Summary
Yakamoz S-245 fits snugly into an already-established universe, providing a promising new perspective with enough intriguing overlap to satisfy existing fans.
This review of Yakamoz S-245 Season 1 is spoiler-free.
I didn’t know that Netflix’s new series Yakamoz S-245 was set in the same universe as Into the Night, a pretty good thriller about a cosmic calamity that has enjoyed two seasons on Netflix. I suspect some others might not know that either, which is why I’m leading with it, since it’s kind of important. This is an adjacent storyline with overlapping events and interwoven plot strands that’ll doubtlessly have a symbiotic relationship with Into the Night going forward. It doesn’t just matter on its own terms, but as a segment of a shared universe that we already know has its fans.
Of course, this doesn’t answer the question of whether Yakamoz S-245 is any good, so I’ll answer that next – yes, it is. Much like Into the Night, it relies on a group of relatively interesting characters being crammed into the same tight space as the world seemingly ends around them, and it has a similar fascination with the unknown. Directors Umut Aral and Tolga Kara capture something that was essential to the first season of Into the Night – the idea of everyone involved, and indeed the audience, not having any real idea of what’s happening.
This isn’t to say that the show is confusing; it’s actually quite stripped-down in its drama, focusing mainly on the clashing egos and shrinking options that are brought to the forefront by the sun’s rays suddenly becoming lethal. There are big-picture influences and involvements that stretch from local government to NATO, but at its core this, like Into the Night, is a human show about how people respond to disaster and uncertainty.
The plane of Into the Night is replaced here by the titular Yakamoz S-245, a submarine stocked by mismatched individuals including old-flame scientists Arman and Defne, who have been briefly reunited to explore the Erena Trench in an expedition funded in a roundabout way by Arman’s father, with whom he isn’t on the best of terms. The crew also includes Defne’s assistant Rana, an oceanographer (Felix) and a marine biologist (Cem). After disaster strikes, everyone rendezvouses with the Yakamoz and heads for the nearest shelter.
Naturally, in close confinement and within the turmoil of a hostile sun, all kinds of subplots, conflicts, and clashes begin to emerge, all of which form the bulk of the drama across seven episodes, each running under an hour. Some of those episodes feel bogged down, and the drama runs a little cool in them, but there’s enough mystery and urgency for the show to never become boring even as it wavers in intensity. This universe definitely has legs, and this clutch of characters could sustain another spin-off season if the juice is worth the squeeze for Netflix. Time will tell in that regard, but I don’t think we’ve seen the end of this story quite yet.
You can stream Yakamoz S-245 Season 1 exclusively on Netflix.
