cjpatra Reviews

Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum (2024– )

Similar but different story line and feel. Very Good.

[9/10 · 23 August 2024]

Been obsessed with Pakistani dramas, although they all have similar storylines about forced or arranged marriage usually caused by a girls chastity being in question or honour of the family being at stake when the woman in question is not at fault. What usually follows is endless suffering of the female lead where she has to endure a cruel mother in law and a some scheming female cousin in love with the male lead. An oblivious male lead who she magically falls in love with despite being treated like trash and a magical pregnancy when theres zero chemistry. This started the same way but it has a completely different feel,it's not obsessed with oppressing the female lead and requiring her to prove her worth, for once, the build up of chemistry and intimacy between the ml and fl is realistic. Since sex is taboo in Pakistani dramas, we see the subtle implications of intimacy of how the relationship progresses in sleeping arrangements, physical proximity and touch. I always find it funny the way Pakistani dramas completely avoid showing intimacy when it can be done tastefully and with some creativity. We are all thinking about it anyway, the more you avoid it, the more shame there is around the whole subject. Anyway, love Hania as Sharjeena, confident and self-assured, not easily bullied and moping about circumstances she finds herself in. I have never watched anything from the male lead, Mustafa but he is so amazing, very different from other actors. I hope he does more shows, I would watch anything he's in.

Nijaat (2023– )

Intersting drama from start to finish with happy ending

[8/10 · 25 May 2024]

To avoid emotional trauma,I usually have to check if a Pakistani or Turkish drama has a happy ending, so to start off, and to help the hopeless romantics like me, this one does.... I recently got addicted to Pakistani dramas and I'm so incredibly impressed. The actors in Nijaat are phenomenal and their ability to express nuaced emotions without exaggerated acting is incredible. Nijaat pulls you in and you feel like you are there, living each moment in the drama. The story line is layered, the character development is something I wish Turkish dramas learnt, also another genre i love. I'm not Muslim but it had alot of deep reflections and was though provoking at times. How are my relationships with my friends and family and how much grace do I extend to them? Is love a feeling or something you work on, an action? How much patience do I have when life throws curve balls? Can love and care and tone really change a person? Unlike other dramas where the female lead's rival is evil, Minahil was not, you could understand her anger and even cruelty, and I actually liked her, she's layered and human and stood up for herself. The female lead is also not helpless and the eternal innocent victim, her character made her who she is, she soft on the outside, iron on the inside, I liked that she was confident and seemed to be self-assured. The male lead, amazing acting, I loved to hate him. I like the contract/ arranged marriage themes, it's just interesting to see how humans would adjust to a lifelong partnership with a stranger, and when gender roles are challenged. I think Pakistani dramas do this better than Turkish dramas. Its incredibly fascinating to understand the culture.

Deewangi (2019– )

Loved it

[2/10 · 24 May 2024]

On a high anxiety Thursday when I wanted to be completely lost and quiet my buzzing mind with a series, I started watching Deewangi. Been looking for it for a while with English subtitles, and I was hooked. Didn't sleep for about 24 hours then crushed. The drama and acting was awesome. Danish Taimoor is so attractive and talented and Hiba is beautiful and amazing at showing emotion though she overacts sometimes and her expresions are not natural. The story is very similar to Kaisi Teri Khuzgharzi. Pakistani shows, are so so intense ,man, emotional roller coaster but unfortunately they mostly end up in tragedies. Maybe it works for some but this is not a satisfying love story, my toxic arse wanted the leads to end up together. Someone we need na fan fic because I love hate-to-love contract marriage stories. I'm not tired of the story line, please keep making contract marriage dramas.

Gelin (2024– )

Slow and Painful to watch. Endless stares and flashback

[5/10 · 7 May 2024]

The writers were lazy. I feel sorry for the actors, they didn't have much to work with. Very slow, very frustrating, half the series is looong cringey stares and flashbacks.... Overdone story line but the writers could have tried harder. FL was obviously chosen for looking like Ozge Yagiz, she's the eternal victim with zero personality. Male lead is the typically CEO macho man who despite running a company has no emotional awareness and easily manipulated by everyone around him, standard cruel controlling mother in law, obsessed mentally unstable relative/ ex wife.... You need patience to get through this one. The story line is similar to Adini Sen Koy which was 100 times better because the female lead had a personality. Also watching Kizil Goncalar, much better series, I'm hooked. I watch this as I wait for more episodes. Female characters who have inner strength and a little fire are much more interesting, not just playing victim and endless tears.

