#SCK Speculation

[lizacstuff]

So I don’t know if you read the summary that came out this morning about s2 (there’s already so much drama 🤦🏻‍♀️) but I’d like your opinion (I love reading them haha). Personally, while the cancer plot is “heavy” I’m happy they didn’t brush it off like it was nothing, it would have been ridiculous. Also, in this way no one’s to blame, they’re both victims and once again they both break up for something bigger than them (a very serious illness) Plus it kinda “justifyes” eda’s choice of not telling him about the pregnancy, and it also makes sense for him to be cold again (like we’ve seen in the trailer) cause after a near-death experience so many people grow attachment issues

I have read it and I agree with you, among all the possibilities they could have gone with for the separation and time jump, it it's a pretty realistic storyline in my opinion. Or as realistic as you can get on a soap opera where they throw more trauma and tragic circumstances at the characters than anyone should ever have to handle. I keep reading on twitter that their relationship is toxic... it's not toxic, they just can't catch a break!!!! However it's also believable that with how they've conducted their relationship thus far, only relying on their feelings for one another and not doing anything towards dealing with everything that's happened, that a fissure could occur.

At the end of the day, this is not the story I would have chosen or wanted, but it's what's happening so I'll adjust and go with it.

I think Serkan deciding to push Eda away after a bout with cancer is in character. The poor man must think he's cursed! First he never recovers from his childhood trauma and abandonment issues, doesn't believe in love, but falls in love anyway only to immediately find out his father is responsible for her parent's death. Then they find their way back to each other over the manipulation of many meddling, nefarious forces only for him to get into a plane crash on their wedding day and get amnesia. Once he remembers, he realizes he's been manipulated and abused by his oldest friend and then is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Is it shocking that he probably just thinks he can't have nice things? Like Eda. He loves Eda with everything he has, so from his perspective why would he want to saddle this beautiful young woman who is full of vitality and promise with his nothing-but-misery existence?

Reverting to his robotic, work-obsessed solitary life kind of makes sense. Besides as many people in fandom have pointed out a traumatic bout with terminal illness like brain cancer often causes changes in a person. Him telling her he doesn't want kids, also makes sense if he's trying to push her away and can't imagine bringing a child into situation he feels like the next cursed thing is just around the corner.

Then from Eda's perspective, what is she supposed to do if he throws himself into work, won't set a wedding date and shuts down on her completely? We know how determined and even cruel Serkan can be when he wants to shut her out, eps 3, 7, 14, and 29 showed us that. If she stood by him through the illness, but once he was physically better, he'd made the decision that they couldn't be happy, it's hard to blame her for moving on.

Perhaps she found out she was pregnant after she left and when she tried to tell him, that's when he shut her down and told her that he didn't want to know anything about her life. So if the man has been adamant about not wanting a child and not wanting anything to do with Eda to the point he won't let her tell him, it's hard to blame Eda for protecting her kid from what she fears would be a pretty significant rejection. Might not be the right thing to do, but she's not a villain for doing it.

In the teaser Serkan seemed a bit bitter as well, which makes sense, because he might be hurt that she left (another person abandoning him) even thought he actively pushed her away and has no one to blame but himself.

Also I wouldn't be surprised if we find out that Serkan has also been away, maybe he decided to go back to London and stayed there for years making it even harder for them to connect through mutual friends, we'll see.

So while it's heartbreaking to think this would have happened to them, especially after how happy they were in the last few eps, if this is the scenario, I think it can be done in a way that doesn't destroy either character. They are both victims of tragic circumstances, things beyond their control and their own demons. Serkan was always prone to push people away, and Eda was always primed to run away and they were both asked to bear more anguish and agonizing events that anyone should ever have to.

So for my part, if this is the story, I'll accept it because I'm actually really excited for what it will bring. If you can get past the sadness of how they get there, I have a feeling watching them come back together, and heal, and remember why they fell in love is going to be AMAZING. Oh and just think of Serkan confronting the fact that he's a father to a little doppleganger of the only women he's ever loved... that's going to SERVE. I am certain we are in for some amazing scenes, there will be romance and sexual tension and that old friction and heart-melting family moments and hilarious nonsense and it's all going to end with them finally finding their way back together and building that life that they always wanted.

[sweetrupturedlight]

Okay but episode 1.19 & kind of 1.20 speculation...

So they’ve started filming episode 20, meaning episode 19 is locked and ready.

Hande & Kerem went live on Instagram earlier from the set where they’re filming episode 20... and Hande was wearing the pajamas we see in the promo for episode 19.

So if we assume episode 20 picks up where episode 19 left off - and she’s in the same pajamas - does that mean that Selin walking in like a wrecking ball isn’t the end of the episode? 🤔

I know scenes aren’t shot in order, but why would she be in the same pajamas during episode 20?

Or is there some simple explanation and I’m just 🤡

[mrsgreenworld]

So, we're rid of not only the Prince but also the Evil Twins aka Babaanne and Balca. I must say that it was highly satisfying to watch Serkan fire Balca's ass. Honestly it was one the episode's highlights for me. What made the scene even better was a heart-warming moment between Melo and her Enişte. The "I love you" exchange between them made me swoon even more than Edser ILYs in the episode. And when I think about the memory loss very likely coming our way, I realize that it's going to hurt like hell not only because Serkan won't remember Eda. Eda won't be the only one who will lose him. Melo will lose her Enişte. Ferit will lose a friend. Leyla will also lose a friend, not just a considerate boss 😭😭😭

[damn-salvatore]

Imagine if Bellamy was actually took to Skyring (where is Hope being taken to) bc he couldn't pass the simulation thing which was killing Clarke... he just couldn't kill the love of his life even tho it was a simulation...

[aslibekroglu]

Bc you said that about hanker in your last post i have to say that if they still after this continue to go with that "you will know if it happens" bulls*it we'll know that they're selling their relationship for some reytings bc i feel like if they announce it people will stop paying attention to them 🤭

Yeah I don’t think they would continue with the “if it ever happens, you’ll know it” thing with the paparazzi. To me, this is them saying it’s happening.

[djemsostylist]

Do not go gently...

I was re-reading my old posts on livejournal from when TVD went down a dark path and I had to give it up, and its remarkable how closely my disappointment and slow leaving of the fandom parallels what I'm experiencing with SCK.

First it was losing touch with the characters. Characters who we used to practically live in their head became completely cut off and suddenly, we knew nothing about their motivations or their thoughts. Their decisions suddenly started to be controlled entirely by the Plot--longstanding character traits were destroyed or disappeared seemingly overnight. Relationships and elements of those relationships which had long been established disappeared or were purposefully disposed of. It was like the characters were no longer driving the show, but were reduced to Plot Devices that could be moved at will.

Then came the change in acting. I found an entire post I wrote about Nina Dobrev's "Elena Face" she had been doing and it's eerily reminiscent of some of the "Serkan Face" comments I've made recently. It's like the actors don't really know what is going on with their characters so they sort of default to this face that is bored, bland, and vaguely irritated.

Then came the predictability of plots and tropes. Look, neither SCK nor TVD was particularly grounding breaking in their writing, but the early episodes did do some surprising things with characters, and plots moved as a reasonable clip. And then both started to drag. Things like lies and secrets piled up for no real reason other than Plot. People died or survived or reacted depending on what the Plot told them to do. Previously smart characters suddenly lost their ability to think or reason, and it was clear all their Plots were based off nothing more than a need to advance a Plot.

And then we have our main couple. Love them or hate them Stefan and Elena were the main couple of TVD, and the first two seasons were spend firming establishing this. Like SCK, the main couple faced challenges together, and even when they were apart they were together. There were insecurities, sure, but it was made clear time and again they were it for each other. They had long conversations, they supported each other, and even in their worst moments they were there for each other. And when they encountered problems, they worked through them and didn't deal with those same problems again. And then came the dark times. Limited screentime together, no talking or connections, symbols of love being destroyed, moments being erased or replaced, and then the dreaded Other moved in and suddenly our soulmates weren't, well, soulmates any more.

And it was all, inevitably, in the service of Plot. To extend a thing which maybe just should have ended. And it sucks, especially when you are deep the in fandom. It's more than just entertainment, it's ritual and community and bonding. It's getting excited with other fans, coming up with theories, excitedly examining plots, making fanfic and gifs. It's being a part of something a little bit more, and as the show declines, so does the fandom. You lose the passion to write about characters who no longer inspire, the plots are so obvious you have nothing to speculate or wonder about, and analyzing it becomes an exercise in pain. I found a post I wrote about realizing I forgot the latest episode of TVD was on (when I hadn't missed a live airing in a months) and how weird it felt to realize I didn't care. Realizing I didn't care hurt almost worst than the not caring, bc it meant I was losing something I loved, something that had been so important. Like SCK, TVD hit at a time of extreme stress and change for me, and it helped me get through a weird time. Losing it, and the community I had with it, was hard.

