01x03 - Episode 3

[bunniefuu]

TO LOVE, TO LOSE

SCREENWRITING IN PILL FORM
BY AFIFE JALE: CHAOS

SCRIPT - CHARACTER - PLOT

Welcome. Once again, I'm Afife Jale,
your resident script doctor,

and as you all know,
this is the ER for screenplays.

If you haven't, please like and subscribe
so you don't miss your weekly dosage.

Don't disobey your doctor's orders!

So, what's the diagnosis for this session?
Today, it's chaos. What is chaos?

A crisis caused by an unexpected event
creates chaos and excitement.

Maybe it's a car accident, for instance.

Could be an unexpected character
shockingly confessing to a crime.

Or a huge info b*mb drop.

The characters' lives should be
irreversibly changed by this event.

They should have to create a new normal

to deal with
the altered landscape of their life.

Let me give you an example.

CHAOS

- I hope nothing bad happened to her.
- What do you mean?

- What are you talking about?
- Some kind of fight.

- How much longer do we have to wait?
- I dunno. Ask the cops.

- Do you know what's going, Macit?
- Wait here for now.

- Afife finally lost it.
- What?

- What happened?
- Destan.

What did he do this time?

The guy's a total loose cannon.

It's my fault.
I should've never sent him over here.

Did anyone get hurt?

That crazy teacher pepper-sprayed our boy.

- What?
- Yeah. His face is all messed up.

- Pepper spray?
- Mm-hmm.

- Police?
- Inside.

She's for sure pressing charges,

and now Destan wants
to press charges as well.

Who the hell is this guy?

They've practically seized the diner!

- You okay, Şahin? Huh?
- Who are these people?

I'm sorry, Kemal.

Destan went completely nuts in there.

Where is he?

He's inside.

Kemal, I'm sick of this, man.

It's okay. Don't stress.
Just take a breath.

Come on, İlhan.
How are we supposed to defend ourselves?

You say pepper spray's ill*gal.
How was I supposed to stop this lunatic?

- Watch it!
- You, shut it.

I mean, look at this place!

- I'm terribly sorry.
- Oh! Look who it is.

Is this what you call keeping you word?
Take a look at my diner.

You're gangsters. Only criminals
would do something like this.

Destan, Schmestan…
Why the hell would you send him here?

What is she rambling about?

Officer, I'm Kemal Yanıklar.

Afife, ma'am, we'll compensate you
for all the damage he caused.

"Compensate me for the damage
he caused"? That's not enough.

Do you have any information
about what happened?

- Do you know these people?
- He's my cousin.

There must be a way
we can work something out.

Oh my God, I can't with this guy!

They're both pressing charges.

Witnesses are outside.
I'm taking them all to the police station.

But if they both wanna drop it,
that's different.

No. I won't drop the charges
unless he apologizes.

- You sprayed me! No way.
- Sh.

I apologize to you on his behalf,
on my behalf, and on behalf of my family.

Your words and apologies
mean exactly jack sh*t.

You gave me your word. Now look at this.

Mom, I told you to please not come here,
for God's sake!

Can you give us a few minutes, Officer?

We'll be right back.

Come with me. Destan.

Oh, Defne.

- Come look at this sh*t!
- What the hell happened?

The guy went nuts
and starting freaking out.

- What the hell were you thinking, man?
- What do you mean?

- That whole family is crazy!
- Are you trying to destroy us, you moron?

Didn't we already talk about this?

You know I'm busting my a*s
to give this family a fresh start.

Neslihan's been busting her a*s too.

And look what you're doing, just as
we're about to cross the finish line.

What if your father hears about this?

You think I give a sh*t?

He asked,
"What if your father hears about this?"

"We're dealing with a thousand things.
What the hell are you doing?"

Did you put a mic on him or something?
How do you know?

Hmm. I always hear.

Distance can't keep us apart.

He's my soulmate.

You need to keep it together, Destan.

Our family is hanging on
by the skin of its teeth.

There's so many lawsuits against us.
The police are after us…

The last thing we need
is you messing things up.

Forget about your father.
Forget about the business.

- But think of her.
- Ah.

He's talking about me now.

"Take a look around."

"To all these people, we're just
loan sharks who want to take their money."

And then you come here
to their business and destroy it?

I did it for a reason. To provoke them.

You're gonna apologize.

"You're gonna apologize."

That's big ask, Kemal.

Real big.

No. It isn't.

Listen, Destan.

I'll do such a number on you
in front of all these people

that you'll be begging to apologize
to the entire neighborhood.

They'll take me to the police station,
and you to the hospital.

But you know what?

I don't give two shits.

The last thing I'm gonna do is
stand around while you shame our family.

You got that?

That's it, just nod your head.

- Is that clear to you?
- Mm-hmm.

Mm.

He did it.

It's done.

- They're coming back.
- Mm.

Jesus, woman, you a witch?

