I can’t express all the ways I loved Kurt Seyit ve Şura. Except the ending. I don’t care for the ending. However, there’s about 50 episodes, so there’s a whole lot else to love about it and bear in mind that I am rather impossible to please when it comes to endings. This is a series with lush landscapes, beautiful costumes, epic love, fighting, brotherhood, sisterhood — all the good stuff!
The series follows Seyit, a Turkish officer from Crimea, and Şura, a Russian noblewoman. There’s also Petro, the complicated antagonist, along with Celil and Tatya, their friends, and various others. It’s a long, winding plot that follows Seyit and Şura through WWI, the Bolshevik Revolution, across the Black Sea, arriving in British occupied Constantinople (now Istanbul), and other adventures. You know the blurb for The Princess Bride? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge … Basically that, but with zero fantasy and a whole lot more angst. Tatya, Seyit and Celil are probably my favourites, though I do love Şura. Tatya, though ♡
I think one of the main reasons I love it despite being so frustrated with the ending is that it is real. It’s based on a book series which is based on real life — Seyit is the author’s grandfather — so of course there’s only so many liberties that could be taken. And on the one hand, knowing it’s based on a true story makes the emotional punch that much more intense, but when you want something to end a certain way and realise that it won’t — not just because of the author’s take, but because that’s just how it happened — then there’s no real wiggle room for changing things. But STILL. I have FEELINGS about the ending. Kind of like how I feel about Harry Potter, Veronica Mars and various others.
But for costumes, romantic tension and FEELS this show takes all the awards. There is also a good interview with the author herself over here. (Mind spoilers, though!) I want to immerse myself in more Turkish dramas after this one and definitely need more to make their way over to Netflix.
Recommended for fans of period pieces, epic romance, military dramas, angst to the max, and beautiful cinematography. Go forth and be immersed, my lovelies!
**gifs not mine, did not make 🙂
