Kan Cicekleri 210 Dilan Knows

Quick synopsis: Baran's edict. Sabiha spills. A couple of revelations.

Dilan sees Sabiha's half of the medallion. She remembers what Seyit told her. Shows Sabiha the 1/2 that she wears. Baran is done with his phone call and is now very concerned with what is happening. They both put their halves away right quick. Neither seems inclined to divulge the news just yet. All he knows is that Sabiha upset Dilan. Again. And he's not having it.

Also, he's in blue. It looks good. Bit like a sailor.

He knows something is wrong but Dilan won't say what. He has observed that whenever she and Sabiha are together, she comes away unbalanced, a little off kilter. What upsets her, upsets him. Ever the bulldog, is our Baran.

Azade interrupts Kader from talking to Gul about the very expensive necklace.

Dilan is reeling. She can't quite believe this woman has her mom's necklace. She pulls out the photo. The necklaces are the same. The woman could be Sabiha. She's still disbelieving.

Kudret wants the anomosity between Baran and Firat resolved. In typical Baba-Kudret fashion, he talks them up, calling them brave, able to do what the past couldn't, be the hope for the family's future. And of course, both of them are changed by the women tehy love. Who are friends already. Who led the way for them. 

Talk it out, Karaboys, he insists. 

Firat just wants to feel like a real Kara-boy. Baran says he can't be one, and then go behind their backs.. That's the opposite of being a Karabey.

(Better not tell them about the wedding, eh?)

They are only stronger together. His play for power could have lost them all their power.

Sabiha is bummed. Dilan knows and she saw only disappointment in her face. Maybe it would be better to say that Esra gave it to her.

Cevahir was apprehended for smuggling! However, it may serve only to make him more dangerous than to keep him locked up. Implication? Keeping Dilan's secret has become more complicated.

Baran has called a fmaily meeting. Hasan is pouting. Everyone overlooks it. Baran's announcement is that he sent Seyit and Hanife away to protect them. Azade protests. And it's kind of a big deal that the head of the family was interrupted. Also, the Demir's who stayed--they're off limits too. Hasan committed the betrayal; Baran is the conscience of the family. Hasan stays, but:

He never speaks to the Demirs

He leaves Dilan the hell alone

His profits from the family company go to the orphanage from now on.

Even Firat, is like, sorry dude, nothing I can do. Hasan only becomes more resolved in his villainy.

Dilan is convinced that Sabiha is playing a trick with the medallion. She overhears Cihan and Baran discussing Sabiha's dubious past and change in names. She wants to tell them her suspicion but that old haunting feeling that he'll somehow get hurt again stops her. 

Instead she pays a visit to Sabhia while Baran is at the office. Her intention is thwart any plan Sabiha has, but then she sees the box of similar mementos, the matching pieces to her own.

I don't believe it; Sabiha omes clean! She was going to deny it, save Dilan's unblemished idea of her mom, but she spills it all.

Suddenly faced with the possibility that this isn't a ploy, that Sabiha is really her mom, all the awful things she did to her make no sense.

Of course, she didn't know it at the time. And she lamented kind of a lot when she realized. Enough that I started skipping those parts. (Sorry Sabiha.)

But apparently that apprehension was warranted. Cause Dilan is not having it. Sabiha tried to kill her. Baran too! She still considers her mom dead.

I feel for them both. It's an O. Henry twist for sure.

Gul and Firat are able to steal more moments together. Firat continues to be darn cute in the face of her fears. #loveytoad.

Baran is wondering how many more times she's going to do this to herself, and he'll find her devasatated outside Sabiha's house. 

That's a fair quesiton.
Also fair, her pointing out that he's yelling at her. Again.

He's just trying to protect her! is his excuse.

B, lemme introduce you to someone named Tamlin. Take a different approach, bruh.

Oh geez. Then he goes and brings up the months she was gone. The terrible time after. So he's not entirely misguided with his crankiness.

She relents. She'll share, but she she needs time. Don't be mad.

A milstone for sure.

Turgut (who shot Baran) is being watched; his capture is imminent.

Cihan breaks the news to them that Cevahir is in custody for smuggling. It's high profile, all over the news. And they just signed the deal with him.

(Oooh, was this Cevahir's plan all along? He's smug enough to plan it, get out of it eventually, but not before bringing trouble down on the Karabey name.)

Dilan confides in Gul, which I love, but before Baran, which could be weird. I mean, they tight now, right? She just needed time, right?

Well, there is the whole she-wanted-Baran-dead part, and Gul knew Sabiha was forcing her to break his heart. So I guess it makes sense that would test the waters with Gul first.

Oh! But who should walk up just then? Mommy Dearest.

If Baran sees her, he is going to lose it. Added to that, she is talking to Sabiha again, and before confiding in him.

They spent a looong time on Cevriye's cousin finding the house (she's coming for a visit) but now it makes sense: Harun, of all people, saves her from getting run over. It's very heroic.

Baran does see them. 

Aaaaand,,,just watches from a distance. He finally approaches, frowny but slow, coming up next to Dilan, instead of inserting himself between them. 

Why is she here? She's worried about Dilan.

She shouldn't be. She has no claim on their time, is not family. And there it is. This woman has no right to worry.

Who gets to worry about you is a big deal.

Kader has Gul's necklace. And she's mad. It's really expensive. Where'd she get it? 

Firat comes in. "I gave it to her," with echoes.

Sabiha leaves and Cihan reveals some surprising news: Sabiha--the one they have been researching--died. The Sabiha who just left is using a dead woman's identity. Baran gets echoes too when he asks, "Who is this Sabiha?"