SCK is ending. Whether or not they manage to drop this next stupid plot in an episode or not, the writing is on the wall. The show will never be the same again, and the magic that brought us all together is gone. It's hard, and it hurts, and this one is going to take a while to get over. I can watch old TVD episodes now without pain, and I think in time I will be able to do the same with SCK too. But for now, saying farewell to a show and a fandom that I loved, and that was there for so many of us in a rough time, is going to be hard. It's not easy to let something you love like this go, even if it is only a Turkish romcom. But reading old TVD posts made me feel better. This isn't my first rodeo. I'm used to things going south. Most are a "fool me once" scenario and I'm done (see Endgame) but the slow death is almost harder. It's not a clean break, it's a slow decline, and it's hard. But I've met some amazing people and found new things to love through the course of this, and I'll be grateful for this Turkish romcom for giving me that. And I'll remain excited for anything Hande or Kerem do in the future.

[blackjack-15]

Hunting For Some Buried Story — Thoughts on: Ransom of the Seven Ships (RAN)

Previous Metas: SCK/SCK2, STFD, MHM, TRT, FIN, SSH, DOG, CAR, DDI, SHA, CUR, CLK, TRN, DAN, CRE, ICE, CRY, VEN, HAU

Hello and welcome to a Nancy Drew meta series! 30 metas, 30 Nancy Drew Games that I’m comfortable with doing meta about. Hot takes, cold takes, and just Takes will abound, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll all be longer than I mean them to be.

Each meta will have different distinct sections: an Introduction, an exploration of the Title, an explanation of the Mystery, a run-through of the Suspects. Then, I’ll tackle some of my favorite and least favorite things about the game, and finish it off with ideas on how to improve it. Like with all of the Odd Games, there will be a section between The Intro and The Title called The Weird Stuff, where I go into what makes this game stand out as a little strange.

If any game requires an extra section or two, they’ll be listed in the paragraph above, along with links to previous metas.

These metas are not spoiler free, though I’ll list any games/media that they might spoil here: RAN; STFD; mention of FIN; GTH; mention of SPY.

The Intro:

We’re two-thirds of the way through the meta series officially (yay for meta #20!), and what a way to cap off that marker: with the last of the Odd Games.

And my land, how Odd it is. And that’s ignoring that in August of 2020, this game was very quietly discontinued — speculated to be because of the…well, pseudo-brownface in the game.

Oh yeah, we’re starting with that little bomb.

Before we truly begin, however, let me state one fact: the controversies over this game do not make it any more interesting, unfortunately. I don’t know how a game can be both this objectively bad and this objectively boring as a mystery, but RAN is an example of many, many impossible feats in the video game industry (boring yet bad, controversial yet uninteresting, finicky yet sluggish in controls, so it might as well begin as it means to go on.

I’m also stating here for the record that I’m not really going to focus on the social aspect of this game; it’s always been out of the scope of these metas to focus on current events or social issues, and race is such a hot button issue that no matter what anyone says, someone gets mad. Besides that, it’s really not an interesting tack to take with this meta, not when there’s so many things to talk about regarding RAN as a game and/or as a mystery. If you came into this meta expecting a breakdown as it relates to any social issues, this might not be the meta for you.

If you came for a beat-down on RAN, however, you’re in the right place. Get comfy.

Ransom of the Seven Ships had all the pieces in place to make it a great game; we’ve got Bess and George in the (weird, plasticky) flesh, a fascinating and beautiful location, a historical background based in Spanish exploration, the Age of Piracy, and treasure hunting…all of these are great, honestly, and it’s part of what makes RAN so offensively bad — it could have been really great.

Instead of a wonderful game based around pirate treasure, however, Nancy plays games with monkeys, drives on the world’s slowest golf cart, and trusts the only other person on the entire freaking island when he says he didn’t kidnap her friend. Even though he is the ONLY OTHER PERSON ON THE FREAKING ISLAND.

This game is based off of a Nancy Drew mystery entitled “The Broken Anchor”, which actually is fairly close to the plot of the game — the girls win a contest (though in this case it’s one they didn’t even enter) to go to the Bahamas, Nancy arrives (with Carson) and can’t contact Bess or George, there’s a mysterious treasure, etc. etc. In part, I think, RAN’s problems come from following the book too closely, as there’s really very little to the plot of the book. Game plots necessarily have to have a little more meat to them, as you can’t spend the whole time with Nancy pontificating on the scenery or food (as she is wont to do), and RAN is missing a lot of meat.

Specifically, the meat that it’s missing is any suspects at all. Like I said, there’s only one other person (other than Nancy, Bess, and George) on the island, and it’s ‘Johnny Rolle’ — a self-professed fisherman and loner who’s boat has been wrecked by the monkeys.

There are way too many effing monkeys in this game, side note. How I wish the monkeys were a side note.

Nancy, despite her normal M.O when a kidnapping of a friend has taken place, just kinda rolls with his story and accepts it, digging pointless holes in the sand while he definitely has Bess trapped. And then there’s the weirdness with the monkeys trying to kill her as she scales a sheer cliff wall.

Honestly, if I go any more into it, I’m just going to end up tearing it apart piece by piece, and that’s for the Fix section. So let’s move on to the specific things that make this game truly the capstone of the Odd Games.

The Weird Stuff:

This game is, first and foremost, a story about personal revenge — or, at least, that’s the big takeaway, no matter what HER actually intended for it to be about. After being busted by Nancy (and Lillian, and Ralph, but he apparently doesn’t care about them), Dwayne sat in prison stewing over his ignominious defeat at the hands of a teenaged sleuth until he heard about the supposed treasure on Dread Isle. His greed for the treasure combined with his hatred of Nancy began to fester together, culminating in a slightly complex but ultimately stupid plan to get both money and revenge.

This is a motivation unlike any we’ve encountered. Sure, a handful of Nancy Drew villains have sworn their revenge on Nancy (most notably at this point in the series Helena from VEN), but no one has actually done it — until Dwayne.

This should have made the whole game feel intensely personal — and indeed, bringing back tokens and things from Nancy’s past cases and locations should have built to that. However, the game never really comes to a fever pitch of a feeling of someone is watching Nancy and actively hates her, even though it makes a few attempts. More than any other game, Nancy should have been scared here — and it’s odd that she isn’t.

The second odd thing here is the returning villain. I don’t think this is a bad thing at all — I love the idea of a returning villain — but I do think it was a mistake to pick Dwayne Powers. At this point in the series, STFD was hardly a well-known game, and was generally unplayable due to technological advances.

Yes, later STFD would get a bit of a sprucing up and become playable again (and this game, funnily enough, would be relegated to the ‘unplayable’ pile — Dwayne never can win, I guess), but that didn’t matter at the time that RAN was coming out.

There were several better choices — VEN’s Helena, SHA’s Shorty, DOG’s Emily (who had already received a mention recently in DAN) — so why go with Dwayne? Did they pick him on purpose because no one would suspect (or rather, remember) him? Was he the most obscure villain they could think of? Mitch Dillon (who never appeared really) from SCK would have been an equally obscure but somehow more frightening choice. I’m really at a loss to figure out why they chose Dwayne, of all people.

The third thing that makes this game odd is the lack of suspects. Sure, they give a hat-tip to the Gibsons perhaps being hidden on the island (which, let’s just say, they shouldn’t have — never use as a red herring something that would have made the game so much better), but Dwayne/Johnny really is the only suspect.

I have no idea if they were rushed, if they thought that his different identities counted as extra suspects, or if they just wanted to try something different with this game, but it in no way worked. It’s so mind-bogglingly simple to figure out who kidnapped Bess that it makes Nancy look like she’s quite a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

The last Odd thing that I’ll hang on is how incredibly out-of-character Nancy is in this game. We’ve only seen Nancy work kidnapping (or supposed kidnapping) cases a few times in the series as a whole — FIN’s Maya, RAN’s Bess, and GTH’s Jessalyn — but in both FIN and GTH Nancy takes them very seriously, being harsher and more impatient with less time for people’s lies and stories than she usually is, and really feeling the pressure of the clock.

It makes sense; even discounting the Missing Mom trauma that sits deep within Nancy, the first 48 hours of a kidnapping are basically the only window that she has, statistically speaking, to find the victim still alive and okay. She nearly flies off the handle at the suspects in FIN, and digs uncomfortably deep even at very touchy subjects in GTH.

It then stands to reason that, with FIN in the past and GTH in the future, that Nancy would react similarly in this case. Bess is one of Nancy’s best friends, and the friend that we’re shown most often (think of the flashback in SPY; Bess is the one who comes over after Kate and Carson’s fight) around Nancy, like in CRY.

You’d think that, in the face of Bess’ unambiguous kidnapping, that Nancy would be raising hell — contacting anyone she could, taking no prisoners, ripping Dwayne’s tarp down, turning the island upside down, etc. — but instead, she’s calm, almost relaxed, spending time playing games with monkeys and driving aimlessly around the island.

It honestly makes no sense that she’s like this. This is one of a small handful of games where Nancy is deeply, personally invested, where she has a quick running clock, and where the stakes are deadly yet somewhat unknown.

Nancy comes into this with no background, no contacts, no ability to really look things up, and no help — George’s meager efforts do not count — and yet she acts like there are really no stakes. It doesn’t make me dislike her, it doesn’t make me fold that into her characterization — it just makes me say “wow, the writing is really bad here, huh”.

