Jarabe de Arándano

I was bored one day and thought of seeing the first episode of this series, more because of Sila being in it. Best decision ever, it blew my expectations and I've enjoyed each second of it. Great plot, excellent cast and good direction. Writing never gets boring, story progresses fast and characters don't act irrationally. It's the story of millions of women in the eastern world, a breath of fresh in the dizi world. 20 excellent episodes so far.

I had my doubts at first, thinking it would be a story washed with Muslim morale, never expected it to be one that would expose the hypocrisy, the wrong and the right, the lack of humanity and empathy of the conservative world too busy to put on a show for the world but very cold and ruthless inside.

Also it exposes many aspects of the so called modern society, lack of tolerance and blown bridges of communication.

I recommend this series if you want an insight in what the clash of two lifestyles is like.

It is a very good series that portrays well the difficulties encountered when a young man from a traditional Muslim family marries a girl whose religion is not the pillar of her family. It's a beautiful family drama that shows that every family has its imperfections and prejudices.

The cast is wonderful and talented. And a very good thing is that the plot does not revolve around the protagonists alone.

Nowadays, I think this series brings very important reflections on religious and moral issues in society not only in Turkey but all over the world.

Once again I emphasize that the cast is so good that it will make you love the characters and hate them in the same episode.

First of all, there's no ideology in the film, for both sides, it's more like a tradition and culture. If you're expecting a mind-changing show that makes you question weather Islam is better than secularism or not, just don't watch it! Because coming to the second point,

This is the most unrealistic story and unrealistic characters I've ever seen. Even in Japan, people would know that alcohol is Haram(forbidden) for Muslims, but somehow in Istanbul, Kivilcim sees it as absurd!? The unrealism of Kivilcim doesn't stop there, she's a 40+ year old, stubborn, very strict woman who suddenly changes into a compassionate, merciful, adaptable and loving character faster than the change of a teenager. Are you serious? She also acts so against religion since the beginning, even before meetingbthe pious Unal family. You may think she has endured some kind of religious trauma, faced some bad tempered religious people, or was a religious person once before becoming secular(non-religious). But she was not. This seemingly deep character who has a strong case against religion and Islamic conservatives, not only doesn't have any trauma or bad memories related to religion, but also doesn't even know much about it. She has been raised by seculars, married a secular and in her whole life, she was never exposed to bigotry until she met the Unals.

Omer, Fatih, Doga... It's not only about the characters, the story line is forcing the limits of comedy. No spoilers- but you know what I mean.

And on top of it, even the ages of the characters CHANGED during the show! In the first episode, Doga says that she's 20 years old and doesn't need her mother's permission anymore. Doga gets pregnant while she's a 20 years old dentistry student, and she has a younger sister who studies high school, Cimen. She turns 18 in the first season. Doga gives birth, and shortly after, Cimen has an older lover, and Cimen's and her friend Metehan's age suddenly change to 21! I can't believe how no one noticed it.

The only thing I like about this show, the only thing I find realistic is seeing how the characters are trying to find who they really are and where they fit in the world, what is right and what is wrong, how to be. This isn't something we see often in movies and shows but a lot of people in real life can relate to feeling alien and trying to do the right thing. As an adventurous traveler, who has traveled far and wide since a young age, I can relate to these culture shocks.

But also it's weird that no one questions, maybe the other side is right? Maybe Islam is wrong? Or maybe Islam is right? Especially, Doga. The only truely characterless person in this show is Doga. She's way too bendable and never thinks! It's as if she's only living instinctively.

The constantly changing storyline, the comedy-like absurdities, the dissonance of the personalities of the characters, and most importantly, no psychological or philosophical theme is why I consider this show a huge disappointment.

P. S.: The funniest thing is that on every episode, you see a text that goes: Based on a true story.

First of all the life styls between two extremist ideology (Islamic and secular) are depicted wisely but that doesn't mean scriptwriter handls it good. Supreme islamist family's way of living is totally fine but the way of using language is irritating. Just like in many other Turkish soap operas, there are lots of illogical events but the amount of it gets increased. If you live in a Muslim country, you are well aware of the many situations that is "handled" in the tv series but on which side you belong affects how you see the events in the tv serie but if you in the middle, then you will be totally irritated by the behaviors of the two sides.

I only started to watch this series because I am very bored. First few episodes were fine but by the 5th episode I cant stand to continue this series. First it looks like they aim to bring people together but soon we realise they try to convey a horrible picture about both the beliefs mentioned in the series and ignite strife between the two parties living in the same country.

The series seems more illogical the more episodes you watch and continuously derogates the beliefs of several people. It has been an ok 5 episodes but the more I watch the more illogical it becomes, watching is becoming too irritating. The 10/10 reviews are probably from world haters who can't live in a world of differences just like the writer of this series.