Supernatural Streaming from Istanbul to Mexico City.
One of the great things about the giant content engine Netlflix and contenders like Amazon and Hulu, is that they look to the global market, not just us English speaking nations. Moreover, they draw from further field than say presenting or ripping off the odd French or Scandinavian offering. And because these content providors have huge international viewership, they are able to worry less about what American veiwers may think, and more about making entertainment that will play well in their own markets. My latest finds include the Protector, from Turkey and Diablero from Mexico. (Netflix).
.The Protector
Staring Cagatay Ulusoy, Ayça Aysin Turan, Hazar Erguclu, Okan Yalabik, Yurdaer Okur and Mehmet Kurtulus. Don’t be surprised if none of these names are familiar to you, but they certainly are to Turks. The Protector is Netflix’s first Turkish original series, so its a big deal in Turkey. Ulusoy plays a Hakan, a bazar merchant in Istanbul who dreams of better things like following in the footsteps of uuber businessman Faysal Erdem (Yalbick) . He’s an orphan, and we soon find out that he has a mysterious past and a legacy to be the Protector of Istanbul – against the mysterious Immortals (think Highlander without the broad swords), with the aid of a supernatural shirt that renders him invincible. He is joined by his own Scooby gang headed by father – daughter team Kemal (Okur) and Zaynep (Erguclu) who are respectively Pharmacist and PhD candidate by day and Head of the Loyal Ones and Top Kick Ass Loyal One by night. If you have issue with watching foreign shows in the original language (which is always the way to go folks) the dubbing is pretty good on this. The main characters are matched up with voices that sound engaging and credible, though the smaller actor rolls are a bit jarring. Ulusoy is a likeable hero, and his Loyal Ones are characters unto themselves. The series revolves around a series of questions: will Hakan get his act together as the Protector ? Who is the Immortal? Will Hakan get the Hot Girl (Ayça Aysin Turan)? And what about Zaynep, can’t Hakan see she’s into him? The series has had good results and the odds are it will be back for season 2.
Diablero
Based on the book by Mexican writer Francisco Haghenbeck entitled El Diablo me obligó and Starring Horacio García Rojas, Christopher Von Uckermann, Tatima Molina and Giselle Kuri. This is one of 50 original Latin American productions for Netflix. In this supernatural romp, we find Rojas as Elvis Infante, local demon hunter, a Diablero, tackling a verrtiable infestation of demons. If you’re a Castenada fan and have run into this term before, the Diableros in this reimagining are not necessarily the evil sorcerers and shapeshifters discussed in Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge. There’s shapeshifting, but only into demons. And things are particularly demony at the moment. Once the balance between good and evil was maintained by an equal number of demons and angel. But the angels have disappeared and so has the balance. What happened to the angels? We don’t find out.
Cut to local parish priest and hoty Ramiro Ventura (Von Uckermann) who is called to the local hospital to offer last rites to his old flame Luna. Turns out she has a daughter, Marianna. Marianna has been kidnapped. By a demon. And the real bombshell: Marianna is Ventura’s daughter. Luna calls on Ventura to find her before its too late. Demon hunting shenanigans ensue, with Ventura aided by Elvis, his sister Keta (Molina) who despite a ban on lady Diablera, appears to have superior chops to her brother, and Nancy, a gal who can channel demons and expel them on demand. As the season unfolds it looks like the fate of the world is in the balance. Again, like The Protector, the dubbing is pretty good though subtitles are always a better option. Elvis is an enjoyably feckless Diablero — in fact pretty much all the male characters fall along the feckless spectrum. We see strength shine in the female characters, especially Tatima Molina’s Keta .
A number of reviewers have likened Diablero to the long lived series Supernatural, for the demon hunting, and perhaps the sibling connection. But I feel both The Protector and Diablero have more in common with the Buffyverse. I’d hazard to say these two freshmen offerings are more true inheritors of the Buffy legacy than anything I’ve seen in English. The added bonus in both these series is that both are love letters to their respective locations: Istanbul and Mexico City. The settings become characters in these shows, contributing to the tone and aesthetic.
Both shows are worth watching.
My next foray into the Polyglot: 1983, the first original content for Netflix from Poland. According to Netlix: a gripping and fast-paced conspiracy thriller, directed by four prominent Polish directors Kasia Adamik, Olga Chajdas, Agnieszka Holland and Agnieszka Smoczyńska, tells the story of a dystopian world where the Iron Curtain never fell and Poland is the center of the universe shaping the future of the entire world. I’ll keep you posted.
Jennings' Pennings 