The Title:

Ransom of the Seven Ships is an amazing title; there’s really no getting around this fact. And for the bare bones of the game, it’s more than a suitable title. You’ve got the word ‘ransom’ doing double duty — meaning both treasure and the price to return someone who’s been kidnapped — you’ve got the ships indicating pirate treasure, and that also tells us we’re probably on an island.

Honestly, this is a far better title than this game really deserved (which is half the reason for this meta: turning the game into something that deserves its title). It’s certainly far better than “The Broken Anchor”, its source material, while keeping a pirate-y nature about it. While it’s a little different than most Nancy Drew games’ titles have been up to this point — as they’re usually “The (Adjective) Noun of Location” or “The Adjective Noun”, that’s not a bad thing at all.

This title really does make me sad with how wonderful it is. It deserved so much better. Same with Ship of Shadows, which is also boss.

The Mystery:

Having won an all-expense paid vacation to Dread Isle in the Bahamas (which should have been their first clue that something hinky was afoot), Bess invites Nancy and George along with her. Nancy arrives the day after the cousins, having stayed for a later flight because of a prior engagement with Carson, and is greeted by a frantic George who tells her that Bess has been kidnapped, that the owners of the resort – the Gibsons — aren’t there, and that she’s been worried sick.

  Nancy, naturally, senses something Amiss, and sets off to explore the islands, beginning from the pink sand beach where Bess’ water powered golf cart (yes, I know) is still sitting. She discovers Bess’ shoe next to the only other person on the island — a fisherman named Johnny Rolle from Jamaica — and sets off to explore the rest of the island.

Along the way she finds notes from Bess’ kidnappers, instructions on digging for treasure, twisting island paths, and monkeys. So many friggin monkeys. All of whom Nancy must appease in order to progress in her hunt for one of her oldest friends.

Yeah.

As a mystery…well, what is there really to say about the mystery? It should have been over the second Nancy found Bess’ shoe right outside Dwayne’s camp where a Suspicious Tarp Just Big Enough To Hide the Body of a Young Adult was hanging. An intelligent way to draw it out would be to have Nancy discover Bess there, but for Dwayne to pull a fast one on her and trap her below…but this isn’t the fix section, so let’s just move on past that.

If you weren’t going to add in any new characters or suspects, it might be best to have this game flip from a whodunnit to a howdunnit/howcatchem after the first third; as it is (aka since I’m going to add far more characters in The Fix section), we’ll move right along to the suspect in question himself.

The Suspects:

Yes, I know that this part should just be “The Suspect”.

Believe me, I know.

Wearing a whole cornucopia of masks, Johnny Rolle — aka John E. Poole — is an Australian accountant, hiding from ‘bad clients’ by painting himself brown and adopting a horrible (and horribly stereotypical) Jamaican accent. Nancy discovers his ‘true’ identity by finding an ID with his name on it while he’s still in the ‘Johnny’ disguise. Of course, this ‘true identity’ isn’t his true identity as all…

Dwayne Powers —aka Owen W. Spayder — is sitting underneath the bad wig, bandana, brownface, and horrible accents, and is voiced in this go-around by HER’s chameleon of many voices, good ol’ JVS. After hearing about Dread Isle’s rumors of treasure and their monkey research lab shutting down from a volunteer at his prison (yes, we’re already way too complicated for this game), Dwayne started planning to get the treasure and get revenge on Nancy at the same time.

As the culprit…man is Dwayne horrible. He’s so stupid that it really kills me that Nancy actually falls for his act, because it makes her even stupider. It’s not a good plan, it’s not well thought out, it’s not even a complete plan — it relies on too many unknowables. What if Nancy and George had just stormed his camp and found Bess? What if Nancy figured out it was him? Like, I know Dwayne is an egotist, but this is just dumb.

Before I eviscerate any more, let’s just move on to the few good things in this game.

The Favorite:

The best thing about RAN (other than its music, which as always is super good) is honestly its location. Dread Isle is beautifully and uniquely rendered, and doesn’t look like any other game with the pink-sand beaches, beautiful horizon line, and foliage all befitting a Bahamian resort.

I also like the idea of a returning culprit; while it wasn’t handled well here, I do think it’s a great idea as quite a few culprits have promised revenge on Nancy at the end of their games. Do I think it would have been better if it was Helena, who promised revenge only 2 games ago, rather than going back 18 games to a game that most hadn’t played due to lack of availability? Of course; but the idea behind it was sound.

I don’t have a favorite puzzle or favorite moment; even Dwayne’s dramatic reveal is ruined by the fact that Nancy is at all surprised that he was wearing a disguise and, once again, that the only other person on the island was responsible for kidnapping her friend.

The Un-Favorite:

As far as this section goes…there’s a lot that I don’t like, but there are a few things that stand out more than the rest as truly un-favorite.

My least favorite thing about this game, as you might be able to guess, is that it makes Nancy seem so stupid. We’ve had 19 games of Nancy (mostly; this meta series does go over the exceptions) figuring out clues, chasing bad guys, and solving puzzles without breaking a sweat, and then for this game she’s fooled by some makeup, a wig, and a bad accent? At least in STFD Dwayne put some effort into his work; this is just sad, and it’s even sadder that Nancy falls for it.

My least favorite moment in the game is probably the first conversation with ‘Johnny’. Nancy finds Bess’ shoe, gets strung up in a trap, and then believes that the guy sitting a few feet away is innocent and telling the truth? It’s a moment that truly sets up what a crap shoot this game is about to become, and that alone is enough to make it my least favorite.

My least favorite puzzle is anything to do with the monkeys; playing games with them, scaling the cliff, talking to them, talking about them — literally anything. I don’t like monkeys on a good day, but to have so many puzzles in the game revolve around playing their stupid little games with them? Not a good thing at all. Especially since getting around the island (and, of course, the monkeys live quite far away from anything else on the island) is so aggravatingly slow and clunky — it makes everything feel like a total slog.

The Fix:

So how would I fix Ransom of the Seven Ships?

My gosh, just remake the game.

More seriously, there are quite a few things that I would do in order to make playing through RAN a little more enjoyable and a lot more story-driven (and in line with Nancy and George’s characters). As always, I’m trying to keep this as close to the actual game as possible with few or no huge changes, so Dwayne will still be our culprit, Bess will still have won his giveaway, and Dread Isle will still be the spot of El Toro’s treasure.

The first thing I would do is get rid of Dwayne’s brownface/first disguise, and have him be the Australian accountant named John E. Poole, running from Bad News clients who he didn’t allow to cheat come tax day. That sets him up as a good guy to begin with (if a little foolish to cross such powerful clients), and gives a reason why he’s not staying at the resort (he’s trying to hide and not leave a paper/money trail at the same time). He should be staying in a little homemade hut, not with a Suspicious Tarp Obviously Hiding Bess, as he would have had to been on the island for a while to perfect his disguise (and seem trustworthy to the people at the resort).

I would also have the game take place on Nancy’s 19th birthday; if we assume she was barely 18 at the time of STFD, that makes it about a year that he would have been plotting and escaping and setting up this contest and such. It also makes sense as to why Nancy would have a banquet-thing with Carson and why Bess invited her and George — it’s a fabulous birthday party trip, even for the well-off Nancy Drew. That would also add to her anger — this was a great present that Bess (and George) gave her, and Dwayne has just straight-up ruined it.

Another change that would help the atmosphere is to have at least half the game take place at night. I would have the game take place over roughly two days — it ends the night of the second day — so that you can see the island at night. A lot of the demands made by ‘the kidnappers’ should be done at night — treasure digging, in particular — so as to not be more disruptive to the island than a missing persons case would already be.

Of course, one of the biggest things to do would be to add more suspects.

The Gibsons — both of them — should definitely be there at the resort. I’d have one half of the couple be in the resort during the day, and the other at night, so Nancy can interact with them both differently and have different tasks/discussions with them. Perhaps Mrs. Gibson is an expert on the island’s ‘lore’ — El Toro’s treasure and stuff — while Mr. Gibson is more up on island life and is the law enforcement liaison for the island (who can effectively deputize Nancy to help with the search for Bess).

I would also add one other guest who was supposed to check out right before the first note from the kidnappers came in, and is now stuck on the island until the case is solved. What I’d probably do is make them a Secret Australian (to contrast with Dwayne’s fake Australian accent) — sporting an English accent due to a posh upbringing and studying in England for most of their school life, living in England somewhere (maybe near Blackmoor Manor for a cool Easter egg) — who is Very Grumpy about this and thinks Bess ran off to explore and just got lost. I’d probably make them unhelpful to the last — even when Bess is found and had definitely been kidnapped, to just shrug it off and to board the plane to get home as quickly as possible.

The last person I’d add in is someone working the desk — specifically, an older teenager who is very cagey about themselves and how they know what they know, but who seems to know a lot more than they let on. This person would, of course, end up being a member of ATAC, and once Nancy figures it out, would be able to connect you with help from the Hardy Boys. This ATAC member would be scoping out the Gibsons for evidence of getting guests under false pretenses, but would ultimately change their suspicions to Dwayne and help Nancy and George catch him. Through this ATAC teen, the Hardy Boys could use outside information to give Nancy information about monkeys, the island, treasure, El Toro, and anything else that she encounters, as well as spread their feelers out about the Gibsons, the other guest, and John E. Poole.

