Audiences are reeling from Netflix’s new Turkish-language mystery drama The Tailor, which centers around a handsome young fashion designer harboring more than one deep family secret that threatens to ruin the life he’s built for himself.
Spoilers Ahead
Peyami Dokumaci’s Young Life
Peyami grew up in a small town with his grandparents and his differently-abled father. We are not quite sure how long he lived there because a little while later, he moved to Istanbul, where he met his friend Dimitri. From the few flashbacks we get to see, we know that Peyami was close to his grandfather, who also accepted his father, Mustafa, for who he was. We never see Mustafa call for his mother but only “papa” in reference to both his own father and also Peyami, who may resemble his grandfather. Peyami was left under his grandfather’s care by his mother, who walked out of his life when he was very young. Peyami doesn’t really have any recollection of her, but there may be some lingering trauma from not having a mother when he had to act like a parent to his own father. Peyami was kind to his father as a young boy. He did not appreciate it when his friends insulted his father and defended him as much as he could, but at a certain point, he, too, grew tired of the treatment and possibly decided to move away. Mustafa taught Peyami how to ride a bike and gave him gifts. He became a sort of friend, but Peyami needed a father, so his go-to paternal figure would be his grandfather. Of course, this meant that when Peyami’s grandfather died, it would’ve had a huge impact on him.
Peyami’s Time With Dimitri
It is understandable that Peyami enjoys Dimitri’s company and feels obliged to treat him as his brother simultaneously because of the stakes at hand. Dimitri and his father took in Peyami when he was a child and gave him a life in Istanbul. Dimitri was a jealous kid whose father treated him badly, but Peyami was already mature enough to handle the heat. Seeing as Dimitri turned out to be a disaster as an adult, Peyami knows he can be cruel, but he has to stick by his side because of their “blood brother” titles. When Peyami finds out that Firuze is, in fact, Esvet, even though he looks upset, he immediately believes her word over Dimitri’s. Peyami and Dimitri’s relationship is on thin ice, and when Dimitri realizes at the end of season 1 that Esvet is hiding at his “best friend’s” home and may be in love with him, the ice cracks immediately. It could be that when Peyami falls in love with Esvet, he finally breaks free from the protective shell surrounding Dimtri and decides to love freely and independently. Maybe it could be the ultimate act of revenge for all of Dimtri’s atrocities.
Peyami’s Anxiety
Peyami’s relationship with his father has been quite traumatizing because of all the hate he has received from those around him. Additionally, after becoming a famous fashion designer who is considered an orphan by the world, he is burdened by his father’s secret. It is unclear why a respectable and intelligent man would behave in such a manner, but we can only connect the dots with his experience in the past, which made him want to hide this huge part of his life. When he has to live with his father and grandmother again, he has no way of running to his grandfather about his problems, so he has to face his father himself. After all these years, he can’t handle the affection from Mustafa and distances himself from him further, and even the slightest interaction causes him to hyperventilate or panic massively (a bit too dramatic, we think). There’s an interesting dialogue between him and his grandmother where he says, “Until I can find a caregiver, you should take care of him because he is your son,” and she responds, “He might be my son, but he’s your father.” It is not entirely clear what she means, but we can understand that there is a certain amount of pressure on Peyami from her to look after his father because it would be the righteous thing to do. His grandmother is uptight and archaic right until the end when she gives him the gun to essentially save the love of his life, whom she didn’t approve of at first. Let’s not forget she’s married to his father, and that makes things way more complicated (yikes). In the small glimpse of The Tailor season 2 we have, we know that Peyami’s perfect image shatters. This is possible because he caves under all the pressure with the addition of Esvet in his life and an internal battle between Dimtri and him. Peyami could also have given up on everything after getting exactly what he wanted or after his father’s secret got out. We’ll have to watch The Tailor season 2 to find out.
Peyami’s Work
Peyami hasn’t just inherited the family business but his grandfather’s Turkish ney-playing skills as well. Although it appears Peyami is uninterested in finding out about his mother because he’s living a luxurious life, in reality, he has a sweeping plan to find her by going undercover as a ney player. Peyami has one clue as to where his mother could be, and he secretly meets the man who may finally connect him to her. But what he doesn’t know is that his mother already knows he’s looking for her and, after seeing him, may want to come back into his life. It is possible that she left because of his grandfather and now has a chance to see him. Outside of this, Peyam is a magnificent fashion designer who can take measurements with his eyes shut and visualize spec sheets in his mind, creating masterpieces. The red dress he is making with Firuze as his muse may be one of his best creations. Peyami’s employees are afraid of him because he’s such a perfectionist, but they also appreciate the work he provides them with and are proud of what they do. Peyami’s assistant, Suzi, is his biggest confidant. As soon as his family has to move to Istanbul, Suzi is the first and only person to know all the details. She also sees every part of Peyami, including his wrath, and she genuinely worries for him, but this could backfire on him later if he begins treating her badly, as we see him do a little later in the first season of The Tailor. It’s possible that Peyami’s obsession with work after making Esvet’s dress for her marriage to Dimitri might be the beginning of his personality switch because she may get married to Peyami in the same dress in season 2. At this moment, anything is possible, but what turns Peyami on is still a mystery. Nevertheless, hopefully, when The Tailor season 2 arrives, we’ll be able to see him become the perfectionist design master with all of his family by the end.
