Skylines – Season 1 Episode 4 “What I Mean” Recap & Review

Golden Wrapped Heroin

Episode 4 of Skylines picks up where we left off from before, and after a shady encounter in a hotel room we cut back to Skylines where the bulk of our drama takes place.

Meanwhile a new kid starting out with Aziz, Omid, is shown around while Jinn continues to run into problems working with Zilan. However, as they head out together, she begins singing in the car and it gives him some inspiration. He tells her she has a nice singing voice and this gives him the fuel he needs to put a new project into plan.

With the drug operation in full swing, Semir confronts Kalifa and tells him he needs to speak to Ardan about his business. As both worlds begin to collide together, Lily is approached at a party while drunk, following an unsuccessful pitch at work. It’s here she’s given the golden wrapped heroin and she takes some, passing out on the floor outside. At the same time we see Sara receiving the same package, learning that these are the drugs currently doing the rounds on the streets. Heading back to the station and being briefed on the Kelmendi case, Sara gets distracted by messages from Kalifa.

Meanwhile, back at the studio Jinn tries to help Zilan carve out her own identity. It seems to work too, until Jinn receives a message and rushes out to the hospital where he finds Lily recovering following her heroin incident.

Violence continues to stir in the streets as the police begin raiding the main station area and the city centre after a shocking drive-by shooting. At the station, Sara tells the authorities she has experience given she used to be a “gutter rat” and has risen up the ranks. She’s asked why she wants to move up to the higher rank of officer, prompting her to give a passionate plea about making the streets safer.

Meanwhile Kalifa confronts his brother about the drug operation he’s been conducting, leading him to lose his temper and smash one of the golden records hanging on the wall.

After her trying ordeal, Jinn returns home with Lily who apologises for going off the rails and what’s happened between them so far. He tells her he didn’t take the apartment and this sets her off again, leaving things between them fractured as she shouts at him and Jinn takes his leave.

Stressed about her interview, Sara instead visits Kalifa and the two wind up smoking and sleeping together, blurring the line between business and pleasure. To make matters worse, after showering she finds him gone after finding one of the golden wrappers in her coat pocket.

Back at the office, Semir sees first-hand the damage of the drug trade on his business as the producers exhibit apathy toward work. Except Jinn, however, who continues to put work first. As he catches one of the guards carrying drugs, Semir snaps and blasts his way into the room holding the drugs, shooting the guards as the episode ends on a cliffhanger.

With the line between the music and drug trade continuing to blur, most of the episode sees Ardan’s influence grow while the Skylines label suffers as a consequence. The final shot of Semir walking through the basement shows as much and it’s a really nice inclusion to the series as a whole, especially as it contrasts against Jinn who continues to work hard. Our characters continue on their journeys here though and as the drug trade gets into full swing, who knows what the future holds for our characters.