Subat

I really didn't think I would like this at first---It looked like it would be a mix of Beauty and the Beast with Ninja Turtles. Some of the acting was way over the top, so I thought this might be for a younger audience.

Once I gave it a chance I got completely pulled in to the story. The plot is very complicated, with several plots interwoven. Some are crime stories, some are love stories, and some are about fate, fraternity, loyalty, and betrayal. Also abuse and mental illness. There are medical experiments and a quest for eternal life.

I loved most of the acting. The backstories and character development made me sympathetic for all but the most evil bad guys. Subat and Yagmur especially change a lot as they mature in this story.

No spoiler--but the ending is extraordinary.

Like most of these Turkish shows there is no sex shown but there is a lot of violence.

At times it was obvious that the subtitles had mistakes--especially mixing masculine and feminine pronouns. It made me wonder what else I was missing.

Normally, I like to keep my hands busy while I watch tv, but with the subtitles, I found that I had to pay attention... so for 32 episodes (each almost 1 1/2 hrs long) I was captivated and not at all productive. But no worries -- this is a very special show. The symbolism and passion, a complete set of characters that you grow to absolutely love (or hate) and each one gets under your skin. I have a new appreciation for Turkish culture and for Istanbul and I am yearning for more shows like this one. A real treat, and I am soooooo glad I took a chance on something I don't normally watch!

I could write reams about this and still not do it justice. During the first 2 episodes, I thought "I'm not going to like this...", but I am now on episode 16 (still only half way), and the episodes are 90m long!

The cast is massive, nearly all of the characters suffer from some form of insanity, and most provide a great deal of background narrative, giving a sense of authenticity. There is some over-acting, but as you watch each episode, this seems to blend naturally, so that it just appears to be genuine aspects of the character being played. The key characters are excellently portrayed, I found myself empathising even with some of the most brutal ones.

I don't know if it is a true representation of Turkish culture, if so, it appears to be pretty violent, with verbal rebukes that would be appropriate in Western society being replaced with physical slaps. There is a lot of fairly graphic violence throughout the series, which adds to the excitement and fits in with the story-line.

The story-line (in the episodes that I have seen so far) fits several sub-plots together while still maintaining logical integrity and continuity. Puzzles are solved, sometimes in a single episode, but more often over several episodes.

The locations are impressive, featuring underground passages and homes, massive engineering structures, lots of derelict industrial scenes, as well as some luxury homes and buildings.

I could be critical on some technical points, there are a few instances when I thought "that would never happen", but if you ignore those and just go with the flow, it doesn't detract from the absorbing and exciting story.

The series is a unique example of the Turkish TV industry. Subat offers a beautiful cinematic experience with over 50 very talented actors and actresses, unforgettable visuals and musical scores. To this date, I'm quite assured that no other Turkish producer and director have been able to achieve such exceptional viewer experience - which makes Subat an absolute benchmark for the upcoming projects. The plot does have sharp and shocking twists and key characters are introduced gradually, which creates continued viewer interest and enthusiasm. Compared to other TV series produced in Turkey, Subat is one of the few that respects the intelligence of the viewer and offers much more than what is presented on the screen if the viewer chooses to analyze the characters and puts the pieces together by himself. I must also add that producing such quality imagery and storyline is not that easy when each episode is approximately 100 minutes long and filmed on a weekly basis.

An overall excellent production that deserves much better recognition, and I hope to see more like this series in the future.

I love Turkish Dramas but I really love this show. So many great characters. Funny, sad, dramatic, love, forgiveness, everything. I wish we had good television like Turkish dramas. I am thankful that Netflix shows so many. I recommend everyone watch this show. I am learning the Turkish language so that I can watch good series and movies like this. Shows like this help me learn the language.