It might sound cynical to criticize a Turkish romantic comedy for sending out the wrong messages to impressionable audiences, but that doesn’t mean Netflix’s sequel Love Tactics 2 doesn’t have a seriously questionable approach to romance.
Picking up where the opening installment left off, Demet Özdemir’s Asli and Sükrü Özyildiz’s Kerem are in a relationship, but it isn’t long until the question of marriage comes up. Over dinner, she states her case that matrimony is nothing but a sham and a scam, and he wholeheartedly agrees with her opinion.
The only problem is that Asli was not expecting that answer, so she makes it her mission to manipulate events to convince Kerem to go down on one knee and pop the question, while he decides to present evidence showcasing that marriage leads to nothing but unhappiness.
Of course, there are hijinks along the way that involve mishaps in communication, borrowed babies, and the rival friend groups pulling out all of the stops to ensure their point of view emerges victorious, but you can’t help but wonder if Love Tactics 2 was trying to be as deliberately conniving and borderline Machiavellian as it turned out to be.
That’s another question for another time, though, especially when you consider subscribers have decided to check it out in their numbers regardless. Per FlixPatrol, Love Tactics 2 has debuted as the third most-watched move on Netflix’s global viewership charts after commandeering a Top 10 spot in 59 countries, and there’s no doubt going to be more than a few couples who end up sharing the exact same opinions as the protagonists, which could lead to some tense conversations afterwards.
Published: Jul 16, 2023 11:33 am