Hello,
I already wrote about this series in a previous article titled: 10 reasons to fall in love with Sen Çal Kapimi. But what brought me here just three weeks after its debut is to write about something that surprised and still impacts me: the series couple. What is a love story without an OTP?
And this article will discuss about the explosive chemistry in the style of Globo Repórter (Famous Brazilian documentary Program). Who are the Edsers? What do they eat? What are they doing? Why are they so attractive together holy cow?
Based on another Estante da Autora blog article: 5 tips to create chemistry between the protagonist couple. We will dive into the analysis of the details so well inserted, by the series writer Ayse, which gives the necessary support for Eda and Serkan to look like the periodic table itself.
Before going to the analysis I want to thank @eumarasores_ who said that Serkan was the combination of the best types of good guys she reads, all in one man. And it sparkled on me the idea for this article. Because a well-built man makes all the difference in a love story, girls.
Let’s find out why!
Follow me, Edsers fans!
The Flower and the Robot (Protagonists)
Like every love story, there is no such thing as similar people who fall in love. The story has legs when there are great differences between the characters. Equal poles do not come together, but opposites attract.
In the following subtopics, we will discuss Serkan Bolat and Eda Yildiz separately and then talk about how these differences unite them within the plot.
The Robot
Eda is the first to introduce herself to the public. She is telling her own story. It is like partly a first-person plot. That is why we do not know everything that goes on with Serkan. We meet Serkan after his life intersects with Eda’s.
So all Eda knows about Serkan is what she supposes, what she imagines, and what the media says about him. Even us who are watching the series get this “superficiality” of the opinion of others about who is the real Serkan. At least at first.
Has he always been insensitive, cruel, and grumpy? Isn’t there a fluffy space in his thick shell? Serkan is a padlocked book whose cover is beautiful and interesting. There is no way to read what is inside of him without the key. Eda is the key.
Leyla, the secretary fired and readmitted several times, described the boss like this “He’s like concrete. Intelligent, disciplined. He sleeps a little, works hard.” Serkan’s insensitivity is a shell of protection against the instability of human feelings. That is why the robot nickname.
In Serkan Bolat’s idea, life is like a job that needs to be successful. That is, his day is dictated by an agenda. So even handcuffed to Eda, he went on a business meeting with Evren. It was on the to-do list, and regardless of the setbacks, he had to stick to it.
This robot is not totally without feelings. There are some characteristics that humanize him, some things that only the public sees. For example, his hypochondria is not his greatest weakness but the fear of looking like a sentimental man. For this reason, in episode 3 he is rude to Eda. He wanted to run away from what he has been feeling for her, but I wonder… Can we run away from something that is inside of us?
Serkan thought that playing the tough guy, demanding that she walk away from him, would be easier to control what he felt, but it was too late. Eda could go to China, but she would still be pulsing in his veins, getting into his thoughts, and occupying his dreams. He would see her in every flower, smell her perfume out of nowhere, and remember the taste of her lips.
We cannot run away from love. Barking dogs seldom bites. On the inside he is more fragile than he pretends to be. In episode 3 after Eda’s scolding, he surrenders and goes after his fake fiancé. He says it was only for Sirius, but he was at her door to apologize. She is a warm bonfire, a good person to be with. She lights his heart, although he still cannot admit it.
The concrete finally is cracked. We’re here for it.
The flower
If Serkan is a concrete. Eda is a flower with delicate petals that require sun, water, good ground, care, and attention. But do not mistake her, she is not as fragile as she looks. She learned to be strong because being strong was keeping her sane.
One of the first things I noticed in Eda when I reviewed the episodes was her sensitivity. Just like Serkan she has a lot more behind her lovely face. She is a determined woman who does not take something to lying down. She is responsible for her acts and she does not bow her head to anyone.
But she hides a bruised, sensitive, sad heart. A heart lacking affection. That is why she endure her relationship with Cenk. She got used to a little bit of love and forgot she deserved everything. I was glad she took revenge on him. And here we come to the crucial point of Eda’s profile analysis: her impulsiveness.
At the same time, it was a “good” thing for her injured ego to kiss Serkan Bolat in front of the cameras. It also represented a turnaround in her life. Eda’s fallout from taking this attitude has started the whole plot of Sen Çal Kapimi, but all this impulsiveness will come with a price.