What does that even mean?

I want to sincerely apologize.
You pushed my buttons, and I just lost it.

I didn't push your buttons.

I'm sorry, Officer.
Consider the charges dropped.

And if you drop yours, I'll just leave.

Since you apologized, I'll let it go.

I'm not pressing charges either.

- Thank you.
- All right, Afife.

I'm sorry this happened.

Mr. Yanıklar?

You obviously know
how things are around here.

So you know this woman means a lot
to the community.

I've known men like you all my life.
I'd watch myself if I were you.

Okay, Officer.

Oh, God… "Destan, Schmestan."

You hear that, Nesli?

"Schmestan?"

Aries is a dangerous sign, ya know.

And a woman Aries?

- How do you know what her sign is?
- I asked when we first met.

- Ah.
- You were right there.

You wanna know someone?
Find out their sign.

- Have you assessed the damage yet?
- A bunch of plates.

Couple glasses, A few salt shakers.
Also, my jaw hurts.

You don't count.

- Okay, guys. Here's your food.
- It's about time.

I also made a doggie bag for you.

- This soup is incredible. So good!
- Mm.

Thank God.

Macit wasn't kidding before.
Perihan doesn't hold back on the salt.

- Not good enough for you?
- Maybe a little less salt next time?

Oh yeah? I give you free soup,
now you wanna complain? Sure you want it?

No, no. Salty or not, soup is soup.
Sorry, it's so good.

You'll miss the soup
when the diner goes under.

Well, until you go under,
shut up so we can eat.

I can't believe what went down.
I'd just stepped out.

- Tell me about it.
- It's a good thing I wasn't here.

- I might've done something crazy.
- Yeah, sure.

Afife, um, we were hoping
to go over the pitch at some point,

you think you can?

We have to. We need to
make a choice and get it started.

I was just telling Defne
that if the pitch goes well,

we should ask for an advance.

- Think they'd go for it?
- Of course.

Not that we're gonna need it.

The stock's gonna skyrocket tomorrow,
and our problems will be solved!

Bless you, Baturay.
From your lips to God's ears!

I had an idea for a story, I told you.

It's still rough, but I think
it's really good. You guys wanna hear it?

Tell me later.
I'm still a little distracted.

Girl, come on.
You're always distracted these days.

Let's at least do the dishes and be useful
if you don't wanna hear it.

No, we've got it under control.
You work, we'll work.

Hey, Your Royal Highnesses!
If you're done eating, we're closing.

- We're done, but it wasn't easy.
- I didn't hear that.

You keep saying you wanna move to Berlin,

but maybe you should do something
for a little extra money,

you know, to give yourself a budget.

- Like what?
- Like a side hustle.

It's a smart idea,
but I hate my regular job.

Can't imagine I'd like a part-time one.

What, like a courier,
waiter, cleaner, or something?

Exactly.

I mean…

There's only one thing
I'm actually good at,

and it's definitely not being a courier.

It's this.

We are in love again

Earth with rain, I with you

- This thing of ours
- This thing of ours

That seemed impossible

Got stuck in my mind every night

A familiar melody

Were you the reason?

Tell me

Oh sh*t, man.

You've got a beautiful voice.
Why didn't you tell me?

You never asked.

A woman comes along and changes you

Softens your hard, determined shape

It’s been like this
For hundreds of thousands of years

Like the sea meeting the sand

Meeting the sand

I think they're just friends.

Men and women weren't friends
when I was young.

Well, Mom, they are now.

I've been thinking a lot about that woman.
There's something I don't trust.

Who? Fidan, you mean?

What? No! Not Fidan.
The one with Kemal this morning.

Oh, that woman. With the crazy eyes.

She's the one behind all this, you know.
I taught Kemal. He's not like that.

He took that guy by the throat
and forced him to apologize.

- And you called him a mobster.
- Yeah.

But a reasonable one.

He seems kind and compassionate.

He does, right?

He's also intelligent.

Mm…

And he's fair.

Yeah.

He looks like a movie star.

He's tall and strong.

Ugh! Stop it, Mom!
I can't deal with you right now.

I need to get all this work done.

So if you don't mind, leave me be.

I called twice. They didn't pick up.

- She pepper-sprayed Destan.
- You're kidding me!

I swear, she really messed him up.
She's tough.

- She was your teacher back in prison?
- She was. Small world.

She's the owner?!

That's right.
And she came right at me, you know?

Looked me right the eyes, screaming.
She had her fists clenched.

She was practically ready
to punch me in the face.

Well, thank God
it didn't go down like that.

Anyway, remember when I mentioned--

She's like an Adana kebab
with too much spice on it.

- The hell you talking about?
- You know, the girl, Afife?

I mean, it's like when you put
too much pepper but forgot the salt.

It looks delicious,

but when you finally taste it,
you get burned good.

I'm telling you, she's a firecracker.

Kemal…

- Hmm?
- What is this?

