Kan Cicekleri 195

 Episode 195 Is Gul Ok?

Quick synopsis: Firat's plan thwarted. Gul is stressed out. We see BenevolentBaran.

They are ready to knock on a door. Dilan stops him at the last second. He kisses her palm for reassurance. They knock. The woman who answers looks a little like Dilan. 

Gul is still MIA. 

Oh, but so is Firat.

He plans to make off with her.* But as he rounds the hedgerow, she is laying on the cobblestone drive. Kader is looking for her and comes running up too. Gul passed out on the driveway was not part of his plan. Firat rounds the corner with Gul in his arms just as Silah's family is leaving. Silah tries to take her but Firat pushes past with a muttered, "The engagement? Can't you see what's happening man?!" Kudret rushes them off.

Sabiha has pieced together who was in her van to drop the bracelet and what it means.

The door they knocked on was Esra Yilmaz's house, but the wrong Esra. I feel like maybe all Okan did was look in the phone book. They hear about Gul and rush home. The doctor (a woman) confirms Gul's collapse was stress related. Has she been through anything dramatic recently?

Shared looks; Kinda.

No more stress for Gul. Doctor's orders.

Hasan immediately starts talking smack, saying it's all a trick to get out of the engagement. Kudret stomps out that theory. Even Cihan is fed up. The doctor says she will be fine though. She gives Firat instructions and the prescription. He's in charge evidently. When Baran and Dilan get there, Baran starts in on him. What did he do now? Kudret takes control of the situation and explains. Firat's place has definitely been upgraded. Hasan and Azade aren't invited into the study where he lays it all out. They make plans on their own. 

Kader has changed her tune too. She laments not heeding Dilan's advice to let Gul follow her heart. That will change from now on too. Firat literally takes responsibility for all the trouble he's caused, Gul fainting included. Dilan gives him hope. Do this, follow this path only if you plan to follow through and have the courage to stick it out. 

Baran didn't know about Silah and his parents making the visit to ask for Gul's hand. He wants them to figure this crap out. Kudret is all 'slow your roll there, Baran'. You and Dilan didn't take the quick path either. And anyway, they've got this. Focus on Dilan's mom. 

Baba, you're the best.

Dilan voices her concern to Baran, that someone is forcing Gul to marry. He asks who can do such a thing. 

Gee, I don't know...the hyper prejudiced lady who terrorized Dilan for months, including burning her suitcase full of her only belongings? I know there's a lot he doesn't know about that time period, but he does know about that. There's a few things that haven't been on Baran's radar apparently. 

Okan sends a photo of her father, Hikmet. As happy as she is to have a face to the name, now she also has a face to the man that separated their family.  Baran comes up behind and puts his arms around her, covering her hands with his. They rest their heads together, turning to almost kiss. 

Kader has forgiven Gul. Firat is all in. Azade-doom is talking smack. Firat will have none of it. Leave them alone grandma. And of course, to her, it's 'challenge accepted'.

The photo of her bio dad makes Dilan wonder, does she look like him or her mom? She compares her reflection to the photo. Baran thinks she probably favors her mother. After all, that's where beauty comes from, right? A little sexist, but he's smitten and wants her to be happy. 

Dilan gives Gul the same advice she gave Firat. It's hard, but the difference now is that she's got people in her corner. Dilan, for one. 

The next morning, there's more intimate hair brushing.** Baran tries to make a move again, telling her how lucky he is to have such a magnificent, beautiful, etc. etc. wife. She's still shy though, and says thank you (again).*** And bolts to check on Gul. He narrows his eyes as her hair slips through his fingers on her way past him and I think he's remembering that one, disastrous time she also said thank you. And what it meant. How she couldn't put her feelings into words and froze. Like, if he walked up to her unbuttoning his vest as he came, she'd probably faint dead away. 

Well, really, who wouldn't?

Hanife is still on a bender about leaving. I swear, she and Azade-doom are peas in a pod.  Seyit finally says, enough. They’ll stay and help Dilan build her future. 

