Critique: The Protector, Series Four (Netflix)

 

*****SPOILERS*****

 

We get important answers at last. The writers have kept parts of lore a mystery without dragging it out and the audience losing interest. So that shows talent on their behalf. (Still, getting hold of the answers is satisfying.)

We know from the first series that the Talismans were given to the first protector, Harun, by the Sultan. So when the Sultan didn’t recognise Harun/Hakan, that threw me off. In Episode Six we learn it’s because Harun had yet to meet the Sultan and to be given the Talismans.

Two Immortals, Okan and Valeria (the Vizier) are best friends and it’s lovely. When Okan explains how he feels for Valeria, it could be viewed as his confessing his romantic love for her. I initially viewed it as regular best friend affection. But this show has a history of making besties lovers (Hakan and Zeynep).

 

Zeynep joins the Immortals. Seeing as she ingested the Vizier’s blood, this is expected. We know from Leyla in series two that the Immortals control the actions of the Immortals, not their thoughts or emotions.

Yet Zeynep fully defects to the Immortals’ and their cause, because if Hakan couldn’t prevent chaos then you might as well join it. This lacks sense: why would you join the chaos when that same chaos is why you hate your best friend?

I thought perhaps that Zeynep was going to bring the Immortals down from the inside. But no. It’s only when she sees Hakan get hurt directly that she joins him again. Apart from this last bit, it’s all out of character and thus unconvincing. Thankfully Zeynep’s betrayal wasn’t vital to the storyline so it doesn’t put plot in jeopardy.

 

Throughout this series, we get hints that Faysal is Harun’s father. Near the end it’s stated outright, making Faysal Hakan’s ancestor. This could explain why Faysal is so desperate to have a family with Ruya (it’s not like live as a family with his human lover and Harun).

Harun’s mother saying his blood is the key to the Elixir of Mortality, for example. And we see a symbol that is similar in design, colour and texture to the Vizier’s symbol. From this was can guess Harun’s father was an Immortal. Seeing as Faysal’s been with the audience since the beginning and Hakan originally admired Faysal (in the same way boys are meant to admire their fathers), it would be odd if the Harun’s father would be an Immortal besides Faysal.

The fact that the Protectors are partly Immortal explains so much. It’s the real reason why the Protectors can harm the Immortals (because only Immortals can harm other Immortals). It’s why Protector’s blood, and not that of any other mortal, can resurrect the Immortals and make them mortal (we have the why, even if we don’t have the how).

 

Emperor Justinian of Byzantium asked the Darkness for help stopping the Nika Riots. The emperor received the seven Immortals and Valeria/the Vizier as their leader. Justinian broke his end of the bargain (whatever that was) so the Darkness prevented the Immortals from coming home until they destroyed the city.

I still have a query. When Faysal used his blood to control Leyla in series two, it was very clearly stated that she wasn’t an Immortal. Yet during series four, everyone that the Vizier controlled was called an Immortal. It could be the writers and/or translators being inconsistent. Or because Vizier has more powers than the other Immortals, her blood alone can create new ones.

The synopsis for series four’s last episode stated Hakan wakes up in a whole new world. That sent alarm bells: this is the sort of revelation you get at the end of a finale as a cliff-hanger for the next series. As this was not the case, I knew that this was the final episode of the Protector ever. This came as a bit of a shock.

 

We get answers. It’s concluded in an appropriate manner, the happily-ever-after achieved by an interesting plot twist. The Protector finished in a way that both appreciates what the fans want and, more importantly, does the show justice. That’s a balance that many shows fail to achieve. As I’ve mentioned often, the first episode of series one was utterly boring and, as I’ve also mentioned often, that struggle was worthwhile as the show has repaid that debt over and over again.