Deha Episode 6 Review ~ Tit For Tat

Devran is neither shocked nor shaken by Iskender pulling the rug out from under his family. He does not apologize to his mother for the humiliation she faces through Aysel. Strengthened by Sofi’s support, he is very clear in his head about what he must do to get justice for Boran’s death and he will not bemoan any collateral damage. He knows that even if Iskender didn’t pull the trigger, he enabled the gun that killed Boran. Devran’s self-assured and confident orchestration of this week’s heist is interesting within the backdrop of getting closer to Boran’s shooter.

HAVALA

With that in mind, this week’s episode focuses on the concept of “Havala” derived from the Arabic word Hawala. Hawala is a mode of money transfer between a network of debtors and creditors, which exists outside of the traditional banking system and doesn’t require physical movement of money. The network can transact on large sums of cash between countries, while maintaining a pristine but informal ledger of transactions. Based on this ledger, two parties can settle outstanding debts between each other in a variety of ways such as exchange of goods, property or more. It is considered illegal unless it is operated by registered or licensed havaladars. In reality, the system is used worldwide for illegal activities, money laundering, tax evasion and many other illicit transactions.

For a given transaction, the sender has a copy of a bank note and its serial number, as proof for the amount being requested. S/he tells his counterpart in the recipient’s country how much to give to recipient only if someone gives them the exact bank note. And Devran manipulates this system to steal $5 million from Iskender that he is trying to move for Karga. Not only that, Devran also sees through Imre’s cheap tricks when she and Iskender use her femininity to try and exploit Devran’s good conscience in giving the money back to Karga. Even though he guesses the game, he gives the money back anyway because he had already made his point. He can best Iskender when he needs to.

What Iskender is beginning to realize is that he doesn’t understand Devran as well as he thinks he does. Devran does not care about money nor does he care about getting back his father’s approval. He genuinely cares about his family but, short of physical threats to their safety, Devran cannot be subdued. He will smilingly take any humiliation as long as he can extract justice for Boran’s untimely death and his family’s distress. His ego is not up for sale or for getting bruised and he will not strike back in petty revenge or because Iskender got the better of him. He is purely driven by a need for justice but will work hard at keeping the dark side of Iskender out of him. Especially after being outsmarted in Episode 5, it is a mistake Devran will not repeat easily. Devran is a formidable and unpredictable opponent.

A Complete Woman

We get insight into Gülce’s sadness after being left by Iskender. She is not pining away for her love. Instead, she says that she has ceased to be able to look at herself in the mirror because she didn’t know what she had lacked. She looks at Aysel – a despicable woman Gülce cannot respect – and she is sad that she had children with a man who could not appreciate the pot of gold he had in his family. She gives up everything for her children and, through their devotion, she uncovers parts of herself she can respect.

Later in the episode, when Devran gives her the cash stolen from Iskender and invites her to take some, she takes just enough to make 6 months’ rent on their house. Her father’s house that Iskender swindled out of her for Aysel. Old Gülce might have been floundering about what to do but the Gülce who has a sense of purpose because of her children, smartly and confidently walks over to Aysel and gives her the money. Against a vapid woman whose entire life’s vocation seems focused on keeping Iskender on edge so she can be his continuing muse, Gülce is proud of her identity as a mother. She is proud of how far she can go to protect them. Once Iskender is gone from the picture, which of these two will walk tall with the knowledge that they had a life well lived?

We also see the parallelism in the younger generation between Esme and Imre. Esme is not a siren but has the goodness of heart and moral clarity Devran thoroughly loves, just as in Gülce. On the other hand, Imre prides herself in being the younger version of her mother, who can keep the men on their toes. We already got a parallel scene of Emse seeing Imre buried in Devran’s neck like Aysel was in Iskender’s when he left, but I am hoping we will also see the contrast between father and son. A complete woman isn’t always a bottom wagging testosterone magnet. To many men a complete woman is someone who is loyal, caring and with rich qualities that help nurture a loving family. Iskender turned away from this gift of life and picked a depraved existence. I will hope that Devran will continue to set the template for a purpose driven life, along with the girl of his dreams by his side.

Face-off in Brotherhood

It was a beautiful scene to see Devran unite the family over a meal even though so much is broken with their life. Their home has been acquired by the enemy, Devran is penniless, Yaman is still a struggling alcoholic, but they genuinely love each other and will stand in solidarity no matter what. They laugh over simple jokes, with Gülce and Devran as the glue that hold them together. As Devran said earlier, he is trying to be the father to them they didn’t have. Even if he feels broken inside, he holds up his family members, protecting them with his life.

In contrast, we have his half brother Cesur who is an antithesis to everything Devran stands for. Equally astute and intelligent, his genius is honed by a conman like Iskender and not a mentor like Sofi or a formal education. Devoid of any real emotion, he also makes for a formidable opponent for Devran.

As the two brothers face off against each other, the battle will cease to be less about Devran and Iskender and more about Devran and Cesur. In reality, Cesur is the one who put Cağlar’s finger on the gun to kill Boran when he knowingly sold Iskender to Hakim. The two brothers’ rise against each other is beginning to bubble up to the surface as Cesur makes a move on Esme while she suffers from her insecurities against Imre.

As Devran gets closer to the truth, where will this game end? Will love trump logic as Iskender promises or will Devran be able to triumph over temptation and stay true to his convictions about those he loves? Time will tell.

Author's Note:

My readers, my apologies for my delay in this write-up. As the week unfolded, my world moved on its axis and I will have to adapt to the divine plans that await. For the last three years, I have had to react to various challenges with regards to aging parents and their rapidly failing health. This week is the news of my beloved mother’s diagnosis of a metastatic cancer and we are running against time. Much as the Arts remain my refuge, real world calls. My gratitude to Director Umut Aral for graciously sharing my thoughts on the fantastic and atypical production he and his team have brought forth. If and when I can, I will continue to weigh in. Till then, please keep me and my family in your most ardent prayers.

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