The Turkish Netflix series, which has released two seasons within two months, has the audience going gaga over its dramatic representation of love, relationships, and familial dynamics. It is not unusual for viewers to choose television shows that might not be too realistic purely as guilty pleasures. The Tailor is one such show that guides the audience through the lives of the rich living in Istanbul and the kind of emotional turmoil they go through. There are plenty of characters that are not full of bad or good traits. Many of them have shades of gray, which makes the narrative super interesting. Here is the list of characters that you might have found compelling enough to make you look forward to season three of The Tailor.
Spoilers Ahead
Peyami (Çagatay Ulusoy)
One of the three protagonists of The Tailor is a leading fashion designer in Istanbul. Even though he is a public figure, he has managed to keep a lot of things about his life close to himself because there are things and people from his past he is ashamed of. Peyami was close to his grandfather, from whom he learned the art of tailoring, and who remained a father figure to him until his death. Peyami’s father, Mustafa, has been mentally ill since childhood. This is the person he always intends to keep behind closed doors, as he is not happy to share the fact with anyone, including his best friend Dimitri, that growing up, he never had a normal father or mother.
Peyami’s grandmother and his father, Mustafa, moving in with him after his grandfather’s passing led to many changes he did not expect. He hires Firuze only to take care of his father and make sure the man is not seen in the public area. As an extension of his childhood shame, Peyami refuses to deal with the issue because he doesn’t want to acknowledge that there even is a problem. He was raised seeing his father kept away from public view, which is the norm that has remained in his family for years. Seeing Firuze try to make a connection with Mustafa and succeed in it helps him see his father in a different light.
Peyami feels a strange attraction to Firuze, whom he ends up kissing before realizing she is Esvet, Dimitri’s fiancée. This is another crisis he faces, not just by the end of the first season but throughout the second season. He believes he betrayed his best friend by harboring feelings for the woman Dimitri loves. Peyami’s turmoil is never-ending because nothing seems normal from his perspective. Peyami is also in pursuit of finding out if his mother is alive or not. This is where his abandonment issues flare up because he feels he is not deserving of the love, making him push Esvet away as much as he can. For him, it is crucial to find out about his mother because he feels there is some unfinished business between them. He is seeking answers that only his mother can provide. These complexities are affecting his work as well, as he is unable to draw inspiration, leading him to spiral most destructively. Even though Esvet and the new cleaning lady, Kumru, try to help him, Peyami is engulfed in his pain for a while, not allowing anyone to penetrate and reach out to his sensitive side. It could be that he has been upset ever since Esvet got married, and he has been trying to get a grip on himself.
Peyami’s near-death experience in a car crash helped him sort his mind out for good. It helped him get over Esvet for good because he realized there was no way he could pursue a married woman. Peyami’s change of mind should be credited to him and him alone because he did not let anyone manipulate him into making this decision. He lets Esvet know about his moving on because he needs to focus on his other personal and professional goals. Peyami never stopped his search for his mother, and it was Esvet who let him know that Kumru was his mother, Kiraz, and she stayed away only because of his grandmother.
Peyami was not ready to hear such revelations about his grandparents, who practically raised him as their son. This was the first time he was made aware of how cruel his grandparents were to his father and mother, which led to him feeling abandoned. Peyami is slowly coming to terms with how his childhood was a lie, and all he can do is let his parents live together. Peyami is not in denial about his problem and faces it like a champion. It will be interesting to see how he deals with his life from here on.
Dimitri (Salih Bademci)
Dimitri is the rich, spoilt child of his businessman father, who seems to have no attachment to his son. Just like Peyami, Dimitri felt abandoned even though his parents were still alive. His notorious, entitled behavior is only because he was not given a grounded upbringing like Peyami. His father is the epitome of a toxic parent who did everything wrong when it comes to raising a child, most of which is showcased in flashback sequences. Dimitri hates his childhood because his father never bothered to spend time with him, and all his good memories are with Peyami.