Edit: Now at episode 15, increased my rating by a point because the FL got some fire and told off the ML.

My Liberation Diary (2022)

Beautiful, Slow, Fulfilling

[10/10 · 30 October 2023]

This is not your typical K-Drama, its slow, and beautiful and sucks you in. Its not a binge watch, it becomes part of your routine. I could only watch an episode or two at a time but could relate to so much of it being a melancholic person. Loved it from beginning to end with golden monologues and one liners. The actors are so amazing, esp the leads, they portrayed the emotions beautifully. Some if the character hardly talked, like the father but he portrayed it so well that I was just as frustrated as his children and his wife. I felt every emotion, the and downs including the relief at the end.

House of the Dragon (2022– )

Lower your expectations, it's not Game of Thrones

[5/10 · 8 April 2023]

The best way to view this series without getting too disappointed is to lower one's expectations and keep in mind that it's not Game of Thrones so it's just not to the same standard. I stopped watching several times because I was a bit bored and came back to it, which would never happen with GOT. It started off well but, it felt rushed, there wasn't sufficient world building. Like i wanted to see all the kingdoms at that time, more context would have been great. Kept wondering what was going on in Winterfell.....Where it all fell apart was the time jump and some of the stories just didnt make sense. I wish they didn't change Milly Alcock (young Rhaenyra) with the older actress and just aged her with make up. She was a far better actress to me and the change felt abrupt esp when there was no change with other characters. Then it didnt make sense to me that she had children who were obviously not her husbands when Daemons kids were clearly biracial or black, i mean they made such a big deal out of it and i just wondered, like what a hill to die on, they could have found another sperm donor to get white haired kids, like why was this so hard to solve, even gay husband doesnt mean he's sterile. If the writers just wanted drama, I don't see why they couldn't just find another storyline, the kids thing was not sellable at all. That said, Matt Smith ( Daemon) carried the show, he was by far the most fascinating character for me. I wish the story was centred on Daemon and Rhaenyra ( Milly Alcock not Emma D'Arcy) instead Daemon was made passive and Rhaenyra powerless until the very end. It was just annoying, I wanted to see their sordid steamy love story. The show was just not memorable.

Kan Çiçekleri (2022– )

Interesting story but lazy script, drags too much

[8/10 · 5 April 2023]

This a soap drama so first thing is to lower your expectations. It's dramatic and exaggerated. The story line is interesting but the looooong stares and 'damsel-in- distress' scenes between the lead couple is so frustrating, it was nice at first but became too muchand seemed like the script writer was lazy and just decided to have long stares instead of words. Then there's the flashbacks just after the in incident happened . Another frustration is just how much the story drags for such long episodes. Its so slow moving and the side characters don't offer much to the story, the Ali story line moved too slow. Again, I think it's a failure in the writing. There are other Turkish TV shows with 2 hour episodes and just as long that are more interesting. I would still recommend it, couldn't stop watching despite being frustrated.

Archetypes (2022 Podcast Series)

Beautiful award winning uplifting podcast

[10/10 · 2 April 2023]

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex has the silkiest of voices and was made for podcasts and voice overs (like the elephant documentary Meghan did). I looked forward to Tuesdays when new episodes would drop and enjoyed every single conversation. My favorite episodes were with Serena Williams, Mindy Kaling, Mariah, Deepika Padukone and Issa Rae, but really listened and relistened to each episode and left feeling uplifted. She dives into each topic in a light and fun way but with depth and brings on experts and academics to give a historical context. Meghan is so wholesome, kind and well read and I looked up so many of the books and poems she references in the podcast. I can't wait for season 2. PS: Harry and Meghan have, since 2016, faced a media onslaught by the right-wing racist British media so pay no mind to the 1 ratings and haters who are bombarding the reviews. They are amazing people who triggered abusers because they dared to leave a toxic environment.