I would of course want to improve the tone, which would be helped by having more people on the island — Nancy should feel scared that Bess disappeared with this many people around, and it should feel personal. As the game goes on, even with the added help, the walls should feel like they’re closing in. I would include way more second chances, traps, threatening notes, maybe even recordings of Bess screaming or scared or in pain — something that might push the rating to E+ because, quite frankly, the situation calls for it.

Mechanically, I would put way less focus on the monkeys; they really shouldn’t control everything on the island. Keeping them for a minigame and location is cool, but they definitely shouldn’t have their place of prominence in the game.

I would also remove the fact that you can control George. Out of all the games where I think controlling people other than Nancy would be great, this is not one of them. As worried as Nancy should be, this is George’s cousin — practically her sister, from how close their families are and how much time they spend together — and George would probably be in a State. Sure, she can help with some of the tech stuff, but the player definitely shouldn’t be playing as her in this game. It just feels forced, and it’s not necessary.

Would these changes make RAN a fantastic, award-winning game? No, honestly, they wouldn’t. In order to do that, you’d probably have to scrap the game entirely and start over with even barer bones. But I do think it would help to make it at least better and more playable, and I think that’s a win. Let RAN be remembered for its returning villain and its kidnapping plot, not for being the game that everyone skips during a replay of the series.

[sab-teraa]

Wait the couple from sck?? Lol

Hey hey <3

Yup! It’s all speculation tho bc H*ande deleted the pics of k*erem off IG 🙊

[lizacstuff]

Can I just thank you for being such a voice of reason? I feel so bad for people making themselves miserable over a fictional TV drama, so I really appreciate your maturity, especially because you are such a large voice within the SCK Tumblr fandom 🤗

Oh that's so nice! Thank you for the kind sentiment, I'm glad some of what I've written has helped.

When a show goes this big in trying to reinvent itself it's always very jarring for fandom. We're emotionally invested and it's hard to step back and see why they're doing what they're doing and to see that the outcome might not be so bad.

What helps me with this story is that while there is a heartbreaking time jump, we're not going to have to put up with much if any separation on screen. That's the hardest thing for me as a viewer. You would not have wanted to be around me during season 6 of The West Wing (I'm an old fan girl, perspective helps) when Josh and Donna went their separate ways and only had scenes like every third episode. I was a little angry and ranty and key-smashy during that angsty drought, (just ask @counttotwenty) but I learned that is not a fun way to be in fandom. So for me, when I come across a story that is a gut punch, it's always take a deep breath time, and decide if I want to continue or not. If I do want to keep watching, I need to accept what's happening, put it in perspective (it's a TV show, they're fictional) and find a way to enjoy it or, at least, get through it without spreading negative energy to other people.

And the thing is I KNOW there are a lot of awesome shipper things headed towards us. While I may not love the set up, I'm jazzed for what season 2 is actually going to bring. One thing I feel very certain of is that Ayse and the producers know that this show only works when Kerem and Hande are on screen together. So I expect, even from the get go when they've been apart for years, were going to get plenty of them sharing scenes. We're not going to sit through numerous episode of them separated, we're going to bypass those years of pain and potentially only visit that in flashbacks. For me, that helps.

It also helps to know that the only reason they're doing this is to keep the show going so they can keep Hande and Kerem, and their chemistry, together on screen. And to maximize that they must think rebooting it, and trying to recapture the magic of the first 12 when the characters were falling in love, is the key. But rest assured that is why this is happening, no other reason. You read all sorts of nonsense kneejerk irrational negativity on other social media platforms, but I'm here to assure you that this plot has not been designed to "purposely ruin the show" or because "Ayse hates Serkan" or because "they're punishing fans" or "punishing Hanker for confirming." Good grief. Take my advice and mute anyone who says anything nonsense like that, they're either not in their right minds or not mature enough to be in fandom.

So hopefully it helps to know that this show only continues to exist because of the gold they struck with that pairing and because no one wants to let it go. These big story reboots-- that can feel upsetting and traumatizing-- are the price we fans pay for getting to keep them on screen together.

So my advice is to not take the plot too seriously, it's a Turkish Soap Opera for goodness sake, instead hold your nose when it comes to the set up and then enjoy what we are going to get which is a whole lot of meaty material for Hande and Kerem to bite into. They are going to SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY this season. And we are going to get to watch Eda and Serkan fall for one another one more time.

[lizacstuff]

Thoughts on the 2nd fragman? I so badly want to stay positive but having a tough time not giving up on the writing off the show. Like why did the writers decide to take the tactic of having Serkan put all his effort into getting Eda to admit her engagement is fake? He literally could have done so many other things like tell her that he is having flashbacks of her but does not understand them or that he needs some time to sort through his feelings or just have him break off his engagement with Selin. And like what happens if she admits her true feelings at this point? Fingers crossed that the fragman is just misleading and that the Edser scenes are long & meaningful. Also, hoping that Ceran’s scene with Serkan is longer than what we saw in the fragman because the way she described the fake engagement & Eda is awful. And then she does not even tell Eda...Ceren is canceled. Cannot help being hopeful that we will see real progress in the form of both engagements being broken off but at the same time tired of the disappointment lol.

Oh I hear you. There was a lot of good in these fragmans, but taken as a preview for the plot/story they’re not all that... reassuring. It does feel like the same gear we’ve been grinding for several episodes now. 

However, I’ll say this as much for me, as for you. We can’t judge anything from the fragmans. They never give a full picture, and especially these two, I don’t feel like they gave anything away. 

Watching both of them it feels like there has to be a huge piece missing. I realize after the utter failure of the last ep to move anything forward, I’m taking a big leap here, but it feels like something has to give and it may just give in this coming episode. 

So let’s look at the good we can glean from the fragmans:

Selin and Deniz are in panic mode, they know someone is on to them, hopefully it’s Serkan and/or Eda who are on to them, or, if not, this knowledge causes them to get sloppy and make mistakes.

Serkan is finally ready and willing to outwardly show his interest in Eda... to Eda and to Engin. Even if he’s trying to get her to admit it first, this is a huge step forward for him from where he was. 

Thanks to Ceren, (though I agree the way she framed it was super bitchy) Serkan now knows her relationship with Deniz is fake, so even if he’s a putz trying to get her to admit it, this will give him hope that she never gave up on him. I think he needs that because it’s been upsetting him for 2 episodes now that she remembers him and could so easily give up on him and abandon him (like so many others have done in his life). 

We now know that information gave him the desire to kiss her in the restaurant. Whether he does kiss her or it’s his fantasy, he is now cognizant of what he wants. Her. 

Serkan and Eda have the long awaited boxing scene and they look hot as fire in the ring together. Bring it on. 

Eda looks to be beating the sh-t out of Serkan which will give many of us great vicarious joy and hopefully a laugh or two.

While at the gym, Serkan seems to be asking questions in a sincere, not snarky, way and they appear to be having a heart to heart conversation.

Melo continues to be in the running for best friend of the year.

Eda looks absolutely heartbroken in the fragman. This is good because things are always darkest before the dawn. Hopefully, this is her dark moment, and there will be some light by the end of the episode.

The visual of Hande and Kerem Eda and Serkan on the runway will sustain many of us for quite some time. DAMN, THEY LOOK GOOD. 

Some way, some how, Eda Yildiz was able to get Serkan “robot” Bolat to walk with her up there, which means she’s still got it when it comes to him not being able to say no to her. 

The whole cast, including Selin and Deniz, are going to see them up there, walking together, being the super power couple they are. The press will see it too. 

They hug. And she looks very happy when she hugs him.

They transformed that warehouse into a giant party and fashion show, the whole ArtLife cast was there, they hired a bunch of models and extras... so that event is not just some excuse for the leads to get dressed up and look pretty in a montage, whatever happens there must be a big deal and important to the plot. 

The ending is clearly not in either fragman, so there are surprises left with this episode.

So while I also had a lackluster reaction to the fragmans, I think there are some really solid reasons to hold onto hope that this episode will deliver more than we think it will. 

[lizacstuff]

Latest episode of SCK ends with a romantic kiss between Eda & Serkan but then based on the fragman Eda’s fake engagement is still on...🤷🏻‍♀️. So maybe the kiss was Serkan’s imagination and he & Eda just talk at dinner. Or if the kiss is real, he acts unaffected by it so she immediately goes back into her game. Or maybe he is still very unclear on why he kissed Eda & what he wants so she immediately goes back into the game. Or maybe, they resolve everything between them and set a trap for Selin & Deniz? Although a weird reaction from him after the kiss seems out of place based on the fact that he appears to be pursuing Eda now based on the fragman. Him trying to get her to admit the engagement is fake is weird too though because she has maybe it very clear that she only moved on because he decided to move on without even giving her a chance in the first place. Or maybe nothing really makes sense lol

Monobrain! I'm going through this exact thought journey today, lmao.

Here's something I'm trying to factor in, when they shot at that restaurant, they were there for 9 hours, until 5am. I certainly hope they did not keep Kerem and Hande on location until 5am for what we saw in ep 33!  So that sort of indicates there has to be some more scenes coming in 34, right?  So let's do plausible/not-plausible for each theory:

"So maybe the kiss was Serkan’s imagination and he & Eda just talk at dinner."

