A NETFLIX SERIES
TAXI
This place is temporary.
I'll start looking at apartments. You should think about doing that too.
Yeah, all right.
No way in hell.
Did you practice? Are you ready?
No.
Are you nervous?
-It's your first assignment, yeah? -Uh-huh.
You know what? Reporters keep the show afloat.
We know what happens when you report things wrong. It's not right.
There's lots of opportunities here.
Especially the news from the parliament.
Could you stop and buy me a candy bar, please? I think my blood sugar is too low.
Yeah, sure. I'll stop up there.
Aslı, the car! Aslı!
The cameras!
Damn it!
DADDY, WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH MELİSA - MİLA
You haven't left yet?
I'll go later.
Selim.
What are we going to do?
I…
I think…
You think what?
I don't think Kenan should be in our lives.
What do you mean, Selim?
You're on the last year of your contract.
Renew your contract with Gül or go somewhere else, I don't care.
I just don't want you working with Kenan.
He's consuming you and us too.
Selim, I…
-I need Kenan to help me. -You don't.
He's tricking you into thinking that way. It's you. You can be on your own.
Maybe our life will be more peaceful.
Maybe you can finally swim in the pool we spent a fortune on.
I can't do it.
I know you can do it without him.
THE OTHER SIDE
Well, we're meeting Gül at three o'clock.
They'll give their final offer. That'll be it.
Okay.
I've been thinking about it.
And I think we better talk about the two of us.
So tell me now.
Later.
Say it, Kenan.
Lale.
I don't want to be in limbo with you anymore.
I know we've reached the end of the road.
When I kissed you at the hotel…
Do you remember what you said to me right after?
-I told you I didn't want it. -Not exactly.
You didn't say you didn't want it, Lale.
You said it was wrong.
It's not.
This isn't wrong.
You want me to leave Selim for you?
Please, don't give me an answer yet. Think about it.
I'll wait for you.
The show's off tomorrow.
Come to Kıyıköy.
What?
I'll be waiting for you by the ocean.
Come with me, Lale.
Please, come.
And that is my final offer to you all.
So you're telling us to leave? You know we can't accept this offer.
Don't leave. Stay.
Look, this is a really good offer for you.
Gül.
You know why we asked you for the number that we did.
This is about the appreciation of the brand.
We want it to be valued.
And it is appreciated, Lale.
Fine.
The network has always treated you so well.
-Sulhi also-- -Sulhi is treating us like children.
That's honestly what this offer feels like.
Is it really so bad?
[Kenan] Sulhi has to pay us what we're worth.
Need I remind you, he gave you a chance in the first place.
Kenan.
We're a name now, Gül. Our ratings are fantastic.
Don't you think that should mean something?
-You think this offer is fair? -I think it's very fair.
Right, Lale? Yes, I'm asking you. Your thoughts?
[Lale] What should we do?
What will you do?
What do you mean, Müge?
Oh, come on, Kenan, cut it out. Do I even have a say in this?
You two are carrying me around like dead weight.
I know you invited me to the meeting because you felt you had to.
What are you talking about?
All right, you guys decide. Just figure it out.
You're the one they want, anyway. I'll do whatever the hell you say.
If you guys stay, I stay.
If you're leaving, you can haul my ass along with you.
They took her in an ambulance.
-Poor girl, she has pneumonia. -Oh, man.
She's awfully young. Why was she sent to Ankara anyway?
Actually, she's back. They put her in the hospital here.
Oh?
[machines beeping]
Oh, so you're awake?
Take this off.
No, I can't. You're not well. You need it.
[Kenan] Come with me, Lale.
Please, come.
[Selim] I don't want you working with Kenan. He's consuming you. And us too.
[Lale] I can't do it. I need Kenan to help me.
[Selim] I know you can do it without him.
[Kenan] Come to Kıyıköy.
[Lale] You want me to leave Selim for you?
♪ How long will I need you? ♪
♪ As long as the seasons need you… ♪
Selim?
I'm making quiche.
I know you don't normally eat this late, but…
No, I will.
I miss your cooking.
Hang on. I'll get you some wine.
They told me this one was out of stock, but I found it.
Levon found it for us.
What's wrong?
Have you made a choice?
Selim.
You know I love you.
