i think the worst Hurrem take i've seen is that she suffers from some sort Cersei Lannister-like internalized misogyny where she hates other women and thinks all women apart from herself are weak.

i think she does display internalized misogyny because of her environment, but to call her a woman-hater is a stretch. almost all of her significant relationships are with other women. she seeks out the approval of other women such as Ayse Hafsa. the child she trusts the most is Mihrimah. the most telling, however, is sending Nurbanu to Selim specifically because she believes a strong woman will make him stronger.

what do you think?

Agreed. Hürrem will step over other women and she is prone to jealousy. But she doesn't just hate other women. The example that I tend to use to demonstrate the difference between Hürrem and Cersei is that Hürrem would have ordered that the wedding leftovers be given to the people. And yes, she does try to seek out support from other women as well as being someone who doss show care and empathy for them. After all she is very capable of seeing her own past self in other women. Which was one of the reasons why she approved of Nurbanu/Selim in the first place. And she tells Nurbanu as much. Cersei on the other hand isolates herself due to her paranoia. Hürrem is paranoid and mistrustful, but she still seeks out female friendships.

I do think though that Cersei and Hürrem are versions of the same type of character archetype that is inspires by someone like Livia in I Claudius. But Hürrem is an antiheroic version rather than a straightforward villain and a deconstruction of the archetype.

i dont think is that controversial but this franchise did the eunuchs dirty. noone except Sumbul is a character in their own right and even him doesnt get to do that much. historical eunuchs were one of the most powerful men in the empire

I completely agree. And I think it's a byproduct of how focused the show was on the Dynasty and the aristocrats. Especially in the later seasons of the show.

historical Suleyman had at least 3 more children besides Mustafa while he was a prince. the children in question died very early in his reign (iirc just after Mehmet's birth), leaving Mahidevran the highest ranking. how do you think MC would have played out if they included this plotline? (i mean they sort of did with Gulfem, but i don't count that due to how little importance it played for her character & the events not happening on screen)

Honestly I don't think it would have handled them well. The series has a track record for ignoring children who were 'less central' than the main princes and Mihrimah. That said, if they were handled well I think it would have added a lot of depth to the history of the time in Manisa and potentially deepened things like the dynamic between Gülfem and Mahidevran.

controversial opinion: Rustem was done dirty. i feel like the writers made him such a creep solely to villanize Hurrem. especially considering the fact that historically, Rustem was actually Suleyman's choice for Mihrimah

Exactly. I completely agree. Rüstem is written to be little more than a caricature of a Disney villain/evil henchman. There's not much depth to him outside of his love for Mihrimah (which is creepy and disturbing, since she was a child when they first met and he was a fully grown adult, but he also started to have feelings for her so young as well) and his love for his brother (which ended up getting turned against him as his brother's death was framed as karma as an 'own' on him).

As for his marriage to Mihrimah, he is completely indefensible in that. Due to how young she is. And because he both force her into it, and coerce her through guilt tripping on their wedding night. As for Hürrem, my temptation is to defend her by saying that he forced her hand as well. She was unwilling to agree to the marriage initially but went along with it to keep him as an ally and go back to Topkapi. But let's be honest, this is also meant to be a reflection of how bad a mother she is. She is also very much condemned by the narrative for going along with it. Overall, her association with him is a reflection of her as a person. Both morally and narrativewise. And that is the main point of why he is characterised like that. To push the righteous Mustafa vs. wicked stepmother Hürrem narrative.

do you think there's any symbolism in the fact that Selim is the only child of Hurrem that shares her hair color?

Yes there absolutely is.

I think it's because we're meant to see Selim as the prince who is the most like Hürrem. Mehmet is obedient and loving, Bayezid has her impulsivity and outspokenness and Cihangir has her loyalty, devotion to family, tendency to insecurity and emotion. But Selim is the one who is the most like her. Both deal with their trauma in ways that aren't considered socially acceptable (lashing out and alcoholism - even though in spite of the stigma attached to it addiction isn't something that we should consider a moral failing as such, it's an illness), they're ruthless schemers who do terrible things for their own self interest although they both have something of a conscience still. Not only that, but their political tactics and similar. And they stand in a similar place in regards to the ideology of the show as well.