Plausible

It would explain why they seemingly go right back to the jealousy game after a kiss like that, because it didn't happen.

They could still have scenes where they talk in the restaurant without really working anything out, accounting for how much time they spent there shooting.

It would give us insight into what Serkan is thinking and feeling, which is badly needed.

Not-Plausible

Seriously? Would the writers really cliff-hanger an episode on a fantasy? That is beyond cheap and shouldn't even be contemplated. But with these new “writers,” who knows.

Eda stood there with her arms hanging at her sides, would Serkan really fantasize a kiss where she is not actively... um... participating?

Did I mention it’s cheap? You just can’t bait and switch on audiences like this and retain any credibility.

“Or if the kiss is real, he acts unaffected by it so she immediately goes back into her game. Or maybe he is still very unclear on why he kissed Eda & what he wants so she immediately goes back into the game.“  

Plausible  

Sounds like amnesia Serkan who constantly seems to be going in a circle.

This would allow for them to have more scenes at the restaurant without being able to get past the "game," if they become adversarial right away again.

Throw in Eda slapping him, or reacting badly, and this could very well happen. She slaps, and he retracts. 

 Not-Plausible  

That kind of kiss ought to lead to something! Hard to believe even with a retraction they make no progress at all. And in the fragman it feels like no progress has been made. 

If she slaps him or he's an ass afterwards, it doesn’t feel like there can be much of a scene in that restaurant to account for the 9 hours they spent there. 

I agree that after he marches in there and kisses her, and then is still trying to get the truth from her next time they're at the office, that he's not the one who goes cold.  But I guess it works if she does. Though if she slaps him I question what she’s doing. Like he deserves it, but she’s all standing on her head trying to get to him. This is exactly what she wants, why repel him without first finding out what’s up? 

“Or maybe, they resolve everything between them and set a trap for Selin & Deniz?”

 Plausible    

This could account for the amount of time they spend shooting there. They work out that Selin and Deniz are playing them and maybe we don't see it until flashbacks at the end of the episode when things are revealed.

There are a lot of questions about this episode (Why did Serkan arrange the dinner? What changed between him bickering with Eda and him asking for a dinner to be arranged? Why was he so different and cold with Selin when she showed up at his place prior to dinner, is he already on to her? What did Ceren tell him?) and this sort of story would help explain a lot of those things.

This would bring back smart, two-steps ahead Serkan who has been missing and would allow us to watch Serkan and Eda working together without getting them back together too soon. 

Not-Plausible

The fact that this makes the most sense for the story and the characters and is what I want most, means it's not plausible. 

So... that got us nowhere, but I feel better having laid it all out, lmao.  Thoughts? Hopefully the second fragman will give us a bit more to go on. 

[lizacstuff]

Hey, Liza! Did you see the second fragman? It seems like we are finally going to see flashbacks with Serkan’s POV and omg, the video 😭 breakdown is coming

Hi! I'm answering a couple of days late, but yes I saw the second fragman and I'm so excited!

It very much feels like this is Serkan's episode where we see his journey to accepting fatherhood, so I'm very, very hopeful that this is the episode where they finally show us his POV in the flashbacks.

WE NEED IT.

The line Serkan says to Eda in the fragman, "You're going to listen to me," would seem to indicate that there might be an important conversation coming. Let's hope it's Serkan finally confessing why he broke up with her and pushed her away. We need to find that out and Eda really needs that information.

As for the upcoming breakdown... FINALLY. We've been needing to see a Serkan breakdown for ages. They really cheated us out of one after the amnesia story. I think we were all expecting some intense emotion from him when he remembered and realized what he'd put Eda through, but those writers sucked and didn't understand the characters or the assignment (even a little.)

However, I'm not sure I'm ready, lmao. That 2 second clip in the fragman of Serkan crying while watching the video of Kiraz and Eda had me tearing up when I first saw it. No joke. Eeeeeeeek... those scenes are going to gut me.

[lizacstuff]

Let’s talk about the fragman

Asks about the second fragman for episode 37 under the cut

Anonymous said: So based on the fragmans, I think no one's going to actually tell him about Selin before Eda's off to the airport and I'm already annoyed. Eda doesn't owe Selin anything so I don't understand why she wouldn't bring the issue to Serkan? Eda has the right to tell him "Hey, idk if its true but Selin's claiming to be pregnant with your baby. Thoughts?" SO EASY. Either he squashes it then and there, or god forbid he can't but then he can confront Selin regardless and Eda can make an informed decision

But, but, but if they talked and communicated then we wouldn’t get Serkan running through the airport and I don’t know about you... but that is HOT. Like, really, really HOT. (If Kerem would just cut his hair, Serkan would be at peak hotness right now.) 

Actually, if we have to have angst this is the kind of angst I’m okay with.  Something that can be cleared up, (I’m feeling very good about Serkan knowing he’s not the father because he never touched that lying, abusive manipulator)  but causes a big dramatic, romantic scene. I mean, I’m realistic, I don’t think these writers can deliver the kind of scene we’ve historically had on this show, but maybe if they try their hardest they can get close. Hopefully... and then Hande and Kerem can carry it the rest of the way. 

However, I get where you’re coming from, the characters have seemingly not learned their lesson about talking to one another, but at least this is in character for them. It’s not like it’s character assassination to have them do this. Plus Eda is impulsive, it’s who she is at her core. 

Also I want to cut Eda some slack here. This poor thing has been put through hell. To me it seems as if she is rightly suspicious at first, she and the girls investigate and try and prove that Selin is lying, but she must find proof that Selin is really pregnant. So Eda decides to leave and Serkan doesn’t find out the real reason why until he gets her letter.. and he chases her. 

But from Eda’s perspective, imagine how devastating that would feel? And Selin has been so laser focused on Serkan, Eda’s not even going to consider the possibility that he’s not the father. As she said, she knows what it’s like for a child to grow up without parents, I can understand why she feels like she can’t be the reason. And not talking to Serkan about it is probably a very specific choice. She knows Serkan is going to choose her. Now why she thinks Serkan is going to be with Selin now just for the baby, I don’t know, but she’s heartbroken and not thinking straight. She suddenly feels like the interloper in someone else’s story so can we blame her for feeling like she needs to set her own happiness aside and leave? It’s just another reason why Eda is the purest character on this show. She forgives and she puts others first. 

Let’s just hope this shakes Serkan up enough that he makes sure Selin is kicked out of every aspect of their lives for good. Maybe a restraining order. That woman needs to stay completely away from both Serkan and Eda for the rest of their lives and beyond.  

Anonymous said: so are you team "she's gonna get on the plane and leave/ time jump incoming" or team "she's definitely gonna turn back around cause she ~feels~ something ala ep 29" ? i think i'm in the "she doesn't leave" boat.. there's no concrete reason shown in the trailer she does actually turn around, i just have a feeling.. i do love me a good chase scene though!

I am so beyond annoyed by time jump speculation that I mute anyone on twitter who is championing that theory any time it hits my timeline. BLECK. So I’m firmly on the other team. With my whole heart. 

Hopefully, she decides she can’t leave, or I like the speculation that she feels or senses something when he goes down so she turns around, goes back and finds him. 

Anonymous said: I really hope there isn’t a time jump but everyone on twitter seems to think so :/ do you think they might do one? I feel like they wouldn’t, esp bc they already did one but idk. If they do I hope eda and serkan don’t spend it apart again ugh

I see the twitter speculation has traumatized you too. I don’t see what a time jump does. These two don’t need time apart. They need time together to talk things through, learn to trust one another, and learn to communicate!  What does a time jump accomplish? I can’t think of a single thing. Other than to give a few fans the fantasy of him finding her in some garden she designed. It is NOT worth that.  

Anonymous said: Ever since the plane crash, I've seen people saying that they want Eda to leave Serkan and come back after an X amount of time so they can start over but I feel like that is another lazy writing move. They need to TALK - writing in physical space between them due to yet another misunderstanding/non-communication wouldn't show the growth for Eda that these fans think it would, in my opinion. Writers forgot that moment in 28 when Edser said that they wouldn't misunderstand each other anymore :(

Okay, another one traumatized by that speculation. Solidarity my friends!!!  I agree, it wouldn’t show growth for Eda. At all. Running away is not the answer. Eda may be young, but she knows who she is. She doesn’t need to go find herself. Also Eda and Serkan are 100% completely sure about their love. They don’t need time to figure out they actually love each other. The opposite, they need to learn how to be together, communicate, and not let nonsense get in the way.  

Anonymous said: What do you think the cliffhanger will be?? Serkan falling like we see in the fragman? Or maybe at the hospital cause I’m pretty sure they also filmed there? And do you think we’ll see eda realize he fell (maybe bc of the heart/soulmate connection thing like in 29)? Gosh I’m so excited for saturday I hope we get more ep 11 parallels bc didnt someone see one of the crew members holding the little prince book at the airport

Lets see, best guess... I think there will be a scene or two after Serkan going down, but I don’t think we’ll see Serkan at the hospital in this episode. I would hope we get some indication that Eda is not going to get on the plane. I j’adore the soulmate/heart connection speculation and would LOVE if they used it in some way. 

