SPOILER ALERT
By bringing Iskender to their house, Devran thinks he is giving his family a chance to channel their anger against the perpetrator of the injustice of their lives and Boran’s death. But, by allowing Iskender to understand who Devran really is, he has unleashed a new set of troubles for his family Devran didn’t fully account for. Whereas he has no illusions about Iskender’s scruples, Devran is not entirely surprised when Iskender sucks him into his dirty world. By allowing the Kargas to target his beloved family, game maker Iskender knows Devran can be manipulated like a puppet. After all, this son was always his golden goose until Aysel and Cesur lured him away. It is a new thrill to be reconnected with the genius son and try to complete a game he had left unfinished earlier i.e. exploit Devran to the fullest.
Genius Vs Insanity
After Devran comes to Sofi from his night’s adventures with Karga and the killing he witnessed, Sofi says there is a fine line between genius and insanity. Sofi sees that Devran and Iskender are two sides of the same coin and Devran now lives the danger of not knowing when he has crossed the line. How far is he able to envision the depraved path Iskender can keep unfolding in front of them? How far will he go to keep his family safe? When will he know to stop? What will make him stop? The wise Sofi, Esme and his mother, rightfully fear that Devran has probably bitten off more than he can chew.
We can only hope that Albert Einstein characterized Devran better when he said, “The only difference between genius and insanity is that genius has its limits.” Unlike Iskender, we hope Devran will not have an endless pit of scheming and will eventually let Iskender get buried under his own filth.
A New Game
Iskender knew Karga would target Devran’s family, and uses that threat to taunt Devran into giving up his million dollar prize money earned from his math proof. Devran refuses to do that as it is his family’s security should anything happen to him, but says he can earn it from betting on soccer matches. A whiz at probabilities, statistics and numbers, Devran can significantly increase the chances of winning, with the remaining dependent on educated guesses. He is willing to bet Iskender’s life at the races.
It becomes obvious that while Devran is a genius at seeing mathematical patterns, Iskender is a pro at reading people and knowing how to strike. He takes Devran to the races, and correctly guides him on the betting decisions as Iskender has figured out who is responsible for the match fixing. At the same time, he tries to entrap Devran in his web even more by appealing to the wide eyed wonder Devran had for his father as a child.
To young Devran, Iskender was the unbending hero who could do no wrong. Knowing this, and thinking Iskender fully understands Devran, he tries to evoke similar emotions by giving Devran his stamp of approval and showering him with praises. He casually pits Cesur against Devran, thinking Devran will inadvertently compete for his father’s attention. He tries to create the illusion that the recreation of this father son duo will let both live a full and fulfilling life. Iskender alludes to Devran that when you are blessed with ingenuity, isn’t it a crime to live like a plebeian?
On this premise, Iskender does what he does best. He sells the morals of his child again and entices Karga to use Devran to launder his money. If Karga is indebted to Iskender for helping him to control an asset like Devran, Iskender’s future is set. Iskender has no care for the moral dilemma he plunges Devran into by doing this.
The Shero of Legends
Beautifully blended into the narrative is Ceylan’s journey of grief. As Boran’s twin, her soul is differently connected to the brother she lost. Her guilt of not protecting Boran is devouring her. She becomes obsessed with keeping Devran safe from the devil of a father she never even knew.
Through an earlier memory of a story where Boran gives her a swan necklace as a replacement for a crystal swan he accidentally broke, we learn of how Devran teaches Ceylan that the swan is a symbol of the most beautiful, innocent, purest girl who protects her hero. At a later time, we have her teacher talking about female heroes in Turkish legends. Within this running theme of the female who rises to protect her men, it is not a surprise when Ceylan makes a move against the devil reincarnate Iskender, who is trying to pull her beloved brother Devran into his swamp. Her actions underscore a parallel theme in this episode which is “The first man was innocent but when the man is touched by the devil, man becomes polluted.”
The other female warrior is Devran’s mother Gülce. Unlike Aysel, who will eventually get consumed by her own insecurities, Gülce is not demeaned by choosing her motherhood over her own self. She will do everything in her power to protect her children. Unlike Aysel or Iskender, she will not use her children as pawns to get ahead in life. This purity in her threatens Aysel more than anything else, and who better to point it out to her than her shrewd offspring Cesur.
Ace Up His Sleeve
Cesur is truly his parents’ child – he has the cunning of Iskender and the apathy of Aysel. Between these two immoral beings, a sociopath has been created. He hardly bats an eye when he realizes he was responsible for the death of his half-brother. He is focused on his goals and keeps his alliance with Hakim hidden as he continues to look for opportunities to topple Iskender. Having Devran in the picture will put a wrench in his plans, but it only makes it longer for him to reach his finish line. He knows Iskender has played him as a chip in the game with Devran and he will bide his time for his next strike.
Devran’s biggest ace up his sleeve is the bond he shares with his family. He knows in his heart that no matter how much they are beaten, they will hold each other up and make it to the other side. This human bond is something Iskender, Cesur or Aysel only know how to exploit but they do not know how to build it or protect it. As the story unfurls, I suspect we will see how Devran learns to fortress his position while Iskender’s foundations crumble.
Deha is an intelligent, filmic experience. Each scene and dialogue have deeper connotations than meets the eye. In the hands of a masterful cast and production team, one needs to pay attention to the micro expressions, gestures and mannerisms to understand the inner dilemmas of each character. As I have said before, Aras and Uğur are an excellent pair to bring these mirror image characters to life. This week Eylül Ersöz shines as Ceylan while her character struggles with her depression, anxiety and sense of helplessness. Her rising to protect her hero is a natural progression from her quandaries we witness over the last two episodes.
Director Umut and his team are doing a great job with keeping up the pace of storytelling while crafting scenes that reeks of a suspenseful drama out of Hollywood. From polished fight scenes to spliced scenes to capture the tension of the moment as Devran makes his mathematical bets on the matches, this series showcases a different kind of cinematic value than the usual dizi fare.
In this video clip shared by Umut and the artist Erinc Kargan, one can see the methodical approach that goes into preparing for a scene. As such, neither my impressions of the movie-like aura of the series nor the outcome is happenstance; one can see why the envelope is getting pushed in the Turkish film making techniques in this dizi.
After sampling most of the new shows on air this season, I have to pick Deha as my favorite. It is an intellectual journey as much as it is an emotional one. Cerebral men are a breath of fresh air against many of the toxic personalities we see otherwise and, as such, Devran’s brilliance coupled with his emotional clarity is inviting. I cannot wait to see how he evolves as his senses become stimulated beyond what he is usually exposed to!
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