It’s hard to work out what Thank You, Next is aiming for apart from the obvious: it’s a messy romance story that never seems to give up the complexity. The Turkish Netflix series enjoys mixing the hopeless romantic with the murky waters of modern-day relationships.
Thank You, Next follows Leyla, who endures horrible heartbreak from her first love while also being a successful lawyer. She’s assigned to a divorce case of a famous representative separating from his third wife. On the sidelines, a highly ambitious chef can make any food melt in her mouth, which appears to be the single way he gets into her pants. In a nutshell, Leyla has no idea what she wants in life. She’s torn between her unfaithful ex, the pining chef, and a proclaimed wealthy narcissist who likes marrying more than his money.
I liked this series for the most part. The first four episodes are certainly lighter and erring on the edge of romance and comedy than the second half. The latter four episodes throw the audience into flashbacks and further context. It gets more complicated and nuanced, and the tonal difference between both halves is striking. I wasn’t sure what the series was becoming: a personal diary for Leyla and her internal therapy sessions or a love story.
Of course, the finale confirms what you are watching, but I have a qualm with the needless exposition that occurs near the end.
And I think that’s where Thank You, Next suffers. It could have benefitted from being a couple of episodes shorter. I got the point halfway through that Leyla has many choices for men but that her love life is essentially damaged. Navigating romance in your thirties is much more complex than people think, and as someone who has done it, I had sympathy for Leyla. You are not young enough to just have fun but not old enough just to settle. It’s romance purgatory, and I feel the script portrayed Leyla’s imbalance reasonably well.
Thank You, Next isn’t going to make gains like other Turkish series on the platform (Kubra, The Tailor), but it’s worth a shot in case the story continues. I’m certainly sold on Leyla’s life and her counterparts, even if she is surrounded by narcissism and idealism.
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