As for the Little Prince book, it will be interesting to see how that comes in to play.  Perhaps it’s just that Eda has taken it with her as a reminder of their time together and is carrying it on her? We’ll see.  While at the airport they may have filmed a scene or two for the start of ep 38 so it’s possible there is a connection but we won’t see it this week. 

[lizacstuff]

Sen Çal Kapımı Fragman 35 Asks

Speculation and Spoiler asks about the 2nd fragman under the cut. (also a few ep 34 asks as well) 

Anonymous said: Thoughts on the new fragman for epi 35?

[Sing-song voice]  Serkan said he loves her! Serkan said he loves her! Serkan said he loves her!

The reign of Deniz and Selin terrorizing them is OOOOOOVER!  The reign of Deniz and Selin terrorizing them is OOOOOOVER!  The reign of Deniz and Selin terrorizing them is OOOOOOVER!  

Serkan said he loves her! Serkan said he loves her! Serkan said he loves her!  [END Sing-song voice]  

Anonymous said: Liza.. That. Fragman!!!!! Whew I had a good feeling the memory loss plot was coming to a close after the 1st fragman revealed they were so close to the wedding day and a new character was announced.. not even mad they spoiled it bc tbh, I needed SOME kinda hope. Based on different translations I'm not sure if the wedding was real yet or not.. and I was wondering what would be the new "thing" for drama in the story.. but edser are back! if it is real, I have hope they're gonna face it together.

EDSER IS BACK!  What do we always say? Fragmans are misleading. And they really chopped up that scene, lots of cuts. So my gut is saying that they want us to think Deniz and Eda marriage is actually legal, but I don’t think that it is. I think it’s a misdirect. 

Because what does Eda and Deniz being married do? Eda will get the Turkish equivalent of an annulment and it’s over. If Deniz did something to trick Eda into a real marriage when she thought it was fake, that will only make her hate him so it’s not like he gets anything out of it. It’s time for this story with Deniz and Selin to be over, so after 6 straight episodes of them having the upper hand over Eda and Serkan, why would the show hand them one last win right as our protagonists are about to triumph over their lies and manipulations?

I saw one translations where the registrar said something like, “awhile ago these two signed a real marriage contract.”  If that’s true, who are these two?  Did Deniz trick Eda into signing a marriage contract awhile ago? Or does this have something to do with Serkan and Eda’s original marriage contract? I have no idea. 

Sadly, With the information we currently have, I assume that is the last scene of the episode and will be a cliffhanger so we may have to live with this question for 10 days, not 3. Hopefully, we’ll have more context after the ep, though.

Anonymous said: Fragman 2 came out I’m so excited!! But idk something is telling me not to get too excited? What if serkan is pretending to remember just to stop the wedding because he fell in love with her again?

I guess my question to you would be, what does it matter? Whether Serkan stopped the wedding because he remembered, or he stopped the wedding because he fell in love with her all over again and said that he remembered because it seemed like the easiest way to make sure she didn’t marry another man, in my mind it’s still all good. He still said I love you, stopped the wedding and is hugging her. I’d say that is plenty to be excited about!!!  

Anonymous said: Or shoot do you think the wedding/remembering might just be eda or serkan’s dream? :(

Oh boy, possibly, but I’m so tired of the speculation that the pivotal moment in every fragman is a dream. I know that the proposal in 25 being a dream eFFed us up, but honestly, it’s no fun to theorize or speculate when you assume everything is not really happening. If it is, so be it, but I’m not gonna spend a ton of energy on that theory.

Anonymous said: The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that the wedding and remembering is serkans dream. The whole point of eda doing a fake wedding is to provoke serkan right? So if he wasn’t even there (he ran in late) why would she be acting it out, about to say yes? And would the writers really spoil the reunion in the fragman?

Okay, I guess I will spend some energy on it. Good point about her going to the point of fake saying yes when he wasn’t there, but in the fragman she says she’ll do anything to get him back. Maybe she was hoping he would come busting in and as long as its fake, does it matter? Here’s my thing, would the production actually spend a full day shooting with the ENTIRE cast at that wedding location for a dream? Seems like a pretty big expense for a dream. Also they showed a bunch of reactions. Engin, Piril, Leyla, Erdem, and Selin’s. Would a dream go into that level of detail? Complete with Engin being exuberant and Piril looking like she sucked on a lemon? Would Serkan dream about that and having a bruise on his face? Maybe, it would certainly clear away all the problems this scene potentially creates, but it’s not the most plausible scenario to me. 

Anonymous said: Maybe the confession is serkans dream, which makes him realize that even though he doesn’t remember, he still loves her so that provokes him to stop the wedding for real, and then the running/car scenes are real and the ep ends with him walking in on the wedding? Bc during the running/car scenes and when it looks like it first walks into the wedding he has a brown jacket but during the confession he doesn’t

Okay... I guess this theory is super popular. Obviously could be. However, check out the reaction shot of Engin at the wedding again, he’s holding Serkan’s coat.  So a lot happens (obviously) that we didn’t see. I guess somehow Serkan comes down the stairs and takes off his coat and hands it to Engin?

Anonymous said: I wonder why eda has a different wedding dress in each fragman?

Maybe Eda was just trying on dresses when he came in and perhaps there were several? Or maybe she decides not to wear the dress that caused Serkan to look at her like she was the stars and moon combined and say she was beautiful, to fake marry another man?

Episode 34 asks:

Anonymous said: In 34 when Selin takes the pictures to Deniz and they have their argument, did you notice that when Deniz angrily throws the photos/envelope onto the table, one (or two, I can’t remember) photos falls out unnoticed onto the floor? And when Selin takes the envelope back, presumably to dispose of the photos, she doesn’t pick up the one on the floor. Do you think this is significant at all?

I’ve seen this theory, but then I also saw someone point out that when Selin looks at the photos later they are both there. I think that might just be a continuity issue. However, we shall see. Someone has the copies and is texting them to Selin, so it’s not like there’s a shortage of ways for the show to get other eyes on the photos. 

Anonymous said: I agree with you that Eda slapping Serkan after the kiss was a little harsh. When I read the summary for the ep I was expecting him to say something mean, but what he actually said was the best case scenario. Him taking that big of a step in actively WANTING to remember her, especially after the way Ceren worded what she said to him about Eda, was a big deal! And I was like girl, did you not do this exact same thing to him in ep 29 in an effort to make him remember as well? 😂

I agree that his reaction was the best case scenario. She did do that exact same thing. And his reaction was to dazedly wander off and propose to another woman to try and stave off the feels and confusion her kiss wrought. All in all I prefer the slap. 

Personally, I think it was a huge thing that he wanted to kiss her, especially after Ceren’s unbalanced Eda-hate soliloquy at his loft. He didn’t seem to care about Eda being manipulative or selfish, he just seemed jazzed because if true it would mean that she hadn’t been able to move on from their love.

[lizacstuff]

Anon asks: SCK Fragman 38 speculation

(Asks under the cut)

Anonymous said: Do you think they're getting married this next episode? idk if the tattoos were confirmation

I think it’s possible? But I also think it’s entirely possible that they get the tattoos as a symbol of their love and a promise of sorts that they are through messing around, but they’re not actually married yet.  Frankly, they already gave us all the wedding hoopla with these two, I’m absolutely fine with an elopement or quick courthouse style wedding, or just a couple of witnesses in a garden. Whatever they want! Let’s just get her done.

Also... I know I said it before, but I’m just in love with the idea of these tattoos. Such a great solution to their ring issue. 

Anonymous said: Thoughts on all these twitter theories from the “sick” line in the fragman?

- it’s about piril and engins kid bc basak and anil filmed in the hospital, and piril was hit by a car in 36 and in 37 she had that moment where she clutched her abdomen and had to sit down

- it’s a flashback serkan has to when his brother alp was sick

- serkan is sick and it’s a way to reveal Kemal as his bio dad (blood or organ donation)

- serkan is sick and it’s a way to reveal eda is pregnant when they draw blood from her to donate

That fragman could be hinting at so many things, and it very well could have been misleading. So lets take each theory in turn. 

“it’s about piril and engins kid bc basak and anil filmed in the hospital, and piril was hit by a car in 36 and in 37 she had that moment where she clutched her abdomen and had to sit down”

Very possible. Engin thinking something had happened to Piril two eps ago did feel like foreshadowing, almost preparing the audience for something. It would be so heartbreaking if she loses the baby, and seems too dark for this show, but it is something that happens to millions of women, so we’ll see.

Also can you imagine after the way Piril stuck by Selin, if Piril lost her baby, and she then witnesses Selin using her baby as a pawn to get revenge on Serkan and Eda?  I’d like to see Piril and Engin’s reaction to that. Though again I think that’s pretty dark, especially for the side couple. 

- it’s a flashback serkan has to when his brother alp was sick

I think this is a very good guess. Serkan probably will see a doctor after he passed out, and if it is another panic attack brought on by the stress of losing Eda, I could see a doctor telling him if he wants to move past the panic attacks, he needs to get at the root of his abandonment issues, which all lead back to his brother’s death. That could be why he’s getting out a box of his things and reading that letter.  So I could very well see a flashback happening to Alp’s diagnosis.