Both of them have diplomatic skills. In spite of her impressive ability to self sabotage in her interpersonal relationships, Hürrem gets people like Sümbül, Afife and Fahriye to be loyal to her. And she's good at persuading people. So long as she doesn't think that they pose a threat to her. She's able to persuade Hatice to come out of her depressive trance. And she's also able to persuade Kevser Hatun to sell the property to her to help create her foundation. Meanwhile, Selim is able to ally himself with Sokollu Mehmet and Yasef Nasih. Both of whom are valuable to him in terms of power and money. Therefore providing him with an extra advantage in the fight for the throne. Both of their skills in this department are on display when Selim is the protector and Princess Anna visits Hürrem. And they agree to aid Poland in its time of need.

They both also use their loyalty, or the appearance thereof, as a shield to protect themselves and as a weapon against their enemies. Hürrem does this in her conflicts with Ibrahim and Mustafa. Eventually she succeeds at making Süleyman see them as traitors and ordering their executions. And it's a manipulative and horrible thing to do, but it's a very strategic move for her in her circumstances. Meanwhile in his fight with Bayezid, Selim is able to show himself to Süleyman as being the obedient and loyal son to Bayezid's rebel and traitor. Eventually causing Bayezid to both rebel and seek refuge in Persia. Both of them see themselves as doing what they do to protect themselves and their families from the fratricide law. I'd argue that Hürrem is particularly justified in thinking this. Because aside from herself Süleyman is the only member of the Dynasty who prioritises her kids. The rest of them clearly favour Mustafa. And as much as Mustafa loves his brothers, if he comes to power his brothers will most likely die. either the army forces him to agree to their executions or one of his allies would secretly have them murdered without his consent. As for Selim, the show states that Bayezid doesn't have it in him to kill his brother. But Selim is the most unpopular prince, and Bayezid inherits many of Mustafa's military allies. So it's not impossible that a similar scenario could be the case here too.

In terms of the politics of the show itself, Hürrem and Selim are both in a similar place. There's this paradox where they both represent or channel 'oppressive power', but at the same time stand against the concept of the empire. Arguably this is a deeply problematic dichotomy, because that 'oppressive power' is so tied up in the empire itself. It's also linked to the way in which the show lionises the military and conflates military prowess with prosperity. Which is a highly simplistic and problematic view to take. And both Hürrem and Selim stand as oppossing forces to the show's 'military heroes', like Ibrahim, Mustafa, Barbarossa and Bayezid. And the show links their success and the downfall of their enemies specifically to the downfall of the empire. As inaccurate as this is, this once again speaks to the militaristic and imperialistic politics of the show.

hi! could you analyze Bayezid?

Bayezid's side in his rivalry with Selim is very interesting to me. He's clearly written as the more worthy brother who gets sidelined by Selim's ruthlessness and dishonesty. For example when Selim swaps his and Bayezid's work when they're children. And he gets the praise that was meant for Bayezid. So Bayezid is a character who is determined to prove himself and win over a father who he sees as not loving him. As can be seen in the fact that he feels sldelined by how Selim is allowed to go on campaign but he isn't and ends up running away. Which gets him and Hürrem in trouble and get a servant killed. Something that she berates him for. This is a pattern that continues into adulthood.

I see a lot of takes that blame Hürrem for being too partial between her sons and having favouritism, but she just didn't. Her reaction to Selim and Bayezid is how any decent parent would react. And especially in season 4, we see her consistently refuse to choose between them. They're both her sons and she will not abandon either of them. Even when she sends Selim to Manisa, it's a manoeuvre to protect both Selim and Bayezid. And while it ultimately makes their rivalry worse, it makes sense in the context of Mehmet's death. Although it is worth pointing out that this is an example of how the show conflates miliary ability with ruling ability. Because in spite of his unpopularity, Selim seems to be a fairly good diplomat. Especially when working with Hürrem.

Bayezid joins the alliance with Mustafa and Cihangir. And while this was mean to make them look noble and good, to me it made them all look very naïve considering the existence of the fratricide law. It's an example of the way in which the show whitewashes it. That said, it's telling that while he criticises her, Bayezid also defends and supports his mother. And even while doing so, he still tries to financially suppot Mahidevran. It shows a side of him that is willing to see the human side of he conflict and view it outside of this black and white 'good vs evil' framework.

Bayezid's biggest flaw is his recklessness, as could be seen in running away to join the army, secretly going to Manisa to confront Selim or going to Persia. These are all decisions that backfire on him, and it's especially apparent after Hürrem's death. As she is no longer around to protect and cover for him. That safety net is no longer there for him. This contrasts with the clever and careful dishonesty of Selim. Who uses the same strategy as Hürrem of playing the part of the mos loyal supporter while his rival is disloyal.