Culturisms: I love that there's still just random dogs everywhere.

Teaser 211:

Baran says they need a night out. Blink. Blink. 

Plus, there's more easy husband type smooches when they part ways now.

Kan Cicekleri 208

Episode 208 Dilan Faces The Music

Quick Synopsis: Hasan has really done it (this time). Cevriye's loss. Havin's gain.

There has been a shootout at the Demir's. Baran is done with this nonsense, how it messes with their lives. Hasan is drinking coffee, relaxing after a job well done.

We're still not sure how everything ended. But here comes Baran in a slow walk around the corner. And he's got Hasan in his sight. Pretty soon the whole family is there, watching Baran hold his uncle by fistfuls of his shirt. Hasan feigns innocence. 

Really, my dude? We saw you there.

Kudret asks Dilan what happened.

Firat starts to intervene; Kudret backs him off.

Baran is fired UP y'all.

Azade-doom steps between the 2 men. 

Dilan speaks up. There's been bloodshed. Cevriye lost one of the babies in the terror of the shootout. We've missed the time from the initial gunshots through a hospital visit. Maybe they'll flashback like they sometimes do.

Kudret is shaking with rage.

Azade sticks to her guns (yeah, I know). The family was fooled. That's why Hasan did what he did. 

Hasan has big, round, puppy dog eyes. It's so gross.

Dilan brings it to a point: Did that baby's death abate your honor? It's a damning phrase.

And to boot, Dilan does what she always does: speak to similarities between people in an effort to create empathy and understanding. Azade is a mother too. She caused this for another mother. 

Everyone is moved. Kudret is fit to be tied. Dilan starts to falter and Baran's attention snaps back to her. He will meet out punishment later.

Azade gives Hasan a look like, I can't save you this time.

Kudret hauls off and smacks him! Like, a really big whack! It's lightning fast. And he's about to do it again when Azade begs him to stop. Hasan slinks away and as he passes each person, they all turn their faces away, one by one: Kudret, Azade, Cihan, Firat.*

Baran pulls Dilan  into a hug when he goes upstairs. Poor Cevriye. This isn't the first time, and it doesn't really matter who's at fault. It just sucks for her, over and over again. She's the real victim and the rest is just crap.They lost only 1 baby (of the twins) but it doesn't really matter. They owe this woman, all of them.

Baran is worried for Dilan and her family. He will make the culprits pay. Sabiha tries to call her but Dilan brushes her off. She'll go to the mansion. She directs Havin to find out everything about Cevahir's shipment.

Now Azade slaps Hasan. Hard. To be clear, she's pissed it wasn't Seyit and was a baby instead. The killing was never the problem. Baran was furious, she tells him. Hasan had better be careful.

The Karabey boys all agree: Hasan was in the wrong and deserves whatever is coming to him. 

Even Firat is freaking out about his dad. Gul says it best: the whole freaking lot of you are unbelievable. It's a bit of a wakeup call for Firat. He's followed in his father's footsteps so many times. He and Gul share a very sweet moment in re-pledging to do right by each other.

Dilan's family blames her...for letting the secret out that she was adopted and prompting the attack.** But she wants to see them anyway. Even if they yell and tell her to get lost again. They set out to leave but meet Sabiha in the driveway. Baran's not happy about it, but he'll wait in the car. Dilan relays the who and what of the situation. 

Azade gets a visit from Ahmet. They both stand with their canes. Of course he proverbs the hell out of the circumstance, specifically mentioning a time when--even if it's your due, forgoing it and offering forgiveness is preferable. Even mature. Forgiving at the height of your power is the highest power move you can make.

Bam! Ahmet needs no stick to bang, y'all.

Azade-doom is a thoughtful cobra as he melts away, back to where he appeared from.

Dilan will face Cevriye.

A word: all of this shooting and vendetta and dudes plotting, and we get to the poignant moment and it's two women. Like I said, they all owe Cevriye, but it's Dilan who steps forward to pay the piper.

Who run the world?

For my part, Hanife can stuff it. She is more to blame than anyone. Cevriye ushers Dilan in. Baran sits with Seyit. Seyit blames Hasan, not Baran. He calls Hasan a murderer. That gets Baran's attention. Seyit brushes it off. Baran makes it clear; Hasan is his to deal with. It's a Karabey issue now.

Cevriye is the embodiment of the lesson: she won't seek revenge for her dead child at the expense of the one that still lives. They have put their entire dilemma in her; she is the physical manifestation of a vendetta. She contains multitudes. She's like the fool in a Shakespeare play who speaks truth at crucial moments but has no power to wield.

Havin finds the shipment manifest but Cevahir and his goon are on the way back. A phone call as they open the door is her saving grace. She escapes undetected.

The skinny on Cevahir is that he and his dad smuggled antiques. Even been arrested a couple of times but someone else always took the fall. (Seems to be a habit of his, having others take the blame.)  But the photos Havin took of the manifests...now they have proof. Sabiha isn't the least bit surprised.

Neither are we.

Kader finds a copy of Gul's marriage license photo in one of Firat's drawers. The earrings Gul is wearing in the photo give her away.The photo is recent. Kader wants to know why she had it taken.

The Karabeys are all lounging in the living room when the couple gets back from the Demirs. Hasan is ordered to move out. Baran banishes him to Mardin. Immediately.

Bye bye, rat.

I bet Cevahir takes him in.

No one speaks on his behalf as he says goodbye. They all go inside. No one sees Seyit with the gun. Until they all file back out. Dilan shouts at him. Baran yells to stop. Firat rushes forward and pulls his gun on Seyit. Kuret yells at Firat to stop. Dilan yells for the bloodshed to stop. Baran steps in front of Firat. Firat lowers his gun. Baran then steps directly in front of Seyit's gun. Kudret implores Seyit...they talked about this. Drop the weapon.

