Written and directed by Mert Baykal, the eight-episode Netflix series “Hot Skull” builds its premise on familiar grounds, where a deadly virus named ARDS has become the scourge of the world. One fascinating thing that I noticed while watching the series was that, before 2020, whenever we watched such a series, we considered it a fearful and fascinating imagination that might never come true, and that is why we referred to the genre as science fiction. But now, a word like “pandemic” is relatable to us, and we can spot similarities where we know what has been inspired by real life and what is merely a figment of our imagination. The scariest part is that you entertain the possibility of the world turning into something like what has been shown in the series. “Hot Skull” has a lot to say, which is quite evident from the 70-minute episodes that are stuffed with as much information as the writers could. The performances are brilliant, and even the premise holds its ground for at least the first few episodes, if not more. But the problem is that it is very hard to maintain the suspense, thrill, and adrenaline boost for such a long period of time. Also, the Turkish series spends a lot of time establishing premises and characters that do not supplement the main plot, which thereby makes its pace feel even more sluggish. So, let’s see what “Hot Skull” has in store for us and where the journey of the protagonist leads him.

Spoilers Ahead

‘Hot Skull’ Plot Summary: What Is The Series About?

Murat knew that there was something inside his skull that was making him immune to the semantic virus that had spread across the world. The pandemic started eight years ago, and people believed that they would eventually get rid of the virus or find a vaccine. But even after so many years, the scientists hadn’t found a solution, and people were left with no choice other than to get accustomed to the new reality. The biggest problem was that the virus spread through speech. A person affected by the virus started jabbering and talking nonsense. As soon as another person heard their jabberings, they also got infected and that is why they had headphones on their ears at all times. The infected people were kept inside the quarantine zones that were behind the huge walls that divided the city into many parts. Out of the lot, Zone 6 was probably the most unsupervised and chaotic and generally people abstained from going there. A lot of members of a rebel group called Plus 1 used to operate from there. There were a lot of secrets hidden in the alleys of Zone 6, and Murat knew that, eventually, he would have to go inside the area to get answers to his questions. Murat always stayed low because he knew that as soon as the Anti-Epidemic Institution (AEI) got to know about his condition, he would be made a lab rat, and all sorts of experiments would be conducted on him.

The AEI had the reputation for enforcing extreme measures under the pretext of public order, and that is why the Plus 1 group vehemently protested against them. The AEI was extremely ruthless towards the infected people, and they treated them as mere fodder. The infected people were separated from their families, and AEI never hesitated to resort to violence. If it were solely left up to the chief of the Marmara region, Fazil, he wouldn’t even flinch before slaughtering each and every one of them. But thankfully, there was resistance present on the outside and even inside the government. There were still people who thought about the greater good. Anton, who worked for the AEI, got to know about Murat’s special condition when the latter was locked inside a supermarket with an infected person but still came out of the place unharmed. Anton was hopeful, as for years he had been searching for a cure. Though initially, he didn’t know Murat’s name, he had an intuition that he was somehow related to Project X. When Anton confirmed his doubts, he launched a search mission, as he wanted to find Murat and save his family at all costs. Even Murat wanted to find out about his friend and colleague, Ozgur, whom he believed had died in a fire outbreak. Though some felt that it was a boon to have such inbuilt immunity, Murat wanted to get rid of it. He wanted to find Ozgur, as he was the only one who could turn him back to his original state. Murat’s quest led him to the dreaded Zone 6 and there he met people who tried to convince him to fight for their cause and use his immunity to his advantage. 

Why Did Fazil Not Want A Cure Of The Virus? What Was Project X?

Plus 1 had realized that the authorities were not looking for a cure, which is why a faction inside the organization wanted to resort to violent methods to pin down the government and its employees. Murat, on the other hand, had found out that Ozgur, the person who had conducted an experiment on him and left him to deal with his hot skull, was still alive. Ozgur was hiding in the city itself, and what made Murat even angrier was the fact that he never tried to establish contact with him. But Ozgur had some very strong reasons for not doing so. Sule also wanted Murat to find Ozgur, as she knew that the probability of finding a cure would be increased when both of them were together. Ozgur told Murat that after Kocaeli was infected, Fazil wanted to slaughter each, and every jabberer present there.

