Yakamoz S-245 Season 1 Review – We all live in a sun-scorched submarine

Episode Guide

Episode 1-| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 3/5

When Into The Night dropped on Netflix back in 2020, it brought with it a lively, exciting premise with a lot of action and a brisk paced. Season 2 delivered more of the same, but left the door wide open for season 3 with its cliffhanger ending. I must confess, going into Yakamoz S-245 I had no idea this was a spin-off series set in the same universe until partway through episode 1. Essentially, Yakamoz plays out as Into The Night Season 3, with the same premise but less likable characters and plenty of dumb, emotionally-charged decisions made across the show.

For those unaware of what’s happened, Yakamoz S-245 takes place in the near-future with the sun belching out a huge sun flare that looks like it’s about to cook the Earth. In order to survive, those on Earth need to run away from the sun (don’t worry, we’re not going into Roland Emmerich territory here), by clinging to the recesses of darkness, shielding from the sun by outrunning daybreak and traveling around the world. While Into The Night showcased this journey through a plane, Yakamoz S-245 instead shifts the focus to a submarine.

Our protagonist here is Arman, a marine biologist on an underwater research mission. Alongside his crew – Defne, Felix, Cem and Rana – the group soon find themselves on the cusp of annihilation. Desperate to outrun the sun, the gang are helped along by the arrival of a military submarine called Yakamoz S-245. Teaming up with the soldiers onboard, they set to work trying to save themselves from certain doom.

In typical action thriller fashion, a lot of the characters make some seriously dumb choices. Not only that, the military sub is full of emotionally charged, unhinged individuals and it doesn’t give a good impression of the military. I know that may sound like a nitpick, for a show revolving around people running from the sun, but it’s important because a few tweaks here and there could have made this a solid flick and certainly one that felt more believable.

The other problem here stems from the action. Yakamoz has barely any downtime for the characters and while that in itself is fine, given it keeps things feeling brisk, there’s always a danger that the series throws too much at you. Take, for instance, a leak in the sub.

Within this scenario, Arman heads out to plug the hole with a soldier called Yonca. They only have 10 minutes to do so before scrambling back inside. That’s a great pitch but then a killer fish arrives and knocks Yonca away. And – oh no! -Arman can’t find her! And then he does. Then they scramble back inside and the fish is never seen again. Moments like this, piling up the dramatic tension as a way of trying to heighten things, actually has an adverse effect, with the show feeling more like a parody than a genuine thriller.

The trouble is, some of this could be downplayed if the visuals and special effects were good – but they’re not. We barely see anything from the sun beyond a few stock establishing shots of our solar system. Even worse, several times the show depicts dead bodies lying across the floor but the distinct lack of make-up, ripped clothes and the like gives the impression that these men and women are just sleeping rather than dead. In fact, at one point early on when the group find a bunch of people in an underground shelter, I genuinely thought they were alive.

The story does have its moments though, and the way this ties in with Into The Night is beautifully handled. This part of the series is great to see and in a way, I wish there was more of it. Although to be fair, the final episode does make it clear that these two shows are going to start coming closer together from now on so we’ll see.

If you’re in the mood for a loud, dumb, action-packed show, Yakamoz S-245 certainly ticks those boxes. It’s far from perfect but in its weird little way, there’s a definite guilty pleasure edge to this one that’ll have you watching through every twist and turn until the end. It’s certainly nowhere near as good as Into The Night, but if you enjoyed that Belgium show, you should find enough to like here too. For everyone else, this one’s passable at best.

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