Baran edges closer.

Seyit fires.

Culturisms:

* Is the turning away of your face a typical, known insult in the Middle East? Or just in dizi?

The style of Sabiha's house is better than the Karabey's. Less ostentatious. Less gold. Is that betraying a prejudice for English style rather than the sultanesque aesthetic the Karabeys might be trying to evoke? Or, just a cultural difference in style in general?

Yelling at the tv:
**The blame they put on her is bollocks, of course. They gave her up, instead of one of their own kids. In so much as the vendetta makes sense at all, they've brought the wrath on themselves with that choice.

Kan Cicekleri 206

 Episode 206 Everyone Knows

Quick synopsis: The family finds out. Gul is not happy. Buy the shares already.

Cihan wants to take a photo of them all together at breakfast. Hasan uses it as an opportunity to out Dilan as adopted, in his not-subtle yet off-handed way, thereby lighting a powder keg.

Azade-doom goes boom.

Cihan puts his head in his hand like 'oh boy, here we go'. Kudret is pissed and scowling. Baran has hold of Dilan's hand and looks like he's about to throw Hasan out the house.

Hasan elaborates.  The Demirs tricked the great Karabey family. vy vy vy

Azade asks (yells) if this is true, that they took some rando girl into their home.

Oh, but there's more.

Hasan knows just whose daughter she actually is: Hikmet's. 

Sabiha picks that moment to phone Dilan. She's not picking up. (Obvi.) Sabiha decides she will go to the mansion.

No, she won't. Cevahir chose that moment to pay her a visit. 

Hasan keeps going: Hikmet covered up Seyit's crime. That's whose daughter they have.

Kudret is the first to break. He slams his fists on the table and tells Hasan to Shut. Up.

Dilan would pull her hand away but Baran holds it tight.

Azade-doom is going to kill them, the people who tricked them. The way she is yelling, I bet she wishes she had her cane.

Baran lays down the law: No, and no. To any of it.

Ope! She does have her cane. Bang. Bang. And she drops the wedding day bomb:

Didn't Dilan run away on her wedding day to get her revenge and play us all?

(What a cluster f---.)

Kudret, Firat...everyone but Cihan and Baran look surprised.

Baran finally pulls his hand from hers to to jump up and bang on the table. Now everyone is on their feet.

Whew boy.

Cevahir makes himself at home at Sabiha's house. He did not hear any of Sabiha's conversation with Havin about Dilan. He does want to know if his edict was followed. Did she buy Firat's shares yet? She promises to before he gets murderous.

Baran grabs Dilan's hand again almost immediately. And pulls her behind him, shielding her. More yelling. Dilan finally goes upstairs. Kudret gives a nod to Baran. Go. He'll handle things down here.  Firat and Gul split too. Firat also sees it as trickery. Gul brings perspective. She has only sympathy.

Dilan gets big hugs and comfort from Baran.

The problem is that the vendetta is what drives Azade's life. And Dilan has slowly been chipping that away. First with the marriage, then remembering Ayten less morbidly, Kudret getting better...all these things--though she may be happy about some of them--they incrementally undo her identity. Without that vengeful fire in her belly, what does she have?

Firat is outside when Sabiha walks up. Wearing a blue dress and with her hair down. She tries to convince Firat he can pay his part of their partnership, the one that is much more beneficial to him than her, with his shares. 

I wondered how she was going to broach the sale.

Nope. No deal. 

Dilan walks out and Sabiha calls to her but she doesn't hear. Does she have a problem? she asks Firat.

Oh lady...

Just family stuff, Firat answers.

Baran has come back down. And he has questions:

1. Why did you do that?

2. You don't share stuff like that at the breakfast table, don't you know that? Aren't you supposed to be an elder? (That one cuts.)

3. What's your purpose?

4. Are you acting alone?

5. Why didn't you talk to me? I stayed quiet for a reason. Did you think of that?

He is vibrating with fury.

Hasan gets a call from Cevahir. They need to meet.

Kader checks in on Dilan. She's the mom again. 

Gul confides to Firat that she doesn't like Sabiha. He wants to know, is there something Gul knows that he doesn't? It means something to him, his wife's opinion. He won't forget it.

The Karabey boys are worried about the trouble Hasan and Azade could stir up. Cihan is in charge of sending some guys to watch over the Demirs.

Cevahir is really antsy for Firat's shares. He is supposed to buy them off Sabiha after she gets them from Firat. (Good lord, people.) He doesn't have much time. (That's a curious new timetable.) But Sabiha, rather than being intimidated, takes this as a sign that she needs to be rid of Cevahir sooner than she'd planned. He must have a secret they can exploit. Havin will find out.

She has a good point. Now I want to know too. What is with that guy?

Kudret finally gets the full truth about Dilan being kidnapped and saying she left instead, all to protect Baran. He understands now why Baran is distrustful of Sabiha. 

Cihan is also in charge of Kerem's computer and getting the Sabiha dossier. He's really coming up.

When the guys are finished, Baran comforts Dilan some more.*

Hasan and Cevahir have a meeting too. They are moving ahead with a shipment, whether or not it meets Baran's high ethical standards for doing business.

Havin has been listening 2 tables away. That's what Cevahir gets for working en plein air. Go get 'em, weird girl.

Seyit and Kudret have a meeting. They discuss the bodyguards and Dilan; is she ok? Kudret calls him off with a weirdly snarky, "No one will touch her while Baran is alive."