She acts first and thinks later, and we all know this means trouble. It is a kind of character flaw that takes the plot to unexpected roads. Makes Eda an unpredictable character. Don’t you get the feeling that you never know what she is going to do?
Unpredictable. We did not expect the kiss at the end of episode one. We did not expect her to handcuff Serkan. We did not expect her to say, “Hey, I’m going to be your girlfriend in front of Evren.” We did not expect the slap on his face. Nor the way she insisted that Serkan go with her to her aunt’s house. She was so bossy. But mostly, no one expected her to have a sleeping sickness.
Eda is a rabbit pulling out of a hat. She surprises us. That is why she is the protagonist and tells us the plot. She is like an iceberg, not in the sense of being icy, but in the sense of depth. Eda is much more than we are seeing on the surface.
From episode 3, we can be sure that this woman’s hot vein will still cause a lot of problems. She is a quick-tempered person. She fights and grumbles. If she has to be rude, she is without pity or mercy. She is not afraid to be who she is.
Eda is a rose with thorns. Sharp, poisonous thorns. Try to pull this flower out of her vase… You are going to get hurt. For many people this is an unpleasant personality. But it is also her defense against the bad ones that come across her path. Probably something she learned in the hard way during her childhood and adolescence.
Opposite poles
Did you see how different Eda and Serkan are? Concrete and flower are opposite materials. One is hard, stable and it serves as the basis for buildings. While the other is sensitive to climatic oscillation. She can get hurt easily and it is difficult to recover herself. Pull out a petal from a flower, it will never be the same.
Remember I told you there is no love story with similar characters? It is because the difference is the spice of the relationship. It is one of the fundamental things to the understanding of relationships dynamics. Either the real ones or the fictional. It is important the existence of similarities, but the differences are essential for the longevity of the feeling.
People who are lakes cannot be protagonists, or OTP’s (One true parings). Ocean people can really give us what we need. Despite the big waves, the unexpected storms, the sea is still scary and fascinating.
The Plot
“Love stories” are stories. It seems redundant to say this, but it is necessary to understand it. The character can be amazing, but without plot is an empty pack. Sometimes we get excited about the analysis of the characters and leave the plot behind, but one is connected to the other.
In the previous topic we present Eda and Serkan, but in this one, we will discuss how the plot of Sen Çal Kapimi justifies its characters being so attractive to the public.
The handcuff
Every story has a conflict which is explained briefly but clearly. The premise of the story is: Eda and Serkan hate each other. She lost a dream scholarship because of him. The circumstances, however, end up “forcing” the two of them to enter a false engagement contract.
The circumstance is the handcuff. It is the first step into a big adventure. The ship sails the very second Eda handcuffs himself to Serkan. Some will say that it was when she saw him entering the auditorium, or when he finally distinguished who was the sassy mouth humiliating him in public.
No, that is a super cliché. For me there is no such thing as love at first sight. The handcuff, in fact, was the point where it all began.
Eda was angry, outraged and acted according to her heart and in the heat of the moment. The handcuff is an unexpected and unbelievable link for both. It is not every day you are handcuffed to someone you hate. But then find out the person is not the devil or something.
People do not fall in love with someone’s appearance, but for what is inside. The little things, the details, the silly stuff we can only see through day-by-day. Living with the person.
The contract
Remember we talked about people that were lake and ocean? The ones that are lakes have water mirrors. However, if a stone is cast into water, waves are formed, but soon dissipate on the shore. Re-establishing the order on the surface.
Serkan was an ocean, but he lived with a lake called Selin. Eda was and ocean but lived with a mud lake called Cenk. The difference from these two oceans that collide on a college graduation day. It is just that the sea in Serkan’s life was in a state of calm.
Eda arrived a full undertow. Deturbed the peace of his waters, formed giant waves, changed the tide, confused the compass. But Serkan is used to dealing with possible crises, that is why he says in episode two: “I love chaos. It forces the person to be even smarter.”
Enjoying being under stress makes him a quick-reaction person. It takes him a little time to come up with the plan using Eda as his fiancée. He realized she was the only woman Selin was jealous of. So, it seemed like the perfect plan. Pretend to be with the young florist to potentiate his ex’s jealousy and separate her from Ferit. Thus protecting part of the company from falling into the hands of Kaan Karadag.
