Episode 7 of the captivating second season of "Midnight at the Pera Palace" propels us back to the tumultuous year of 1941, where the fate of Lili takes a tragic turn as she's captured and vanishes into the shadows. In her absence, Halit bears the burden of updating Esra on the dire state of affairs. The past five months have been nothing short of a nightmare, with the Gateway's sinister grasp extending to Ahmet, transforming him into a shell of his former self.
Ahmet now calls Halit 'father' and behaves like a lost child, while the nation teeters on the brink of chaos. Mumtaz's influence has metastasized, and the streets are a canvas of anarchy. Even more heartbreaking, news arrives that Lili has met her end, her lifeless body discovered amidst the chaos, her jewelry the only clue to her identity amidst a tide of other murdered women. The city's avenues have become perilous for women, prompting Halit to embark on a desperate quest to find Ahmet, who has recklessly ventured out alone. Urging Esra to remain safe, Halit embarks on a perilous journey through the Gateway of Truth, determined to alter the course of events and save Ahmet from his fate. Yet, he keeps his intentions hidden from Esra, choosing instead to confront the Gateway's mysteries once more and plunge into the depths of time.
Esra, fed up with idleness, decides to brave the treacherous streets despite the omnipresent danger. She encounters a predictable wave of abuse and must navigate a labyrinth of authorities, each a potential threat. Her resolve leads her to the Tan Newspaper, where her sudden appearance stirs shock and disbelief. Here, she uncovers that Meliha, a defiant voice against the tide, was abducted for her unwavering journalism. Inspired, Esra conceives a daring plan: by adopting Meliha's pen and publishing articles under her own name, she might unravel the secrets of where Meliha and countless other women are being held captive.
After disseminating the news and securing a front-page headline, Esra boldly strides into the broadcast center, commandeering the airwaves with a defiant presence. She boldly declares her vitality, taunting Mumtaz as a coward and unmasking the sinister truth behind the women's abductions. Amidst a flurry of activity, Esra eludes a swarm of five or six guards, her escape a testament to the indomitable force of narrative armor. Miraculously, she is whisked away by Halit's trusted lieutenant, rescued from the clutches of danger.
Esra's next move is calculated, as she deliberately exposes herself in a bustling courtyard, feigning vulnerability to be abducted. She cunningly instructs Ahmet to tail her captors, tasking him with uncovering their hideout and alerting both the police and Halit to her plight. Her plan unfolds as intended, with Esra being rendered unconscious and bundled into the back of a car amidst the chaos. Ahmet, though determined, meets with misfortune, crashing his vehicle before reaching the destination, leaving him powerless to stop the impending doom.
Meanwhile, at the train station, a grim revelation awaits: Mumtaz holds a train filled with captive women, Lili miraculously among them, alive and imprisoned. Ahmet's frantic attempts to seek justice falter as his disheveled state renders him uncredible to the authorities. With the investigation closed, Ahmet finds himself imprisoned, facing a death sentence looming the very next day.
On the fateful dawn of January 1st, 1941, Halit's journey through time intersects with his past self, a meeting fraught with urgency. The elder Halit warns his younger counterpart against Mumtaz's treachery, imparting all he has learned, including the quest to find Esra and the trials they've endured. His vengeance is palpable, a desire to consign Mumtaz to his doom in that very alley. Yet, the encounter is marred by excruciating headaches, a grim reminder of the Gateway's toll.
Halit's leap back through time leaves him disoriented, the present unchanged yet weighted with the consequences of his temporal odyssey. He struggles with the aftermath of the Gateway, his body wracked by seizures.
Back at the train, Esra's world is turned upside down when she discovers Meliha's waters have broken, signaling the imminent arrival of new life. The scene unfolds with breathtaking swiftness, a childbirth so rapid it borders on the fantastical. Amidst the miracle of birth, a twist of fate reveals Meliha has given birth to twins, but at a cost—her own life. Esra's despair deepens as she grapples with her own struggles to breathe, her cries for help echoing through the train carriage. Tragically, one of the newborns also struggles to take its first breath, their fates intertwined in a moment of sheer desperation.