EGO - Erkege Güven Olmaz (2023)

Hard to like the story line

[5/10 · 24 March 2023]

I really love Turkish dizis, love Alepren, the male lead and female lead is so beautiful although she's not multi-faceted, come off so cold. The series is well shot, super dramatic, like most Turkish TV but the story line is a bit outrageous. It's so hard to root for the leads because of just how twisted and selfish they are. The sane principled person seemed to be the fiancee to me, now she's being made the crazy scheming one. How can anyone agree to such an agreement? Maybe I just like rooting for people who go to great lenghts to keep their honour.....Anyway, will still watch to see how the story pans out. I'll try finish it but it doesn't give you the good feels, no dopamine high in this one yet.

Glass Ceilings (2021)

Short and interesting storyline

[9/10 · 3 January 2023]

I really loved this series. The storyline is quite different from the usual Turkish rich guy-poor girl. Loved that the leading lady was not a damsel in distress and and she was so successful and fierce, not a helpless mouse. I just wanted her to triumph.... She so beautiful and the fashion was so good, she was like a walking fashion catalogue....kudos to the costume designer for both the male and female lead. The chemistry between the leads was also so good, my screen almost melted:-). I loved the supporting actors, they did such a great job. Overall, great series, onky 7 episodes, highly recommend. Wish there were more shorter series like this one.

Senden Daha Güzel (2022)

Unusual romantic storyline for a Turkish series, love it

[9/10 · 3 January 2023]

This has to be one of the most interesting story lines for a Turkish romantic series. Even though its a hate to love story, I found it really interesting. Also the leads are so good-looking with their piercing eyes that you get mesmerised and just want them to get together. The acting was a bit exaggerated sometimes and the supporting roles were a bit too much sometimes but created some light moments. Not to be petty but the lead actress is so beautiful but the costume designer did her a disservice, the clothes were so so outdated, totally disappointing when it came to the 'wow' moments in every romantic series when the girl finally blows it out of the park for a party or a dinner...Even though she was supposed to be from a rural area, she lived abroad so not an excuse to dress her so badly.... The male lead on the other hand looked like he stepped out of a magazine. Overall, great series, loved it.

Çilek Kokusu (2015)

Cliche storyline but sweet romcom

[7/10 · 3 January 2023]

Loved this sweet series although the story is cliché, rich boy meets poor innocent girl.... but it was still fun to watch and I thought the leads had great chemistry. The supporting actors also did a good job too and made the series more interesting... The progression from dislike to love was cute and I liked the concidences although at first I liked the supporting male lead more. A few annoying things, the wedding at the end of every Turkish series is so unnecessary and unrealistic, would have been more interesting to see them finish school and set off on an adventure together... The ending was so rushed. Overall, its a fun light romcom.

Oh Where (2022)

Cute lovestory

[8/10 · 3 January 2023]

This is one of the rare short Turkish dramas that I thought was well done and moved pretty fast. The story is common in Turkish dizis which starts with a fake relationship that leads to love. However, there are so many plot holes in the the end which was so frustrating.....The leads had great chemistry but only in the last episodes, I wish the series had gone on for at least 5 more episodes to tie everything together,it had great potential but the ending was rushed. First of all, Ferits and Zehras character could have grown up a bit more. It would have been great if after he found out the truth about Zehras wedding ,its so momentous that there could have been a separation and a time jump. I was really hoping to see Zehra go to school and be a doctor and for Ferit to find his passion, probably as a Chef or product developer in his Dad's company. A time jump where they have matured and reconnect would have been so much more interesting than the rushed wedding. I also thought the friends could have gotten better endings, with their own love interest or just to see them mature...Anyway, still recommend it as a sweet romcom.

