The Tailor

I'll admit that I really have to be in a particular type of mood to endure a Netflix Turkiye production, but every once in a while they put out something that leaves an impact quite unique from western productions.

To the seasoned critique, it will come across cheesy and basic, leaving them bored and tuning out a few episodes in. It almost happended to me but as I said, on this occasion I was in a particular mood to not watch with my mind but rather my heart. I think the why 'Dizis' (Turkish serials) appeal to a certain audience is that they apply life lessons most of us can relate to. While undoubetby far more entertaining to watch, I can't relate to Alien Covenant, Interstellar, the Irishman etc.

The Taylor started slow, and during the first few episodes I got distracted and lost focus. My first impression of Dimitri was that of a cheap suit; a loud horny obnoxious guy with a cross tattoo on his forearm. It came across a bit tacky and cringe, so I was immediately put off. The disabled father had zero emotional effect on me; probably the exact opposite of what was intended (too soon for ott emotion!!!). And the straw that broke the camel's back was the Tony Stark vision thing Peyami did before embarking on his next masterpiece. That made me pause, literally!

Then a few weeks later I gave it another go and boy was I glad I did. As mentioned in my title, to me it was a story about flawed humans doing what they do best. Some reviews claimed a bias towards the portrayal of the Greek character(s). I objectively didn't see. For me, it was an objective story that I thought pretty obvious Dimitri was the most likeable character. Fun, charismatic, flawed, broken, yet incredibly loyal and with compassion. I adored Bademci's Rumeli accent, sounding not too different from bilingual (Greek and Turkish speaking) Northern Cypriots.

Perhaps due to my first wife being Greek, and my best friend since the age of 11 being Greek (myself being Turkish), seeing a Greek family and community of Istanbul (my father's home city) really spiked my interest, but that's not the reason I enjoyed it so much. Just binge watched the lot over the weekennd, on the final 2 episodes of season 3...let's see what happens.

If you are going to watch it, watch it with your heart and not your mind. If that makes sense to you, you'll probably enjoy it. Be warned it does start off slow, and it will require a leap of faith.

Usually series like this is completely junk. But this one has a perfect camera perspective, It's giving the western type of a picture in some scenes. And some scenes has some perfect Istanbul Aurora like in 1960s and 1970s. The storyline seems very long actually. But they made it very short. That's the only part that I did not like. But in traditional media, we already seeing unnecessary long TV series that makes people want to puke ! The actor choices was perfect. I think "Cagatay Ulusoy" is a perfect candidate for this role. He reminds me "Ayhan Isik", which is a perfect actor from "Yesilcam" era. I give 8 for this series and waiting for the season 2. Thanks to the Netflix for giving us this show. Thanks for the cast too. I love the suits in the movie.

Who thought that one long affair could be stretched out over 3 series ? I wanted to stop watching after half way through season 1 but like a car crash, you can't stop looking.

I was confused as to whether it was a Muslim or Christian series, but it was unimportant as it turned out.

I didn't warm to the actress playing Esvet. She had one expression which only changed with a few tears. A hint of a smile only happened in the last episode. The script also had her turning up when she shouldn't have - all the time, which was irritating to the story. Pueramy was a good character but throughout, there was lots of "filler" long pauses of "looks' with piano background playing., so I did a lot of fast forwarding.

The actor playing Mustafa was beyond excellent, but he underwent a seismic change in a short time. One minute needing to be spoon fed to wearing a tuxedo and having grow up conversations !

My favourite was Dimitri, the actor had the best part playing a manic with a range of emotions BUT he had the most wonderful wardrobe of spectacles and shaded sunglasses ! By the end I missed his perfect teeth and had serious glasses envy !

The Tailor is a gripping drama that follows the lives of three people who are connected by a wedding dress. Peyami is a famous tailor who inherited talent and successful business from his grandfather. Dimitri is his best friend who is engaged to Firuze, a mysterious woman who ran away from an abusive relationship. But all three have dark secrets that will soon upend their lives.

The series is full of suspense, emotion and twists that keep you hooked until the end. The cast is superb, especially Çagatay Ulusoy as Peyami, who delivers a nuanced and captivating performance. The production values are high, with stunning cinematography and costumes that capture the atmosphere of Istanbul.

The Tailor is a must-watch for fans of Turkish drama and mystery. It will keep you guessing and make you feel for the characters. Don't miss this gem on Netflix!

We saw Series 1 on Dutch Netflix in 2023. This was very exciting and very well acted by the protagonists. At the end of the last episode, the expectation was raised that a sequel was coming. We could therefore hopefully look forward to a sequel. At the end of July '23 we could then eagerly look forward to series 2. Especially the role of Mustafa is so good and pure. This story shows you how 2 families deal with success and how they have dealt with parenting in their family where clearly a black sheep has to suffer. The last episode was very pure and emotional where in the end a family is brought back together in good harmony. It was a happy ending and another chapeau for the makers of Yapimci. They have again achieved another great success on their rating.