I'm leaving now.
But I'll be back home. Okay?
And we'll talk.
Won't we?
Go ahead.
I'll be here.
-Lale. -Hmm?
This is your decision.
All right?
I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing it.
Don't try to do the right thing. Do what you want to.
Be at peace with it.
Our life after…
or from this point forward, be at peace with it.
I don't want us to have barriers that we can't overcome.
Understand?
Yes, I do.
You came.
Did we have to come out here?
I think we needed to get back to our roots.
Well, at least that's what I felt I needed.
We were so much better as kids.
Do you think success ruined us?
Gül is horrible, you know what I mean?
She is.
Turns out your demons grow up with you. I get that now.
That's success for you.
You never did feel out of place at all.
You fit in right away.
Yeah, we deserved it.
Kenan…
I know…
Eventually we'd end up here.
I'm ready to listen now.
You decide?
You live in the now.
You don't have the slightest bit of concern or worry, do you?
I don't, Lale.
Because I know what I want.
It's time you did too.
And take it.
Own it.
Do you see the new generation?
How they're confident in themselves.
How they know what they want.
We're outdated.
We still care about other people too much.
But life doesn't care about that.
Take Aslı.
Advancing right through people.
Okay, so?
-You think Aslı's inspiring? -No, Aslı's just an example.
We only have one life to live, just one.
I think we need to do whatever we want.
We've been holding ourselves back.
I don't agree with a single word you've just told me.
I don't.
I don't want this.
I…
I want something else.
I want to be at home where I feel safe.
I want to be with my family.
And so…
And so?
And so
I don't want to work with you anymore.
I don't want to keep hurting Selim.
You said it yourself once.
I'm Lale the ancient.
I'm old-fashioned.
So move on.
We are finished.
♪ I've fallen into a hole ♪
♪ Don't look at me like that Come closer ♪
♪ The world is beautiful ♪
♪ And I never sugarcoat my sins ♪
♪ Put them on the table, confront me ♪
♪ Dying is beautiful ♪
♪ When everything said are lies ♪
♪ Neither your father Nor your friend asks you ♪
♪ I don't want it, do not love me ♪
♪ While I'm still young ♪
You came back.
Did you decide, then?
Are you sure?
I am.
What are you doing in my place?
I heard you were back, so I cooked for you.
Be honest, you're squatting.
Well, you see, I paid your gas bill.
And the cat, I gave it some food and cleaned the litter.
Thanks, I guess.
So what did you do to the van?
Causing problems right away?
Leave me alone.
What's going on at the network?
Kenan is…
not good.
He's not good?
[knocking at door]
Kenan, good evening.
Well, Müge has sent a file over for tomorrow's meeting.
Great. Why don't you come in, Yusuf.
Uh, I should be going.
Why is that? You're saying you're busy at the moment?
I'm not…
Come on. Come on in. Come in. Come on. It's okay.
Thank you.
Kenan, sir?
Are you okay?
I'm not.
I mean, none of it matters, Yusuf. Nothing at all.
You're telling me The Other Side, doesn't matter at all?
Nope.
It does.
It matters a lot.
It matters more than anything else to me.
The day I buried my mother,
I came back and read a contract.
Why?
For money.
Money and sex are the same.
It's worth something when you don't have it.
But you don't care when you have it.
You think you're doing something that means a lot.
For self-esteem, you need that success.
-And you don't? -You do.
When you're climbing up.
And the oxygen gets thinner.
Your breathing becomes shallower the higher you climb.
And then you get somewhere.
To the very top.
-Well, what's at the top? -Fucking nothing.
It's deserted.
Only flat land.
There's nothing up there to keep you wanting more.
You're just struggling to stop yourself from falling.
And as time goes on, the fear of falling leaves you as well.
Everything starts to lose purpose.
You don't know why you get out of bed,
or have to deal with nuisances and problems.
Unless…
you have some kind of emotional motivation.
-What do you mean by emotional motivation? -I mean love.
And I had love.
And I was in love.
I am in love.
[Lale] Kenan…
That was what kept me going.
I wanted something else,
and I always believed love would come back to me eventually.
I thought it was over and I didn't care, but I was just desperately hoping.
You should have someone in your life you want to impress.
You should be someone's hero.
