Atiye (The Gift) – Season 3 Episode 8 (Finale/Ending) Recap & Review

The Power Of Love

Episode 8 of Atiye (The Gift) Season 3 starts this finale with Aden crouching down beside Ozan. Rage-fueled grief bubbles to the surface as she remembers their moments together.

Aden takes off, abandoning Dara and choosing Melek inside. Melek predictably stirs things up, telling the girl that this is their chance to hit humanity back in the weak spot. Aden needs to show what she’s capable of – and that comes from a display of power. On Melek’s dashboard happens to be that ticking countdown timer from before.

Atiye and Ehran look set to leave but they’re stopped by a frantic Umut arriving. She tells them about the writing on the wall, which they quickly translate as Melek Yilmaz. Why did she write this? Who knows, but it is a convenient clue to go on.

Using this knowledge, Erhan and Atiye head back inside and examine the picture of a tree up on the wall again. It seems this is describing a day in which the gates to the new world will open. According to legend, the planets align with Sirius and the Sun once every 170o years. And what would you know, that time is now! This explains the countdown – given today is the fateful day – and Aden is going to perform the ritual at Göbeklitepe. The place where it all began.

Aden and Melek make it to the site, which happens to be this area we saw earlier in the season with the two pillars extended out the ground. It’s now up to Aden though, who heads on alone as the sunset quickly descends to night. We’ll just brush over that bit of hasty editing!

With fires all around, Aden steps up to this ritual area. This happens to be the same place we’ve been seeing a lot of in the visions. Melek holds up Atiye and Erhan at gunpoint though, making sure they don’t interfere with what’s about to take place.

Now Melek spills the truth. She was the one who killed the protectors, poisoning them all off the back of her jealous rage. She killed everyone but left Umut alive on purpose while taking the slab and hiding it in the vents.

After divulging everything that’s happened, Erhan wrestles the gun from her while Atiye heads down to the ritual site. Aden offers herself though, lying on the stone slab as gusts of wind pick up.

Fireballs slam to the floor from meteorites as the world looks set to end. Melek meets an untimely demise too as she ends up smashing her head on some rocks.

Erhan shows up at the ritual site and professes his love for Atiye, deciding that now’s a good time to hug it out. In doing so though, their love triggers something in Aden. Ah, the old “power of love” gimmick. Gotcha!

Anyway, the fireballs stop and the ritual ends. Aden steps up back, seemingly done with this prophecy now and symbolically called Erhan “Papa.”

The trio walk together, through the smoldering ruins as they make it back to a tranquil forest. Everything is wrapped up with a neat bow here, with the prophecy now broken and our characters living out their happily ever after.

The Episode Review

Atiye wraps everything up with a conveniently contrived finale, one that shows that the power of love is what’s really needed all this time. Despite some interesting ideas with parallel worlds, Egyptian and Christian symbology – including this Eye of Horus idea – Atiye wraps up as best it can while leaving numerous questions unanswered.

What was going on with all those TV screens? I get that this is connected with the Eye of Horus and the rocks but unless I’m mistaken, it’s never actually fully explained how it all connects together.

What is explained however, is the massacre Umut’s Aunt was referring to. Finding out that Melek was responsible all this time is a nice touch, while the higher power that Melek was working for is, presumably, this Eye of Horus.

Cansu gets her bittersweet conclusion, losing Ozan with the last we see of her lying with his body. By comparison, Atiye, Erhan and Aden get a happy ending, with the last scene contrasting from the desert and showing a much more lush oasis.

Of course, it was always going to be difficult to wrap up a story that had so many moving parts and in a way Atiye falls foul of that.

However, the show has been undeniably enjoyable and while the ending is perhaps a little contrived with a cliched “power of love” moment, there’s enough in this to enjoy nonetheless.