The Crown (2016–2023)

Brilliant from Season 1-4, tanks spectacularly in Season 5

[4/10 · 27 December 2022]

Season 1 to 4 of the Crown were a brilliant work of art, the stories were interesting and even though the dialogues are fiction, the writers seemed to have done alot of fact checking and kept close to actually historical events. The cinematography is great on the series. Beautifully shot scenes. Then you get to Season 5...so disappointing...I fell asleep twice watching it. It feels like a PR job for King Charles and the monarchy. Long boring monologues that put you to sleep and out of place proclamations as if the series is an ad for British superiority. Its a bit ridiculous. Also Camilla is just there, hardly any dialogue, a departure from previous seasons, she didn't have to be the villain but she's just docile here...Which is false because facts is she played a big role in the character assassination of Princess Diana with her media friends and threw Dianas children under the bus by leaking false storues to elevate her image. This was covered in several documentaries like the Princes and the Press before Spare came out. She is pure evil and the Crown are cowards. I expected the story to revolve around Diana who is one of the most prolific women of her time but we hardly see her, as if all she did was sit in the house when we know she did so much.... She's portrayed as unstable and paranoid, apart from her kindness, we see no layers to her character, we don't really see the world through her eyes, for a woman who was tabloid fodder for so long and has had books written about her, it was a let down. Unbelievable gaslighting for a story so well known to make her seem like a traitor for telling her side of the story and painting the real villains, ie. The firm, Charles and Camilla in a sympathetic light...Not mention of the fact Charles gave an interview first and we dont even get an indepth reaction of Camillagate...That speech by Ann to pacify Charles calling them teenagers in love etc was laughable esp since Charles had other mistresses like Lady Kanga who also died in 1997.... It feels like the stories of the different characters were shot by different people and stitched together. Were the creators of the show censored because of the protests from UK right wing tabloids? Such a shame to have compromised such a brilliant show. I think they should wrap up the show, just cancel it, which is what the Royal Family wanted anyway. I don't trust them with this story anymore, especially don't trust them to tell the story of Diana's death or of Harry and Meghan if the creators are so pro-establishment.

Edit: So glad Spare came out, curious to see how courageous the Crown writers are. But I expect them to give us another false love story of William and Kate when Kate waited around for 10 years, chnaged schools and chased William around...while aristocratic women and an American heiress turned down William before he settled for Kate.

My Left Side (2020–2021)

Loves it! Beautiful romcom

[9/10 · 15 December 2022]

This was the show that got me addicted to Turkish Series. After watching Sen Cal Kapimi and Erkenci Kus and a few others, came back to leave a review and increased the rating from a 7 to a 9 for this. It moves fast, the leads are so attractive and have great chemistry. Also a plus is that theres no overacting, exaggeration, excessive cruelty as seems to be in most Turkish series where the villains are always winning. However, it misses 10 because the ending was so abrupt. It could definitely have gone on for a more episodes for us to see the relationship of the leads mature and them getting married. Alot of loose ends at the end. For this rich boy-poor girl cinderella stories, it's always satisfying to have a time jump where there's a separation and cinderella matures, achieves something on her own and comes back as an equal...K-drama and some C-dramas have this nailed and it always gives a satisfying ending. Turkish series tend to jump to the wedding which is sometimes unnecessary. Still highly recommend this series.

Kalp Yarasi (2021–2022)

Beautifully done intense Turkish series

[10/10 · 8 November 2022]

I am so addicted to Turkish TV after watching alot of Korean dramas. I am now unable to watch anything else because the rest of TV is now boring and I don't feel as engaged. Having watched Erkenci Kus, Sen Cal Capimi and a few others, I can say Kalp Yarasi it is nothing like I have ever watched. The first episode is so intense and shocking and you just get deeper and into the drama as everything snow balls. The chemistry between the male and female lead is so good and watching them fall in love is just a joy. The challenges they go through are a bit extreme and the villain Hande did a fantastic job being a nutjob. Also it's about 30 something episode so not too long but an episode is 2 hours long. My only complaint, I know Turkish TV is super conservative whihc adds to the charm, they have perfected protraying longing...but some more romantic scenes would have been great fitting to the culture since the chemistry was so good...Highly recommend. Turkey needs its own Netflix, a subscription TV with good translation because I think they surpass Spanish soaps and are at par with k-dramas.