Dimitri’s father, Ari, who has been negligent all of Dimitri’s life, only shows up when he believes his son ruins the reputation of his prestigious family. Dimitri, just like Peyami, is a broken man who showcases his worst version to Esvet. The woman is horrified by his behavior and absconds. Dimitri’s anger lies in the fact that his personal life is never under his control, thanks to his father, which pushes him to try to control Esvet as much as he can. His childhood trauma cannot be justified by his abusive behavior toward his fiancée. He probably thought this was the only way to demonstrate his love for her.
Dimitri was constantly suspicious of Peyami and Esvet’s intentions. Even though he got to marry Esvet, his torturous nature made him badger his wife all the time because he felt she was cheating on him with Peyami, which was true, but the two of them never went beyond kissing each other. The reason for his state of mind is that his father was never there for him emotionally and physically, which makes him doubt his best friend and wife. He tries hard to get his father’s attention, and Ari tries to take advantage of his needs.
As a friend, Dimitri projects two different kinds of behavior. He is supportive of Mustafa and tries to be there for Peyami, but on the other hand, he cannot stop thinking about the ideas his father plants in his head about his best friend with Esvet. Dimitri and Peyami finally have a showdown where Peyami reveals his love for Esvet, but he also lets him know he has moved on. For Peyami, his friendship with Dimitri is a priority over any third person. This is why Dimitri stopped letting his father mess with his mind. He was quick to understand that he better not let anyone come between any of the relationships that were close to his heart. Hopefully, in season three, we will come across a less jealous Dimitri, but that is just wishful thinking.
Esvet (Sifanur Gül)
Esvet’s character can be considered tragic. She spent her days trying to avoid further trauma at the hands of her abuser. Her arc in the show began only with her fiancé, Dimitri, emotionally abusing her. Her reaction to being around him proves that this has been going on for a while, and she would rather end this engagement to get out of the mess. She chose to work at Peyami’s home, taking care of his father Mustafa, because she could stay out of the public eye. She was successful in becoming invisible and started connecting with Mustafa, who is a mentally challenged person. She ends up doing a good job at it. But realizing Dimitri would do anything to get to her, she agreed to Peyami’s grandmother’s offer to marry Mustafa to be fully accepted in the family. She did this only to get away from Dimitri because of her unwillingness to go through a lifetime of abuse.
With Mustafa, all she had to do was feed him three times a day and engage in his childish antics. She somehow found safety in him. Esvet joined Peyami’s home as Firuze, and she felt attraction towards the man of the house as well. It may have been because he protected her from Dimitri on one occasion, which made her realize Peyami liked her too. Throughout their association with each other, they kissed a few times because there was a carnal desire to cross boundaries. Even though she was forced to marry Dimitri, there was no real love between them because of his controlling tendencies. By becoming his spouse, she got herself a weapon, which was to make her husband jealous from time to time, and it worked. Esvet went out of her way to help Peyami because she felt he deserved to be one of the top designers in the country. She had the quality in her to help broken men like him. She liked him and hoped Peymi would reciprocate her feelings.
She underestimated his loyalty toward Dimitri, and he sternly asked her to stay away because he no longer harbored any feelings for her. Esvet was smart enough to back away, but she let him know Kumru, the cleaning lady at his work, is his mother Kiraz. She had to do it because it was such sensitive information that she could not keep it herself. She realizes how important the subject of his mother is to Peyami, and she makes it a point to introduce the two of them. With Peyami out of the picture, she goes back to Dimitri in the hope that things between them will be fine. She willingly forgives him for what he put her through and makes a promise to stay by his side as he confronts his father for being a bully all his life. So far, Esvet has not been made aware of her being the heiress to all of Dimitri’s company. She is not the type of person who seeks wealth because she does not intend to become like Dimitri. Esvet’s life from here on will only mean she will always be by Dimitri’s side.