Bayezid also has early Hürrem's sense of humour. For example, they both do impressions of other people (specifically Sümbüi). Which is interesting seeing as Hürrem was pregnant with Bayezid when Leo died, and so the last living tie to her past was severed in an extremely traumatising way. He almost represents that side of her that she tries to repress (but never fully loses) in a way. So when she's defending him, it's like she's still defending that part of herself as well. And both Hürrem and Bayezid have a warmth and affection for their families. Not only that, but the scene of Hürrem on the slave ship and Bayezid with his children in prison parallel each other in the way they are shot and the music. So that link between early Hürrem and Bayezid is significant.

My main issue with the way in which Bayezid's fall from grace and eventual death are presented, is the way in which it's writen to be more about him as Mustafa 2.0 than about Bayezid himself. When he gets sent to Amasya, the show beats you over the head with the Mustafa comparison. And while it is there and worthy of acknowledging, it feels like it takes over from Bayezid's own arc. Especially considering the enormous amount of favouritism that the show gave to Mustafa in comparison with Hürrem's sons. Mustafa was presented as the rightful heir while the show essentially viewed Hürrem's son as acceptable cannon fodder and little else. They are seen as extensions of her, rivals to Mustafa, obstacles, parallels or foils to him and nothing else. And Bayezid is both a parallel to him and a foil. They're parallels because they're both the militarily inclined rightful heir and a noble hero fighting the 'evil schemers'. And they're foils because where later Mustafa is presented as a flawless martyr who should have rebelled, the show makes it clear that Bayezid's flaw is his recklessness. So we get nothing more than a re-hashing of Mustafa's arc with Bayezid, and it ultimately does Bayezid a disservice.

another take: the attempts to villanize Hurrem often just make her accidentally awesome. like damn she really manipulated her way to the top AND ruined your shitty empire? an absolute queen

it's very mean spirited and misogynistic but i'd take that any day over the "Hurrem is a precious fairytale protagonist that never did anything wrong" interpretation, which is what most polish/ukrainean adaptations go for

Absolutely. She's such a clever and active character. As well as one of the most complex characters in the entire series. Considering how much emphasis is put on her motivations and psychology.

what are your in depth thoughts on Mahidevran?

She's one of the most complex and well written characters in the series. And she is overly hated. Especially in the YouTube comments section. #StopCallingHerMahidevil2k23

It's interesting that while a lot of the same criticisms and defences of her actions apply as to Hürrem, she fits a different character archetype. She's not based on the 'girlboss villain' archetype but more of 'wronged woman who was set aside' type of character. Which is not really a character that I'm predisposed to being as drawn to, since the narratives that those types of characters are in do tend to hold them up while putting down the 'other woman' who replaces her. This tends to manifest in the dichotomy between the martyred and suffering 'set aside' woman and the catty and vulgar 'other woman'. A good example of this is, as much as I like some things about Six the Musical, it definitely treats Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn with this framing at Anne's expense. I think played completely straight and with nothing else to complicate it, this framing is harmful because it perpetuates misogynistic attitudes and the pre-existing social bias against the 'other woman'. So this was the bias that I had going into the series. That said, it would be deeply unfair to hold this against Mahidevran as a character. Because in these situations, it is far more the misogyny of whoever is writing the series that is at fault. Besides, we get a good sense of both the perspectives of both Hürrem and Mahidevran throughout the show. As they each take the protagonist and antagonist roles at different points in the series. And viewing Mahidevran through only the lens of that archetype would not only be extremely oversimplified and reductive, but it would be so inaccurate that it would be misleading.

In the first 2 seasons Mahidevran is more in the antagonist role than Hürrem is, but the show still treats her fairly sympathetically. For her flaws and misdeeds, there is still complexity. While it’s tempting to see her beating up or poisoning Hürrem as pure malice, there is a lot more to it than that. This is a hurt woman who is dealing with a miscarriage, a breakup, and an increased risk to her own son’s life since Hürrem became pregnant. So she is taking it out on an easy target, and someone who is easy to blame. Which is something that happens in these types of toxic systems. People higher up in the hierarchy take out their anxieties and traumas on the people below them. While what she does is wrong, she is not evil for this. She certainly doesn’t have the genuine malice of someone like Ibrahim. And the show takes the time to show us her feelings and her side of the story. And if anyone comes out looking bad it’s Süleyman. Since he is cruel to both her and to Mustafa. It’s also worth pointing out that while she has the political and practical support of the Valide Sultan, she doesn’t have much emotional support. Since she’s just told to repress how upset she is and to get over it.