- serkan is sick and it’s a way to reveal Kemal as his bio dad (blood or organ donation)

I’m honestly fully onboard with Kemal as Serkan’s bio dad.  I hear a lot of people poopooing the idea because of opportunity, but I think they told us when it could have happened. In their first meeting, (unless my subs were bad) Aydan mentioned that Kemal had returned once to apologize for standing her up when they were young and going to run away together. I assume that was the window. Kemal showed up years later (after Alp was born) to apologize.. they had a fling and there’s the opportunity for Serkan to be his son. 

Though, to me, if they’re doing something with Serkan’s health it’s got to be related to the plane crash. The chest clutching since he’s been back is concerning, plus wasn’t his hand shaking at one point? So I don’t see him having some serious underlying issue that’s unrelated. This guy does not shy away from going to the doctor and was just in the hospital for probably over a month recovering, so you’d think if there was anything wrong before, we’d know it.  Unless the plane crash acerbated something that’s genetic? And/or requires a match like bone marrow or kidney. I suppose they could give Serkan some rare blood type and that would be something applicable to most any ailment. We shall see. 

- serkan is sick and it’s a way to reveal eda is pregnant when they draw blood from her to donate

This one I think is the least likely. It’s been very fuzzy how much time has passed, but at the minimum 3 months since they were supposed to get married and were having sex, so if Eda were pregnant I think she would have noticed the signs by now.  

Anonymous said: Liza, I know they won’t kill Serkan, but could you reassure me that they won’t? I’ve followed you since Once and you were always good at reassuring.

Ha! I remember making lists of all the reasons they would never kill Hook. 

THEY WON’T KILL SERKAN.

And I’m even more certain of this than I ever was of them not killing Hook, and I was damn certain then. 

There is literally not ONE reason for this show to exist without Eda and Serkan. Not one. This is their love story, and really, storyline wise, the show should have ended awhile ago, and the only reason they keep it going is to keep Hande and Kerem on screen together, making their magic. Seriously, that’s the only reason.

You see how Serkan dying would be counter to that, right?  And if the show were about to end, trust me, there is nothing in it for anyone to have a tragic ending. This started as a romantic comedy, and will end as one, with a happily ever after. And if you’re still nervous, trust this, the production company is still hopeful to sell it into even more foreign markets, especially English language ones, a surprise tragic, twist ending that gets vilified on social media (and trust me this fandom is huge, vocal and capable) would really hurt those chances. 

So even if we’re headed into a bad diagnosis for Serkan, he will be fine in the end, it will just be something for him and Eda to fight through. I promise. 

Anonymous said: thoughts on that wonderfully beautiful fragman? i was watching with hearts in my eyes and then read the translations.. poor serkan!! if it really isn't misleading i definitely think it's some consequence of the plane crash. but, we are secure in what kind of show this is and the full knowledge that it's not a drama and no one is gonna actually die, i'm excited for the potential this storyline is gonna give us!! (esp with the return of the old writers)

I can’t wait to see that rain scene, and the after-the-rain scene and their motorcycle ride. The fragman was very beautiful, but it also felt very poignant and a little melancholy.

It’s interesting with the announcement that the second writing team was back, there were tidbits from several legit entertainment-type reporters yesterday that the show was going back to it’s roots being funny and entertaining.  So a terrible diagnosis for one of the current characters, especially the romantic leading man, doesn’t really fit with that. 

It the writers hadn’t changed I’d be more concerned, not about a character dying, just about the show leaning into some big sort of health-related melodrama.  But I think whatever might be happening will be in service to the plot.  As far as Serkan having a health-scare related to the crash, as I said above it’s very plausible. I mean what are the chances that a man survives a plane crash, is fished out of the sea, spends weeks in a hospital, gets amnesia and is perfectly fine 3-4 months later with no other repercussion? Doesn’t seem possible! 

Anonymous said: Liza, the second set of writers is really coming back! We might actually get comeuppance for Selin!

YESS!!!!! Please. I had completely lost hope with the last set of writers who seemed hellbent on normalizing her behavior.  Look I’d be fine with a 3 minute conversation where Serkan tells her that he knows she’s a manipulative liar and the baby is not his, that he wants her out of their lives for good, and that if she ever comes near Eda ever again he will personally destroy her. 

Is that so much to ask?

Though I’d like her to be humiliated in front of the rest of the team. Just so everyone knows what kind of psycho she is and no one in Edser’s orbit is tempted to give her another chance ever again. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.  With the news that Sarp Can (Deniz) is COVID positive, he obviously won’t be back on set anytime soon. They could probably get some VO from him if necessary, for a phone convo, but I’m gonna guess he’s done on screen. 

It’s time to write both characters out! 

As for the 22-23, 25-30 writers coming back, that is the best news I’ve had in ages.  They weren’t perfect, but the things they did well, they did really, really well. Their comedy, romantic scenes, heartfelt dialogue, accurate characterizations and penchant for sizzling scenes that “break the Turkish family structure” will all be most welcome. I’m really excited for the first time in ages. 

Anonymous said: Very interesting that the fragman did not address the Selin baby drama at all. It focused solely on Edser which was a welcome change while at the same time has me a bit nervous for the angst & drama no doubt headed our way. But if Eda & Serkan are together for good now to face the challenges coming then I cannot wait to watch. The last episode was so well done but Eda & Serkan were both near their breaking points for different reasons & you just felt awful for both of them. Really glad that the engagement did not happen and the show focused on the fallout from Serkan’s amnesia. And even had the side characters addressing how difficult things have been for Eda and that she might need some time before picking things back up with Serkan! Looking forward to the resolution of the baby story/exit of Selin and seeing Eda & Serkan heal together.

I hope that the fact that nothing Selin-related was addressed in the fragman means that we finally have people in charge who understand that we are so damned fatigued of Selin that featuring her an active deterrent for viewers.  Also I haven’t seen any evidence that Bige has been on set for 38. That doesn’t mean she hasn’t, it’s still possible, but it is encouraging that the ep will be  light on Selin. 

As far as the drama and angst, I think there’s more headed our way, however I’m hopeful it will be the good kind and not the kind that made us really uncomfortable and want to tear our hair out during the Selin/Deniz era. We know that Eda and Serkan must decide to stay together (spending time together, ring finger tattoos) so the point of the pregnancy storyline is done. When Eda found out Selin was pregnant, it gave Selin the chance for one last Hail Mary pass, and she took it, trying to break them up, but it failed. So it’s usefulness is over. She can’t keep the charade going because of Deniz, and because once Serkan has time to calm down and think, he’ll realize that any time in Slovania where he was so injured that it’s possible he doesn’t remember, he also would have been too physically incapacitated to do anything of the sort. 

As for Eda needing some time, yes, things in 36 were just too easy for Serkan in terms of the fallout from his amnesic behavior. Episode 37 made him work for it and I think come to terms with the fact that, Selin manipulations or no, there’s work to do and things he needs to atone for.  Putting her first throughout the episode, and showering her with love, was a good start. 

Anonymous said: The conversations Selin had with Eda, Serkan and Aydan in this episode had my blood boiling. Someone stop this psycho! The unnecessary hole digging was real, my god. I don't care if she's pregnant, don't hold Eda back this time and let her fight this snake. Let everyone fight her! If she's lying to Deniz now, he can fight her too.

I know, she reached new levels of abusive manipulation.  They better be planning a comeuppance, if she’s just allowed to leave with people waving goodbye, I will scream.  The Aydan conversation with her posing the question about abortion was something else. It came across to me more as a threat. Like... I’m thinking about doing this, if you don’t want my decision to be your fault, you better stay on the right side of me. 

The Eda and Serkan stuff goes without saying. It still floors me that she’s willing to pretend like she raped him (if he can’t remember because he was that injured and foggy, then it’s impossible for him to have given consent.) rather than just giving up and living the truth.  

Anonymous said: Like I get it (kind of) but I am so sick of watching Serkan be nice to Selin. Very much looking forward to Serkan chewing her out for how much she hurt Eda with this fake Serkan baby daddy story when she is exposed. I get that Serkan feels he is to blame for calling her to Slovenia in the first place & essentially in his mind giving her hope of them being together but he needs to stop excusing her horrible behavior from there. No decent person would take advantage of that situation the way she did. It seems like the only way that Selin will have an epic fall is if Deniz decides to fight for the kid he knows must be his and tell Eda everything. Going to be tough for her to believe initially but it will have to start making sense once she thinks back on things and then if the photos surface then she will know it must be true.

Agreed. I get Serkan’s guilt, and it actually shows what a good person he is, but he needs to get over it.  Because seriously, all Selin was obligated to do when she got his call was to hang up, and then dial one of the following: his mother, his father, his fiancé or best friend/business partner Engin. That’s it. Call them and say, hey, Serkan’s alive, this is where you’ll find him. But NOPE! Instead she decided to fly there, manipulate him, keep him hidden and try to use it to get back with him. She made him beholden to her, just another in the long line of brainwashing and manipulation. Her flying to his bedside was the wrong thing to do, and it would be great if someone beside Eda recognized that. 

