THE PROTECTOR

                                The Protector: Netflix Takes Turkey In Style..

Given mystical powers by a talismanic keepsake, a young man embarks on a quest to fight shadowy forces and solve a mystery from his past.
The protector is a superhero drama cum love story. It tells the tale of young Hakan Demir as he sets out on a quest to confront the ancient forces of evil, known only by their name; ' The Immortals'. The show is able to tell the story of this young hero and intertwine his Tales of heroism with those of his past, and the point of view of those sworn to serve him; The Loyal Ones.    One of the first things that jumps out at viewers is the casting. The characters where brilliantly chosen, regardless of the fact that the names are not mainstream neither are they household names, but first impressions they say matter. The first episode brought not only the story the show runner wished to tell, but also ensured that the story was presented by capable hands, actors who could keep the audience intrigued and engrossed in the show. Cagatay Ulusoy( Hakan) and Ayca Aysin (Leyla) ensured that the show was relatable and reasonably plausible as can be. Their onscreen performances was genius, it appeared as though there was a chemistry between them that the show sought to rely on to build the story, and it totally worked, so much so that viewers preferred their conversations as against other dialogues.
Hazar Erguclu( Zeynep) and Okan Yalabik( Faisal) were amazing in their own way. Okan Yalabik for one displayed the performance of a veteran actor, his composure, poise and elegance was only trumped by his charisma on screen. The way he reacted to situations, his conversational mastery can only remind you of none other than James Spader himself.
  Getting to the story itself, the show had a pretty unique concept to present. The idea of having a superhero whose powers were derived locally and from ancient days was ingenious, the idea of the Immortals at first seemed quite ridiculous, moreso as they were portrayed in some weak light, but then as the story progressed further, we realised that the weakness of the Immortals or their susceptibility to The Protector was what was going to make this a show worth watching. One aspect of the story that was however flawed( albeit in the first season) is the concept of the Loyal Ones. We have not understood the idea behind it, they are not what is expected of the foot soldiers of the Protector and it was quite surprising how easy it was to pick them off, not leaving out the Protectors themselves.

   The conflict is a pretty simple one, and surprisingly Netflix didn't do much in the way of diversifying the conflict element, neither did the show runner make the plot exceptional. The show was straight, and moved at the same mid tempo pace with which it started. It didn't offer much in the way of diversifying the conflict, there was basically no plot twist, and the general theme remained the same till the last episode. Where the show runner thought to twist the plot a little, it was predictable and thus didn't offer up much in the way of a classic reveal.
  One other thing that stood out about the show perhaps is the apparent lack of combat scenes, or at least a lack thereof with regards to frenetic fast paced fight scenes. Perhaps this was compensated for by the non-stop drama of the show, we don't know, but we would definitely have preferred at least some brilliant well scripted fight scenes.
  To wrap it up in a few sentences, it's a tvshow with heart, with a unique concept, and different take on the concept of heroism. It provides an insight into what making the choice to take on the responsibilities of protector entails. The constant battle between duties and love, allowed for a drama that dreams are made of. Even though we had expected that the conflict introduced in the very first episode would not be concluded in the first season, no one would have expected the crazy plot twist on which the show ended. At least viewers would agree that the last two episodes ensured that the show garnered the ratings it gets and the positive reviews the concept ought to get.
   We must also put it out there that the villain played his role with absolute dexterity. As much as the conflict was straight and shallow, the villain did however make us more interested in the development of the conflict, seeing as the villain himself had his reservations and idiosyncrasies, which interestingly sets up the show for a must see 2nd season, which we hope to see in 2019.
  We recommend this show to viewers out there for its ability to keep viewers engrossed, for its creative storytelling and for its rivetting dramatic presentations. Viewers may also want to pick it up for its apparent refusal to rely overly on CGI. We loved this aspect also.
Starring: Cagatay Ulusoy, Ayca Aysin, Hazar Erguclu, Okan Yalabik, Yurdaer Okur, Mehmet Kurtulus.
Created By Binnur Karaevli
FCA AppR: 8.1/10