(I have questions. Like, why specifically mention 'Baran' and 'alive' in the same sentence?)

Seyit feels like the longer they keep Hasan's secret, the more his evil grows. He wants to tell. Kudret says no. If he does, Kudret will deny it.**

Hasan is back in time to witness them talking. So does Azade-doom. He pushes the idea of taking out Seyit for tricking them. His gamble on saving face as a motive backfires though. Azade forbids him from making their humiliation known to the wider world. She is especially hissy and cobra-like. For realz. It's practically Parsel-tongue. Outside this edict though, he has free reign. i.e. Seyit is going down.

Firat and Gul have a secret meeting. He is waxing poetic on what they'll be able to do once everyone knows they are married. It's very cute.

Kader overhears everything.

Hasan fills Azade in on his plan. No one will trace the hit back to them...yadda yadda. They are on the patio discussing their nefarism. 

(Why are these people always out in the most obvious spaces?)

Azade-doom takes a Hammurabli approach: since we were surprised by her adoption, this will be our surprise for her! Their evil banter is overlay for the couple gazing lovingly, unshakably, at each other.

Yelling at the tv:

*There's a new, covered swing on the Karabey patio. Dilan uses it when remembering the fiasco that was breakfast.

**This is huge for him. Imagine Kudret and Ayten had as great a love as Baran and Dilan. By all accounts, accurate. And instead of telling the world what a rat his brother is, he will deny the truth in favor of coming full circle. They need all the facts, these men, and though it has to be killing him, Kudret won't sacrifice a just conclusion.

They must have dyed Baran’s hair again. It's matte dark.

Kan Cicekleri 203

 Episode 203 An Emiroglu Reveal

Quick synopsis: Firat’s got shares. The medallion is seen. Nevin is found. 

Nevin Ucarz is the woman who gave Dilan's bio mom a job. They'll visit her later.

But right now, Dilan walks her father out after his visit. Baran goes to follow but Kudret stops him. They need to talk alone, let them.

Dilan finally confronts her dad about why they gave her up for the vendetta. Maybe she'll understand what they did when she's a mom too, but they will never understand her.

Damn Dilan, with these good points.

Hanife gave her up easily but she trusted her dad so his betrayal hurts the most. He gets the stink eye from Baran when he leaves.

Baran, who is her only peace.

Sabiha is still really upset with herself for being so rotten to Dilan. Havin reminds her not to be too hard on herself, that she had all her loved ones ripped from her; that she was enraged. It only serves to drive home the point though that this is also exactly what she did to Dilan. Why would Dilan welcome Sabiha as her mother after begging to know if Baran and her family were shot, only to be ignored? 

Sabiha has been the instrument of her own worst fears.

Firat stands up to Azade. He's kinda done with all of it. She bangs her cane at being thwarted.

But he's basically still a big kid, so Gul knows something is up, though she desn't know what, or about the shares.

They are on the way to see Nevin. They are trying to have a quick sandwich first, but Baran is worried she's too excited to eat. So he's basically holding the sandwich up for her, like a toddler. Oi. She also takes miniscule, dainty bites. Girl, eat your food. Double Oi.

Baran has found out Derya sold her shares. To Firat.

Enter Firat. And Hasan the rat. Firat is smug. Baran is mad. Sure Firat has the shares, but what does Derya get out of this? What was he thinking?  Derya's gain vs. the shares being in enemy hands...they are equally dangerous. It seems like the boys are almost on equal footing, with the exception being that Baran is the head of the family. But both their points are valid. This could be an opportunity to forge a closer relationship. Baran, babe, calm down.

Cihan perfects his Karabey scowl throughout.

Gul learns the truth. Firat brushes it off. After he leaves, she gives a small teeth-suck. (Yes, Gul!) She's back in detective mode.

Baran bursts into the bedroom livid and slamming things. Dilan does her best to reason out the situation. Maybe Firat felt ignored and thought this would give him a voice. But top of mind for Baran is always that Derya is Kerem's killer. And that smarts. She reminds him that Firat is not his enemy. What else can she do?

Nothing. She's all he needs, just her presence. Kiss on the cheek.

Cihan becomes Baran's emissary. Firat, why bro? But he remains unrepentant. Don't they see that he did them a favor? Derya is out of their lives, finally! I suspect he also feels some guilt over having drawn her back into their lives in the first place when he almost married her. And he makes a good point: they immediately distrusted him. Instead of saying that he was a Karabey and must have known what he was doing. (Which is a legit accusation.)

It's the lack of consultation, the acting alone that they find distrustful. Still...

Baran's fears are not unfounded; Cevahir instructs Sabiha to buy Firat's shares. So he can then buy them off her. She puts him off. He is a sexist creep who complains how it's hard to do business with women and who is she to have the nerve to question him?*

Oh Sweetie. We all have questions about you.

Sabiha can stand it no longer; she goes to the mansion to see Dilan. She meets Ahmet in the driveway. (A redeeming characteristic, to have a consult with Ahmet. Interesting...)

His advice is basically that she's worthy, what the heart knows but doesn't tell is a burden. In other words, tell her you're her mother.

She tries, but they have a misunderstanding about the medallion. She interprets Dilan's story about how she got the medallion to mean that she loves her adoptive parents so very much. It puts her off her plan.

Firat finds Gul in the garden and is excited to have his wife to himself. Not so fast, my toad. A word. She appeals to his pride. Tell me husband, tell your wife what you're hiding.** He overreacts at her insistence. Not cool my dude. Which he realizes almost as soon as he does it, the big goober.