What do you mean?

Ever since you got here,
you can't shut up about Afife.

- What's going on there?
- Come on, stop it.

God forbid, no way.

Here's to Afife.

Jeez.

You took her
from that little girl. Give it back.

- We're going to bed anyway.
- No, I don't wanna go to bed yet!

- No, give it back!
- You have school in the morning.

- Give it back!
- But we wanna stay up!

Where are
the most beautiful girls in the world?

- Right here!
- We're here!

- Auntie!
- Mm!

- How are you?
- I'm fine. Better now, of course! Oh!

- Good to see you, Neslihan.
- You too, dear.

- Destan didn't say you were coming.
- He doesn't know.

- Mm, how is he?
- Oh, he's been moody.

- Mm?
- Mm.

Well, you know how Scorpios are.

Their whole lives are just full
of ups and downs, never drama-free.

True.

- I'll go tuck them in.
- Okay.

- Want some coffee?
- If it's no stress.

What's that?

This is the last time.

You bring this out of pity?

I brought it so you could pay off
your debt and stop gambling.

Haldun talked to my uncle.
He knows how much you owe.

That snitching b*stard.

So, where's Kemal?

Why would he come?

- He humiliated me in front of that b*tch.
- You humiliated yourself.

- If Kemal'd trashed that place…
- Mm?

You'd tell him,
"Good job, babe. Nice going."

- You're probably right.
- There it is.

- Mm, yeah.
- But not just you. My father too.

"Good job, Kemal. You're the greatest!
Kemal, the golden boy."

How many years did you do on the inside?

None.

How many did Kemal do?

And it wasn't just once.

The last one was two years,
and that was just for Uncle Kudret.

And add another two years for his dad.

Who took all the hits
to keep this family out of trouble?

While you were roaming the streets,
and I was fooling around at university,

he spent the best years
of his life in prison.

'Cause it was the right thing to do.

I'm not saying you have to go to prison
to get your father's approval back,

but gambling and trashing diners
isn't doing you any favors.

I'm not letting this slide.

What's mine is mine, and I'm not letting
Kemal take it. Just so you know.

The more you all try to push me aside,
the further I drift away.

You think I don't notice
the way the family treats me?

Even when I ask for money, I have to beg.

Listen, you moron.

You know the guy you can't stop
talking sh*t about, Kemal?

He's the one who convinced me to come
here tonight to give you this money.

He said I could take it
from his share if I have to.

If anything ever happened to you guys,
you could rely on him.

Keep that in mind
before you start spouting off bullshit.

I swear, it's like
taking care of a two-year-old

before I even get married.

I mean, you can barely walk.
You can't do anything by yourself.

I clean you up.

I give you your medicine.

What am I supposed to do
with you, tell me?

You're coming with me tomorrow.
I can't leave you alone.

Can't I just stay here, son?

sh*t… You're coming with me
until you get your head straight.

I can't leave you like this. It's not like
I'm dying to be around you either.

Good night.

Baturay's gonna tell us today, right?

- About the stock? Apparently.
- Mm-hmm.

I'll take four kilos, Eyüp.
Firm ones, but not too firm.

I'll grab them on my way back.

Fingers crossed that money comes through.
Put us out of our misery!

- Speaking of misery…
- What?

You know the animal rights
committee meeting?

- Uh-huh.
- I won't be able to make it.

- Too much to do. So I volunteered you.
- Why?

Because I'm dealing with a diner
that got dropped on me.

Sir, I'll take two parsleys
and two of those dills, please.

Put it on my tab. I'll settle next time.

I know we told them
we'd get it done right away,

but do you think
we'll be able to break those stories?

- How is it?
- Mm! Very good. Mm!

Oh, hey! Two…

- Sorry about that.
- It's okay.

Two kilos. No, make it three.

Remember when I mentioned
I had another idea, just in case?

You know I never liked
your therapist pitch.

Not that. I told you, it's new.
But why didn't you like the therapist one?

I told you. Therapist stuff's been done
to death. Should we ask the people?

Hey, Nadir. Defne has a script idea.
It's set in the Ottoman period.

There's this therapist, like a doctor,
and he gets summoned to the palace.

- How about a show with some folk songs?
- You've gotta be kidding?

Never mind, listen.

Picture this. An ex-banker
is cheated on by her boyfriend,

who's a con artist and goes to jail,
so she becomes a con artist.

Has there been a show about the extinction
of the Vikings in Greenland?

- What?
- Okay, let's forget the people.

Who knows what they're looking for?
We need to do our own stuff.

I have no idea where to start,
but that's a different story.

Oh, stop whining.
The ideas we have are good.

I'll call and schedule a meeting later.

Let's just pray
Baturay has good news for us today.

Yeah, please, God!

Whoever takes these bags from me
is my hero!

I got 'em, I got 'em. Hi.

- What's up?
- Nothing.