Fazil had fabricated the report, and he was claiming that the jabberers were trying to communicate with each other and orchestrate a coup to seize power. Fazil was not a scientist, so he needed authorization from Ozgur. Ozgur was a part of the ongoing research on the virus, and he knew that whatever Fazil was claiming was absolutely untrue. During that time, Ozgur was also conducting experiments on Murat, and he kept his findings hidden from the world and started saving them in a file named Project X. Fazil got to know that the researchers were conducting experiments on high-level jabberers, and he decided that he would have to take some active steps to reach the position of power he had always desired. He came and told Ozgur that under the new quarantine rules, research and rehabilitation had been suspended. Fazil went through the Project X file, and he read the detail where it was mentioned that Patient X was exposed to a jabbering of level six. Fazil just lost his temper after he read in the report that the scientists were on the path to finding a cure for the virus. Fazil knew that all his future plans would be destroyed if the cure came on the market. His career had skyrocketed after the epidemic, and he wanted the status quo of Istanbul to remain the same. Fazil knew that if circumstances had been normal, he wouldn’t have been made the head of the Kocaeli region so easily. Not finding any other way, Ozgur attacked Fazil, but to no avail. Fazil put the whole lab on fire and left the place with all the files and information on Project X. After that day, Fazil believed that Ozgur had been killed in the laboratory fire, but in reality, he had managed to escape somehow. He had taken out his badge and put it on another victim’s body, and that is why the authorities believed that Ozgur had died that day. Fazil pretended in front of the world that he didn’t know anything about the fire, but Ozgur saw him playing with the trust of the people, while he was forced to hide from the world. That is why, when Anton came to Fazil, telling him that he had reasons to believe that Murat and Ozburg were still alive, instead of getting happy about it, he became all paranoid and asked Anton to immediately stop his ultra-vires investigation. It was very amusing for Anton, and he couldn’t understand why Fazil was doing so. Anton was more interested in the cure as his wife and son had been infected, and he had not informed the authorities about it. Project X had given him a lot of hope, and he finally felt that his family would once again get back to normal.

Fazil had banned the rally that was going to happen on the anniversary of the Kocaeli massacre, as the new Marmara lab was being inaugurated that day, and he didn’t want any kind of controversy happening. Fazil dreamt that one day he would have absolute decision-making power and complete control over the system. But what he didn’t know was that Murat had already started working towards finding a vaccine, and he, with the help of Plus 1, was making progress by leaps and bounds. Murat had lost his wife Derya to the virus, and he didn’t want to lose even a single loved one now. 

‘Hot Skull’ Ending Explained: Was Murat Able To Find A Cure For The Virus? Did Fazil Catch Murat?

In the eighth episode of “Hot Skull” we saw that the entire city was shocked to hear the news of the bombing of the Marmara Lab. Murat and Sule knew very well that, even if the Hawk Wing was not behind the attack, the blame would be put on them alone. Fazil Eryilmaz had killed two birds with one arrow. Suat Gurbay had died in the bombings, and Fazil could now show the world that he was justified in waging war against the Plus 1. Fazil had publicly announced that Suat would be his successor, and he had gotten word from Murat that a group of people would be attacking the lab. Fazil had told Haydar to arrest the men when they came and to also make some secret arrangements about which nobody knew anything. But Haydar saw that a shuttle was stopped near the gate, and apparently it was not his men who had done so. Murat had already told Anton to catch Hakan and others who were going to attack the lab. Fazil had realized that the attack was not going to happen, and he had to resort to his plan B. He and Suat inaugurated the new lab before he ordered Haydar to bomb the entire structure.

The first thing that Suat would have done after becoming the chief was to reopen the investigation of Project X and the laboratory that had caught fire accidentally. Suat had evidence that proved that the fire was started on purpose, as someone from the administration didn’t want Ozgur and other scientists to find the cure for the virus. Fazil knew that he couldn’t let that happen, as his whole life would be destroyed. Fazil showed the world how generous and magnanimous he was by allowing the Plus 1 group to conduct a rally and letting Suat take over proceedings. Fazil informed the high command that a high-level inquiry would be conducted from his end, and the perpetrators who had committed such treason would be put behind bars. Once again, the responsibility of leading the Marmara branch was entrusted to Fazil, who demanded that he be given full authority to deal with the matter in his own way.