The Nevin woman comes to the mansion to talk to them. She's obsessed with the house and how rich they are.*** It's weird and maybe she's angling for payment for info. Or reimbursement for what she did all those years ago. I'm not sure. Mr. Emirogul owned the hospital where she worked and always treated her kindly. 

Oooooh. Now this is a name they know. It's Sabiha's last name.

They think maybe Esra worked at Sabiha's hospital. 

(I'm dying over here.)

Just after Sabiha decides not to tell Dilan because it could cause a rift in her wonderful relationship with her adoptive parents (and kudos to her for that consideration, however misplaced) Dilan and Baran show up at her door. They are looking for Esra Yilmaz. Can she help? 

(Literally dying.)

FrownyBaran looks on as Dilan is hopeful.

Yelling at the tv:
* It's nice to see the blatantly chauvinistic attitude be associated with the villain. As it should be.

**For the record, Gul is going to be a tough mom to get things past. On the other hand, the kids could be charmers like their father and slip right on by.

***She notices the pool outside. Oh, how lucky! They must be in it all summer! 

Ha! Fat chance. They never use it. Not to push someone in, like a villain creating a ruckus; not themselves; not even as a conversation about having been swimming even though we never see it. Nada.

Derya was right, that is a tiny room. After seeing Kudret's even, with his couch, this is pretty small.

Teaser 204: Sabiha is holding Dulan's hands as they both cry. The medallion comes up again. Dilan (and I know this is the translation, but....) wants her help and asks her to undo her shackles. Mind blown. Sabiha is about to tell her when Baran walks around the corner.

Kan Cicekleri 202

 Episode 202 A Closer Couple

Quick synopsis: Waiting on test results. Firat gets some shares. The intentional slow burn.

The hospital lists didn't pan out any info on Dilan's mom. She is feeling forlorn. But Baran gave his word, they'll find her. There's no giving up.*

Gul was this close to her mom discovering her marriage certificate in her bag. She and Firat disagree about telling everyone the news. They're pretty cute about it though.

It's pretty convenient for Sabiha that she owns a hospital. She took that sample of Dilan's DNA (from the teacup) straight to a lab there. Now, we wait.

Baran has cancelled his meetings. His work today is loving his wife. (Awww.) He is really liking being able to grab her around the waist and pull her into him. He tells her to get ready; they're going out. And when she questions it, and he says, "Just do as I say", it's with a wink. WinkyBaran!

The best by far.

Derya says she'll sell her shares to Firat. Firat is not so trusting. Hasan wants him to be a rat and use them against Baran. (If he did get them, it would be a solution to a huge headache for the Karabey family, and a way to prove his good intentions to Baran and Kudret.)

Cevahir has some weird rules about being diabolical. He imparts them to his henchman Sair. While throwing bits of bread to (at?) seagulls. Like he's an old man, sharing wisdom. 

He is no member of the Mage Club. #weirdhobbies

His meeting with Baran was one of those that got rescheduled today. Last minute. He takes the news well enough; the glove remains calm.

Oh no...Dilan can't get the clasp on her necklace to catch...what to do... Enter Baran. The clasping isn't unusual but the aftermath is a very intimate affair. There's this slow process that keeps happening, that's even more sensual than an almost kiss. The moments are all still almost kisses, but this process breaks it down to the tiny fundamentals of getting from here to there. He'll kiss her temple, say, and then she turns just a bit and we have the almost kiss. Then we get the moments of closer:

He'll nuzzle her cheek and she'll turn more

He'll press closer to her cheek so it's evident he's ready for more

It gives her a chance to decide to try a little too

She'll turn to face him and he keeps his mouth so close, brushing her face but not kissing

He'll move in closer as they face each other, and wait

He might lean infinitesimally toward her but still wait for her to make the final contact

She's still shy or unsure, so in the end, he keeps waiting as she scoots away to fiddle with something else. 

And it's still an almost kiss but of a very different kind. I think they are still playing it up and we will eventually see them smooch.

He always rejoins her escape with a loving comment or tells her a detail or a story of how his parents showed their love in quiet ways. I think it's to help make her feel like he sees her love for him, even if she is still shy. This time it's how his mom would iron his dad's shirt and wouldn't let anyone else do it. "You're just like my mom," he'll say. 

And holy carp y'all--look how far we've come.

He tries again, this time while holding her head in his hands after a forehead kiss. He's actually leaning down to close the distance...no dice. They have to hurry, they'll be late.

But as he changes his shirt, he buttons it up unevenly. Oh here, let her, she'll do it.

Ladies and gents, she's unbuttoning his shirt! I don't think Baran breathes. Or if he does, they're sharing air. He's that close. Their noses are overlapping.

See what I mean?!? By. Degrees.

The next time we see them, they are at the beach, confessing how they each fell in love with the other, but the other one never knew it. I didn't realize how much I wanted these revelations. The falling is the best part. It falls a little short because it's all, "...when I first saw you..." that we see from the opening credits. Almost ignoring all the torture she went through. 

Am I holding a grudge? Maybe. A little more "I loved you whens" would go a long way though.

Baran comes thru.

Hasan keeps pushing at Firat to accept the shares off Derya. And he's hit upon the one thing Firat wants: not power over Baran but a well regarded reputation in the family. If he gets in good with Baran, the news of the marriage will be better received. And backed up. Which will also mean relief for Gul, his ultimate goal. Doing anything his father wants is a hard pill though.

Sabiha is coming to grips with having chained Dilan, her real daughter, and kept her prisoner. I did wonder about that.

The lovebirds sleep in each other's arms and when they wake up, Dilan goes to get out of bed but Baran pulls her back. Don't get up yet. 

