A teenage journalist ventures back in time in the Midnight At The Pera Palace Netflix series, and then all hell breaks loose! Esra, a journalist who loves Agatha Christie books and brings it up in every discussion, wants to write about a variety of global issues, but her editor insists that she stick to clickbait. One such briefing requested her to write about the Pera Palace on its 130th anniversary. She met the hotel manager, Ahmet, who gave her background information about the establishment. Ahmet described the various events that happened a century ago as if he had been present when they happened. Ahmet suggested that Esra stay at the hotel since it had started to rain fiercely.
Esra discovered a key next to her bed just before midnight. She assumed Ahmet must have left the key to the door of the room Agatha Christie was staying in. Esra entered the space, crashing on the bed with the key in her palm, ecstatic at the once-in-a-lifetime chance. When the hour reached twelve, there was a violent earthquake, and Esra was suddenly in another time period! Esra’s voyage through history officially began at this point, even though manipulating space and time can never result in positive outcomes, can it?
Warning: Major Spoilers
Who Was Peride? What Happened To Her?
Esra makes an effort to blend in with the 1919 crowd while having beady eyes and being oblivious to the consequences of her actions. However, some surrounding her made snide remarks about her appearance. In those days, the Pera Palace was unquestionably a representation of opulence. From members of the Turkish National Movement to even British army troops, it hosted every significant person in Turkey. When Esra spoke confidently about the Turkish victory, British Prime Minister David Lloyd George’s attention was drawn to her. Esra was not aware that history could be changed. If the history was altered, what could initially appear to be a trivial error could develop into a serious one.
When Ahmet noticed that his finger was becoming black, he knew something was wrong. To locate Esra, he travelled through time. Halit, a merchant who worked for the foreigners and was advised by the British, followed Esra in the meantime. Esra spotted a picture of a woman who resembled her while Era and Ahmet hid from Halit in one of the hotel rooms. They made the decision to return to room 411 and return to their starting point when they felt that Halit was no longer lurking outside their door. (Of course, period dramas involving time travel are not intended for such simplicity.) They found the body of a lady who resembled Esra as they entered the room. Ahmet noticed her handkerchief had the letter P sewn on it; she had passed away just a few minutes before. He identified it as the Peride handkerchief, a historical artefact that the hotel had kept. However, Peride was in charge of a very important historical occurrence. She was expected to alert Gen. Mustafa Kemal of the possibility of a British assassination, which would bolster the Turkish resistance movement. Esra and Ahmet had intended to correct history, which had been altered by Peride’s premature death.
Esra would act as if she were Peride and carry out her duties as required. Esra sets off on this weird adventure knowing very little about Peride’s life in the hopes of accomplishing something she had always aspired to: the solution to a bigger issue.
The Pera Palace Keys And Their Secrets
Ahmet had always thought that he was the only person with knowledge of the Pera Palace’s mysteries. He was aware that time travel could result in disastrous consequences. For more than 30 years, he guarded the room’s key while convincing himself that the world would end if he weren’t keeping an eye on it. But when he got there, he discovered he was mistaken. Peride was aware of the key’s capabilities. She intended to use it to identify the perpetrator and aid Gen. Mustafa Kemal in eliminating him. All the secrets were written in Peride’s diary, and just as Ahmet was trying to comprehend the scope of the issue, he was attacked, and the diary was taken. Ahmet discovered about Dimitri, a hotel employee who was aware of the secrets, from Peride’s diary.
When Ahmet went to Dimitri’s residence, he discovered tens of keys that looked same, which indicated that there were that many entrances. Dimitri forced Ahmet into the sewage after tricking him. He finally managed to escape after battling for days, and he was eager to learn the truth. He obtained Dimitri’s detention on an unfounded charge and promised Dimitri’s release in return for his information. According to Dimitri, his master was the one who initially discovered the keys. He attempted to travel back in time to save his wife after she died young. He came to understand that by altering the path of history, he was becoming evil. He had saved his wife, but afterwards killed her. He had made a number of keys out of the soil from the hotel’s foundation, which had originally been a cemetery, in the hopes that they would be in demand. He assassinated everyone except for Dimitri who knew the location of the keys and their secrets after quickly realising how horrible his plan was.