An interesting deconstruction of the ‘martyred woman put aside’ and the ‘catty and vulgar other woman’ tropes is the fact that Mahidevran is petty and catty towards Hürrem early on (because hurt people hurt people). And Hürrem takes on these traits as a defence mechanism because of the verbal harassment she was the target of early in the show. Most media that covers these types of love triangles doesn’t explore this angle. Instead, this dynamic is more fleshed out. And rather than just condemning one or both of the women, it also explains why and how they act like this. Why does Mahidevran target Hürrem? Because she’s hurt and she sees her as a threat. Why does Hürrem learn to give comebacks (many of which do contain internalised misogyny)? To defend herself from being targeted. It’s not something to condone, but it is deeply human.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Mustafa as a character. Not because he’s a bad person. I just found him uncompelling as a protagonist. Particularly due to the amount of blatant authorial favouritism that he got. But it can’t be denied that Mahidevran looking out for him and giving him genuinely good advice as his mother was definitely touching. And I do think that certain parts of the fandom are far too harsh on her as a mother. When she gives him advice, it is usually sound and in the best interest of his safety. And her reaction to Mustafa’s death was upsetting to watch and Nur Fettahoğlu acted that moment brilliantly.

The way the show approaches the ‘wicked stepmother’ trope is relevant to Mahidevran as well. Even though the show’s ultimate ‘wicked stepmother is Hürrem, Mahidevran arguably can fit this character type as well. She is willing to kill Hürrem’s children in episode 55 if Süleyman dies. Although in her defence she is doing this in order to look out for her own son. And she kills Mehmet in episode 103. While the show is aware of her guilt (re. the sin mirror), the way Mehmet’s death is treated is interesting. On the one hand, Mahidevran killing him fits right into the wicked stepmother trope. On the other hand, the show all but forgets Mehmet’s death and even blames Hürrem more than it does Mahidevran come season 4. So Mehmet’s death is Mahidevran’s cross to bear but it is Hürrem’s sin for sending Mustafa to Amasya. And the show not only subverts the wicked stepmother trope for Mahidevran here, but turns it back on Hürrem. Reinforcing her status as the show’s wicked stepmother. So it feels inconsistent. How Mahidevran processes her guilt is interesting though. Because she clearly feels guilt. She feels uncomfortable when Mustafa says he’s going to name his son Mehmet. But she can never verbalise it. I think that her sense of guilt clashes so much with her self-perception and trauma that it’s something that she can never say aloud. Because saying aloud would mean having to confront it in a way that she just could not do.

I did enjoy Mahidevran’s arc across the final three seasons of coming more into her own as she became more distant from the toxic environment of Topkapi. One of my favourite moments is in season 3 when Süleyman and Hürrem are visiting Manisa and she proudly tells Hürrem that she is being referred to as Valide. It’s very indicative of the potential that she had grown into even by that point. And she only grew as a character from there. Her and Fidan judging Süleyman as he flies into a rage at someone in the marketplace was an iconic moment. My one issue with this arc is that the show conflates criticising Süleyman (for being manipulated and corrupted by ‘wicked’ Hürrem) with criticising power and the hierarchy itself. Which just is not the case. I have already tried to make the case that the show wants to have a ‘fight the power’ aesthetic while also buying into the source of that power. And that definitely applies here. So as good as her arc is, unfortunately her telling Süleyman that ‘The Sultanate is just an earthly struggle’ falls flat for me. Because that ‘Sultanate’ and the schemes and politics are all upheld by conquest - something that the show not only does not criticise but glorifies. And the show celebrates the empire itself. Saying that the system would work if only the right person (in this case Mustafa) was in charge does not constitute a true critique of that system in my opinion. Although this could be applied to how the show portrays Team Mustafa. and Mahidevran is not the character the most affected by this in the slightest.

So my overall conclusion I guess is that I enjoy her as a character, but I struggle with the way in which the show frames certain characters and conflicts. And that affects how I see Mahidevran.

for the ask game, 3 and 4

3. My least favourite take is the underlying assumption behind the gifset that I discussed here. The idea that Hürrem's sons' deaths are her 'karma', or her fault.

