Saagar Kote
Netflix’s ‘The Town’ or ‘Kasaba’ is the tale of brothers, Efe and Selim, along with their friend Ahmet. The three men and Selim’s wife, Begum, are challenged by financial difficulties. What seems like a life of mundanity soon gets chaotic when they happen to spot bags full of cash at a car crash site. Without knowing who the cash belongs to and why, they decide to take the money for themselves. Their instrument of liberation from financial difficulties soon causes unexpected chaos when a mysterious assassin and a powerful local crime family get involved in the business of the stolen money.
With no criminal background or influence in the community, the group is forced to accept its new and unusual reality. With cops, killers, and gangsters chasing them, Efe and his team must do everything they can to survive in a world where truth and lies converge in unpredictable ways. At the end of the narrative, Efe, Selim, Zeynep, and Begum find their fates hanging by a thread. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Town Plot Synopsis
Brothers Efe and Selim bury their mother, and the latter faces financial difficulties, which urge him to ask favors from the former. An assassin kills random strangers and takes something from their car. He later chases another car, which accidentally tumbles due to a bird strike. While on a drive, Selim suggests Efe move to Istanbul for a better future. Ahmet, Efe’s friend, spots the car that crashed earlier. Efe and Ahmet check the car, as Selim and his wife Begum look on. Ahmet finds multiple bags full of cash in the crashed car. Despite Selim’s opposition, Efe and Ahmet take the bags and bring them to their own car. After dropping Selim and Begum, Efe and Ahmet take the bags to a garage and count the cash. But Begum and Selim turn up unexpectedly, and mull over an idea. The assassin gets an ultimatum to find the crashed car. It is revealed that the bags contain nearly twelve million US Dollars.
Begum and Selim suggest that they all wait till the end of Eid, and then go to Istanbul with the money. The men drive to the crash site, where they spot the unnamed assassin, who chases them, but they avoid him. Later, a gang belonging to the Sepekci family arrives at the spot and torches the crashed car. The Sepekci gang goes to a local café to ask people if anyone spotted two men (the ones shot by the assassin). The assassin obsessively follows Ahmet and Efe to the same café. Efe and Ahmet worry that they have stolen from the wrong people. The assassin forcibly drags Ahmet away from a brothel and holds him hostage at the garage. He violently beats him up for information. Meanwhile, Efe and Selim shift the money to the former’s house. Zeynep faces issues with her husband, Faruk, and also worries about Ahmet. Just when the assassin is about to torture Ahmet, Efe strikes the killer with a hammer.
One of the Sepekci gang members manages to trace the location of the garage. The Sepekci man named Nihat turns out to be a traitor who’s working with Yildirim, the assassin, to steal money from his own people. There’s a stalemate between Ahmet’s group and the assassin’s group. Efe and Nihat injure each other, but then start to cooperate. Efe tells Selim to leave for Istanbul with the money. However, when the plan nears fruition, the Sepekci’s show up. Mufit, a child-like adult and Efe’s friend, assaults one of the Sepekci men. Mufit beats up the goons and goes to Selim for help. When Mufit returns home, he is killed by the injured goon, who also dies. Nihat tries to escape the country with his son, but he recognizes that it is no longer safe. Even Yildirim tries to cross the country’s border with the help of Efe and Ahmet, but is unable to do so.
Nihat and his son seek Yildirim’s help, which he accepts. Nihat is left to die by Efe and Yildirim. Ahmet and Efe mourn the death of Mufit, whose mother is still looking for him. Umut, Nihat’s son, reveals that the real value of the money is around twelve million dollars, and not right. This leads to a rift between Yildirim, Efe, and Ahmet. Efe tells Selim and Begum to leave town, but they hesitate. Umut escapes from Ahmet’s garage, and Mufit’s body is found. Umut gets captured again by Turgut, Ahmet, and Efe. Caner Sepekci attacks Turgut’s cop car and injures the officer.
Yildirim bids adieu to his daughter, who boards a bus to Greece. But she is apprehended by the Sepekcis. Later, Caner Sepekci kills Selim in front of Umut. In the aftermath of Selim’s death, Efe and Begum kidnap Pembo, the cop who gave up Selim to the Sepekcis. Yildirim and his daughter are taken hostage by the Sepekci boss Huseyin Sepecki. In order to help save Yildirim’s daughter, Kar, Efe agrees to hand over the cash. However, Begum comes up with a plan to blackmail Pembo to contact Huseyin.
The Town Ending Explained: Why Does Efe Confess? Is He Apprehended?
Efe is pushed to the edge after he and Begum kidnap Pembo. The dynamics change as Efe looks to take control of his destiny, instead of being hunted by the Sepekcis. In the video, Efe accepts that he is responsible for many sins and that he is ready to bear the consequences. Efe realizes that he must take charge, as he has been a pawn in a game of deceit. Begum proves to be an important part of the confession, as she comes up with the plan to torture Pembo. If not for her intervention, the confession would’ve never happened. This would also have meant that the cash went to Huseyin. Selim’s death affects Efe to the level where he cares more about retribution and justice, compared to money. Selim was a victim of consequences, as he never intended to be involved in the criminal world.
