The Dizi I am watching for this class is the romantic comedy, Sen Cal Kapimi. When introduced as an example in class when discussing the different tropes in telenovela/dizi media, I was immediately drawn to Sen Cal Kapimi’s light hearted trailer about the two protagonists starting a fake relationship, and just in general the interactions between them.
What I like so far about the show is primarily the characteristics of the main characters and their dynamics. The main female protagonist, Eda is an intelligent, strong-willed and spirited woman who is not afraid to go toe to toe with the main male protagonist, Serkan. It was refreshing to see a character not have the typical “Cinderella” characteristics such as naivete or suggested “purity.” However, there are still some Cinderella-esque aspects within the show, but for me as a viewer I think they contribute to the plot and I find that a lot of the dramas or even books I tend to enjoy have these aspects within them as well. For starters, Eda is a beautiful, middle-class orphan who works in her aunt’s flower shop. She had a scholarship for a university to pursue her dreams of becoming a landscape architect, however her dreams were shattered as the company that provided the scholarship discontinued it. Serkan is a strict, handsome, successful, and wealthy architect who coincidentally is the boss of the company who provided the scholarship to Eda. From this, you can recognize the tropes we touched on in class, they have socio-economic differences, which comes to play later in the plot, and of course the leads are extremely attractive (THANK GOD)!
The reason I’m so invested in the dynamic between Eda and Serkan is due to the chemistry between the two actors-- I mean it is palpable. As someone who is extremely picky about the “ships” I support in tv shows because of the need for intense and believable chemistry, this show and the actors 100% sold me on that. Even from the first 2.5 hour long episode, it felt like I was watching a Netflix romance movie. The cinematography is captivating and beautiful, and again the romantic scenes alongside the comedic scenes would not be strong if not for the chemistry between Eda and Serkan, especially with how wild the plot gets within just a single episode. For instance, Eda needed scholarship money to go back to school, and Serkan wanted to make his ex-girlfriend (who is newly engaged) jealous by showing off his new relationship not only to her, but to the press. So, Serkan suggests that he and Eda start a fake relationship for two months, and in return he pays for her education. Of course offended by this suggestion, Eda slaps Serkan and turns him down. Since the paparazzi caught wind of Serkan’s alleged new partner, now he must explain to the press that everything was a misunderstanding and that he is not in a relationship. However, after Eda’s long-distance boyfriend Cenk breaks up with her (and tells her he already has a new girlfriend he met in Italy) Eda dashes off to Serkan’s press conference and kisses him in front of everyone. The crowd is shocked, mouths dropping to the ground, just like mine, and the episode ends with Eda and Serkan wrapped in each other's arms with a catchy song playing in the background.
I am already obsessed with the show and its characters, and I am excited to get to know them and the plot more. I’m looking forward to the rivalry between Eda and Selin, Serkan’s ex, and the familial tensions between Serkan and his father Alptekin, who basically controls his life and wants him to marry Selin and continue his business empire. Most importantly though, I can’t wait to see Serkan and Eda’s chemistry and relationship develop even more. With their contrasting personalities, I’m sure that Eda will add some humor to Serkan’s life and allow him to loosen up in spite of himself and his stubbornness, and overall her passionate spirit will allow him to delve into his fear of opening up to someone else on a deep, emotional level.
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| Eda and Serkan 💗💗 |
I think that it is interesting that you mentioned the cinematography of the show and the chemistry of the characters because I think that it is extremely important in how enjoyable the show can be. When the characters have chemistry with one another, everything runs a lot smoother and makes the moments more special. The viewers begin to feel like that the relationship is truly real and can even forget that everything is made up as they are more invested in the show. Additionally, the cinematography increases the beauty of the show and the quality of the scenes when done right, which overall provides the viewers with a more memorable experience. As we discussed last week, production is an extremely important factor because although a show may have a good storyline, if the acting is bad and the quality is bad the viewers respond more negatively to the product.
ReplyDeleteHey Alicia! First of all, I definitely have to agree with you that it is refreshing to see a female lead who actually takes the lead. Often times in dizis and kdramas, the female lead is presented as fragile or sensitive. Of course there is no problem with that, but it is nice to see a woman taking charge!
ReplyDeleteI love your "THANK GOD!" comment when you acknowledge that the main characters are attractive. It sounds silly, but honestly I agree. I will not be interested in a romantic show if the characters aren't attractive. So when I find a show where they look really good and they act even better, I'm hooked.
Your description of the first episode alone sounds interesting.. I think I may have to watch this dizi myself. Although 2.5 hours is super long for one episode, the amount of detail in that episode alone makes it seem worth the time! Having an episode that long can get very boring very quickly, so it's important for the writers and producers to have impactful scenes that won't lose the audience's attention.
Overall, you did a great job with this post!! I am totally adding this show to my watchlist.