Review of Another Self / Zeytin Agaci

Before the month I ended up watching Another Self, I had never seen a Turkish drama before. I had written and researched about them and their impacts on broader world television, but I had never actually taken the chance to sit down and watch one.

Another Self is one of the Turkish dramas that appeared in my research, and I had actually added it into my Netflix watch list when I had the chance to see it on my endless doom scrolling on the app. It was watching two seasons of When the Crow Flies that finally pushed me over the age.

If you read my review of that show, you’d know that I loved it so much and ended up binge watching its drama unfold on the screen. It also kickstarted my newfound love for Turkish dramas, and if you watch this blog over the next year or so, then you’re going to notice that I’ll be reviewing quite a few dramas from Turkey.

Anyways, Another Self became my second Turkish drama, and it definitely was not my last. It’s only eight episodes, so I watched one episode a day and was finished by the end of the week—that’s the kind of television show I love. I hate American television generally, in the traditional sense, because I spent so much time on those with multiple seasons.

I’m rambling—let’s get into the review!

Three best friends find themselves on the seaside of Turkey, reminiscing about trauma and the past.

Our three main characters in this series are Ada, Sevgi, and Leyla. Ada is a doctor, and in the first episode of the series, we see her grappling with the implications of one of the girl’s major illnesses, which could turn terminal if things go for the worse.

Health is going to play a major role in this series, especially after the girls decide to drive away to Ayvalik, which is a town on the sea in Turkey. One of them has family members there, so they have a place to stay, and they decide this is the place we’re going to unwind with them at.

That said, each episode of the series focuses on a different aspects of a character’s life. One of the bigger picture things for me, a takeaway I found to be really compelling, is when they go to these sessions with other people and the instructor recites narratives.

But, as it turns out, they’re connected to the girls and their past. One of them lost a grandmother, who was drowned during the population exchanges between Turkey and Greece. Ada especially finds herself haunted by these things, and notices the connections between her own life and what the guy is saying in front of her.

And since the past hangs over them, the girls originally decided to come here to reshape their future. They run into men that might be someone they want to stay with, especially as those, like Ada, are struggling with their relationships and how they’re dissolving before our eyes. But in order to mold your future, you need to accept your past.

While the girls thought this was going to be a stress free vacation on their end, for us, as the viewers, this tends to be a show that has a lot of a reflection aspect to it.

Not only do we have to contemplate the girls and their circumstances, nodding along to the fact that life is hard and generational trauma is a thing, but also how interconnected our lives are. One decision or statement makes a ripple effect, and the loss of one person to a community also creates a ripple effect sometimes.

All of this is to say: what a thought provoking television show.

Overall Thoughts

If you can’t tell from my summary section, I thought there was a lot to this television series. I’m honestly not sure though if I would watch a second season if it were to come out.

Why? I started getting bored around episode five. While I did enjoy the story and the content, the pace wasn’t doing it for me, and I ended up feeling a little bit more lost as I spaced out while watching the show.

That said, I thought the acting and direction was excellent overall. I just thought it got a little too repetitive, and while I’m someone who guesses plot lines easily, I guessed this one and decided that the emotional payoff wasn’t enough for me. I was invested in these characters, but not the show itself.

Taste is subjective though—you could love this section. Neither of us are wrong!

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