Man on Pause (Season 1), Recap and Ending Explained: Netflix’s new Turkish comedy of errors, Man on Pause (Andropoz), bears the style of being adapted from a well-written play, but it isn’t. It is the story of a man trying to figure out whether he has the boldness to embrace and explore changes while constantly getting himself into bizarre troubles, thanks to his irresponsible impulses. Centered around a 50-something man going through andropause and desperately seeking change, this show successfully includes several other interesting topics, relevant both locally and globally, and that too without ever straying from the central theme.
Directors Durul Taylan and Yagmur Taylan gave us no hero and instead gave us an observation of extremely flawed people with often very questionable morals that both land them difficulties and save them from them. Within the six episodes, this dark comedy delves into the depths of Turkish people belonging to several socio-economic classes and their guarded curiosity about European culture seeping into their lives.
Man on Pause (Season 1) Recap
Yusuf’s (Engin Gunaydin) sudden passion for seeking happiness has him changing his hair color, his wardrobe, and his personality quickly, sending his wife into a full-on anxiety attack. His panic-stricken wife, Meryem (Derya Karadas), seeks the guidance of his sister Fadime (Sebnem Hassanisoughi), a fortune teller. Fadime foresees an impending deadly doom, making Meryem sure that Yusuf has cancer. The fear spreads within the family, and while their two kids are already busy thinking about dividing up their properties, Yusuf is going about his life, joining Instagram, finding his dream house, and being extra loving to his wife. A bizarre night out with his alcoholic brother-in-law Halit (Tamer Karadagli), who is apparently just trying to get Yusuf to open up, ends with Halit’s intoxicated “coming out” and the accidental uploading of Yusuf’s butt picture on his Instagram.
Things keep getting crazier, hinting at the inevitable lousy fortune. Halit’s realtor friend Kadir (Sencar Sagdic), an old alcoholic, suddenly passes away in the car while Yusuf and his family are driving up to the mountain house they want to sell in order to be able to buy the beach house. Unshaken by the bizarre death, Yusuf and Meryem remain steady on their mission and meet up with Svetlana (Yuliia Sobol), the girlfriend of the owner of the beach house, Mahmut (Turgut Tuncalp). The meeting touches on the andropause theme when Svetlana reveals that Mahmut’s midlife crisis had led him to leave his wife Sahinde (Gulcin Santircioglu). The conversation, however, is cut short when Sahinde shoots an arrow into the house, and even that doesn’t scare away the ever-so-giddy Yusuf and Meryem.
Their future gets further murky when Yusuf gets seduced by a young girl who happens to be one of the twin daughters of Mahmut and Sahinde. Meanwhile, Fadime decides to get a divorce from her abusive husband Halit despite the vile manipulations of Yusuf and Meryem. Upon finding out that Fadime is pregnant with her lover’s baby, Halit attacks her, and she ends up having a miscarriage. Mahmut is chasing Yusuf, on the other hand, while neither of them has the slightest bit of information about the other’s identity.
Halit and Sahinde happen to run into each other, and they hook up despite Sahinde knowing Halit is an abuser. Yusuf and Meryem meet with Mahmut on his massive yacht to discuss their desire to buy his beach house. Unaware of the fact that Mahmut is the father of the girl he’s been seeing, Yusuf gives him a thorough description of the path leading up to his mountain house. And as luck would have it, Yusuf ends up running to the same place when Mahmut discovers that he is the one who’s been with his daughter.
With Halit getting stuck in his car on the cliff, Yusuf hiding from Mahmut, Sahinde killing Svetlana in a rage, and Yusuf’s 15 years old son Velihan (Ergin Torun) teaming up with his girlfriend to take control of Yusuf’s store; everything falls apart for everyone. While Yusuf has a close call to incarceration from speaking too much when he is supposed to be careful, an unsuspecting buyer takes the mountain house off their hands, leaving them unexplainably hopeful yet again.
Man on Pause (Season 1) Review
It is easy for things to get out of hand regarding the comedy of errors. The absurdities come with the risk of not making sense. Lucky for us, that isn’t the case with Man on Pause. Engin Gunaydin’s skillful writing succeeds in connecting the dots of each hilarious bizarreness that make the show genuinely hilarious. The tense air existing throughout is never allowed to build up for longer than necessary to keep things light. While the story branches out to explore further complexities that come with every peculiar character, it stays true to its original trope of midlife crisis. The topic of andropause is taken beyond our lead; Yusuf subtly and cleverly presents different characters showing different symptoms.
Gunaydin’s performance as Yusuf is nothing short of absolutely remarkable. Although the storytelling sometimes lacks the intensity required for the strange and often scary happenings, the show remains interesting with its bouquet of fascinating characters, all well explored. Yusuf’s changes, keeping pace with his age and the evident middle-class traits he carries, are well communicated through Gunaydin’s comic form and his writing.
Even at his most brave moment, Yusuf never crosses the line of believability. Tamer Karadagli, as Halit, paints a perfect picture of a problematic, obnoxious drunk who is scary with his threatening impulses and benevolent with his helpfulness rooted in his toxic apologia. Taylans’ show is a brilliant analysis of the discontentment that all the 50-something characters are dealing with. Unlike most dark comedies, it is never depressing as the humor is always kept light.
Man on Pause (Season 1) Ending Explained
The characters’ misfortunes are brought about by a blend of impulsiveness, rigidity, and lack of attention. Yusuf being distracted with his love interest costs him a massive amount of money when Velihan decides to transform his store and arrange a lush grand opening completely. He is so recklessly unaware of the events around him that he goes back into the tiger’s cage. Being held up at Mahmut’s yacht and getting roughed up, Yusuf’s life flashes before his eyes, and even after getting away, he doesn’t quite get as sensible as he should. Mahmuts pride, on the other hand, makes him blind to the danger he should have seen coming. The twins being attacked by Svetlana’s brothers and scaring them away is an interesting observation of their badass mother, Sahinde, ‘s influence on them. While Sahinde is smart about getting rid of the evidence of Svetlana’s death, Mahmut is disturbingly relaxed.
Halit believes that his spiritual depth has rejected his earthly possessions, and he gives his house and car to Yusuf and Meryem before leaving for India. When Svetlana’s brothers approach Sahinde, she again shows her unpredictable presence of mind by blaming the whole thing on Mahmut. Before being shot in the head, the look on Mahmut’s face is that of complete indifference. His casual treatment of the danger about to befall him was a subtle hint of the unforeseen grief he was feeling. His generic unfeeling man attitude kept him from truly accepting that he loved Svetlana. And her death not only shocked his denial of him but also made him suicidal.
After Mahmut’s death, the show receives its signature, controversial happy ending. With Sahinde inheriting his properties, Yusuf and Meryem are finally getting to buy the beach house, and Halit is returning and joining Sahinde on the yacht, the show rejects the expected conclusion of actions and consequences. It may be the vicarious victory that the middle class is supposed to feel. Still, there truly is a dangerous satisfaction in seeing people get the things they want as long as they possess the minimum humane qualities.
Man On Pause (Season 1) Official Trailer | Netflix
Man on Pause (Season 1) External Link: IMDb
Where to watch Man on Pause (Season 1)
