Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Better Late Then Never

A Disappointing Continuation

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Stop! Don't believe the one star reviews.As a conservative, I too had a negative reaction to just seeing the promotional material advertising this TV Series. Mainly because I expected your usual left-wing propaganda from liberal cabal that is running the entertainment industry, hammered into my brain. Or worse, glamorizing Jihadis much like Rolling Stone did with Tsarnaev Brothers.But I assure it is not so. I have no idea who this Peter Kosminsky is, but he did a great job of bringing the story of five British would be Jihadis going to Syria, and their travails as they battle the Kurds, Assad's Army, Western back coalition... But mostly battle with their own doubts.The State shows in vivid terms what was happening in parts of Syria ISIS controlled during their heyday from early 2014 to late 2017. The State is a fascinating insight for someone like me, a citizen of the West, who was in a way affected by it during that time period. To see all those young men and women running off to join these cruel butchers, after we threw open the doors for their parents and gave them a chance at a better life in the West... It deeply changed me who I am as a person. From a young, left-wing liberal secular progressive I used to be during 2000s, to a right-wing conservative Atheist considering conversion to Christianity or Judaism I am today.After only half of first episode I was immersed into it. All along, I was expecting to be suddenly disrespected, or have my intelligence insulted by bankrupt liberal ideology, but... It didn't come.Kosminsky just told a good story. Left it to us to be the judges. Which is what a good artists should be doing. Otherwise they are not artists. They are propagandists. Did he do that becuase he is aware of a deep cultural shift undergoing in the Western world (trust me, I wasn't the only one who was "Red Pilled" by ISIS), or because he just happens to be a good director, it doesn't matter.What matters is that the first 4 episodes are among the greatest I've seen in British television. The liberals might be crying how there should have been another episode explaining the motivation behind joining ISIS, presumably so the filmmakers could blame the West...But I'm glad they didn't do it. We don't care. We are sick and tired of excuses and blame. We are furious. And I'm glad that at least for the first 4 episodes we weren't made fools of. We don't care about "why". We care about "because". The reasons they joined ISIS? It is BECAUSE they are Muslim. Looking for a way into paradise. If not in this life then in the afterlife.It is an immersive, vivid portrayal of people caught up in the events in Syria. Some of whom would kill us if they had the chance. Following them along their journey is a deeply moving TV watching experience. So do yourself a favour and see this show.Sooner or later, there will be yet another Islamic State of This and That, somewhere in the Muslim World. And there will be more young Muslims joining them in droves... But hopefully some of them will see this show and think twice what they are doing.

As a US Navy veteran, political junkie, and consumer of books written by those whom look to reform Islam. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a woman I respect and cried with while reading through her three books.This show may reflect the internal dialog of those who choose to follow this pathetic path, it also shows an arrogance and ignorance of the westerners that decided to create this story. A female doctor who brings her young son with her to ISIS controlled territory. She admits she knows gay men are thrown from roofs, women are taken into slavery, and children are trained to be killers. She continues on her worthless path as she's treated like a goat, pushed and shoved around, has her feet beaten bloody, is asked to use non-muslims as human organ donaters. She hits her limits when her son takes visits to chop chop square, learns to play football with a human head, then decides to run when her life is threatened. Only to go back to Europe and aggressively defend her mistake as simply a mistake anybody could make, and now that she came back wants to still have custody of her child. Give me a break.

The premise is simple so I will skip that. The Muslim Jihad is a call to arms for all Muslims regardless of one's life in the false world. Those who have been called are fed propaganda by the previous waves of fighters who answered the call to jihad. We learn that each person truly wants and believes in their faith. They each want to believe in the struggle and participate in their own way. We also learn that the Mujahadeen or soldiers know this is a losing battle. For them it is a path to shaheed or martyrdom. This is the ultimate gift from God.But what each person thought they were seeking in their faith or even their own personal lives cannot be had in the caliphe or Islamic State. Each person has a different challenge that defies the teachings of the hadith or prophet. They each learn that it isn't the lies but the truth that scares them.

Felt compelled to write a review (when I usually don't) because I couldn't believe how many other reviewers had missed the point of this series. Four Brits travel to IS full of excitement and anticipation, each is there for a different reason, and one by one they all have to face disillusionment and regret. The whole point of the series is that they each deal with that regret in a completely different way. It is a work of genius to portray brainwashed characters successfully because their actions do not make sense to viewers who have not been brainwashed themselves. But here they are so well written and acted that you sympathise and empathise with young, idealistic people who have been told not to believe what they've seen on TV or read in newspapers. They have trusted the people who told them that and it's how they act when they realise that trust was misplaced that is the interesting bit.That these are sympathetic characters is not the issue here. This series is in no way an advert for IS nor does it apologise for anything the caliphate or its followers do. Simply brilliant stuff.