- How's it going, Ma?
- Fine.

- Welcome back.
- Thank you.

Afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Welcome.

My father.

I hope you won't mind if he spends
the afternoon here with me?

No, of course not.

- Uh, what's his name?
- Muharrem.

Uh… your mother?

- She passed away.
- Oh, I'm so sorry.

It's been a long time.

- Is your father okay?
- His immune system's weak.

There are other issues too.
He won't eat or drink.

The worst thing is
he forgets to take his meds, so,

I thought if I brought him,
kept my eye on him…

Yes, of course.

Oh, and this is for the damages.
Let me know if it's not enough.

I can get the tea myself next time
if you tell me where it is.

There won't be a next time. So enjoy it.

We're just waiting for some news.

We'll pay off the debt,
the entire loan and the interest.

Then you can move on, and so can we.

All right.

- Oh, wow it's beautiful.
- It has all the features.

It's a display piece.
It'd look great in the dining room.

Do you have any in a different color?

- And how wide is it?
- It's gotta be 15 inches.

Where are you, Kemal?

- Over here?
- Here.

- Enjoy.
- Thank you.

Watch the game last night?

- Afife.
- Yeah?

If Baturay gets good news today,
pay off the debt and hire a chef.

I can't do this. I'm bored!

All right, Ma, I got this.
You go take a breather.

Afife, sweetie, you work way too much.
You're always exhausted.

Maybe you should also take a breather.

I know. I need a damn vacation.
I've absolutely had it.

The Greek islands.
I'll just hop from one to the other.

And since we'll have the money,

I could even support Baturay
in his production business.

- Defne, I'll take you with me.
- What? Where to?

Patmos, Leros, Samos…
Anything that ends in "os" works.

Let's do the pitch first.

- They set the meeting for tomorrow.
- What?

Afife! Could you bring that?
It's getting cold.

Just a minute.

Well, they gave us a week,
and it's been almost a week!

I don't feel so good…

Hey, we're doing great.

That daydream was fun while it lasted.

Ma, can I get some
of that thing you just made?

He's probably starving out there,
the poor man. He needs to eat something.

Let me give him some sauce too. Mm.

Um, that sweet girl's name is Cahide.

She doesn't usually go to people.
She must like you.

Uh, between you and I,
my mother's cooking is pretty terrible.

And if you're wondering
why she's the chef, it's a long story.

But she did work hard on this.

Could you give it a quick taste
and tell me what you think?

Come on, just one small bite, please?

Told you she's no cook.

Well, we blew it again.

- Miss,
- Hmm?

I don't wanna be rude or anything, but…

- What's your name?
- Afife.

Afife.

You might want to

add a little bit of cumin
and a little bit of garlic.

And when I say a little bit,

I mean a pinch of cumin
per portion is plenty.

The garlic is more up to you.

I'm telling you, it'll help.

I promise your feedback will be given
to the chef, Mr. Muharrem. It is Muharrem?

But you have to finish this.
No avoiding it.

Your medicine.

Look! The whole diner's waiting on you.

If my father were here, God rest his soul,
he'd be on his third plate.

Don't let it get cold.

Cahide, none for you. You're getting fat.

- Welcome.
- What do you have?

We've actually got a nice soup.
Would you like to maybe try some?

- It's very light, actually.
- That sounds great. Thanks.

Perihan. Can I talk to you for a minute?

How's it going?

Ah, Afife.

Come here. I need to tell you something.

So, uh, yeah, I know
you've all been waiting to hear from me.

So the money we're waiting on…
needs some time.

Baturay says two months.

So it looks like you'll be coming here
for a little while longer.

What can you do?

I'll just have to put up with you
for two more months.

- Turn it down!
- Okay, princess!

Everything's ready.
All the pitches look good. We're set.

Totally. Tomorrow,
we're gonna knock their socks off!

- God willing.
- Television is our destiny.

We're meant to do this.

Help, Agha was our first TV baby.
And now we'll top it with this.

Help, Agha is irrelevant now.

Yeah, but good work is immortal.
Look at Dry Summer! Ha!

Wow, Baturay. Are you comparing
Help, Agha to Dry Summer?

Yeah, I mean, Baturay,
I think it's time you move on.

I don't mean to brag,
but come on, it's true!

Turkish TV has never had
a series as good as this.

HELP, AGHA

Okay. That's enough. Sit down.

The only reason I haven't k*lled you yet
is 'cause we have to do this pitch.

Put your hands in the middle.

One, two, three! Hooray!

Neslihan?

You okay?

- I'm fine, you?
- Yeah, fine.

- And how's your dad doing?
- Had his dinner and went to bed early.

Good.

I guess I'm the only one who's not okay.

What's wrong?

The furniture.

I'm sorry. I forgot.

I've been begging you for a month
to pick stuff. I'm hanging by a thread!

I couldn't leave my dad alone. I had to
take him to the diner. You know how he is.