An almost kiss paired with his phone ringing. Baran ignores it! He's still going in...

Dilan insists. The phone, Baran.

Ooof. It's Cevahir. Should have stuck to the kiss.

He's still smarting from the last minute cancellation.Oh well. When Baran gets off the phone, Dilan again makes to get up. He pulls her back a 2nd time! Where are you going? Don't go. No buts. Almost kiss and Dilan starts babbling excuses.

The gimmick is good, don't get me wrong. But I'm starting to wonder: what's it going to take for her to feel comfortable?

Cuz I'm comfortable. They could do this anytime.

We may have our answer, and If I'm right, it's a good one.

When they are getting ready, side by side, morning bathroom routine, she dabs lotion on his cheek. He stills. Wipes it away. Then she dabs some more. Then a tiny splash of water. Then hands full of it. Finally he retaliates and splashes her back. More silliness.

They are playin' y'all. She just needs to know she can be silly with him, that FrownyBaran isn't all seriousness, even in love. Her personality demands someone she can laugh with. This is what will change things for her. And I can get behind that.

Firat got the shares. And he's...changing rooms?

Baran is back in the suit, standing solid and waiting for Cevahir. I think Baran is just that much taller than Cevahir. And Cevahir is the sort that would let that bother him. He's surprised to see Baran. The meeting was with Kudret. (Did he think Kudret was such a pushover?) Well, no matter. A Karabey is a Karabey. Oooooh, that gets a teethsuck from Baran. (Those are still delightful, even now.) Diamonds from Africa + quick delivery...Baran has reservations. He is kinda raking Cevahir over the coals. He even holds a finger up, silencing Cevahir, keeping him waiting to go talk to Dilan when she walks up.

Cevahir retaliates by bringing up how well the vendetta worked out, in a snide way. Baran ends the meeting. There may be a bruising handshake standoff, I can't tell.

Firat is being sneaky; his new room is near Gul's. They can canoodle when everyone is asleep. He's telling her his plan when Azade-doom walks in.

Baran is very supportive of Dilan's emotional roller coaster. He gets a kiss on the palm that is caressing her cheek. 

Seyit shows up at the mansion. They meet him hand in hand.

The results are in! Sabiha can't look. Havin reads it. Dilan is her daughter! But now, after all she's done, how will she tell her?

Seyit divulges he has the name of her mom's employer.

Yelling at the tv:
*They're so lovey dovey lately, always asking what they did to deserve someone so wonderful. Or how they're lucky to have found the other person. It's a welcome change and one I feel like we earned after all those excruciatingly hard scenes. Hard won. We'll hold tight.

Teaser: 203:

Baran finds out about Firat buying the shares and not because Firat told him. He sees it as a betrayal. Dilan calms him down; he gets a kiss on the cheek.

Kan Cicekleri 197

Episode 197 Chasing Down Leads

Quick synopsis: Meetings with people who have info. Gul makes a declaration. All the staring.

Baran is asleep but Dilan is tossing and turning. She is too excited. They are going to meet her uncle later. Baran wakes up and decides he will take her out to breakfast after they watch the sunrise, to distract her.

Sabiha is still reeling from finding out Dilan is probably her missing daughter. Her hair is all the way down; mother vs. business woman, mother like daughter. I kind of feel bad for Havin. She's been with Sabiha all this time and never gets similar attention. She doesn't seem to mind though. 

Baran is a little rumpled and frowny from sleep. Dilan is scared that maybe her mom won't want her after all this time. Or wonders what kind of person she is. If she won't live up to her dreams of her. More pep talking. He's her sanctuary, she tells him. And he loves it. There's more sweet talking at breakfast, and a new development, something that I think will propel them forward a little. They are doing the usual compliments, professing love for each other, and Dilan gets nervous and looks away. Baran puts a hand on her arm and says, "Don't be shy. Don't look away." And it's encouragement as much as an invitation.

I've thought about this. All the times they just stare at each other. I mean, how long do you look at someone before you either move in or look away, right? And he's just staring at her, unphased. Maybe it's the ease with which he maintains eye contact that is so unsettling? Is this an Eastern thing? Turkish thing? Gangster boss thing?*

I'm curious, if they just keep staring at one another, how long does that last? Both in the immediate, and also as a phase of getting closer? Will we have another 50 episodes of the staring in comfort (unlike the earlier staring of longing and challenge)?

Maybe she looks away because it feels like a trespass, and for him, he was raised with parents who did this to express their love and it feels natural to him.

Anyway, then they almost kiss at sunrise. 

No for real!

She heeds his encouragement for a brief moment, and leans in, like really leans in. He's so patient, leaning even slower than she does. So patient.

She loses her nerve at the last moment (not new) and he just tucks her in close, tucking their blanket around them. 
It's cute though, she actually tried to pucker up. And they try again--he just waits for her--but in the end it's only more love talk. Which is good too.

Azade-doom wants to know where they ran off to so early. She's so nosey. Kudret tells her, "Leave them kids alone". Pink Floyd’s got nothing on him. Hasan tries to wind her up and she shuts him down.

Baran wants her to finish her breakfast sandwich before they go meet her uncle. It's a very big sandwich.

Firat wants to elope; Gul wants to wait for approval. I'm uncertain what Kudret would tell them to do, as much as he's coached him on not causing more troubles for Gul. He was also the instigator of the get-her-away-from-all-this plot, so...elope? I think? And Firat has a point: It's not like there aren't going to be problems waiting in line for them anyway. And he's really rededicated himself to her. He's in for the long haul. I approve.

