Summary
The ending of Letters from the Past makes the bold – and, in my view, correct – claim that none of its revelations make much difference.
Letters from the Past has a pretty predictable ending, but it is, in my view, the right one. This kind of coda, which essentially comes to the conclusion that nothing that happens throughout the Turkish series really matters a great deal, is pretty typical of a show that I couldn’t quite describe my overall feelings about. Episode 8 should feel like an empty conclusion, but it doesn’t, since Elif realising that her quest is ultimately meaningless and that she already has everything she needs is the entire point of her character arc.
This means that it’s much less interesting to write about this finale in terms of what happens – although there’ll be a bit of that – than what it all means, to the characters and, perhaps, to a wider audience, at least those who stick with it until the end. There are several conclusions here that will be highly relatable to anyone who has been – or is in – a similar position, and that’s probably a better takeaway than the simple who, what, where, and when.
Fatma Is Elif’s Mother
Even though Letters from the Past is kick-started by Elif discovering that she was adopted by Fatma, her search for her biological parents only leads her to the conclusion that Fatma was her mother all along, at least where it counted. Biology is one thing, but even though Elif was born of a different woman, Fatma gave her everything she needed in a parent. She was loved, respected, and cared for, and that means more than simply being biologically connected.
Through some of the revelations in the past, Elif also learns more about Fatma, what she has been through and what she has lost, and on that level, she becomes even closer to her, despite Fatma ailing from Alzheimer’s disease. The connection is made stronger, not weaker, by the truth. Elif’s belief that she couldn’t be complete without knowing the details was erroneous; her arc is realising that the details don’t matter.
For what it’s worth, Banu is Elif’s birth mother, and Murat her father. This only comes out after Zuhal claimed the role for herself and embellished it with some fabrications. In the light of the actual truth, Elif experiences the clarity that simply giving birth is only the first step in being a mother; she was taken on the rest of the journey by Fatma.
The Past Is Often Better Left Alone
Even though Elif’s journey is ultimately a positive one, allowing her to better understand who she is and come to terms with her life, a theme that is consistently reiterated throughout Letters from the Past is that of things from the past generally being better left there.
There are many examples of this, such as what the revelation about Seda does to Pelin and Turan. To that point, Seda’s passing caused a world of trouble; since Levente supplied the drugs that killed her, he was arrested and imprisoned following Zuhal reporting him. Mert was in love with Seda and had to carry the pain of her death.
The implication is clear. Our past exists for us to learn and grow from, but ultimately to leave behind. Dredging it back up invariably has negative consequences, and this is generally the case with each revelation that Elif exposes through her journey with the letters. Sometimes, perhaps it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Is Elif’s Quest Ultimately Selfish?
Letters from the Past doesn’t deal in very soapy life-or-death stakes, but by its ending, Elif has nonetheless left a degree of carnage in her wake. As viewers, we’re forced to consider whether her mission has been self-serving, inconsiderate of all the people’s lives she affected along the way.
This isn’t necessarily represented in the show, which allows most characters the mercy of something resembling a happy ending – Mert and Banu starting a relationship, Murat prioritising his son, Elif coming to her own realisation about Fatma, and so on, and so forth. But it’s in the margins. The fact that Elif’s big realisation is ultimately that she knew who she was and had everything she needed to begin with implies that the upset caused along the way might not have been entirely worth it.
It’s something to ponder, if nothing else.