Dimitri attempted to attack Ahmet again but was unsuccessful. Ahmet made an effort to clarify their purpose for being there. Later, Dimitri began assisting Ahmet and Esra in correcting their error.
Midnight At The Pera Palace Ending Explained: Who Murdered Peride?
Ahmet’s arms turned black as soon as a British official shot Halit. Dimitri thought that Ahmet’s existence was at jeopardy because of a specific change that occurred in the past. Esra and Dimitri were informed by Ahmet that his father was Halit. In order to aid Halit’s recovery, Esra made the decision to go back in time to the discovery of penicillin. Nevertheless, as luck would have it, she was sent to 1917. Halit was someone she met. He was then a struggling young man who desired success. Halit had captured Esra’s heart, especially once she discovered that he was a resistance fighter. Esra and Halit had a passionate moment when she arrived in the past, but she had to leave to go to the future.
Esra went back in time to 1942, and although though this time she discovered penicillin, she was dissatisfied by the alternate history. She observed that George had become the new dictator rather than the Turkish victory. Turkish people were either killed or imprisoned. If Esra didn’t restore the past that was stolen, this is what would happen.
Esra returned to 1919 and gave Mrs. Sonya the penicillin (a waitress who used to be a Russian princess). Ahmet’s mother, Mrs. Sonya, had to fall in love with Halit in order for Ahmet to be born. Halit and Sonya fell in love after three months, although he was constantly looking for Esra (he knew her as Peride s twin sister). Esra confronted him with the death of Peride when they first met since Demitri had seen him flee Peride’s chamber the night of the murder. Halit explained that he discovered Peride’s dead body in the room, that someone else was responsible for the murder, and that the only piece of evidence was a ring. The ring belonged to Sonya and was a prized family relic.
However, why would Sonya kill Peride? Halit had fallen in love with Esra, whom he called Peride, the identity she had taken, as a result of the altering of the past. Having seen Peride’s lifeless body, he was certain she was not Peride. He believed she to be Peride’s sister. This romance—which wasn’t meant to happen—led to a new kind of future. Halit made the decision to leave them in the year 1920, when Sonya was expecting Ahmet, and go in search of Peride/Esra. This infuriated Sonya, who made the decision to go back in time and kill Peride for good. This murder, committed out of jealousy, completely upended the past.
Sonya’s means of locating the gateway key. Sonya was hired by George to steal Peride’s diary in 1919 (the year Esra and Ahmet had travelled), and she also stole a key. She had read the diary and discovered the portal. She used this knowledge in 1920 to go back in time and kill Peride in 1919.
Halit was detained by the Turkish military in the interim for stealing British weaponry. Esra showed video evidence to demonstrate George’s cold-bloodedness. After being freed from jail, Esra and Halit hurried to save Gen. Mustafa Kemal. On the ship he was on, a bomb was detonated. Esra and Halit detonated the time bomb in the water to prevent a new dictator from taking power. Esra bid Halit farewell because she no longer held the belief that history could be changed.
Once more travelling through time, Esra and Ahmet arrived in 1995. On the bed, a baby was discovered. Ahmet thought back to the time when he thought a couple had left their infant in the room and it had been decided to send her to an orphanage. Ahmet then recalled that Esra was the infant’s police name. She was able to meet her young self thanks to time travel. The baby received a key and a photo. It was a photograph of Madam Eleni holding the infant. There was a note attached that instructed the person reading it to use the Gateway of Truth key in order to save her mother (a gateway that can be used to travel to the exact time one wants to). The Nazi emblem on the image provided another another hint.
The past is constantly changing, which makes it appear that the reality is also changing. We can infer that Esra was actually sent here in 1995 rather than being born in that year. She might have been born during the Nazi era, when Jews were fleeing Germany and frequently sought refuge in Istanbul. The mysteries of the hotel must have been known to her parents. So, who were the parents of Esra? Was it yet another attempt to use the doorway to fix the past? Only another season will provide an answer to such questions. Midnight at the Pera Palace has a complex narrative that will leave you wanting more information. This series is worth watching since it’s entertaining to watch, funny at times, and has excellent execution.
Midnight at the Pera Palace is a 2022 Mystery Drama Turkish Television Series created by Sam Anzel, Kelly McPherson and Emre Sahin. Netflix offers streaming of Season 1.