His shocking death at the hands of the Sepekcis forces Efe to act radically, instead of being timid. Another reason behind the confession is to have a backup, if and when the worst occurs. Efe sees himself as an expendable man, unlike Ahmet and Begum. He realizes that he is the one most suited to make the sacrifice play and be heroic. It is also a dark reflection of his ordeal, going from financial desperation to criminal acts. Since his video targets Huseyin specifically, it also gives him more courage to act against the head of the gangster family. Once he tortures Pembo, he convinces him to send Caner Sepekci an audio message, asking him for a rendezvous point. Caner falls for the trap and comes to the location, hoping to receive the cash bags. However, he is surprised by the cop, Isa, and Efe.
Isa sets up a camera to record the movements of Caner and catch him in a criminal act. A gun battle ensues between the Sepekcis and Efe’s team. Caner is caught collecting the illegal money from the car and hopes to negotiate with Isa. When Caner’s thug shoots Isa, it gives Caner the opportunity to finish Efe. However, Begum shows up just in the nick of time and shoots down Caner, saving Efe. In the confession, Efe admits to killing Caner, Sami, and Berat. Thus, Efe records a confession for both moral and strategic reasons, which ultimately helps him set up a trap and avoid being captured by the gang members.
Does Yildirim Die? How Do Efe and Ahmet Survive?
Yildirim is caught between the Sepekcis and Efe’s group. Though he develops a bond with Efe and Ahmet, he is ultimately left to fight alone, due to the kidnapping of his daughter, Kar, by Huseyin. He agrees to go to Huseyin’s den, which leads to his capture by the gangsters. He hopes to get the cash from Efe to save Kar, but it doesn’t go as planned for the assassin. He finds himself helpless, tied to a chair, and facing the dreaded Huseyin. His moment of reckoning comes when he hears Efe’s confession. Yildirim gladly accepts the consequences of his actions, but also feels unusually happy, due to the way in which Efe exposes Huseyin. Yildirim defiantly looks at the gangster and provokingly smiles at him. This makes Huseyin extremely angry, leading to shoot Yildirim at close range.
Yildirim realizes that his end is near and remembers his happy moments with Kar. Though his death occurs off-screen, it can be presumed that he died without fear. Efe and Ahmet go through treacherous paths to save their money and lives. Although Efe was ready to sacrifice himself at one point, Begum’s plan ensured that he didn’t make a harmful decision. His confession also allows him the freedom to confront any danger without hesitation. Although Ahmet didn’t play as big a role as Efe in this complex equation, he stays loyal and helps Efe achieve his goals.
The confession video is liked and shared by thousands of people online, which sets the public opinion in Efe’s favor. The recording also prevents the cops and Huseyin from taking any action against Efe, as it would naturally direct the public’s anger against them. So, the two friends manage to navigate extremely difficult situations and losses. In conclusion, their chance encounter with the bags of cash becomes a redemptive weapon that liberates them from their limitations.
Does Begum Become a Mother? Does Zeynep Survive?
Begum experiences the tragic death of her husband, Selim. With the danger mounting, she struggles to survive while also dealing with her emotions. When she accompanies Zeynep to her house, she starts vomiting when she sees Faruk, Zeynep’s husband. She rushes to the restroom and spots a pregnancy test kit. She runs a test and finds out that she is carrying a child. This news takes her by surprise, as he wasn’t emotionally prepared to bear such a responsibility. However, she shows signs of a fighting spirit too, hoping to survive her ordeal and somehow make it out alive. After saving Efe’s life by shooting Caner, she finds a new purpose in life. The very ending of the narrative shows her walking with Efe, Ahmet, and Zeynep towards a better future.
She touches her belly and aims to protect her unborn child from any danger. While the narrative ends at this point, it can be presumed that Begum will eventually deliver a child, a symbol of the genuine love that she and Selim had for each other. She will presumably utilize her share of the cash to build a better future for herself and her baby. The same holds true for Zeynep, who survives an abusive relationship with her husband, Faruk. She poisons his drink and watches him suffer the consequences. Though Faruk doesn’t die, he struggles to the point where he understands that Zeynep will not stop fighting for her freedom.
Zeynep joins the others as they walk towards an uncertain future. The losses they have experienced along the way will haunt them for the rest of their lives, but it will also mean that they will have the strength to face anything that troubles them. With the cash safely in their hands, they will all be able to build better futures, even as they try to overcome the trauma and guilt of the past. All in all, Begum and Zeynep are two free-spirited young women who forged their own path of liberation.
Will Huseyin Be Apprehended? Why?
Huseyin is an arrogant gangster who likes to dominate others and intimidate them with his ruthless behavior. But Efe proves to be a real threat, especially due to the confession video. What was an infallible empire built by Huseyin begins to feel the wrath of a brother in mourning. In the confession, Efe tells the outside world that Huseyin is a monster who likes to enslave others. Not only does Efe target Huseyin, but he also exposes the reality of his empire built on fear. It is revealed that the video has gone viral and has been seen by thousands of people. This ensures that the public opinion stays firmly against Huseyin and the rest of the dreaded Sepecki gang.
Their family rule will presumably end when the cops begin to act against it. Huseyin’s role in smuggling illegal money into the country and his murder of Selim are brought to light by Efe. This will give the cops enough clues to investigate Huseyin and his dealings. Ultimately, it can be strongly presumed that the gangster will eventually be apprehended for his multiple counts of crime, and justice will be served to Selim, Yildirim, and all the other victims of his brutality.
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