1. The Karabey boys talk business: the Sabiha file, why Derya took the fall for more than she actually did, bodyguards, Sabiha and Firat, Sbiha and Cevahir, Sabiha's past.

2. Cevahir wants to know why Sabiha seems distracted. Hasan breaks up their happy meeting and introduces himself to Cevahir. He also invites himself to stay when Cevahir leaves. 

Why doesn't she just kick him out?

3. Gul and Dilan visit Baran in the study. He is BenevolentBaran, which is nice to see. And thanks to Dilan, in this case. He asks Gul point-blank if his grandma (or anyone else, but she gets a specific mention) is forcing her to marry Silah. Gul denies it. I guess it does her no good to say so now? Anyway, Silah is coming and she'll tell him she made a mistake and can't marry him. So in effect, I guess no one is forcing her to marry him. Maybe too, now that her mother has said she wants only her happiness, the pressure is off. Azade-doom can do her worst and they'll just leave or whatever. 

4. Baran supports and accepts her decision. No small circumstance. And if she has a problem in the future, she goes to him. A glance at Dilan; we are always here for you.

Ya done good, Baran.

Dilan thinks so too. She walks slowly over to him, leans down, kisses him on the cheek. It's noteworthy that she instigated the contact. I think it signifies a shift. She is in awe of his compassion, how he cares for everyone. He stands up and gets to say, "So you're in awe of me?" I want that for her too, to be able to repeat his compliments back to him. To see her say, "So you think I'm magnificent?" 

Silah is pissed. He gets petty. Kudret and Firat are walking nearby. Firat sees Silah getting upset and yelling at Gul. He runs over and pushes him. Kudret tells Firat to take Gul away. He has a message for Silah. It's a frowny, fatherly, look-me-in-the-eye message: step off. Or else.

 Kudret thinks she’s scared of something, has his suspicions of what, and advises Firat, take her away and marry her.**** Firat confides to Gul that he wasn't going abroad, but was going to kidnap her. Firat is now fully under Kudret's wing. And Gul sems excited about the plan. Or at least, that it was the plan. Firat gets to profess his love again. *sigh*

Cevahir tracks Hasan down at the seaside. (He's still new-villain enough that he continues to get from-the-ground-up camera shots.) When they introduced themselves at Sabiha's, it was fake! He's in Cevahir's pocket. Don't make Siyar's mistake, Hasan. Plus, Cevahir puts in a dig about Hasan's crush on Sabiha. Poor rat.

None of the Esra Yilmazs they seek out are Dilan's mom. She wants to give up. Where's the stubborn Dilan Karabey he knows so well? She thought he didn't like it when she was stubborn? (More banter ensues.)

Sabiha shows up with the bracelet. Baran knows the significance of it to Dilan. She tells Sabiha her mom gave it to her when she was a child. Confirming Sabiha's wildest dream. Baran is watching closely.

Yelling at the tv:
*Firat is talking to a friend, telling him to bring the car around back. The guy seems nervous and Firat tells him--I kid you not--"C'mon. This isn't the first girl you've abducted. You're not going to get in trouble for this one, I swear." 

What the hell, Firat?!?

***Just once when he's complimenting her, instead of her usual, demure, shy face, I'd love to see her beam up at him, unafraid and letting him see her love shining out of her face. Just to look back stalwartly, accepting sentiments so freely given, comfortable in her own skin. Maybe that's coming. Her reticence is certainly not unreasonable on her part, considering how her entire childhood she was treated as an afterthought, or a straight-up burden.

Culturisms:

**Am I missing a cultural staple? Is brushing your lover's hair a thing? Like even back to the time of 1001 Nights? If so, I'm totally game. 

****Again, I feel like I'm missing a piece of cultural literacy about kidnapping the girl. Or maybe I'm forgetting about my Greek and Arthurian roots. Is this a common trope in the East? And maybe Firat's weird phone call to his friend is less offensive than it seemed? I mean, if Kudret condones it, encourages it even...

Teaser 196:

I think Baran got a haircut. They are back at her family's house. She's nervous. He's there for her. They are in this together.