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Nine Years On, The 32-Episode Hitman-Doctor Drama Still Packs A Punch

A Turkish drama of two souls destined never to meet, whose hearts defy all law.

By mitch·5 min read
A man in black stands before a hospital door, his shadow long upon the wet pavement.

“Price Of Passion” is a Turkish drama about two people whose lives should never meet, and whose hearts refuse to obey the rules. Ferhat Aslan is a hitman who works for his criminal uncle. Aslı Çınar is a young doctor who believes in saving lives. The show brings them together through a gunshot wound, and it spends 32 episodes trying to break them apart again.

The premise is simple. Ferhat shoots a man. Aslı operates on him. She saves the man, and she learns that her patient was the target of a professional killer. The twist is that Ferhat’s uncle is also Aslı’s father’s business partner. The family connection pulls Ferhat and Aslı toward each other even as the world around them tries to tear them apart.

Ferhat And Aslı

İbrahim Çelikkol plays Ferhat with a cold exterior and a buried conscience. He is a man who has made his living by killing, and he knows it. His performance lets you see the tension between his job and his instincts. Muhammet Uzuner plays Namık Emirhan, Ferhat’s uncle, as a man who is both dangerous and calculating. He is the anchor of the criminal side of the story, and his scenes with Ferhat carry real weight.

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Birce Akalay plays Aslı with warmth and conviction. Her doctor is idealistic without being naive, and she holds onto her principles even when they put her in danger. Arzu Gamze Kılınç plays Yeter Aslan, Ferhat’s mother, as a woman caught between her son’s criminal path and her desire for a normal life. Ece Dizdar plays İdil Yaman, and Deniz Celiloğlu plays Yiğit Aslan. Cahit Gök plays Cüneyt Koçak, and Uğur Aslan plays Cem Çınar. Sinem Ünsal plays Gülsüm Aslan, and Zeynep Dinsel plays Vildan Koçak. Timur Ölkebaş plays Abidin Adaklı, and Fatih Topçuoğlu plays Dilsiz.

The cast is large, but the focus stays on Ferhat and Aslı. Their relationship is the engine of the show, and it drives every episode forward.

The Family Ties That Bind

The show spends a lot of time exploring the families involved. Ferhat’s uncle and Aslı’s father are business partners, and their partnership brings the two families into constant contact. That contact puts Ferhat and Aslı in close quarters, and it creates opportunities for them to cross paths. The show uses these connections to build suspense. Every meeting between Ferhat and Aslı feels loaded with meaning, because the people around them are always watching.

The show also builds a web of secondary relationships. Ferhat’s brother Yiğit and Aslı’s brother Cem are both present in the story, and their presence adds texture to the central romance. Yiğit is a soldier, and Cem is a businessman. Their different paths reflect the larger conflict between the two families. The show uses these characters to explore the idea that blood ties can bind people together even when their interests diverge.

Violence And Romance

The show is built on a collision between two worlds. Ferhat is a man of violence. Aslı is a woman of medicine. The show sets these two forces against each other, and it watches what happens when they cannot keep their distance. The result is a story that moves between tense, violent scenes and tender, romantic ones.

“One day, their roads crossed in the most unexpected way.”

That line captures the show’s central premise. Two people from different worlds were never meant to meet, and yet they do. The show follows that meeting through 32 episodes, and it never loses sight of why it matters.

The show’s handling of violence is restrained. It shows enough to establish the stakes, but it does not dwell on the brutality. This restraint works in the show’s favor, because it keeps the focus on the characters rather than the spectacle. The audience is meant to feel the weight of what Ferhat does, not watch it in graphic detail.

The Network And Its Audience

“Price Of Passion” aired on Kanal D, a Turkish network that broadcasts dramas and action series. The show ran for one season of 32 episodes, first airing on 2017-10-16 and last airing on 2018-05-28. It falls into the Drama and Action & Adventure genres, which suggests a show that blends emotional storytelling with physical action.

The show’s production values are solid for its genre. The sets are well-built, the costumes are detailed, and the lighting is atmospheric. The show looks like a serious production, and it treats its subject matter with respect.

The show’s audience is likely to include viewers who enjoy romantic dramas with a layer of suspense. The mix of romance and action appeals to a wide range of tastes, and the show’s popularity suggests it found an audience that wanted to follow these characters over the course of a full season.

A Season Of Suspense

The show’s pacing is steady. Each episode builds on the last, and the central mystery of whether Ferhat and Aslı can overcome their circumstances keeps the audience engaged. The show does not rush its story, and it does not drag it out either. It finds a middle ground that works for the material.

The final episodes resolve the central conflict between the two families. Ferhat and Aslı face off against the forces that have kept them apart, and the show delivers a satisfying conclusion to their story. The resolution honors the characters’ growth, and it gives the audience a sense of closure.

Our View

“Price Of Passion” is a well-made Turkish drama that understands its own premise and executes it with skill. The performances are strong across the board, and the show’s handling of its central romance is honest and moving. The show’s mix of violence and romance is handled with restraint, and it keeps the focus on the characters rather than the spectacle.

The show is not perfect. Some secondary plots feel underdeveloped, and the show’s middle stretch drags slightly. But the strength of the central relationship carries the show through those weaker moments.

We rate “Price Of Passion” 7.9 out of 10.

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