Saagar Kote
Netflix’s Turkish romantic drama series ‘Old Money’ or ‘Enfes Bir Akşam’ deals with the life of a rich woman named Nihal Baydemir, who inherits a shipbuilding business from her father, Sulhi Baydemir. She is referred to as the last princess of a dying dynasty that comes from old money. Her life takes a turn when she returns to Istanbul from France and crosses paths with Osman Bulut, the controller of his family’s trade business, who wants to acquire Nihal’s familial mansion at any cost. Finding herself in debt and seeing her father suffering due to a crumbling business, she tries to give her best to build a yacht for the Bulut family and save her house in the process.
However, things get complicated for the protagonist as she feels drawn to Osman. When the two develop an unlikely romance, it leads to complications for them and the families they represent. As the narrative reaches its concluding phase, Nihal and Osman find themselves in a complex scenario, where they must make a difficult decision that could have consequential effects on their personal and business relationships. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Old Money Plot Synopsis
The narrative introduces Nihal Baydemir, the daughter of a rich shipbuilder, who returns to Istanbul. She and her father have lost control of the business and find themselves in debt, owing to the Bulut family, due to a yacht-building contract. The Buluts are the owners of a trading business, effectively controlled by Osman, the middle brother of the three Bulut siblings. Nihal finds herself in a difficult spot, as she and her father may have to sell their grand mansion to cover the debts. Nihal visits Bulutlar Trade Company headquarters, where she meets Mahir and Arda, the eldest and youngest brothers, along with Osman and Songul, the matriarchal figure of the family. Nihal and Osman discuss the yacht project, during which the former gives him her number.
It is revealed through a flashback that the Bulut brothers were boys from different houses who lost their families during an earthquake in 1999, following which they were adopted by Songul and took the name Bulut. When Nihal draws the sketches for the yacht, Osman says that he is not impressed with it. Nihal says that she is a good designer and deduces that Osman is playing a game of old money versus new money with her. Osman decides that he no longer wants the yacht deal but wants to acquire Nihal’s mansion at any cost. During the dinner at the Bulut house, Nihal and Osman develop sexual chemistry, following which the latter agrees to proceed with the yacht-building deal. Berna, the CFO of the Bulut company and Nihal’s friend, is romantically pursued by Arda.
Mahir has a casual sexual relationship with a club singer called Asli. Berna confirms that Nihal and Engin are not in a relationship. Meanwhile, Engin interferes in Buluts’ business because Nihal and Osman are getting closer. Due to the financial shortage, Nihal and her father sign the papers, which will transfer their mansion to Osman. Gokhan, Engin’s man working for Nihal, flirts with Songul while handing her the house ownership papers. Mahir refuses to watch Asli’s performance due to his sense of isolation and not wanting to pursue a more serious relationship. Osman tries to discreetly get Oyku, one of Nihal’s friends, to approve a loan for the designer to save her house. Nihal goes to meet Osman, who shares his childhood story with her. The two of them kiss for the first time after recognizing that they are drawn to each other.
After realizing that Osman was the one behind her loan approval, Nihal stops kissing him and tells him that she likes to live life on her own terms. Osman buys land to anger Engin, and the two of them become greater business rivals. Nihal realizes that Osman probably likes her more than he cares to admit. Later, Osman visits Nihal at her mansion, and the two get intimate and spend the night. Nihal’s friends advise her to consider a casual relationship with Osman. At the Bulut business party, Osman and the protagonist arrive together. Later, when Osman organizes a trip for Arda and Berna, Nihal mistakenly suspects him of love-bombing, especially since her friends had warned her against it earlier.
Due to the misunderstanding, Nihal breaks up with Osman and storms out of the party. Nihal makes a lot of progress in the construction of the yacht, but she and Osman still maintain a distance between them. Later, the protagonist learns from Berna that she and Arda had gone to Taormina, which makes her realize that Osman wasn’t being casual with her. Nihal completes the yacht and unveils it to the Bulut family, who appreciate its magnificence. Things take a shocking turn when Sulhi approaches Osman and Mahir, offering to give them the mansion, so that he can be free of loan obligations and Nihal can live a life of peace.
Old Money Ending: Do Osman and Nihal Get Back Together? Why?
Osman and Nihal develop a relationship that gets complicated due to their differing views on wealth and their insecurities. The couple broke up due to a misunderstanding, where Nihal thinks that Osman is love-bombing her and probably doesn’t want to pursue a serious relationship. However, things take a turn when Berna tells her that it was she and Arda who went to Taormina. Realizing that the businessman doesn’t want just a casual relationship, the ship designer finds it difficult to battle with her feelings. When she completes building the yacht for the Bulut family, they are all awed by its magnificence and congratulate her on such a splendid achievement. She tries to communicate her feelings to Osman, but is not able to do so, especially due to the doubts in her own mind.
Things take a turn for the worse when Engin openly declares his love for the protagonist and goes to the extent of proposing to her, saying that he wants to be with her forever. This shocks Nihal, as she didn’t expect Engin to be the one saying this to her. Sulhi complicates things further when he offers to hand over the mansion to Osman and family in exchange for clearing his loans. Sulhi hopes to give Nihal a life of freedom by handing over the mansion to the Bulut family. Osman’s ego gets more hurt when he is invited by Engin for dinner, wherein the latter says that he will always get what he wants. He learns that Engin and Nihal are probably about to get involved with each other. Later, when he finds out from Arda that Engin and Nihal are planning to go on a European trip, he realizes that it is his last chance to get her back.
