Leyla navigates heartbreak and romance to finally make a choice for herself in the finale.
Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the end of Thank You, Next.
The Big Picture
- In the Turkish drama
Thank You, Next
, Leyla navigates tangled relationships with secrets, disappointments, and drama. - Leyla uncovers the dark past between Cem and Defne, leading to complex emotions.
- Leyla ultimately chooses herself over domineering and confusing men in the finale.
Netflix’s Turkish romantic drama series hit the ground running as it dropped us into the confusion of how the seemingly free-spirited Leyla (Serenay Sarikaya) who makes out with random guys at resorts and leaves her number splayed across their chest in a random pattern, could become the girl in the backless red dress and mascara-bled eyes, who sinks down on the floor in front of her beautiful wedding gown. These two timelines converge in Thank You, Next‘s finale, deftly revealing secrets and truths that had plagued Leyla throughout the series. Floundering between three handsome men, Leyla spends the season in this entangled revolving door filled with drama, disappointment, and mystery. While we watch her navigate through heartbreak and passion, the series hints at a more convoluted present shown in confusing fragments that pack a punch of emotion.
With each episode title setting up a theme for each episode based on a bizarre dating hashtag, the finale is titled simply and ironically as #Wedding. Leyla’s choices of men have been whittled down to two: the comforting old flame Omer (Metin Akdulger), who has seemingly resolved his cheating ways, and the elusive Cem (Hakan Kurtas), who has a reputation as a narcissist by his ex-wives. Despite accepting the proposal from Omer, Leyla is still inexplicably drawn to Cem, leading to a chaotic night before the wedding. The finale sees Leyla’s wedding preparations turn sour as her grandma’s dress becomes too moldy to wear, and her dog Buddy gets run over and breaks a leg. While navigating these bad omens, she is barraged with a storm of revelations, all leading to the show’s memorable closing scene.
The Dark Story Behind Defne and Cem’s Relationship
From the moment we are introduced to the suave and unpredictable Cem, we hear about his close relationship with his first wife, Defne (Gulcan Arslan). Leyla first hears about her through his latest ex-wife who is initially her client, completely buying the narcissism story that is associated with Cem. However, as she begins her torrid love affair with him, she slowly uncovers a softer side that she is hesitant to believe, especially since everyone suspects that he is still intimate with the sultry yet powerful Defne. When Defne becomes pregnant and instantly informs Cem and his mother, Leyla is quick to believe that it is Cem’s child, but during the hotel opening she is proven wrong, leading to further complex feelings around Cem.
When Cem and Defne were still married, they got into a car crash that killed their unborn child and Cem’s brother. While being a couple was far too painful, they still managed to keep a close friendship with this shared dark history creating an unbreakable bond between them. As such, it is only natural that she would confide in her family about being pregnant again before telling her boyfriend. Defne is one of the more powerful women in this series, not only owning her own business but by being fiercely independent. Sparking a relationship with Feyyaz (Boron Kuzam), the chef that Leyla had initially gone on a date with but came out of it with a friendship, Defne never really let the romance sweep her off her feet. She keeps her identity, goals, and dreams at the top of her priority list, claiming that even if Feyyaz opted out of fatherhood, she would find happiness in her child and herself as her trauma slowly heals.
Leyla and Cem’s Relationship Ends in ‘Thank You, Next’
While this revelation closes out Defne’s storyline, it further complicates Leyla’s. Many of her doubts and assumptions about Cem based on his reputation and other people’s testaments have been proven wrong in one fell swoop. More importantly, these prejudices essentially pushed her away from Cem and right back into Omer’s arms. As such, already being betrothed to Omer, she resolutely parts with Cem as he leaves the country to avoid her wedding, but not without a farewell gift of a beautiful kintsugi dish. The blue and white china dish with gold filled into the cracks embodies the traditional Japanese philosophy of brokenness transforming into something beautiful and functional. With Leyla’s belief of herself being damaged, this gift deeply resonates with her and further enhances the spiritual compatibility of the two, confusing her even more.
This comes to a head at her bachelorette party. Drunk and confused, she leaves the party in the sequin dress we see in the present timeline and finds Cem, who had returned from his trip the day before the wedding. In a chaotic emotional mess, she manically tries to seduce him only to pass out and be tucked into bed by Cem. Throughout the season, there are hints that she had slept with him during this time, but we discover that he had simply sat in his chair and waited the whole night. While it is a relief that she never physically cheated on Omer, there isn’t a doubt that she emotionally cheated on him (but who can blame her really). That being said, her relationship with Cem still isn’t the healthiest, with the constant back and forth, the lack of communication, and his almost obsessive determination, which is unnerving.
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Leyla Discovers Omer Has Always Been Cheating on Her
Meanwhile, Leyla and Omer’s initial seven-year relationship ends with a Rachel and Ross moment, and through her parents, Leyla finds her way back to him after two years. Leyla discovers her father’s past indiscretions and how her mother learned to forgive them as their love outweighed their individual flaws. Inspired by this, Leyla decides to return to Omer to work towards a future together and towards forgiveness. But she soon discovers how deep Omer’s flaws actually run after a panicked trip to the vet. While Buddy recovers from a broken leg, Leyla gets the chance to speak to Balim, the woman Omer had cheated on her with.
Alongside Leyla, we find out that Omer had been using Balim as an emotional crutch over the past two years. Every time Leyla would try to move on to someone else, he would have an outburst and reconnect with Balim, with their meetings continuing all the way up until June 8th, mere days away from their wedding date. He had thrown a surprise birthday party for Balim and even gave her the keys to his new home, which he had yet to do with his fiancée. But what is truly sinister about this is the attitude he had towards the affair, considering it a backup plan if the wedding didn’t pan out. These insecure and weirdly possessive reasons for cheating on Leyla truly showcase Omer’s perception of women as trophies rather than humans. With so many revelations coming to light, Leyla is pulled and pushed in all directions in the finale, making her final moments in the show that much more powerful.
Who Does Leyla Pick In ‘Thank You, Next’s Finale?
Somehow, Leyla manages to surround herself with confusing and domineering men, constantly being suffocated by each of them. From Omer’s misery and insecurities in their relationship to even Cem’s constant barrage of passion, it feels like she rarely gets a moment to breathe. Even her friend Sarp (Ahmet Rifat Sungar), who reveals his historical affection for her despite being married and also constantly intervenes in her relationships, is simply another buffer to Leyla making her own decisions. Without realizing it, she never really makes a decision for herself throughout the series, always being externally influenced by her work friendship group (who are HR nightmares), her parents, and the social expectation to be married or nearing marriage by her age.
As such, when she unlocks her bedroom door in her grandma’s moldy and tattered wedding gown, pushing through her yelling family and friends, then struts right up to Omer with a smirk on her face and asks “truth or dare,” we can see her truly come into herself. Choosing herself over these confusing men, she confidently walks out of the garden and onto the sunlit road, with Buddy choosing her as well in the heartfelt visual of the closing scene. Though the series took some time to gain momentum, it eventually becomes a love letter to female independence, through Leyla’s final decision, as she finally stops relying on her others to make decisions for her,
Thank You, Next is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
This article was originally published on collider.com