Ego is a new series that premiered on Fox TV on 5 February 2023. The drama comes under the genre of Romantic crime thriller. The show’s writer is Erkan Birgoren and Tuna Gorgun, and the director is Doga Can Anafarta. The show stars Alperen Duymaz and Melisa Asli Pamuk. If you are thinking about getting started on this drama, then be warned that one single episode is 2 hours long; at least on YouTube, it is that long.
Elif and Erhan are two loving couples who are about to get married. But, they come face to face with trouble, and Erhan falls into debt. But, Erhan is made an offer by his Boss, Sibel, and this could turn their whole life upside down. The series navigates through this basic storyline. EGO is actually the official remake of the Korean TV series ‘The Temptation.’
Review and Recap of EGO
The episode begins with the trio, Erhan, Elif, and Sibel having a conversation in a hotel room where Sibel demands the couple stay with her for three days and do whatever she demands in exchange for money.
Forward four days ago, when everything was going fine with Erhan and Elif, Sibel had just found out about cysts in her ovaries, and the operation to remove them will cost her motherhood. We see that Sibel is a very talented and intelligent woman; she is very serious about her work. Erhan works in her company and is his boss.
Erhans’ family life seems great; he has a great relationship with his in-laws. But Sibel’s family is spearheaded by her father, a textbook definition of a patriarch. He blames Sibel for everything that is wrong because she is unmarried. Her brother is what we call a douchebag. He is jealous of his sister and does not respect his wife, Begum.
The contrast between the two families was brilliantly portrayed through a dinner scene rather than going into a monologue. I feel really bad for Begum, and it’s like she is stuck between the devil and the ocean. But we don’t know whether her character is good or bad yet.
Sibel does boxing as stress relief, which is actually a good way to relieve stress. She is also being pressured by her family to meet up with Zafer, basically telling her to get married, but she wants a love marriage.
The stock market crashes, and Erhan and his friend with whom he invested everything go bankrupt. The outrage that Erhan has in the garage is witnessed by Sibel. Also, on a side note, the actress playing Sibel is stunning. A lot of business-related discussions and events take place.
We also see that Tuncay(Sibel’s brother) had a son, but he wasn’t aware of his existence. The child’s mother is dying, so she wants Tuncay to take care of the boy. Oh, the explosion that is about to happen; I bet his father would be happy because he wanted a male heir.
After a lot of eventful scenes, we reach the point which is going to alter the life of everyone involved, Sibel’s demand in exchange for money.
Sibel asks Erhan to spend three days with her and do everything she demands. This causes, understandably, for Elif to lash out. Erhan doesn’t understand why Sibel put forward much of an offer when she is capable of getting any man she wants without spending money or even effort.
Erhan leaves to meet up with Sibel, and this causes a drift between Elif and Erhan. Elif tries to leave for the airport and meets Tuncay, and she met him earlier while helping his illegitimate child. He is also having Sibel follow and noting her every move.
Nothing is going the right way for Sibel, as her photos with Erhan(his face not visible) are leaked to the press by her brother, and he had her followed. And she is facing pressure from every direction. Meanwhile, Elif vows revenge on her for destroying her life. More events unfold, and many dramatic moments are present in this drama.
If you are interested in dramatic storylines, then you can watch this drama, but if you are not a fan of drama, then don’t. I like the female lead, but I find her behavior to be odd at times. But, it is explained that she was overwhelmed by emotions and did what she had to do.
I am not sure if there will be a romance between Sibel and Erhan, but they do work well together. There is a hint that Sibel might like Erhan, and there are scenes that hint towards the development of a possible romance. Meanwhile, Elif is working for Erhan to take care of his child. I feel like she is going to be in a lot of trouble as the series progress, she seems to be a good person, but right now, I don’t think she is blinded by betrayal and revenge.
I have no complaints regarding the acting. It is not dramatic as I expected. I really like Sibel’s eyes, maybe because the camera seems to focus on them a lot. That eyes somehow add personality to the character. I appreciate how they made a strong female character with her own flaws and her ability to hold up even while breaking down.
But, like many dramas, she needed a man to help her out so many times, especially when she was being harassed by Zafer. This girl does boxing for fun, and she could have handled the situation. I don’t know if this is how female leads are in all Turkish series, but I really appreciated it.
But it would have been great if she solved the leaked photo problem on her own and not with the help of a man. The breakdown scene of the female lead felt well-acted and not over the top. The male lead is also doing a good job. For someone who is desperately trying to get back with his fiancee’, I hope he does not turn into a toxic ex. But I hope he knows he has no reason to tell what Elif should and shouldn’t do.
I don’t find the acting to be great, but it is not bad, either. The acting is in sync with the dramatic feel of the series. I get really annoyed at the dramatic background music, but I really appreciated the song during the Bar scene with Tuncay.
Now, I expected the series to drag the secrets a bit more, but thankfully the series resolved them soon after they were created. For instance, the hidden child was revealed to the father, and so was the fact that it was Tuncay who leaked the pictures of Fahsai and Erhan.
Another warning for those who plan to watch the drama, the characters, all of them except the kids, will probably get you frustrated. They all make decisions that seem dumb and stupid, and they will probably keep on making them. The series is able to make a kind of logical reasons for the choices, and I really appreciate that.
There is nothing special about the story or filming, but they do a good job. The characters are written well, they seem stable, and when they make decisions that seem out of character, the show provides a reason for that, as mentioned above.
Our Verdict
In my opinion, which s largely based on my personal taste, the show is an okay watch, nothing extraordinary. At the same time, there is nothing bad about it too. When we watch a movie or a show, we should always keep in mind the fact that difference in culture plays a huge part in how something is created and how actors act.
Keeping all this in mind, I give this series a 3.7 out of 5. Despite being a very cliche storyline, I appreciate how they created the female character and how they resolve the conflicts faster than dragging them on for multiple episodes. The execution is okay, and the acting is good too. So if melodrama, but a bit more dramatic, is your type, do give this show a watch.
Our Rating: ⭐ (3.7/5).
Also Read: Fire Force Review: A Complete Masterpiece.