You seriously took your father
to that madhouse?

- Neslihan--
- Sorry, but did he have to go with you?

You know we need to keep an eye on him.

Just say the word, and we get a nurse.
It's no problem. I'll take care of it.

What are you thinking,
taking him to the diner?

- Look at what just happened there!
- Calm down.

- What are you thinking?
- Let's not fight.

We're hungry! We're hungry! We're hungry!

- We're hungry! We're hungry!
- Out, out, out! Everyone get out, please!

- Come on, come on!
- We are hungry!

- Pop's blood sugar's low. He wants--
- He can wait a minute!

- Okay!
- We're coming.

We're hungry!

Put that phone down and come here! Şahin!

Kemal.

I heard you couldn't go
furniture shopping today.

- Your grandson's been busy lately, Mama.
- What does that mean?

- What Neslihan means is that I haven't--
- I didn't mean anything.

Your son caused a scene
at the nursing home,

so I brought him to my place.

Muharrem is staying with you?

He is.

He's not doing good. His body's failing.
The doctor didn't like what he saw.

Oh, so you even took him
to see a doctor today?

So why didn't you tell me about this?
We can take care of him.

No one's gonna take care of him
except me, Grandma.

He gave up on this family,
so we gave up on him.

I'm just doing my duty as a son.
That's all.

Gönül.

- Hey, watch it!
- Sorry, I didn't see you there!

Hurry up, Baturay! We're all waiting!

You can't even catch a break
in the damn bathroom. I'm coming!

Just relax, okay?
We're not running late yet.

Eek! This is so exciting!

Come on, team. If we don't leave now,
we're not gonna make it.

- Get up!
- Afife, please relax.

You're gonna get me all worked up!

My heart is racing. I'm so excited
for you all. I hope it goes well.

- Be clear and concise.
- Bye-bye!

- You got it.
- Bye!

- You got this.
- Mom, pray for us.

- Okay, okay, bye-bye!
- Good luck! See you soon.

I hope it goes well.

Fine.

- Neslihan?
- Uh-huh?

Is my brother doing that badly?

I mean, his body's broken down.

And his mind's starting to… go.

What do you mean, "go"?

You know what I mean.
He'll say things, crazy things.

"I know I've put all of you
through a lot, but, uh,

you should consider that maybe
not everything is what it seems."

You know,
his mind's been foggy for some time.

Uh-huh.

Who really knows
if anything he's even saying is true?

Poor man is not how he was.

Same thing happened to Grandpa Veli.

- Oh, it's Kemal.
- Hmm.

Okay. I should leave.

I'll see you soon.

- I'll be back in a bit.
- Goodbye, dear.

"Maybe not everything is what it seems."

What is that boy trying to do?

He just loves to muddy the waters.

All right,
let's start with our first idea.

OUR IDEAS
THE LOVE THIEF

What's unique about the story

is that the main characters' love
of Istanbul

is as strong as their love for each other.
Working title, The Love Thief.

The question at the heart
of the series is "What matters most?"

Career? Love?

Now we'll move on
to our second pitch. Baturay?

Sorry! Let me just rewind
a little bit here… There!

Our hope is this idea can draw
some major star power.

So The Hard Game…

Although on its face it reads like
a sports show, it's actually much deeper…

Relatable people in unrelatable situations
will buy goodwill with viewers.

Now, as for our third pitch…

This time, we're going
to a remote town in Anatolia.

- Ta-da!
- A Visitor to Your Heart.

…left her life in Istanbul behind.

And on top of that, she works part-time…

…who's the mysterious handsome member
of a rich influential family.

That's all from us.

THE LOVE THIEF, THE HARD GAME,
A VISITOR TO YOUR HEART

We'd love to hear your thoughts.

Good job.

Guys, listen. These are all good.

But are they good enough?

Maybe you just needed a little more time.

If I may, The Love Thief's
a slam dunk for you guys, I feel.

- Love triangles, betrayals, revenge!
- Those are a dime a dozen, you guys.

And sports shows haven't
historically done well in Turkey.

As for the last… meh.

- I'm sorry, that's all we--
- Actually, we have one more idea.

We chose not to include it
in our presentation

because it's still in
the very early stages.

But I'd love to give you a shot at it
before anyone else grabs it.

A very close friend of mine
told me about it.

It's a true story about a woman
who gets involved with a loan shark.

- A loan shark?
- She owns a diner.

It's an oasis.

In a warm and friendly
little neighborhood,

right in the heart of Istanbul.

Think Balat.
Uh, so this woman runs a diner.

She's smart and beautiful
and is someone who works very hard

and makes great sacrifices
to keep this business afloat.

Then, one day,
for reasons beyond her control,

she gets into massive debt.

And so the loan shark, uh,
comes into the diner to collect said debt,

but the loan shark
is not what you'd expect.

What's he like?

Uh… good question.

Mm…

Passionate.

