I am enjoying the series, despite the fact that I recognize the elements which are soap opera-like. Having recently watched Kurt Seyit ve Sura and Calikusu, this is now my 3rd series. I'm at episode 46, I think, and am still enjoying the story.
Yes, the direction is too slow, especially to allow a ridiculous amount of time attempting to force the audience to wallow in the emotionality of the moment, and yes, the music quickly becomes obvious, repetitive and tiresome, and occasionally the plots can seem a bit far-fetched, but there are quite a few positives as well, especially when compared to the usual predictable garbage that comes from the American entertainment industry.
1. There are always some noble, basically good characters. This is hardly ever true in stories such as Sons of Anarchy, where basically everyone is a drug dealer/murderer/scumbag.
2. I'm not aware of a particular political agenda being shoved down my throat in the way American movies and TV shows constantly do.
3. There's a lot more interaction between members of a family.
4. There are way more roles for older actors and actresses than in American shows. That's true for British shows as well, and it allows us to see acting from really seasoned professionals. I enjoy watching great acting that is not just celebrity-based and seeing some people act who are unknown in the US is fun for me.
5. There's a lot of sex in American shows, but often almost zero romance, and I'd say the opposite is true in the Turkish shows I've seen. When everyone simply hops in the sack all the time, there is no real romantic tension, which means it's hard to make a romantic story that actually contains an interesting plot. Love foiled until the end is the basic plot line for romance, but what foils the romance needs to be interesting and believable, and it is extremely difficult to write this in a novel. That's why so many written romances are utter drivel.
6. It's wonderful to see shows that give us more of the world outside of the wacky world of Hollywood and NYC, LA, or Chicago. And by that, I mean not just the physical locales, but also a worldview that is slightly different. American entertainment is one-dimensional, partly since most Americans lack any historical knowledge or perspective, and even the shows we make from a different time period never really ring true, but sound like contemporary life just with historic costumes.
7. I'm just really sick and tired of stories about drug-dealers, crack addicts, prostitutes, gangsters, and other deadbeats. None of these stories are inspiring.
8. I would understand why men wouldn't care that much for these series, and if I were the director, I wouldn't slow up the action constantly, and so would pare down the length of the shows by 50%, I'd also allow much longer passages with no music at all.
Anyhow, these are a few of my own explanations of why others may find 1001 Nights interesting.
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