Hanife and Cevriye are still plotting to leave. 

Dilan is a bundle of nerves. Her earrings are pretty neat in this scene. They decide they won't say who Dilan is when her uncle comes. Best not to alert any family just now. Especially if Baran's theory about Esra trying to disappear is correct. They want to find her first, not someone who still wishes her ill. 

Azade is such a bee-atch.Gul is mopping and she deliberately dumps her coffee out. Twice. Then stomps on the mop. She is a siamese cat from Lady and the Tramp. Kader sees all this but can do nothing.

Dilan's uncle is skeptical; Baran is a big boss but Ezra’s family has disowned her.** They don't know of her whereabouts. He'll say no more. 

There's the worry that Baran's extended family will find out she's adopted, but also, now they know her father is tied to his mother's death and father's shooting. The ripples of a search into Hikmet's widow could touch upon other hidden dangers. And if Dilan's mom is disowned, they might try to actively keep Dilan from dredging up the past for them. 

Kader is convinced Gul can never be a Karabey while Azade-doom is alive.

Well. There's a thought…

No, I'm just kidding. She does more to hurt herself than anyone else ever could.

Havin is getting some old files that will help Sabiha know for sure her Dilan is one of the orphans buried in a cemetery. Or not. Hikmet said she was dead. Without her dad, and her mom estranged, she'd be an orphan, buried in one of only a few places.

Ahmet! Kader gets an Ahmet visit. Those mages, they gotta stick together. Gul is listening too.

Ooooohhhh. Ahmet says karma is gonna get her, Azade-doom. People get what's coming to them. 

What'd I say? Hmm?

Her black heart will be her undoing. Me and Ahmet, we're like this. 

As active advice, it's not really helpful. But it is consoling.

Kuderet has found out that Cevahir's African companies are clean. (What?! No way.) He sets up a meeting to discuss his proposal. Cevahir is pleased. He smiles like a vampire, really relishing his teeth and probably wishing he had actual fangs.

Azade won't let up. She's as bad as Lady Tremaine with her Cinderella-ing. 

Now DIlan is doing the staring. Not as intensely, but all the while thinking of how wonderful Baran is. When he asks about it, she says nothing and he does it again,"Don't say that." An encouragement and invitation, just like before. Say the thing. She does and he brings her hand to his mouth for a kiss across her fingers. 

The man is intense.

She confesses that even when she was with Sabiha she always thought about him. He says ditto. More staring. 

One of Baran's guys found out Esra's story. It's a bit long. They'll meet up. 

Sabiha is going to have the three orphans buried in the cemetery exhumed for DNA testing. 

Rich people, ammiright?

Dilan's mom had a whole crazy past herself, akin to anything we've seen thus far:
Married Hikmet; had a daughter. But some other guy was after Esra and slandered her.*** Hikmet took the daughter and left. His family put out a death warrant on her. (She's from Mardin too, so gangster.) She fled to Istanbul in search of her daughter. 

Zowie.

Another day, another person to talk to: the woman who raised Esra is in the old village. 

Silah has turned into a bit of a jerk. I wondered if he would. Sure, Gul broke off the engagement but he's being very controlling and pushing her around physically. Firat sees this and headbutts him. Gul pulls them apart and yells, "I'm marrying Firat, not you!"

News flash for Firat.

She was troubled between Firat wanting to elope, Azade-doom being vindictive, and her mom just being sorrowful for her, but this aggression from Silah seems to have cemented her resolve.

The old woman in the village isn't there. But someone else remembers her, calls Dilan by name. And gives Dilan a photo of her mom. Esra's hair covers most of her face in profile. 

 Culturisms:
*I feel like maybe there's a piece of Middle Eastern culture I haven't grown up with either, like a sultan gazing upon his love. Knights are known to do similar things in courtly love, but it's from afar. There's never this idea of languid, lounging love, a slow burn in close proximity. 

To recap: all the staring.

** The conversation with her uncle, short as it is, has a very call and response feel to it, like the "you're right, and" argument strategy. The uncle says things like "I respect you, but" and "Your wish is my command, however". It feels like Marie De France's Art of Courtly Love, where she directs how to refuse if you are noble and your partner is middle class. Or in this case, the partner is noble and you are not. Or maybe Machiavelli with his similar instruction. 

Yelling at the tv:

*** OMG! Was it Hasan?!? Is that where his crush for Sabiha comes from? But he doesn't recognize her now? It would be just like him to slander a woman for spite.

In a similar way to Dilan being Baran’s freedom from his prison of revenge, he is now a freeing force for her. At a time when she loses her family and is looking for another, she relies heavily on this found family, Baran being the focal point of it.  

Zippo Hagia Sophias chanted.

Teaser 198: They are in a new bedroom. Gul packed for Dilan. They are staying in Mardin for a little while. Ooh la la.

Kan Cicekleri episode 192

 Episode 192 Baran Knows

Quick synopsis: The mystery is gone; the cause remains. Baran goes batshit. The letter comes to light.

Baran asks Dilan one last time, please tell me what's wrong. What are you keeping from me? Talk to me. What 'family'?

And she does. She tells him: she's adopted.

Ooooohhhhh...and he's looking off to the side like he's calculating factors...

He's putting past things together now, this new filter for the information making sense of some things for him. But it seems like his only concern is for her, how they gave her up without a second thought. 

She trusts him. He's merciful. She doesn't want him to hurt her brother now that he knows.

Hanife is still on a rant. Lady, पर्याप्त.

Firat wants to know what's changed with Gul. Didn't they make up? Weren't they going to leave the past behind? But Gul is disillusioned. So many things are working against them, not the least of which is uncertainty that he will stay this new, just course. She tells him they're done. But she's not happy about it.

