avoided telling her that he knew. Maybe he thinks she will feel worse if she knows that he knows...and she might do something else to make sure she ends up at the orphanage??? Or maybe they think that if they don't mention the illness, things will go back to (their) normal.

 

hija

Thanks VERY much, Rgv Chick, for your perceptive, sensitive comments. I so agree with what you've said about Candan's decision to distance herself from Demir and Oyku: "Now is the time when Demir and Oyku will need her most." My guess is that she won't be able to distance herself for long, if at all.

I tend to agree with your last explanation of why Demir and Oyku never mention Oyku's illness: "Or maybe they think that if they don't mention the illness, things will go back to (their) normal." It's a strategy I'm familiar with from my own life. :-)

Now that the Big Reveal has occurred, it will be interesting to see where the writers take things.
 

hija

Such a fantastic recap, Juanita!

I was SO glad the reveal happened, even though it was very sad.

For some reason I thought Oyku knew that Demir had gone to see NSED and that her father now knew the truth. I sort of understood avoiding talking about it. What Oyku most needs is stability and the sense that her father will be with her always (for as long as always lasts for her).

And it was quite reasonable Demir going into the bathroom to give way to sorrow where Oyku could not see him. He seems intent on keeping up a brave front.

Ugur was kind of adorable in this scene. I'm over hating him! He pulled out ALL the stops to convince Social Services that Demir was a good father.

I don't quite understand Mu-RAT's motivations for telling Candan. The only thing that comes to mind is what he appears to always want: Candan all to himself and breaking the bond between Demir, Oyku and Candan. And, yes, it was unethical of him to tell Candan. But we can't be sure that Turkey has HIPAA!

I am also sad that Candan has decided upon avoidance. I suppose this is meant to reflect her trauma at the loss of her sister.

I'm now wondering if Asu has a rich father she hates. When they did the flashback to her telling Zen?? (cannot remember Turkish names) she mentioned a guy with lots of money. I assumed that she had some rich lover, but maybe it could be her somehow getting an allowance from the father. Maybe he's stopped that because of her behavior And, if he were married to someone else, this could be the reason for the orphanage.
 

Hija

Thank you very much, Juanita, for a great recap of this very emotional episode.

Wow. I don’t know where to start. Anyone who wasn’t moved by this ep must be made of stone. The scene with Ihsan dropping the bomb on Demir and then Demir kneeling beside Oyku’s bed and repeating the stops with her had me a bit teary, too. I had to watch this in again Turkish. Well done by all, in front and behind the camera. Young Beren is a fantastic actress.

I can understand Demir’s and Oyku’s reluctance to speak out loud about the situation. Bad news like that takes a while to process. Anyway, isn’t denial the first stage to acceptance?

I liked the little break from the heaviness when Oyku “killed” the bug on Demir. She looked like she had a lot of fun with that.

RGV Chick, what Mu-rat did gives me more reason to dislike him. It was appropriate for him to read the riot act to Ihsan, but then the Rat turns around and races to Candan to give her the bad news. novelera, there are privacy laws in Turkey and the Rat violated them big time. Did he think he was doing Candan a favor? I’m glad she didn’t ask him to stay.

Interesting theory about Asu's father, novelera. Maybe Asu was the result of an affair or a one nighter.

I’m interested in where this will go too, Juanita. Since this is a genetic disease, will there be DNA testing? We will find out who’s the real dad. What will Cemal and Asu do when they find out?

I’ll do the recap for tonight, but it might not be up until tomorrow morning.

dondi356