Yakamoz S-245: Season 1 – Netflix Review

YAKAMOZ S-245 on Netflix should have been called Into the Deep which was supposedly a working title. This would have made it more obvious that the new Turkish series is actually an Into the Night spin-off series. Something you’ll pick up on fast. Read our Yakamoz S-245 season 1  review here!

YAKAMOZ S-245 is a new Netflix series set in the world of the Into the Night series. That one was a Belgian production with a very international cast since the plot begins on a Transatlantic flight. The initial (albeit unofficial) title was Into the Deep which would have been a much better choice than naming it after the military submarine.

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The first series in the universe – read our season 1 review of Into the Night here >

Even if you don’t know that this new Turkish production (which is less international, though English is also spoken) is in the same universe as Into the Night, you’ll pick up on it fast. In fact, later in season 1 the people in this series also come into contact with an airplane.

Continue reading our Yakamoz S-245 season 1  review below. All seven episodes in the season are out on Netflix now.

Going Into the Deep on Netflix

The formula from Into the Night is used in Yakamoz S-245 in many of the same ways. Episode 1 is used to introduce many characters and ends with them realizing that something is very wrong. A weather phenomenon that begins in Asia has proven to be deadly. Or rather, sunlight has become deadly which means people all over the world are dying as the sun comes up.

By the end of episode 1, you’ll also see the huge military submarine with “S-245” written in bold letters surface. This happens just as the core characters and the military arrive at Kos. In other words, episode 2 begins on dry land, but obviously, this doesn’t last.

Again, this Netflix series should have been called Into the Deep. It is a grotesquely missed opportunity that they didn’t. Especially in terms of marketing!

Slow-burn but intriguing

To begin with, Yakamoz S-245 is off to a slower start than Into the Night. I don’t mind really, since introducing characters properly tends to reward us, viewers, down the line. However, when the official description of the show is “a fast-paced story of sci-fi/action-adventure”, then you expect something else.

Also, Into the Night was actually off to a much more fast-paced beginning. When a story begins just as the apocalypse is happening, it tends to be pretty crazy. We’ve seen it with plenty of monster movies (particularly zombie stories) over the years. It’s a great way to get the audience hooked right off the bat.

Plus, Into the Night did actually introduce characters very well. In fact, each episode was named for the character that would be at the center of the story in some way. Finally, the episodes tended to be between 30 and 40 minutes long, whereas the episodes in Yakamoz S-245 are often closer to 50 minutes.

The fast pace of Into the Night was what worked extremely well for that series in season 1. This spin-off does lack a bit of that but it has a lot of other things going for it.

Watch season 1 of Yakamoz S-245 on Netflix now!

Just as he was the creator of Into the Night, Jason George is also the creator of Yakamoz S-245 (or Into the Deep as it should have been officially titled). He is working on several of the popular Netflix shows as a producer – including Ingobernable, Narcos, Jinn, and the awesome Japanese series Alice in Borderland (season 2 is slated to be released in December 2022).

Despite the issues that I feel this new Turkish Netflix series have, it is absolutely gorgeous in terms of production quality and the cast is great. The lead character of “Arman” is portrayed by Kivanç Tatlitug who looks a bit (maybe even quite a lot) like Armie Hammer. Maybe not the most popular person to look like these days, but his charisma is eerily similar and perfect for this role.

If the name of Arman seems familiar from Into the Night, then it’s because he was part of the story in that series as well. He was in episode 6 of season 2. And, remember, the submarine does come into contact with an airplane later on.

For me, season 2 of Into the Night wasn’t nearly as good as the first season (read our season 2 review here). Yamakoz S-245 is probably somewhere in between the two seasons in terms of rating. However, since I did really enjoy the first season, it does mean you should check out this spin-off. Especially if you’re a fan of the original series.

Yakamoz S-245 season 1 is out on Netflix globally from April 20, 2022.

Details

Creator: Jason George
Directors: Umut Aral, Tolga Karaçelik
Stars: Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, Özge Özpirinçci, Onur Ünsal, Güven Murat Akpınar, Ecem Uzun, Alper Saldıran, Ertan Saban, Meriç Aral, Hakan Salınmış, Ece Çeşmioğlu, Ersin Arıcı, Jeremias Kwabenah Acheampong, Mustafa Ersi̇n Arici