Dilan's confession changes nothing for Baran. He won't leave her. He would never give her up. For realz. They are her family now, she has them. 

Sabiha made First Dilan's favorite lemon cookies. She's bringing them to Baran's Dilan. This will be fun to watch, like Turkish Petite Madeleines. That bit of jewelry that dropped is still in the van. Baran looks to Dilan when Sabiha shows up. She gives the ok; he nods assent and goes into the house.

Cihan convinces Firat to keep at it. Firat is determined. So is Azade-doom. 

Now, Dilan is a daughter with no mum. Even Kudret can step in for her dad. But there's no one to step in for her mom. It pairs nicely with Sabia who is a mom with no daughter.

Dilan is really freakin' forgiving. I'm a little more with Baran. On the other hand, Sabiha is giving some really good advice to someone who's grieving, having just come out of a hellava not healthy grief bender herself. 

FrownyBaran is having a fit again. He's so pissed at her family. He breaks so much stuff in their bedroom that Cihan hears and comes running, thinking something happened. The room is in pieces. Chairs overturned, tables broken, glassware and pictures shattered.

Cihan can't figure out what made his brother so upset. He gets a tsk from Baran, not a full teethsuck. The pestering is well intentioned after all. But Dilan trusts only him with her secret. No other Karabeys can know she's adopted. He can't tell Cihan why he's so upset.

He tells him.

Good grief people.

Cihan, of course, agrees: Dilan and her well-being are all that matter right now.

Gul and Dilan commiserate. They split a cookie. They're at an interesting point too, Gul being constrained by her mother trying to protect her, and Dian wishing she had the same. Instead she had an awful not-her-mom who essentially sold her off to protect her actual children. 

Hasan and Firat visit Sabiha at her house. Firat signs the contract. Hasan doesn't angle to stick around, like for tea or something, which would be easy to do under the guise of celebrating the deal. Maybe he's over his crush?

Cevahir calls. He knew Firat signed. That thing that just happened. He knew. 

Maybe he is a vampire? We've never seen him sleep... I'll keep an eye out for a box of dirt.

Baran still doesn't trust Sabiha. Even though she's helping Dilan through all this. Knowing who her parents were would help too. But Seyit and Hanife are keeping that under wraps, saying they died, and what does it matter now. Thinking about it, Baran's jaw starts ticking. He's still very upset at how they treated her, as a child, and with how the truth has come out. 

Frownybaran is on the case. He takes off. He will find out who her parents are.

Dilan walks into their bedroom and sees the destruction. Of course she knows immediately it was him. And where he went.

Again, the banging down the door.* Ooooh and he's pretty nasty to them. He grabs Seyit by a fistful of shirt and tells Hanife to shut her face. (Now that I can get behind.) He says a few things to make them feel guilty--like how she was in dire straits so many times--but also this little gem: what if I'd ended up harming her?** It's a galling point he's making, and a little self aggrandizing, but I get it. He's known for being a hard ass and that's all they knew. And they still turned her over.

But then he pulls a gun. (Gangster! Right. *face palm* I forgot.) And that seems a bit much. A little too on the nose and maybe a little more like the thug he's alluded to. 

Maybe that's his point? Seems like overkill though. 

What is even happening right now?

Baran wants answers, that's what. Seyit can't tell him because it means exposing Hasan's part in his parents' shooting. Hanife brings the letter from Dilan's real father. When he reads it, still holding the gun on Seyit, he recognizes the name Hikmet Yilmaz. The man who took the rap for Seyit. 

Dilan is Hikmet's daughter.

That they did all this to the daughter entrusted to them is even worse. We're full-on SnarlyBaran now. Look OUT y'all.

Azade starts in about marrying Silah again. Call him, get this show on the road. (I'd like to see her and Nanny McPhee go head-to-head banging sticks on the ground sometime.)

Sabiha will foil Cevahir's plans and protect Dilan and Baran, even if she has to die to do it. (Foreshadowing or melodrama?)

Dilan bursts in on Baran holding a gun to her dad's throat. (Mark this moment folk, it's not a gun-to-head moment.) And she's ticked. Baran shakes it off. It's nothing.

This transition is spot on. Nothing my ass!

For all his bravado, now Baran will have to answer to Dilan. Except when he says why he's there, she forgets her anger and wants to know where her parents are. He gives her the letter. Her dad has died but her mom may still be alive.

Yelling at the tv:
*The first time it was heroic and yeah, I watched it a bunch of times. But this just seems excessive a second time. They're just sitting there, fer cryin' out loud.

**Ok, now I know this is a completely self indulgent rant about how he could possibly have done real harm to Dilan, but I think they would only make this observation in this show if the character of Baran wasn't so misunderstood. Similarly to how bad people never worry if they're bad. If you worry about it, you're probably not a bad person. So I think this is playing into the trope of the vendetta bride--the really awful version--where the woman would be tortured and killed and then sent back to the family. I hope he's proving that the Demir's actions are equal to what could have been the worst, most demeaning outcome for their daughter. Not only death but a complete denial of self, more property than person. (Gross.)

Like, he would never have done anything bad to her (I mean, he was mean, but not like this) but they all know the history of this tradition. And they did it anyway, fully expecting anything on the spectrum of bad to worse was possible.

No mention of the fact that his family insists on such a thing in the first place. But I digress.

Zippo Hagia Sophias chanted.

Teaser 193:

Baran brings Dilan to her father's grave. Hikmet took the blame for Seyit because he owed him his life. Something about a witness who disappeared.