[1] Valley of the Wolves: Terror (Turkish: Kurtlar Vadisi: Terör) is a short-lived spin-off television series which follows Polat Alemdar in his attempts to infiltrate Kurdish-separatist militant networks in Turkey.
The first episode (which aired on February 8, 2007) had good ratings, but its political content and violence triggered a harsh response from the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK).
Polat Alemdar wages a vigilante struggle against four Turkish families who control the country's economy and helps Ahu Toros, a young businesswoman who lost her father.
Polat kills İskender Büyük, and loses Ebru; their young daughter is taken by Aron Feller to be raised as a Christian in the US.
Professor Martin (a friend of Safiye) was a Templar leader, and plans to destroy Polat's family and kidnap Elif.
Muro: Damn the Humanist Inside (Turkish: Muro: Lanet Olsun İçimdeki İnsan Sevgisine) is a 2008 spin-off film directed by Zübeyr Şaşmaz and starring Mustafa Üstündağ and Şefik Onatoğlu as two revolutionaries recently released from prison who stumble across an illegal organization run by a former friend.
"It addresses Turkey’s years-long adventure with the deep state and illegal formations nested within the state" and "aims to provide an opportunity for movie fans to closely look at the 'deep gangs' that attempted to stir and divide Turkey with subversive plots," according to Betül Akkaya Demirbaş in Today's Zaman.
[7][8][9] "Kurtlar Vadisi became an instant hit with its references to Turkish politics, its unabashed abuse of social sensitivities on patriotism, and with unprecedented scenes of violence that included assassination and torture on television", Hürriyet Daily News reviewer Emrah Güler wrote.
"Not unlike John Woo’s Face/Off, an undercover Turkish agent goes through a set of plastic surgeries to infiltrate the mafia, along with a gunman who walks surefooted in this muddy underworld", Güler continued; "the two go through ordeals of every kind for Polat to become the next baron so that he can break them apart."
"[6] Lead character Polat Alemdar (Necati Şaşmaz) was "established in the image of a mafia-macho Turkish guy", Güler wrote, and was "admired by unemployed and frustrated young men all over Turkey".
Güler describes him as "the Turkish equivalent of 24's Jack Bauer, entangled in the deep state, disguised as a mafia boss".
"Short and ordinary looking," according to Güler, "Polat has a self-defined sense of justice that includes hanging traitors in the city center of Istanbul."
Güler concluded, "The series reached such a cult status that many young men officially changed their names to Polat Alemdar".
[10] The Turkish government's refusal to act on Israeli requests to better censor the series contributed to the deepening of a dispute between the countries which culminated in Turkey's threat to recall ambassador to Israel Ahmet Oguz Celikkol after a controversial diplomatic meeting with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon in January 2010.