Herida del corazón

This was an epic Turkish family drama and love story with 31 episodes to the series. There were a lot of peaks and valleys to this show, but at the end of the day... I have to give its show runners a lot of credit for the entertainment value. This show definitely entertains. It also really pulls at your heart strings, because unless you are dead inside...it will make you cry.

There is a fantastic villain in Hande, a woman who wants what she wants and she doesn't care who or what she destroys to get it. She is relentless in her pursuits and it was sickening to see people, especially her father and Yaman enabling her...often through rescuing her in bad situations! I did appreciate Hande's mom waking up to the truth and Yaman's mom knowing it was up to her to do something about it. I really think Hande, the character, was a true sociopath. Great acting on the actress' part as I grew to loath even the mere sight of Hande on screen.

General run down of the plot: Ferit, the second son of a wealthy Antakya family, catches his bride and best man in a compromising position three days before his wedding. The three, Ferit, Hande and Yaman had all grown up together and were best friends. Ferit runs off to Istanbul to get away where he meets Ayse, a free spirited orphan who loves animals. They meet when a distracted Ferit hits a stray dog with his car. Together they get the dog medical attention and then meet again in the coffee shop where Ayse works. Ferit comes up with an idea to bring a girl back from Istanbul to marry and he makes a proposition to Ayse. If she comes back to Antakya and marries him, stays with him for six months and doesn't tell anyone that it is just a game, he will pay her enough money to start her own coffee shop which is her dream. Initially Ayse is offended by the offer and refuses...only to change her mind when she needs money for a legal defense for her friend who finds himself in prison for preventing her rape. This is how the two become partners. The bride Hande is told by Ferit that he will not marry her and that she needs to tell everyone and he even says she can blame him...but instead of doing so, Hande shows up at their wedding in her wedding dress to be married which is why it is so satisfying to see Ferit walk in with his own bride. As you can imagine...a lot of feathers are ruffled, including Ferit's mom who loves Hande and doesn't accept a new bride. But the biggest issue for the series is Hande who becomes this amazingly ruthless villain throughout the series.

There are a lot of strong female characters which was great to see, stories from the past get brought up and then this perpetual danger that Ayse is in thanks to both Hande and Azade.

One of the things that made this series work was the kindness and compassion of Ayse, this is established early on and makes a nice foil for all of the ruthless behavior by both Azade and Hande. It did make it tough to swallow and seem out of character when she suddenly is pursuing divorce and then when she is grieving her child. Terrible things happen to Ayse, and like watching a crash...even though you know it is coming it is very hard to look away, so I cried for her losses and her pain, especially during the times she seemed to be alone.

When things were at there bleakest and she seemed to be behaving out of character, I took a little break from the series...but I am glad I came back to see the end. I could get nit picky with some parts of the ending, I will say that overall I was satisfied.

This series has great footage around Antakya, I will have to add that to my must see list, and there are some great horse scenes particularly at the start of the series.

The series is long at 32-2+ hour episodes, but it is an epic tale with kind of an interesting twist at the beginning. (I liked the initial friendship/partnership between Ferit and Ayse, it was a great foundation for a relationship that builds later.) This is a recommendation for romantics out there...I don't think you will be disappointed, be prepared for an emotional roller coaster.