The scene is set in a dark room where two men argue. “The Chief” gives a tongue-lashing to the other: “Who are you to distribute all this money? Whose money is it anyway?” The other replies, “We are distributing our association’s funds to our suffering people.” The debate goes on, with words such as “leadership,” “revolution” and “bourgeoisie” repeated often. The jargon is clearly that of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and the “party leadership” is a reference to Abdullah Ocalan, its imprisoned leader.

The series in question, as most Turkish TV watchers would know, is “Valley of Wolves,” a very successful enterprise on both TV and cinema for most of the last 15 years. “Valley of Wolves,” produced by Turkey's Pana Film, has had several iterations on TV and four movies. Only the last one flopped last year. In most of the episodes, Kurds are portrayed as villains involved either in terrorism or trafficking. One of the characters in “Valley of Wolves: The Trap” is Muro, a poorly dressed PKK commander who spouts mindless propaganda in oddly accented Turkish and speaks dramatically of the suffering of “his people.” Muro, played by actor Mustafa Ustundag, is also involved in illegal trade.

There is also Zaza Dede, an elderly man whose name, Zaza, is derived from one of the dialects of the Kurdish language. He heads a major crime ring that commits burglary, extortion and even kidnapping. His accent is as bad as Muro’s and he is the sworn enemy of the series’ hero, Polat Alemdar, played by actor Necati Sasmaz, a die-hard supporter of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in real life.

When the series started in 2003, it largely focused on the illegal activities of different groups within Turkey. Mainly due to its fast-paced action and charismatic lead, the series is popular and its actors trendsetters. The rugged, patriotic hero of the series and the actor who plays him have both become style icons, with Polat’s signature costume of dark glasses, button-down white shirts and pointed shoes. When the series came to an end, Turks expressed serious disappointment, leading the producers to create one sequel after another. Not all were glowing success stories: One of the seasons, called "Valley of Wolves: Terror," which focused on PKK terrorism and mafia-PKK links, was stopped after two episodes for overt incitement to hatred. The last one, “Valley of Wolves: Homeland,” was a box-office flop.