Gül Masali (2022)

Boring female lead, no chemistry, no magic

[7/10 · 5 November 2022]

I give a 7 for a potentially interesting story and the series is beautifully shot. I would love to visit Isparta one day, the scenery is breath taking. I am halfway through the series and struggling...That said, the male and female lead have zero chemistry, it seems forced. Their intimate moments just seem scripted. The female lead specifically, since I don't speak Turkish, I can't tell if she has a different dialect or just speaks slow. Even her angry moments don't seem real and her good girl act is so annoying for someone who was apparently successful in Istanbul. Feels like there's no fire in her, too meotional rather than having a solid sense of self. It didn't work. The male lead seems to fit into the environment, like he belongs in Isparta but doesn't have depth. They don't have the feeling of the BIG all consuming intense forever love that would overcome them going against the whole world I think Hande Ercel or Burcu Ozbek would have delivered this role better. Or the lead from Kalp Yarasi. The lead actress is talented and beautiful but would like to see the something different or a different male lead, maybe this role wasn't for her.

Golden Boy (2022– )

So obsessed

[10/10 · 5 November 2022]

I'm so obsessed with this series,most entertaining Turkish series of 2022 about a forced marriage The plot will take you on a spin but that's part of the fun, it will keep you at the edge of your seat. The male and female leads have great chemistry, at episode 7, we see feelings starting grow but the lead femal character being humiliated by her philandering husband, even though the marriage is fake. I hope they don't make her a loser who just falls in love, i hope the writers wont make her a weak woman sitting at home waiting for attention and love. She should stand strong enough to be independent in the future. The level of violence by the father of the girls in the series is very shocking ,would even say traumatising to the audience but we can only hope that the take down of the villans will be as satisfying as it is frustrating. The plot seems to be going on a tangent at episode 7, will revisit the rating at the end of the series. I hope it won't disappoint.... I hope the after all the frustrations the couple will give us, we will get memorable, intense romantic scenes in the end and all consuming and deep love...

Love Is in the Air (2020–2021)

Magical Romantic Comedy Drama

[9/10 · 5 November 2022]

I highly recommend this series as one of the best Romantic Comedy Drama series ever made on TV. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, its so beautifully done. A fake engagement turns into all consuming love...I binged on the series and loved every minute. Hande Ercel is beautiful and not your usual sweet innocent damsel in distress and Kerem delivered his role perfectly. There's even a hot scene ,though very shortz which is rare in Turkish series.... The second season with the kid was also sweet but it not as exciting. I wish we saw the 5year transition better, maybe in another 5 episodes or so..it felt a bit rushed.

Daydreamer (2018–2019)

One of the best Turkish Romcoms

[9/10 · 5 November 2022]

I loved this series, kept me awake for daaays and I fell in love Can and Sanem. The characters were well developed and Can Yaman and Demit were just perfect and the chemistry between the leads was palpable that we needed and 18+ version;-). Demit can be bit annoying with the over acting but it fit the show because her family was over the top. Really loved the sister and her story line made the show so much more interesting. Unfortunately it dragged on a little bit at some point but the second season was so much better, the evolution of the leads into bohemians, it's like they merged into one person. I really enjoyed the last episodes...aka a year later. But some things were not resolved, like Yigit and Sanem actually saying she believed Can...This also happened with Kiralik Ask for me, the story after all lies are revealed and the time jump was so much better. The only problem is that after this series, its so hard to replicate the magic of the series with the two leads...I wish I could go back to the day I started episode 1 of this series and recapture the feeling of watching the story all over again.... Sen Cal Capimi has the same magic of the two leads.

Mr. Wrong (2020)

Pleasant watching but not excellent

[6/10 · 5 November 2022]

It's a fun romcom to watch while passing time, like when cooking or folding laundry.... especially with Can Yaman being his hot self but I just didn't feel the chemistry with Ozge. Their chemistry was much better in Dolunay but after Erkenci Kus, it's impossible to replicate Can and Sanem... Having now watched Ozge in a few series, she tends to overact and its a bit annoying. Also the costume designer did her a disservice, some of her outfits were like froma teenager wardrobe.... I think the series would have been better with another female lead or they should have written her differently. I guess I can't get Sanem bohemian goddess image out of my mind. The only scene where the chemistry seemed palable was a shameless product placement for a shampoo where Can Yaman smells Ozges hair... but I was like noooo, thats your thing with Sanem,lol...I think it could also have been better written, with more complicated interesting characters...The romance between the supporting actor, the lawyer and the Chef ended up being much more interesting and natural, I was looking forward to their scenes.... We love Can Yamans abs but he is so typecast, would like to see him in a drama, like a historical drama or an action movie, ie. Supersmart but hot military or mercenary type role.