Road Trip
Episode 4 of Atiye begins with a flashback to the past where masked guards enter a house and demand it be burned down. A blood-soaked girl hides around the corner but sneaks out the house before it completely burns to the ground. As we cut back to the present, Atiye’s Mum looks at the note her daughter left and appears to go into shock. Ozan shows her the CCTV footage from earlier in the night before she does though but it doesn’t bring up much in the way of clues. Instead, they leave it to Serdar to bring her back, unbeknownst to them that he has his own motives. It turns out the group’s destination is Nemrut. Atiye and the others drive up there while Cansu listens from afar and hears Serdar discussing the possibility of killing Erhan. With a tail on them, Atiye and the others stop at a diner and discuss the importance of the symbols, with Zuhra holding Atiye’s hands and telling her to find “her” as she will shine bright when she does. Back on the road, Zuhre tells Erhan to stop the car, where she steps out and embraces the open air. Claiming to hear Earth’s voice, Erhan guides her down to the lake where she places his hand on the ground and he experiences flashes of the car crash haunting his past. It turns out a man on a motorcycle was there that night and killed his Father. Could this be linked to Serdar? The group arrive in Nemrut and Atiye phones Cansu, telling her she’s safe but also not to tell anyone where she is. As she hangs up the phone, a crowd gather around Zuhre and appear to worship her Grandmother. She tells them they need to be on top of the mountain before sunset and as day turns to night, they huddle around a campfire while Zuhre sleeps. As they do, Atiye and Erhan share a tender moment together while Cansu and Ozan wind up in a fight… until they start kissing and making love. Back on top of the hill, Atiye awakens to find Zuhre missing. She hurries after her while back at the campsite, Erhan is blindsided by an attacker who runs away into the night when Erhan gets the upper-hand. High up in the mountains, Atiye finds her Grandma beating two stones together and appearing to worship the rising sun. It’s here we learn that Serap, Atiye’s Mother, knew about Zuhre this whole time but kept her hidden because she’s dangerous. This is where the flashback from the beginning of the episode ties back in, as we see the blood-soaked girl is actually her. As the episode closes out, Zuhre gives her grand-daughter a cryptic message about it being her time and destiny, before passing out and dying right there on the mountaintop. As she does, Atiye spies the star-symboled girl again and races after her, following her deep into a cave which then collapses behind her, leaving her trapped. With lots of familial drama and twists that feel a little out of character for some players, especially Cansu and Ozan making love, the show appears to sprinkle in snippets of mystery along the way while presenting this character drama first and foremost. While that isn’t necessarily bad per-se, it also feels a little distracting given there isn’t much here that progresses the overarching mystery or story. Those impatient for answers may be left wanting more here but thankfully the ending does leave things open for some much-needed answers to follow. So far the show has been a good one and while there are better mysteries out there, Atiye does just enough to make for a compelling watch, flaws and all.