- Hmm.
- Handsome, but mysterious.

He can't help but cause chaos.

But he's also… How do I, um…

- Uh…
- He's an antihero.

- Oh Lord, no.
- Hold on, Afife. You were saying?

The woman is, um,

uh, racing against time,

trying to pay her debt off,

while also secretly longing
to escape it all.

- She wants to run away, but she can't!
- Why?

Uh…

- Her brother is sick.
- Her brother's sick.

- Huh?
- He is sick.

And everyone else around her,
whether it's friends or neighbors,

are holding her back. So to sum up, uh…

Yeah, let's wrap it up.
You have things to do. I apologize--

- Afife…
- Wait, guys. Hold on a second.

- Let me hear the rest.
- Thank you.

It's an intriguing story
about different worlds

and how they collide.

But within that struggle,
harmony may just be found.

- What are your thoughts?
- Come on, you serious?

She hated that.

No, I didn't.

That was definitely
my favorite of all of them.

What? You're kidding me.

I'm dead serious.
Throw the rest away. That's the winner.

So you… would like to develop it?

I would. At least a little bit.
From there, we'll see.

Great! Uh, so would
an advance be possible, or…

- So you'd like an advance too?
- Baturay…

We are the Help, Agha team, after all.

I don't care
if you're the Breaking Bad team.

For now, let's just see where it goes.

Maybe if you get something on my desk,

you'll put me in a position
to give you an advance of some kind.

One thing though. I don't wanna tell you
how to do your jobs, but…

These two main characters,
the woman and the loan shark…

Mm…

- There's gonna be a romance, right?
- Of course! How could there not?

And the best part is,
their love defies the odds.

It's the sort of thing
that rips your heart out.

- Love?
- The devastating kind.

I can't believe you, Defne.
You made all that up?

No, of course not.

I've been thinking about it
since the guy got here,

but every time I tried to tell Afife,
she brushed me off.

When the pitch was going south,
I said, "God, give me strength!"

Oh wow. Isn't that great? She asked
if there was going to be a romance.

Someone get me a glass of water.

Don't complain.
Sounds like she saved your pitch!

Yeah. You should've seen her.
She was so into it.

I'm not doing it. I'm out.

Oh, come on, Afife!

Let's say we did the loan shark pitch.

You're gonna have them fall in love?
I mean, come on. It's so unrealistic.

- You wanna give her talking animals too?
- Okay, that's too much.

And this guy with the advance!

Assuming they love it so much,
they wanna throw money at us, oh!

We'll go broke before we see a cent!

Well, the head of the network said
she liked it. She liked the project.

She said she'd give us money!
But that's still not good enough!

Afife, this is exciting.
Be happy for once, will ya?

Dude, when did I ever say
we should write a show about my life?

And now they're in love too?

You're getting too worked up about this.
It's just an idea!

Of course Afife Jale wouldn't fall
for some no-good bum.

Oh, I almost forgot.
Eyüp stopped by earlier.

- He wants us to pay what we owe.
- Oh, here we go.

What you guys are going through
is keeping me up at night.

Here's what you should do.

Maybe ask that ex-student of yours

if your daily fee could be lowered
to something a little more reasonable

until the money comes in.

Those daily payments are k*lling you!

He's not the one who makes
those decisions. That she-devils does.

Perfect! 'Cause then I know
exactly what we should do.

- We take them out for a fancy dinner.
- Hmm.

To a nice place. Somewhere bougie.

We get them a couple bottles of wine deep,
they lower their guard, then we drop it.

It's a double date, basically.

It's a great idea, right?
I'll call them now.

You just had to do it, huh?
Pretty low of you, if you ask me.

I just saved your butt.

I thought Baturay was the loose cannon.

But you take the cake, I swear.

Sometimes I just wanna strangle
both of you to death

or smash both your hollow,
brainless heads together!

Hey! What the hell?! Stop it!

- Called him!
- And?

I said we needed to discuss something
and suggested we chat over dinner.

Did you really?

He didn't seem to like the idea,
but that woman did.

You know, the one always
breathing down his neck? So it's all set.

- Well, I'm not going.
- Yeah, funny, funny.

You're coming. I'll do the talking.
I just need you to sit there quietly.

Here's what we do.

We order a delicious spread.

Good wine…

I'll dazzle them
with my charm and disarming wit.

And you should bring up
your time in prison, make it juicy.

Really milk it, bring on the waterworks.

He already respects you. Her cold,
icy demeanor will slowly melt.

Once they're putty in our hands,
we'll make our offer!

I said I'm not going!

I'm so glad we're doing this.
Thank you, Baturay.

So this director asks me to improvise.

I'm obviously freaking out.
It's my big scene, right?

Then, without thinking,
I start folding my napkin and I go,

"I hope we don't fold under the pressure."

Ah.

Uh, Afife, what were you saying before?

You know, you always talk about it…
Back in prison?