It's only if you're in love that you can realize your full potential.
Every good thing you do is actually a love letter.
Are you lost, Yusuf?
[Yusuf] I think it's stress from the contract stuff.
They're gonna move networks.
You moron, that's not it.
Lale and him are over.
I gotta get going.
Where are you going? You almost died.
Why do you have that? Take it off!
-I found it at home and put it on. -Take it off!
Stop it! I told you I found it! What the hell?
This is Kenan's bracelet. What are you doing?
What do you have Kenan's bracelet here for?
-Are you some kind of a psychopath? -I am!
I am! So what?
-Give it. -Here.
Congratulations.
[Turkish song playing]
HOLA, DEARS. WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME. BUT WHO AM I?
YOU ALWAYS WONDERED AND CONSTANTLY ASKED. NOW I'M REVEALING IT.
FIRST OF ALL, I'M DEFINITELY FROM THE INSIDE.
EVERY DAY, EVERY HOUR, I WALK AROUND THE NEWS DEPARTMENT.
EVEN THOUGH NO ONE SEEMS TO NOTICE ME…
I'M YUSUF TUNCA. OFFICE BOY OF THE NEWS DEPARTMENT…
[knocking at door]
[song ends]
Oh, damn.
Good morning.
Morning. You spent the night?
There's coffee in the kitchen if you want.
-Go ahead and help yourself. -It's okay, I'm good.
I'm gonna shower.
Isn't it great?
What?
This. I mean, us.
I don't know what you mean.
Come on, Kenan. We can't call this a one-night stand.
We both knew we'd end up here.
-Besides Lale-- -Lale what?
Well, you're out of contract.
The way I see it, stuff's gone down with her as well.
Things between you and Lale are done.
And now, you and I are starting a brand-new journey.
You can count on me being fantastic.
We'll be great together.
I knew this would happen between us. Now go take a shower.
I think I've got it from here. I'll give you all you deserve.
And you'll do the same for me.
You can go.
What do you mean?
I'm telling you to get out. Right now.
Go.
Kenan, please. I'm sure you're not that much of a loser.
-This isn't really you, is it? -Go on.
Out.
I think you misinterpreted some things between the two of us.
Okay?
THE OTHER SIDE WITH LALE KIRAN
Good morning.
-Open the door, please. I'm late. -Can I see your card?
-Card? -I mean, I need to check the number.
Why do you need to check it? Fine, don't open it.
[card beeping]
-Aslı, ma'am. -Is this broken?
Your card is invalid. You've been let go.
[scoffs]
Wait. What the hell are you talking about? Huh?
I'm not fired. Open the door for me.
Hand over your card, please.
-I'm sorry. I can't let you in. -Open the door!
I haven't been fired or anything like that!
-I'm sorry. -Open the door!
-I can't let you in. -Open it! I haven't been fired!
-Open it! -Aslı, please, ma'am.
-I said open it! -Aslı!
I said open the door!
I wasn't fired, so you open this door for me!
-Just please let me talk to them. -Aslı!
-Aslı, no. You have to leave! -Let go of me!
THE OTHER SIDE WITH LALE KIRAN
This isn't it. It can't be over.
It can't be over.
Okay. Thank you.
Have Aslı Tuna sent to my office.
What? Kenan?
He fired her?
Okay.
We have nothing else to talk about.
You can go to the finance department for your severance.
[narrator] Who could bring down the lions
when they're tied so close together?
Who could break those chains?
[Turkish song playing]
[screams]
[bottles smashing]
[grunts]
TAXI
Hello, dear.
-Hello. -You can go. Lale's expecting me.
Oh, thank you.
Hello.
Aslı?
Hello.
So you fired me.
-Aslı, dear, I-- -"Aslı, dear."
"Aslı, dear" huh?
You're having a nice talk with me?
Okay. Do you want some coffee--
No. No coffee.
No. No coffee right now.
I know what we should do though. Let's open a bottle of your wine.
So you fired me like Özge.
You fired her, but she loves you.
How does that work? Huh?
Stop.
Want to explain that?
Must be nice to be a snake
that doesn't have to deal with consequences. That's right.
Aslı, are you okay?
Stop that.
Come on, show your real face for once. Get real for once. Get real.