4. The annoying people blocked me first. That said, I was tired of their incredibly shallow and obnoxiously bad anti-Hürrem takes.

could you discuss the scene where Hurrem tells a sick Hafsa she was going to expose Ibrahim's affair, leading to Hafsa's death? it was just weird as hell to me because i've seen people accusing Hurrem of doing that on purpose when, logically speaking, Hurrem couldn't have predicted that outcome. she had no idea Hafsa knew of the affair already and that's why she got sick in the first place

and it feels weird because it definetely feels like the writers intended to have Hurrem involved in Hafsa's death when i've already said it doesn't make sense. plus in the scene itself Hurrem isn't even gloating or anything. she actually tells Hafsa she respected her despite everything

Yeah. I think Hürrem didn't intend to kill Ayşe Hafsa. She was just being honest. It's one of those things that people who dislike Hürrem can easily use against her, but really doesn't hold water.

I think that it is a moment that comes off as meant to present Hürrem as villainous. Especially in the context of everything else she was doing at the time such as staging the attacks on Ayşe Hafsa and Gülfem, and the role that her actions here play in turning Hatice against her. But there is more to it than that.

Ayşe Hafsa's worldview rests on a fantasy view that there is nothing wrong with her family, and that everything is perfect. And that is challenged by the revelation about Nigar and Ibrahim. And Hürrem didn't intentionally kill her, but her revealing her intention to expose the affair represented a fundamental threat to that family dynamic that Ayşe Hafsa held so dear. And it can be seen as a microcosm of the threat that Hürrem herself represents to the order (although the series takes away the significance of the Haseki title by also giving it to Mahidevran when historically it was created specifically for Hürrem) by standing against the dynasty and through precedents such as her marriage to Süleyman. And while the series isn't entirely unquestioning of things like the toxic hierarchical system, the stance that it takes is one that is fundamentally pro-empire and pro-Blood Royalty. And as such Hürrem gets villainised in comparison to people like Ayşe Hafsa and Hatice.

hii! what are your thoughts on Hurrem's relationship with Nurbanu?

It was very interesting. In many ways, Nurbanu is a lot like a younger version of Hürrem. Petty, clever, protective, passionate, ruthless and ambitious. I have some posts already about this but the tagging system ate them up. That said, overall I think it was a really good dynamic. I liked how Hürrem saw her younger self in Nurbanu and how Nurbanu wanted to become like Hürrem. And of course Nurbanu has several moments in her character arc that parallel Hürrem. They were inevitably always going to end up on opposing sides in my opinion. They were too similar to each other and their interests were no longer going to be aligned after Mustafa's death. Because Hürrem's goal was to make sure that Selim and Bayezid both survived as long as possible and Nurbanu's goal was to ensure Selim and Murad's safety and get them on the throne. So while Hürrem wanted to protect Bayezid as best she could, Nurbanu and her family were safest if Bayezid was out of the picture. That said, in spite of the growing conflict between them, Nurbanu is the character who is the most similar to Hürrem and shares the most parallels with her. Her conflict with Mihrimah is very much written as the new generation's version of Hürrem vs. Süleyman's sisters (even though it has far less development) and she is the Hürrem to Bayezid's Mustafa. In addition, I think both women kind of got done dirty by how the show framed them towards the end. They were both kind of villified in their way. At least in Hürrem's case she has 4 seasons worth of complexity and development and the show is more sympathetic to her in the leadup to her own death. (Not to mention that when it does come time for Mustafa's death, she very clearly is written not to be a cartoon villain even though the show is not siding with her and is clearly condemning what she does. The fact that she a) points out the fact that there was always going to be a conflict between them and b) is explicitly shown feeling remorse add a much needed layer of nuance to what was a very black-and-white conflict). Nurbanu doesn't get this unfortunately. So she comes off as less sympathetic and more villainous than Hürrem does.

i always felt like, despite causing some drama with Hafsa, Suleyman's marriage to Hurrem ended up a bit meaningless. i think Hurrem's big victory at the end of season 2 should have been both her leading the harem AND the wedding. what do you think?

Honestly I think this is just one of the many ways in which the show took away from how unprecedented her rise was. Because the impact of that happening after Hafsa's death would have definitely been greater than what we got.

au where Suleyman dies during the Rhodos expedition (so when Mihrimah is still in the womb and Mehmet is a baby). considering Mehmet would be left alive, how do you see the rest playing out? do you think Hurrem and Mahidevran would become allies?