- Kartal. Kartal Prison.
- Mm-hmm.

Those were some
very emotional memories for you.

Maybe there's some subtle nuances
you'd like to tell us?

I don't know about subtle nuances,
but I do have memories. Mostly good ones.

We went to Silivri,

we went to Maltepe,
and in Kartal, we crossed paths.

Which I forgot.

I feel embarrassed
ordering raki in these places.

- So I'm glad you did. Thank you.
- Raki is always good.

Can I say, Neslihan, your choice
of wine tonight is really inspired.

Mm, a nice Cabernet Franc is irresistible.

Well, shall we have another toast, then?

Again?

Can't hurt. Cheers, Professor.

All right.

I think we can drop
the professor thing now.

Afife, Kemal,
Baturay, Neslihan, that's it!

You've lost a lot of weight, son.

Spinach börek.

Your favorite.

- So you two are engaged?
- Mm-hmm.

Wow, I never would've guessed.

Yes, we're planning the big day.
And you two?

It's a long ways away.

You know, nonexistent.

I think what Afife is saying is,
as artists, our lives are chaotic.

So the idea of settling down
with kids seems tough, Neslihan.

You wouldn't happen to be a Gemini,
would you?

You're sharp, Nesli!

How'd you know that?

Well, it's a bit of a gift.
I sense these things.

Afife's an Aries, and you're a Gemini…
I mean, it's perfect match.

- I never got signs.
- Yeah, me neither.

You're a writer, and you're an actor.
You share every aspect of yourselves.

But so do you.

You're not writing anything right now,
far as I can tell.

Funny you should say that.

We're about to dive into
a brand-new project together.

- For television.
- Oh, really?

I'm a TV addict, you know?
You can't tear me away from it.

Do you watch too?

No, Professor. I'm more of a book person.

We put on a show,
and two minutes in, he's snoring.

- What books?
- Oh, anything really.

There was that reading list you gave us
back in the day, for instance?

- I don't know if you remember it?
- God, I'm sorry. I really don't.

Well, I won't lie,

some of the ones you assigned us were,
uh, beyond me, but I read most of them.

But there are some good shows
out there, aren't there?

If a show has
a strong lead female character,

no matter what, I'll watch it.
You must know the type.

Those women who don't take any sh*t
and always seem to get the last word.

The women who wear high heels everywhere,

the sound of them echoing
throughout the scene.

What do we need more leading men for?

Have I ever seen anything you've written?

There's Help, Agha, an award winner.

Mm! I know that one. It's an oldie.

Not that old, actually.

You know, what you just described
is not a strong female though.

It isn't?

- That's just a man in heels.
- What do you mean?

- Who cares? A good show is a good show.
- There's a huge difference.

The woman you describe is imitating

what men have been trying to sell us
for centuries as power.

- The real power of women is much more.
- And what is that power?

Women are fertile, and we create life.
Women are the nurturers and the growers.

- Oh, really?
- The source of everything.

To me, real strength is the kind
that knows how to build and grow.

- Without crushing or stepping over anyone.
- Mm.

You're falling for the fake narrative
men have been selling you.

No, I'm not falling for anything.

High heels echoing?
You really think that's power?

This meat is so good. Juicy!

I wasn't finished. Please.

Women shouldn't be chasing
after male power.

Power corrupts and destroys you.

We should be going after
freedom and equality.

You know, you remind me
of the girls I went to school with.

- Before they grew up.
- In what way?

These girls, in the safe cocoon of school,

would talk just like you
in club meetings or class debates.

Now they're in the real world,

crushing everyone who gets in their way,
regardless of gender.

And that crap about equality and freedom?
Forgot all about it.

So basically, they become men.

Wanna jump in here, Baturay? I mean,
us men always get blamed, don't we?

Uh, yeah, what I mean is--

You're the professor, so whatever you say.

Do I sense sarcasm in your tone?

You've been lecturing me
on womanhood for five minutes.

Lecturing? I wouldn't say lecturing.

Uh… I mean, it wasn't…

- Why don't you step out for a cigarette?
- No.

Come on, Baturay.
I could use some air. So could you.

- I'm good.
- Sure, cool.

They're hitting it off, huh?

Baturay, buddy,
what the hell are we doing here?

'Cause I really doubt
it was to debate feminism.

- I don't know if now's the time.
- No, now's the time.

Okay, well, you know how we settled
on a 40-60 ratio to pay you back?

Ah. So that's what this is about.

We wondered if you'd be open to changing
that ratio in Afife's favor for a bit.

You know things are bad.
They owe money to half the neighborhood.

- It would only be for a bit.
- Until your funds come in?

Oh! So you heard that?

Yeah.

- Is that money really coming?
- 1,000%!

All right, sure. It's okay by me.

But it's her call.

Neslihan's the boss
when it comes to money.

Gotcha. If I could get a word in maybe?
I could explain.