Very clever that plan, isn’t it? There is only one problem, the woman Serkan arranged to be his bride, it is not exactly the kind he is used to dealing with. A man who is always in control cannot stand a person, who, even under a contract, does not obey him.
Serkan prepared a contract, describing what is an ideal and convincing relationship, from his point of view. In one of the clauses he says “Whenever I want, whether at night or during the day, you will always be with me. Inside the city or out of the city. Every night you’ll be near me. When I ask you for something, you won’t ask why.”
I have a theory, it may or may not make sense, but when Engin tells Serkan that his relationship with his ex-Selin, was completely emotionless. Just like a cold contract. He replies “Emotions dry up after a few moments. What you call a relationship is, to some extent, an agreement.” Which led me to think that even though Serkan told Eda it would be a fake engagement. I had the impression, after reading the clauses, that maybe for him is a “true” relationship, or the only possible “relationship” type for him with any other woman.
I mean, he is really engaged to Eda and she has no idea about it. The proof is the whole engagement party. The ring, the necklace, the dancing, his compliments, the looks… even when he took her to see the stars and as little open about his heart. He is really enjoying being engaged.
However, the only problem is that love cannot be a cold contract. He begins to desire much more than it was signed on the paper. We cannot judge him, can we?
The rules of the agreement are strict if we consider the personality of the two of them. Serkan wanted a woman who did not question his decisions, and Eda is the opposite of that. She questions and she commands him. She gives her opinion even when it is not asked. And if he does not like it, she simply says “That’s all I am. Sorry I didn’t meet your requirements.”
But the game of “engagement” is also challenging for Serkan. Mainly because he is of the convicted type. When Serkan makes the proposal to Eda, he reassures her by saying “Listen! You don’t attract me as a woman. You’ll only be around, in meetings, at events. And that’s all.”
LOL. Can he really believe that? Come on!
All Eda did from the beginning until now was turn Serkan’s mind inside out. The plan was to have a little bride for two months. The contract stated a fake relationship, but the feelings produced over the course of the days were getting authentical. So strong that the great Serkan Bey could not resist.
She had her name written on her engagement ring.
Written in the stars
Serkan and Eda’s story seems like something written in the stars. I mean the spontaneous things that happen without us waiting for them to occur. These moments are important because they establish a magical connection between the characters. Every otp couple has sigh-sighing scenes.
Like Edser’s:
– Serkan cleaning the invisible sand from Eda’s hair.
– Serkan helping Eda calm down on the plane.
– Eda helping Serkan buy the land from Evren.
– Serkan nicknamed Eda “strawberry”.
– Serkan and Eda dancing at engagement party
– Serkan’s magic with the necklace.
– Eda and Serkan looking together at the stars.
– Serkan changing the architecture of Eda’s office room.
– Eda serving him tea.
– Serkan, Eda and Sirius strolling around the square.
The list will be enormous throughout the course of the series. There is no use escribing all here. They will fill the plot because they are part of the construction, fixation, and involvement of the couple with the public. They are the so-called “cute scenes”, which has the only and most important mission to make us dream.
Besides that, the story needs to have implicit stuff. The Mystery. Things that only those who are paying attention will see. They are part of the composition of the magical halo of OTP couples. Serkan, for example, paying attention to Eda’s star tattoo, without knowing her full name. By the way, Yildiz is “star” in Turkish and Serkan “boss/leader”.
He likes jasmine tea, that is, a flower. How cute is that? He is a hypochondriac and he is engaged to a woman with a strange sleeping sickness. She blackout in stressful situations. It can make him completely crazy about her well-being. We have a tip of this in episode 3 final scene.
Eda loves animals and Serkan too. They are both dedicated to work. They are intelligent and with a similar line of reasoning regarding business. Other than that, Evren would had never sold that land to Serkan and they would not have redesigned the hotel.
The implicit permeates love stories. It is an indispensable piece in the composition of the novel. Without it, there is no way to bring into the viewers, the feelings of the characters. Chewed stories are not funny or entertaining. We always need something to be thinking about after the end of each episode. What did Selin told Eda for gosh’s sake?
One of these implicit stuffs can be Serkan breaking the contract and not going to pick up Eda at the flower shop. Being rude to her in public. Something she demanded in contract that he did must do: “You’re too close to me and I don’t like it. Please stick to the contract and don’t get too close to me.” He shouted.