Mahidevran would become the Valide Sultan, but Ayşe Hafsa would give her a lot of support. Between them Mahidevran, Ayşe Hafsa and Ibrahim would have run the empire until Mustafa came of age.

I don't know what happens to Hürrem and Mehmet. But I can easily see Hürrem being sent to the Old Palace with Mihrimah while Mehmet grew up with Mustafa in Topkapi. I agree that Mehmet wouldn't have been killed yet. Since Mustafa wouldn't have an heir yet. And that would be the basis on which Ahmet would base his decision to spare his brother Mustafa. But the decision was that this would be the case until Ahmet had a son. So I can see a similar arrangement happening with Mehmet. He'd probably get sent to Amasya when the time came to send him to a sanjak. That said, I think that when that point came, Mehmet wouldn't have been as lucky as Mustafa. Mahidevran and Ibrahim were both aware of the fratricide law. And Mahidevran especially understood that Mehmet's life put Mustafa's rule at risk. So she would see it as an awful thing to do, but necessary to protect him. And Ibrahim would have absolutely no qualms about killing Mehmet. Mustafa's own decision wouldn't necessarily be as important this early on in his life. So it would be Mahidevran and Irbrahim making the decision for him.

controversial opinion: Hurrem should have cheated. i know it would be out of character and she wouldn't risk her children's lives just so she could get it but DAMN how i wished to see her screw over Suleyman

He would have absolutely deserved that. And morally I don't really have an issue with it. She was enslaved to serve him. And for some reason there's this double standard that he can treat her how he wants - including cheating on her - but she has to be perfectly obedient and loyal at all times. And even give her life for him if he asks that of her. However, it would be a disservice to her character. Since she is far too smart to do something like that. There's also the risk that it would make her less sympathetic to the more misogynistic parts of the audience of the show. And that it would make things like Ibrahim killing Leo seem more justified to them as well. It would therefore ruin the whole point of that arc. Which was about her being unfairly punished for having a past and not neatly conforming to the palaces rigid standards for 'property'. The message would still be here, but it's ruined if so many more fans just would miss it entirely in favour of demonising her. We do still live in a world where it’s seen as more acceptable for men to cheat than women.

That said, I do ship her with Mahidevran. Them both realising how shitty he was to them and getting together instead would be something I’d live for.

hi! if you were in charge of another adaptation, how would you handle hurrem's character arc?

also, by "another adaptation" i mean full creative liberty, like anything from minor stuff to casting someone younger as her

I've answered similar asks to this before. But I would

Handle her transition from an immature person who was a terrible friend to a better friend more smoothly.

Get rid of at the very least most of the concubine arcs.

Not lean into the whole 'malign force who corrupted Süleyman' narrative as much as the show does.

Not romanticise the abuse that Süleyman puts her through.

Not make her as much of a stereotypical 'mean girl' character as much. I think that did a huge disservice to the real Hürrem.

Give more credence to the perspective that she has that her kids would die if Mustafa comes to power. Because it's very likely true (even though Mustafa doesn’t want his brothers to die), and it's something that the show seriously downplays in order to build up Mustafa at the expense of Hürrem and her kids.

Give more of a substantive counterargument to the whole 'She is responsible for her children's deaths' thing. Mostly in the cases of Mehmet and Bayezid though.

Spend more time on her charity work. This really needed more screentime in my opinion.

hii!!! what are your thoughts on show!Mihrimah? she was so wasted tbh her historical counterpart was interesting as hell

I've answered another ask about her here. That said, I felt sympathy towards her quite a bit. She went through some pretty awful things, like losing most of her family and having been married off to a creep. However, there was a lot that also frustrated me about her. The show tried to keep her likeable while also having her do some objectively terrible things and girlbossifying her at the same time. While I think that combination worked better for Hürrem, I don't think it worked as well with Mihrimah. The show did girlbossify Hürrem to a degree, but it doesn't generally praise her when she does bad things. For the most part, the narrative and framing hold her to account for her crimes. Whereas this isn't really the case for Mihrimah.

As for her power, the show tried and failed to make her seem powerful. To the best of my knowledge, she essentially ran the harem during Selim's reign. But in the show we only see her in a role of that power during Hürrem's kidnapping and after her death. But she leaves when Selim takes power. Instead leaving Nurbanu in charge and with Safiye to fight her. So her power in the show is essentially meant to be a placeholder for Hürrem's rather than being the power she actually had.