Anonymous said: Even though Selin is the worst and I just cannot wait for her to finally be unmasked as the manipulator she is, I am really looking forward to Edser in the next episode. Eda taking care of Serkan after he passes out, the two of them reaffirming their commitment to each other with the tattoos & possible elopement, Eda reassuring Serkan that she will be at his side even if the kid turns out to be his and also the two of them working together to get to the truth. So darn excited! And if the spoilers are right that Deniz tells Eda the truth and Serkan sees the photos from Ferit then I will be so happy. It is time for Selin to go for good!

SELIN MUST GO. Yes, I think as soon as the news that Selin is pregnant and trying to pass it off as Serkan’s brain-fog baby, Ferit will unleash the photos. (if it’s him that has them).  

I just want Selin and Deniz gone so we can focus on other things. Their presence on this show is a energy drain, and I want to focus on rain frolicking, motorcycles and bed sharing!!!!!  

Anonymous said: I'm so glad that we had a scene of Serkan telling Eda that even without his memories he fell in love with her again, he just couldn't admit it. Serkan has an interesting perspective on the memory loss part of their lives where I think he almost feels too guilty about it all and just wants to move past it. I've noticed that in his dialogues in 36 & 37 where he wants to leave it in the past and basically do his all to make it all up to her in the present and future.

I think this is very well observed. He definitely was trying to leave the past in the past, but honestly I think that’s just laziness on the part of the old writers, not wanting to have to have a reckoning for all the things they had him say or do. Since the writers decided to go that way, I could buy it’s because Serkan feels too guilty about it all. We know how much he loathes making mistakes or being wrong or owing apologies. If that’s what they wanted to do, it would have gone a long way if they’d shown a bit more of him blaming himself, especially in 36. 

I was also very happy that Serkan came out and said that he’s fallen in love with her again. My only thing is I wish if they were going to do that, they would have thrown a little more detail in the dialogue. Like Serkan admitting to her that he started thinking about her all the time as soon as he returned and met her, maybe admit that he slept on his office couch clutching her wedding invitation.  A couple of things like that would have been very nice for Eda to hear. 

Anonymous said: SCK sure loves creating difficult situations for Eda & Serkan. I really felt for Serkan in the last episode especially since he was back to being the romantic robot we all love. He so baldly wants to make up for lost time with Eda that he rushes ahead with the proposal and then gets crushed when she rejects him. And then spends most of the episode frantically trying to figure out what is going on with her and trying to show her how much he loves her. I was really happy though that the show addressed a few different times how awful the last few months have been for Eda and it also made Serkan address it. His plan to just forget about everything and move forward did not happen. Loved that the side characters stepped up to remind him of everything he & Selin put Eda through. Not so crazy that the show decided to use Selin’s pregnancy as the plot device to get Serkan to finally realize “oh yeah, what happened since my accident is a very big deal & now I have to face it & come to terms with it” but still glad it happened. Selin is obviously so much more in the wrong than Serkan but let’s hope her downfall takes place in the next episode.

All of this.  I think you’re exactly right, Serkan tried to brush past everything and I’m glad that finally the other characters stepped up a little to help make him see that he had more work to do. Special shout out to Seyfi for his sassy comment about Serkan almost marrying another woman. And finally Piril was useful and acted like a friend, the first time she had since he returned.  

[lizacstuff]

SCK Season 2 episode 1 Fragman 1 asks!

That fragman was really goooood and it appears those of you in my inbox thought so too...

(asks under the cut)

Anonymous asked: that fragman... it had EVERYTHING i was hoping for for the start of this plot. sure, i had to adjust my expectations after the first teaser came out and knowing the plot and it was knowing we could potentially get these kinda scenes with their daughter i was really excited about, it already looks SO good.. it almost feels like there's new life in the show which i guess is what a new season is about. idk if you watched the last live but they mention 11-13 eps and i think it'll be perfect for this

I got chills the first time I watched the fragman. Just amazing.  It’s a really good thing that they released the teaser and then the summary so we could all, as you say, adjust expectations. If this fragman was the first we were hearing about the set up for this season then we would have all been in shock like we were after the teaser.  However, we’ve had time to come to terms with the story and now we get to see how they are going to execute it... and the verdict is... it looks like it’s going to be amazing!

It definitely feels like new life to the show. Hopefully, Ayse is re-energized after her long break and getting to take back control of her creation and we’re in for quite a ride. 

I just adored the few seconds we got of Serkan and his daughter.  That’s already an amazing dynamic and we’ve barely seen it. Obviously, there will be quite a bit of hilarity there, but it’s also going to be quite the emotional ride to watch him open his heart to his daughter and become her dad... and then, you know, open his heart to her mom and eventually become her husband. 

11-13 episodes does seem the exact right length for this story.  I hope everyone who is still upset and angry about the time jump (I get it, it was a tragic curve ball) will find a way to let that go and enjoy this show while we have it. This show is special, this cast is special, Hande and Kerem are special, and it’s so much more fun to enjoy it as it comes to an end. Being in that negative headspace isn’t the best way to celebrate the last three months of this show, and fandom and all the hoopla surrounding it and you will probably regret it when it’s over if you don’t make the most of it. Anon and I will be enjoying it the best we can, right!?

Anonymous asked: it's probably too early to tell, but i'm getting some parent trap rom-com vibes from that first fragman. their daughter definitely has some spunk, i mean this is eda's daughter of course, and i can totally see her scheming to reunite her parents after she finds out that serkan is her father.

Ha! Yes, I think is a given. She’s probably going to be working hard and I’m sure we’re in for many comic scenes and the resultant sexual tension of Eda and Serkan being thrown together constantly. Now who do we think her accomplices will be?  Melo? Seyfi? Everyone but the new people and Ayfer?  That was the only part of the fragman that made me groan, Ayfer was on screen 2 seconds and it already looks like she’s going to be a pain-in-the-ass.  Back to Ayse’s Ayfer I guess, she’s one character who was much less insufferable under the other writers. 

Anyway, I want BabyGirl to insist on all sorts of outings together as a family, trips, etc, and then make herself scarce. Can you imagine? And hey if she’s able to manipulate them into living together, all the better!

Anonymous asked: OK that fragman was probably the best thing they could've shown first! Even the most cynical of cynics cannot resist the visual of Serkan + little girl. She's adorable!

SOOOO CUTE.  I mean, come on! Where did they find this child? She’s perfect. She absolutely is 100% believable as their child. That casting department is on fire.  It’s interesting there were reports from set this week that Maya struggled with her scenes, because from what we say she NAILED them. She must have settled down (if the reports were even true in the first place, so many nonsense rumors in this fandom).

I’m usually not that excited for kids on screen, but these Baba/Kiz scenes and family scenes are going to be amazing. I’m actually looking forward to scenes with a child. 

Anonymous asked: Any guesses on the story behind Edser’s daughter’s scarf? And thoughts on the name Kiraz? Is it her real name or does Serkan just call her that bc he doesn’t know her name and sees the cherries on her scarf?? Or is the whole fandom a circus and her name doesn't relate to cherries at all?

I think my best guess is that she won’t tell Serkan her name (like her mama) and Serkan sees her scarf or she leaves her scarf so he calls her Kiraz, and that will stick as a nickname.  That would also be a parallel to Serkan calling Eda a fruit nick name when he didn’t know hers. 

Perhaps it’s her real name, it just doesn’t feel like something Eda would name her, but I honestly don’t know what names are popular in Turkey, and if that’s an actual name people use or not. 

However, I will laugh my ass off if her name has nothing to do with cherries, because some people on other platforms really made asses of themselves getting upset when it was first rumored. I mean... getting key-smashing angry about a fictional child’s name? That’s when you know that your negativity over the season set up has become irrational.

Anonymous asked: Any rough idea on the timeline for 2x01 based on the fragman?

This is such a great question, and I really have no idea. I can’t even decide what comes first, Serkan talking to her on the beach (I don’t like you Serkan Bolat, The feeling is mutual) or when he brings her home.  I could see it either way. 

I’m hopeful that Serkan and Eda meeting and coming face to face isn’t the end of the episode.  That just doesn’t make sense to me. it’s obvious from the fragman that they want Serkan and BabyGirl to meet and interact before either of them is aware of their connection, so no Eda present there.  But with the way they’re setting up this season, they are obviously hoping to bring viewers back, and potentially even attract new viewers, and the draw for this show is having Hande and Kerem on screen together.  Having a whole episode, the one where they hope to catch new people, where they don’t see each other to the end, wouldn’t be putting their best foot forward in my opinion.  So I’m hopefully that happens at least half way or three quarters of the way through the episode so we get to see a bit of that interaction between them. 

I suppose they might wait to the end for them to meet, but fulfill the need to have Edser on screen through flashbacks. That’s possible. It will be interesting to see, maybe the second fragman will give us more hints!

Anonymous asked: I think the first ep cliffhanger is def gonna be serkan realizing that maya is edas kid

Obviously it could be. We’ll see. I was sort of hoping for the cliffhanger to be him realizing that she’s his kid...

I really don’t want them to draw that out, Eda has kept the child secret for too long as it is, now that they’re face to face it’s time to come clean. No lying.