I think it's too late for that.

And you think this is going to happen
in a world where men have the final say?

Of course it's gonna happen!

While women constantly
have to repeat themselves

to get their point across
in a society trained

to only listen to men,
no matter what they're spouting?

You can't lecture me.

Have you forgotten all the terrible things
a woman has to do just to survive?

Where were you when I got tear-gassed
fighting for women's rights?

Dreaming's one thing. Being a dreamer
is another. I think you confuse them!

Well, life's hard. Deal with it.

See the world from where I'm standing
before you dare lecture me.

No offense, but where you're standing
is the last place I'd wanna be.

Oh! Talking each other's ears off!
That's great! That's great.

You ladies want a refill?

Pour.

My son, I heard
you haven't been eating or drinking.

Kemal is gonna be starting a family soon.

He's getting married.

But he's still taking care of you.

So, instead of the father
supporting the son,

you've become nothing but a burden.

You need to pull yourself together.

Is Kemal marrying Neslihan?

That won't work out.

You said something to Neslihan earlier.

But if you want what's best
for you and your son,

then you should let
some things stay buried.

It'll only bring us misery.

It could even destroy
the family altogether.

Sometimes reality and dreams
can blur into one another.

It can happen to anyone.

Maybe that's exactly what
you're going through now, Muharrem.

Maybe you can't tell what's real or not?

You done?

Yeah, you know, I just doubt
we'll see eye to eye on this, so…

What, no! No, uh, hang on a second here.

The reason
we're actually here tonight is, uh, um…

Well, we wanted to ask you something,
but only if--

- Say it. Go ahead, Baturay.
- Hold on a minute.

I still have a couple things to say
before Baturay bores us with business.

Don't take this the wrong way,
you're clearly a very intelligent woman,

but when it comes
to actual real-life experience,

you've got nothing, sweetheart.

You spout this bullshit
like you're some kind of intellectual,

but it's all just a farce.

I'm sorry, why are you laughing?

I don't know.

What did, uh, you two talk about
when we were outside?

- Uh…
- Oh, you know.

The usual small talk bullshit.

"Oh, all my money's gone. What happened?
I thought I was so smart."

- Neslihan.
- No, let her talk. Let's see.

- Can I jump in for a minute?
- For the love of God, don't.

Unless you're gonna tell us
what the hell we're doing here?

- Funny you should say that--
- I have a question for you.

Do you know these bottles you ordered
cost hundreds of dollars each?

- Huh?
- Neslihan, that's enough.

No. Do you really think
you're a position to invite us here?

- Just say what you're trying to say.
- Don't get upset.

Girl, you're in for a harder wake-up call

than those heroes you write about
if you don't watch yourself.

That's cool.
Because at least I'll get to die a hero.

- Which is more than I can say for you.
- Like I care about being a hero when…

Forget it.

We'd better get going.

Uh… no, wait!

- Uh, dessert?
- Forget about dessert.

We'll be lectured about the harms
of sugar by the professor.

Goodnight, Neslihan!

And nice to meet you, Kemal.

Perfect plan, Baturay.

The plan was good. You f*cked it up!

- Just for once, shut up will ya?!
- Will there be anything else?

- Can we get the check, please?
- Right away, sir.

For once!

I mean, her clothes and that perfume!
And she just drank and mouthed off!

That woman's not just crazy, she's rude.

You could've tried--

Who is she to lecture me
on how to be a woman? It's your fault.

You just had to call her a professor
and put her on a pedestal.

It's your fault! What are we doing
with these people, huh?

You were practically drooling on her.
"Neslihan. Dear Nesli."

Strong female, my a*s! Joke!

Screenwriter, my a*s!
Where's her show? Where is it?

Which one? Run, Agha?

I don't watch TV, you know that.

Even if you watched TV,
you wouldn't see jack sh*t.

She does nothing but talk.
Talentless c**t.

Too poor to eat there? I'll mess her up
so bad, she won't know what hit her.

She's the hero,
and that makes me the villain.

Wow! Could you imagine!

I get it. This is pure Aries energy,
but on another f*cking level.

Oh, you want a villain?

You know what?

- That loan shark series, Baturay?
- Yeah?

- We're doing it, damn it. Call Defne.
- She's in bed!

All right, hold on.

I'm gonna write such an epic love story
between that loan shark and the girl

and throw in such a horrible,
evil woman between them,

that Shakespeare himself
will rise from the grave and shout,

"Holy sh*t, Afife!"

And we'll smash the ratings too.

We'll be rolling in cash,
so we're never at the mercy of that b*tch.

Why did we even come tonight?
So she could yell at me?

They were gonna ask us
to decrease our daily rate.

- Ah!
- The interest rate.

Like hell we're doing that.

They can all die for all I care.

She can take that 40%,
shove it up her a*s, and suck on it.

I'm gonna ruin this b*tch's life
and then bury her so deep.