I hate this fake attitude. Fuck you and your Lale Kıran act!
What's wrong? Oh, were you going to call someone?
Maybe security to help? Okay. So call them!
Okay.
I can see Ankara was too much for you.
That it?
"Too much"? For me?
How about for you? Could you have done it,
Princess Lale?
What do you want me to say, Aslı? Huh?
Yes, I was a reporter in Ankara.
In Afghanistan for a while too.
I did all that because it was important.
-You gotta spend some time in the field-- -We got it!
You started from the bottom and climbed all the way to the top!
You know a few things.
Poor you had to wait on the commoners.
Same old bullshit.
It's bullshit?
Okay.
You don't intend to walk that path. That's what I get from this talk.
-Lale. -Yes, ma'am?
Don't even try that. Now, come on.
Here there are no TV cameras. Show me the real you.
Why the self-control?
You're being arrogant. You know that, right?
Fine.
Why don't we get real?
Just two ladies drinking some wine. We're talking, right?
Calm down, okay?
Kenan fucked me.
You know that?
It happens.
It happens?
That's all you can say?
Mm-hmm.
I spent the night in his bed.
It happens, Aslı.
Aslı, dear.
This career--
This career is filled with people who'd do anything to be in your shoes,
but they never will be!
Lale Kıran!
"You can't be me, Aslı, dear."
Am I right?
That's not what I said. I didn't.
But what you did…
The way you're doing it isn't the way to get ahead. Understand?
-[Aslı] Oh, how lucky you are. -[Lale] Jeez.
How lucky you are. You had everything handed to you.
But you worked a lot. You've taken the ethical road.
Well, fuck that!
Huh, Aslı? You think you're right?
Okay.
I guess fuck that!
You, Aslı, dear. The new generation. Young, dynamic Aslı.
Being Lale Kıran isn't easy, and do you know why, huh?
All you do is judge me from afar, don't you?
Because if it were you, you'd be doing better, hmm?
Oh, darn, I see.
I mean, why me? It's so unfair.
-Because I was handed it all. -You got to the top somehow.
Somehow?
But you don't even know how. Huh? Think about it.
Every morning, I'm a mom, I'm a wife, I'm a best friend, I'm a neighbor.
I have to be someone people want to watch.
Oh, but being Lale Kıran is so easy, isn't that right? Huh?
Can you do those things, Aslı? What's holding you back?
You can pay the price! You pay it. Don't sleep, don't eat,
don't drink, don't have fun, don't talk too much,
don't laugh too loud, oh, and don't let your hair down. Come on!
Can you do all that? But also work. You gotta work.
Carry it all and create.
While everyone looks at you longingly, waiting to see you fall.
Do you think you can handle walking the tightrope?
They think, "Oh, does she deserve to be there?"
or "I wonder if she'll be able to pull it off this time."
Do you think you can handle everyone hating your guts?
Can you walk that tightrope?
Huh, Aslı?
My life is a never-ending test, do you understand me?
I do this every morning, every day, every night, and on every show!
And I'm not going to apologize to anyone.
I don't need to. Lale Kıran isn't allowed to care what people say, which is good
because I did struggle. I worked for it.
Now you try it and see what you're capable of.
Cool.
What a nice speech. You know what?
You should write it down in a memoir.
You can call it
While I Was on Top.
-Okay. -Now, step down.
It's time to move on.
Admit it already.
Fine, I'm done. Okay? I'm done, and you'll be replacing me?
Yeah, that's right.
Not possible. It won't work.
And why not?
Because you're not it. It's not you.
That head… Listen. [taps foot]
If you keep doing this, it will never work.
Someday, I will retire.
I'll go.
I won't be here forever.
But when I do leave, someone deserving will take my place.
Not a rat like you.
Do you understand me now?
-A rat? -A rat.
I'm a rat?
You are, yes.
This was your path, Aslı.
You chose to be a rat.
So don't blame me.
I truly hate you.
No, you actually just hate yourself.
Understand me?
Anyone with a shred of self-respect
would never choose this path.
-Shut up! -[gasps]
[cries out]
Just die!
I said die!
I will kill you!
-You hear me? -Stop it!
[Lale grunts]
Just die! Die!
Get back!
[both yelling]
I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'll take you apart!
Get the hell out of my way!