The next day, Fazil conducted a press conference and declared that Plus 1 would pay the price for their actions. There was widespread chaos in Zone 6. The rebel group knew that their lives were in extreme danger, and they had to either hide or abandon their homes if they wanted to stay alive. Murat had decided that his mother, together with others, would go to Armutlu. Though not everyone was allowed to enter there, Anton had some sources on the inside who had arranged everything. Murat, Arif, Sule, and other young members went to inform the others of what was coming their way. Hakan was still stubborn enough to believe that he could fight the forces, who had been given instructions to catch the leaders alive and bring them to headquarters. Sule, Murat and Arif came onto the road and ran to save their lives. Arif sacrificed his own life to save Murat and Sule. He got shot multiple times, though he was still breathing and somehow alive. Murat, unable to think of any place where he could be treated, took him to Ozgur’s den. Ozgur did whatever he could, but Murat knew that Arif needed to be taken to a proper hospital. Murat called Anton, who was taking the elderlies to Armutlu, and told him that he needed his help to get to Victor’s hospital. Though Murat was able to reach the hospital, Arif’s condition was still very delicate. Victor had told them that he couldn’t say anything for certain as the bullets had done a lot of damage already. Arif fought for his life but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Murat felt in debt, and deep down, he couldn’t forgive himself. When he attended the funeral of Arif, he promised himself that he would not leave anybody behind, even if it meant he had to risk his life. Towards the end of the eighth episode of “Hot Skull,” we saw that Murat had already told Erol to make the arrangements as they were leaving Istanbul. He had also informed Ozgur in case he changed his mind and decided to come with them. The AEI arrived at the scene, but Murat didn’t want to leave without Haluk. He knew that Haluk knew something that would help them find an antidote to the virus. Haluk was not saying anything, but Murat was somehow connected to him and often saw him in his dreams. Even Ozgur didn’t know the reason for that connection. He had tried the same experiment with multiple people but only Murat had shown positive response to it. Time and again, in “Hot Skull,” we saw that Murat went and sat in front of the glass chamber, where Haluk was kept. Murat hoped that Haluk would say something that would help their cause, but sadly that didn’t happen. 

Victor, Sule, Anton, Murat, and Haluk left for Sütlüce, where Erol was waiting for them. They were attacked by soldiers, but Haluk did something to them, and they started jabbering. Probably for the first time, in “Hot Skull,” we saw how powerful Haluk was and what a good decision Murat had made by not leaving him behind. Erol informed Murat that their location had been compromised by someone on the inside. Haydar and his men had already arrived at the docks, and there was no chance that Murat and others could leave from there. Erol was the kind of man who always had some trick up his sleeve. Murat knew that, and he asked him to come up with some other plan, as they had to leave the city at all costs. Murat believed that Ozgur might have been the one who gave away the details of his plan. Murat couldn’t think of anyone else who could do that, but he was probably mistaken. Anton chose to not accompany them as his wife and son were still hiding with Senel in the quarantine zone. Fazil had been deceived into believing that he had Anton’s family in his custody, but those people were doppelgangers.

Erol asked his friend Sabiha to do him a favor and bring a water plane to rescue them. Sabiha did not seem like a very efficient pilot, but that was the only option they had. Murat asked Sabiha to take them to Bolu, as that was where Haluk was found after he was infected with the virus. Murat knew that there would be some secrets hidden there that would provide him with the answers that he had been seeking for such a long time. One more shocking fact that was revealed in the 8th episode of “Hot Skull” was that Sule was in constant touch with Fazil. Murat was shocked when he picked up an incoming call and heard Fazil’s voice on the other end. Murat had believed that their location was given to Fazil by Ozgur, but now he knew that Sule could also be the informer who was leaking information. We don’t know why she was talking to Fazil, but we know for sure that apart from finding out how he was connected to Haluk, Murat now had the additional task of finding where Sule’s allegiance lay. The battle had not ended. Murat knew that once he had found a cure, he would come back to save his people. He knew that Istanbul couldn’t be under Fazil’s control, and moreover, he was the only hope for people like Anton. 

“Hot Skull” is a 2022 Science Fiction Thriller series created by Mert Baykal.