He did it attempting to get her away from him and protect himself from what he was beginning to feel for her. The walls are crumbling. Serkan Bolat is discovering that his heart is not Tony Stark’s. He has feelings and Eda is also realizing it. Maybe she is clueless he’s in love with her yet, but time will give all the evidence.
Delighting the viewer
A couple to be loved needs to be expressive. It needs to seem to fit all the romantic song lyrics. It needs to fulfill our imagination. It needs to remember us of something we saw before. Because no love story is entirely unheard of. This, like other plots, drank from other plots before getting their own voice.
Maybe that is why the genre is so popular. We always re-watch the things that we love. Throw the first strawberry who has not seen each episode of Sen Çal Kapimi more than ten times? I believe that a shippable couple moves viewers to this obsession. A healthy one, though. Come on don’t be that crazy! Don’t spend hours writing an article about a series that you love. Don’t.
LOL.
Jokes aside, Eda and Serkan’s love story remind us of others. Like Pretty Woman, for example. Serkan is the Turkish Edward Lewis. You think I overreacted? Calm down, now I am gonna go over the line, he is the Turkish Mr. Darcy.
At the beginning of this article I said that a well-built man makes all the difference in a love story. First, because the audience of love stories are mostly female. Second, the male character needs to remember, even a little, the most acclaimed male in literature, Mr. Darcy.
I will explain why. I think everyone who wrote a love story before doing that read Jane Austen. She is the basis, an inspiration for the genre. It is impossible to talk about love stories and not remember her.
Fits the musical classics
To finish, I am going to say that this is really my thing. So don’t take it as a general rule. It is an analytical perception I reflect on after so many novels, soap operas, series and dizi.
It seems that every couple that is super shippable dance to the sound of Evidências by Chitãozinho e Xororó. (It’s a famous Brazilian song that is proclaimed to be the national anthem of any couple in the world)
Do the test with me: Think of any couple you like besides Edser. Did you think about one? Now see if their story does not fit into the lyrics of the “and in this madness of saying I don’t want you, I’m denying appearances, disguising the evidence, but why i keep pretending if I can’t fool my heart. I know I love you.”
When Evidências, when a man loves a woman and Have you ever really loved a woman fits into the couple. My shipper heart is in a big trouble. I am going to love the couple instantly. These songs are the cliché of my favorite love stories. The first speaks of the denial of love. The second about how we react to love, the third talks about how we should treat our other half.
Eda and Serkan are just in the beginning of their love journey. They are slowly, without skipping phases, discovering good things about each other. The passion for the stars, the craziness to collect back of truck phrases. The charming magic of disappearing with a valuable jewel, only to place it on her lap seductively. Wow!
We know, they are finding it hard to stay close and be indifferent AS IT IS SIGNED ON THE CONTRACT. Blow the clauses! The best part of rules is breaking them. Yes, Serkan Bey go for a ride. Go ride your hrse, try to relax your beating heart. You still don’t have all that power to break the “don’t touch” rule. Hold on, buddy!
It is also hard to ignore Selin all full of intimacy with Serkan, right Eda? Ok, we will pretend the contract is only to get her back. But why on earth she is increasingly unbearable because of her countless qualities? Because she is sensitive, consistent, has good taste e etc. Like there is a perfect woman on the planet, right? Come on! Eda jealous is going to be amazing. I cannot wait to see it.
They are already surrendered to each other and we are already in love with them. Now we will keep watching anxiously for the next adventures of this unlikely couple. Oh, Wednesday why you take so long? So far I liked everything of this ship. I really loved the dance to the sound of Tencere Kapak and what is your favorite scene of Edser? Tell me in the comment section.
See you later!
Special thanks:
Thank you Ask Turk Brazil. Your work is amazing!
Thank you Sen Çal Kapimi BR for so much cool content in Portuguese on social media and for your support on previous article.
Thank you, Moranguetes (Nickname for SÇK fandom in Brazil) for encouraging me to keep writing about this series. Your excitement got mixed up with mine and it was the gas for writing this article.
Thank you to all meme creators and the ones who creat edits! Wow, you guys rock!
If you have suggestions for new articles, constructive criticism and compliments leave in the comments and I will answer all of them with pleasure.
Estante da Autora 
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