Ottoman Rising

I was pleasantly surprised that a second season came out, and about Mehmed II and the notorious Vlad no less. I really liked the first season because it's like a storytelling by historians with the flare of well done reenactment. Obviously, there are liberties taken for the drama, but it's cool to have a mix of history with what could be another Vikings type show. Although some of the the acting isn't Oscar worthy, the actor playing Mehmed has a memorable face and owns the role.

I am hoping they do another one about the Romans or, better yet, the Egyptians. But I love this retelling because I'd take a guess that the average Westerner doesn't know a lot about the Ottoman Empire. I'd like another season, please!

All chronicals besides turkish ones say that Vlad scored a great victory at the Night Attack and Mehmed fled the camp. If this was not the case then i ask you Where would he gather so many ottomans to impale near Targoviste? How about time to impale?

Recommend HistoryMarche on youtube for a better view on Vlad the Impaler

The show has it.s ups and downs , depictes some aspects good and some rather miserable. Since it.s a documentary, historical facts should be represented as they were and not florished to make Mehmed more apealing to viewers. I still recommend the show and the actors playing Vlad and Mehmed did a great job. Still better than hollywood movies. At least Constantinopole had a ditch in front of the walls and this was the most esential defending construction during that time. Enjoyed the costumes as well. Anyway, keep this genre going as it.s way better than any movie.

Text: I removed my first comment because I hadn't watched season 2 when I wrote it. I am coming back since I have just finished it. First of all the 2 seasons differ concerning inaccuracies. The 1st one relies more on history apart from the fact that they avoid to mention that Constantinos Paleologos was Greek,as many of the greatest emperors in eastern Roman Empire,and they paid too much attention to Justiniani. Ok the latter might have been a very good fighter but he left the battlefield while Paleologos fought till death as a man of honor and a real hero. So HE was the legend and the soul not Justiniani. However many other facts are decent and correct. Mehmed was really smart educated and wanted to be a Ceasar not just a sultan. His mother Huma Hatun was not Turkish that is why they didn't mention her origin,she was probably from Greece or Serbia. Historians say that is why Mehmed was different from other sultans and much more educated Or maybe helped him his adoptive mother Mara who was from a noble family half Serbian(from her father)half Greek(from her mother). Mara was really qualified and built many churches too so the environment Mehmed grew up was civilized concerning religions and different cultures.

Constantinopolis was really difficult to be conquered that IS true but at that specific time the City was weak and the emperor abandoned and betrayed by his allies So I think all these things are present in season 1 one way or another But season 2??What happened ?? Vlad was NOT the invader he was a hostage while all his childhood so he did what he should do! He wanted freedom! And he was cruel but not against his own people I have never found any official source about something like this! He was cruel against the invaders that's normal not??

Moreover the direction tries to present that hostages live happily with ottomans. Yes ok sometimes this had happened but have you ever thought that they did not have any other option??they just try to survive this is not friendship! Vlad was much more than what season 2 presents! Don't forget that many people suffer from the taxes to ottomans they wanted independence and they had suffered a lot. Ottomans weren't educated as Mehmed,he was an exception. That is why Balcans remained so underdeveloped and we are still trying to overcome all this cultural damage!

Last but not least they mention Alexander the Great many times since Mehmed admired him as many others Caesars did and Napoleon some centuries after,but one more time without telling that he was Greek!!

We are still speaking the language he and his teacher Aristotle spoke,of course in a modern and simplified version,but nobody mentions his origin as in other Tv series! That is a little bit stupid I think Fortunately acting and battle scenes are really good I liked the actors for Mehmed,Vlad and Mehmed as a child I have seen this boy in another Turkish série he is talented!

So give it a try I think it is worth but in some points you will feel dissatisfied.

I'm not sure what exactly the future of this series is - will the next seasons be about Ottomans, other empires, or will there not even be more seasons? Regardless, this first season could more aptly have been named the Siege of Constantinople, as it is almost all about that famed siege. Good thing too, because 6 episodes seems to be the perfect length for depicting the siege in full. And the series is very well paced, although some of the flashback scenes feel a bit too long.

The siege itself is exceptionally well depicted. The budget was either very high, or very well used, because the quality of the CGI, the sets, and the costumes is simply superb, and the actors too are brilliant. The show doesn't quite bias towards one side. If there is a bias, there is a bias against realism. Both sides are depicted in a more positive light than should be. The Genoans and Venetians were far less scheming than they were in real life, and the mercenaries defending the city more adept and brave than they truly were. Conversely, the show also glosses over the Ottoman plundering of the city. But apart from that criticism, I can't really find anything I disliked about the depiction of the siege itself. I also really appreciated that the show stressed the importance of it - the demise of the 1500 year old Empire, giving birth to one that would last nearly 500 years more.

I'm not sure I quite like the docudrama style of storytelling. I think it is a tad lazy compared to just telling a story through actors. But that is a minor issue I have with an otherwise excellent depiction of a legendary siege.

If you intend to shoot a docu-drama with some historians commenting on it, you need to base your story on the real facts.

This is not a docu-drama about Mehmet nor Ottomans; this is a story of the great defence strategist, mighty Guiliani.

If it's another legendary story; I could give it 8 (which I did because I respect the work done).

As a docu-drama I could only give 3 maybe.

A docu-drama should be researched well. This one was not. Where's the Orthodox Patriarch? Mehmet gave him the Ecumenical Power right after the conquest. This was the greatest wisdom of his time. And Mehmet was a great strategist, artist as well as an intellectual.

This story has very few accurate facts. That was disappointing.