Looking for a free Turkish Drama, full episodes with English subtitles on YouTube? To find out if Kalp Atisi (Heartbeat) fits the bill for you, check out this no-spoiler review.
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• Genre: Romantic Medical Turkish Drama Series
• Number of episodes: 28
• Lead actors: Gokhan Alkan | Oyku Karaye
• Air date: 2017-2018
• Ending: Happy
• English title of Kalp Atisi: Heartbeat
• Where I watched Kalp Atisi Turkish Drama full episodes with English subtitles: YouTube here.
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Synopsis
When handsome young doctor Ali Asaf inspires his tough but stubborn student Eylul, she vows to become a doctor. Ten years later they are reunited as colleagues, and sparks fly. Will his unconditional love break down the walls of her wounded past, or will she perpetuate the pattern of her past?
What I liked:
Riveting first episode
Abandoned by her father, Eylul introduces herself to Ali with a kick to his gut. But the young doctor/teacher sees potential in the scarred girl and is determined to inspire her to make something of herself. It was a great first episode that had me clicking play on episode 2 without a second thought.
Ali's character
Ali is every woman's dream. He's a total romantic, humble, smart, sweet, patient, loves unconditionally, and to top it off Gokhan Alkan (and his gorgeous smile) nailed the role.
Talented actors
In addition to Gokan, Oyku Karaye as Eylul was outstanding as well. She evolved from a rebellious, broken young woman to a polished surgeon who slowly lets her guard down under the patient wooing of Ali.
I also particularly enjoyed the performance of Burak Ceylan, the handsome no-nonsense surgeon, Oguz, who worked alongside Ali and Eylul.
Humor
In many Turkish dizis, characters charged with providing comic relief often come across as silly to me. But intern doctor Samet played by Basar Dogusoy was genuinely funny without being silly. In one particular scene he impersonated an older man that had me laughing out loud.
Tough girl
Oyku Karaye (Eylul) stands a petite 5'1 and is so tiny you could slide her down the barrel of a single barrel shotgun. But clearly she's had training in boxing and mixed martial arts, which the writers integrated into the storyline. I enjoyed watching her skills in action.
Good Chemistry
I definitely felt sparks between Ali and Eylul. Aside from them seeming to genuinely feel comfortable with each other, their skills as actors played a part as well in the perceived chemistry as well. Ali always approached Eylul with full abandonment in spite of her tough exterior. In turn, Eylul let her guard down just a little to respond to his romantic overtures, be it ever so slightly—sometimes just a slight relaxing of her posture or a softening of her expression. The couple actually won three Best Couple awards in 2017 for their performance.
No extraneous subplots
The subplots mostly centered around the stories and romances of Ali and Eylul's close colleagues. There were stories of hospital patients as well, but none of these secondary storylines felt like fluff merely created to fill episode time. The time allotted to each storyline and vignette felt well balanced.
What I wasn't so fond of:
Missing subtitles
While I appreciate what appears to be a YouTube channel put out by a production company, it was disappointing that a lot of dialog was not subtitled. It was especially noticeable at the beginning and end of about the first ten episodes.
Distracting makeup
In the first half of the series, one male character had on SO much eyeshadow and lipstick, it distracted me every time he was on screen.
Implausible scenarios
In one dramatic episode, many of the characters perpetuated the melodrama by acting irrationally. When a sniper was shooting from the rooftop, rather than back an ambulance up to the door, doctors kept running through gunfire across the parking lot to retrieve patients. In another scene, when nurses witnessed a shooting, they didn't alert the police who were swarming the hospital. Other characters rushed into extremely dangerous situations alone without notifying anyone.
The other implausibility was somewhat of a plot hole. Both Ali and Eylul were highly educated doctors who worked with other medical professionals familiar with Eylul's history. Wouldn't someone suggest Eylul get counselling to help her overcome the emotional scars of her childhood?
Missed opportunities for romance
Ali was an incredibly romantic hero, but the script didn't provide the couple with many swoon-worthy romantic moments. I get it—a show needs conflict. But after SO much heartache and conflict, why not let the audience bask in the couple's happiness for a bit? The poor man waited over ten years for his woman and only got two real kisses.
Unequal relationship
Although part of the charm of the series is Ali's relentless unconditional love for Eylul, there were a few things about it that didn't quite add up. First, he was already a doctor when he was her teacher. So she was like 17 and he was pushing 30. Although his behavior towards her was never improper, him being her teacher and there being such a big age gap between them borders on inappropriate.
In addition, I never really understood what he saw in her. In a lot of ways it seemed like a one-way relationship. And I couldn't help thinking that if this were a real-life relationship, when the cares of life overshadowed his pitter-pattering heart, would the relationship last without her getting help for her wounded past?
Love at first sight
Although Turkish drama writers are outstanding at creating multi-faceted, emotionally wounded characters and sizzling romantic tension, they are generally poor at developing the foundation of romantic relationships. Attraction tends becomes head-over-heels love overnight with little development between 'hello my name is' and 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you.' Kalp Atisi was no exception. In all three of the romantic relationships, the couples were suddenly in love, without any evolution from a casual friendship into an 'I love you' relationship.
Clichéd villains
As is also common in Turkish dramas, the villains were clichéd with their primary motive being revenge.
On one particular special occasion where viewers could have been treated to some lovely romantic, happy moments for the couple, the writers chose to usurp it with villainous activity instead.
Rushed ending
When the final villain (who was particularly clichéd) was introduced, he overshadowed the storyline and the series lost some of its charm. I'm guessing the ratings began to drop and producers decided to end the series. Thankfully it finished with a nice resolution, but it definitely felt rushed.
Conclusion
A series is only as good as the writing, and by missing romantic opportunities and relying on clichéd villains, I can't say Kalp Atisi ranks as a favorite. But for those looking for a free Turkish Drama with full episodes with English subtitles on YouTube, Kalp Atisi is a good option. It's a sweet show with an adorable hero, solid acting, and well-developed characters.
Copyright @ 2020 Ginger Monette Article reprint policy
Post Script
-Kalp Atisi (Heartbeat) Episode Guide is here.
-For more about the characters and the bios of actors in Kalp Atisi, use Chrome browser and the auto translate option for this article.