In Turkey, soap opera meets ISIL, government spin and the ‘parallel state’
ISTANBUL — It’s the last episode of the first season and a lot of people are dead. The conniving Agabey, a Muslim cleric who teamed up with a U.S. general to send several government ministers to their graves, has been disposed of by Yavuz, a former intelligence chief. Oguz, a special-ops agent with a big heart and high cheekbones who could never decide if he loved his girlfriend more than his mother and his mother more than his country, is dead because he crossed Ibrahim, a debauched hit man, and because the actor who played him reportedly turned up to work reeking of alcohol. Duygu, a military prosecutor, is dead because she happened to be Yavuz’s niece. Ibrahim is dead because, really, he had it coming.
More:Turkish Soap Operas: ISIL, Spin and Censorship | Al Jazeera America