As Nihal prepares to go back to France, Osman races against time to get hold of her. Due to the traffic in the city, her taxi gets delayed, and Osman takes a speedboat to rush towards the mansion. On water, he hits his head on the speedboat’s glass and becomes disoriented for a while. His mind goes back to the past when he first saw Nihal across the water when he was poor. Nihal begins to feel emotional as she waits for the taxi, which finally arrives. She tells the driver to wait for a while, sensing that she shouldn’t leave. After recovering his senses, Osman drives faster towards the mansion.
However, when he arrives, he realizes that the woman of his dreams has already left, leaving him heartbroken. Nihal goes to the airport and checks in to go back to France, separating her from Osman, probably forever. As the rain keeps pouring down, Osman realizes that he wasn’t able to get together with a woman who truly loved him, just because their egos and business views came between them. Despite their chemistry and genuine feelings, the involvement of wealth and status in the equation leads to the tragic separation of the ship designer and the businessman.
Does Osman Acquire the Mansion? Why?
Most of Osman’s decisions in the series arise due to his desire to acquire the Baydemir family mansion owned by Sulhi and Nihal. He lets his craving for status and popularity affect his decisions on personal matters. Towards the end of the narrative, Osman is not able to confess his true feelings towards Nihal, as she leaves the city. As he reaches the mansion, he is greeted by Sulhi in the rain instead, who hands him the keys to the mansion of his dreams. It is at this moment that the businessman realizes how futile his ambitions have been. The narrative has a consequential sequence that occurs when Osman is driving the speedboat. He hits his head on the glass and gets disoriented for a while, which takes him back to the memories of his childhood, when he and his mother saw the mansion from a distance.
In the past, his mother told him that the people at the mansion looked very happy, after which he, as a poor kid, spotted Nihal for the first time, looking happy. He waves towards her, and she waves back. This moment creates a false picture of happiness in Osman’s mind, leading him to pursue the mansion as opposed to happiness or love. In the present, as he stands in the rain holding the key to the house of his dreams, he realizes that he was wrong throughout his life. Disgusted by his own smallness, he throws away the key, indicating that he doesn’t want to live in the mansion, which actually took away his joy instead of giving him the happiness he deserved. This is one of the most poignant moments in the narrative, as it will presumably make Osman a better man and give him the ability to value happiness and peace over wealth and status.
Do Engin and Nihal Get Together? Why?
Engin makes it clear throughout the narrative that he wants to get together with Nihal. As the narrative reaches its concluding phase, he shocks Nihal by openly declaring his love and telling her that he wishes to marry her and stay with her forever, no matter the challenges. This leads to chaos and confusion in Nihal’s mind, who also battles with her own feelings towards Osman. At the dinner, Engin taunts Osman by saying that he always gets what he wants and that he expects Nihal to move in with him. Though the narrative doesn’t explicitly reveal what happens to Nihal and Engin, it can be presumed that the two of them might get together in the future. Arda gives a major clue when he reveals that Nihal and Engin will be taking a long trip to Europe.
This might hint at the fact that Nihal is probably showing interest in getting together with Engin. When she leaves for Europe in the end, it can be presumed that she is probably hoping to join Engin there and proceed with their trip. She will most likely get over her feelings for Osman, as she didn’t get to hear from him before she left for Europe. As far as marriage is concerned, she will most probably get married to Engin, as he is the only one who openly proposed to her. This gesture would convince her that he is very serious about their relationship and that he wants to be committed forever. Despite the distance and the clashes between the two, it can be presumed that Engin and Nihal will get married and build a happy life together.
Do Mahir and Asli Get Back Together? Do Songul and Gokhan Get Together?
Mahir and Asli break up due to the fact that the former only wants a casual relationship. Asli falls into sadness and dejection after Mahir doesn’t show up to her concert. She realizes that it is futile to pursue a relationship with him, especially since he cannot be committed to a longer relationship. Mahir gets on with his life, and Asli gets together with a music producer, who promotes her songs and makes her famous. However, towards the end of the story, Asli begins to realize that she probably should give Mahir another chance. When Mahir and his family head back to their house from Engin’s dinner, Asli waits for her former lover. The two have a conversation, and she tells him that he is a very selfish person who doesn’t know what real loss is. She is also shocked by his wealth and thinks that things like love will not affect him.
When she says she doesn’t know what she is doing there, Mahir tells her that he is going crazy without her. He begs her to return to him and promises her not to be miserable in life again. He also says that he cannot imagine his life without her, which leads her to kiss him passionately. The two overcome obstacles to reunite in a heartwarming way. As for the unlikely attraction between Songul and Gokhan, they feel connected despite not knowing each other initially. They grow closer during their shared tennis sessions.
However, Songul hesitates to move forward because they come from different backgrounds. She even hesitates to walk into Gokhan’s house when some of her rich friends spot her outside his door. As the narrative comes to a close, she sees her friends ridiculing a woman for dating someone with an age gap. This is when she realizes that her thoughts about wealth and status are wrong. She boldly heads towards Gokhan’s house, which leads to a passionate kiss between the two. They defy social obstacles to get together and will most likely pursue something meaningful.
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