The State

[Oldowl]

Anyone watching?

It was very good but I feel the characters could have been developed more, I feel. Maybe because it was four episodes - six or eight might have been better.

I wasn't shocked by anything, as such, as I've read enough about IS. But, it was still pretty hard to watch.

I was intensely annoyed by the doctor and her naivety about what life would be like there. There were a group of 6 or 8 doctors who went and I've always found that odd.

I wondered if the ending was leaving it open for another series.

He's the next generation of 'home grown' terrorist IMO.

Only if he doesn't receive any help. And he will need that.

was it just me but the bloke from eastenders turning up as his dad seemed a bit far fetched, especially when he was shouting at the jihadis???

I imagine he'll be given a lot of help to 'deprogramme' him. He was only 9/just turned 10 wasn't he? So hopefully still young enough to be helped and turned away from radicalisation. I wouldn't think he'd be seeing his mum again for a long time, at least not without supervision.

on the subject of why young people go, there were posters all over the uni i work at a couple of years ago saing something like " reasons why we need a caliphate...with time and place for students to mert. they were taken down after a few days. i am assuming some intelligent young muslims would be debating why a caliphate would be a good thing and possibly how to achieve it. i found the state grim but compelling.

Jayfee yeah it was a bit - rocking up to dish out a proper parental telling off! I also didn't quite get it when the executioner guy asked him if the family had had contact with the police and he said of course, and they were being watched/had passports confiscated etc. If that was the case how did he get to Syria? Surely the authorities didn't just go 'yeah, so we know not one but two of your kids have run off to join IS, so how about you nip over there and try to talk some sense into them?'

I can't sleep! That was absolutely brilliant! Agree that Mas from Eastenders rocking up was a bit far fetched but otherwise fantastic acting all round! It was scary, horrific...because that's the reality.

What would happen to the nice Eastenders man in this situation?

It was a good device on the whole, a nice british Muslim turning up, but distracting that it was lovely Eastenders fellow.

Shocking series. I mean nothing we haven't seen or read about obviously, but horrible and shocking to see as drama. Those poor poor people in Raqqa and elsewhere.

Umm the nice dad would probably be killed - answering my own question.

Yes I hate to love this programme! I feel like all the punishments they endure they deserve for going there in the first place. I'm religious but I can totally see that all wars stem from religion it's so sad

Why did nice ISIS man try to get Yazidi woman and child out of Syria when they didn't want to leave him? And when he offered care and protection?

But Misty the point is that, in order to get them to go over to Syria, they were lied to.

Don't get me wrong, I don't condone what they did for a moment. At best they were very, very stupid. But the devices that IS used to get and keep them there were bloody awful.

I've read about the brutality before, but seeing it was absolutely sickening - and that was just actors on a screen. Knowing that that is the reality for so many people made me want to vomit.

Did you think that the dr's son was going to refuse to leave and dob her in?

Ariadne IIRC I think it was because he had seen his pharmacist friend detained and tortured and realised that no one was/is safe.

Amazingly awful and compelling.

We need a prequel to show how they got radicalized.

It shows you just how dangerous blond adherence to a religion can be. At several points things were pointed out about what the religion taught but basically those blood thirsty bastards could do what they wanted.

The female doctor just seemed so strange, OK with homosexuality (sympathetic) yet following a very strict version of Islam.

Blind

Yes to prequel.

Everyone. - rightly - condemns ISIS.

But would really like to understand the attraction as let's face it it, I don't reall y think this is something That is addressed in the media . I think perhaps it's important it is

The mother of the Halane twins from Manchester went over to Syria to try to get them to leave. She was held by IS for about a month before they let IS released her.

How come the mother with the young girl who was a slave doesn't have to cover up??

At home a woman only covers up in front of someone she can marry so it could be that she's not covered up because there is something currently preventing a marriage between her and Jalal. Perhaps she'd doing her Iddah, the period of time after the death of her husband where she's basically waiting to see if she's pregnant so the parentage of her baby is in no doubt. If you rewind to episode in the slave market the 'rules' are explained to the men when they are taken in.

It could also be the producers just decided it would make for better TV if the woman was uncovered. I doubt we're supposed to think of things like this and the eating with the left hand business.

But would really like to understand the attraction as let's face it it, I don't reall y think this is something That is addressed in the media . I think perhaps it's important it is

It think I read that last nights episode was to be followed by a documentary on the radicalisation of young people.

sorry just to say that the woman was not doing 'her' Iddah but she was being made to do Iddah.

Checking in. I've given up on sleep for now and am going to embark on a binge watch.

And now they've just had sex. I hadn't seen the episode when I commented but the same still applies - she couldnt marry him so she could be uncovered.

Absolutely brilliant series. Heard that it was slated in the Daily Mail as being ISIS propaganda but I think it was the complete opposite - shows how the reality is nothing like the "dream" that was obviously sold to the characters before they went to Syria. Although really indoctrinated people would maybe just see the series as western propaganda and not believe it's as bad as that?? Really interesting and thought provoking anyway.

I found it thought provoking enough to actually dream about it last night. However I do agree with PP not giving more of a back story to each of them was frustrating.

You can see why Jalal & Ziyad went, Jalal wanting to be like his brother, Ziyad looking for adventure, Ushna caught up in the 'romance' of being a brave soldiers wife, it was Shakira that really jarred for me.

Clearly educated, had prepared by learning Arabic; but hadn't taught the son any??? Seemed to think for some reason that she'd be treated differently to other women. I also couldn't understand in the scene where she was treating Jalal; her 'husband' made it look as he was sneaking her in against the rules, yet other scenes showed her openly treating other male casualties. . . .

And then her attitude when been interrogated; of course she was going to be at least detained, why on earth wouldn't she be? I mean there's been enough in the news over the years of other returners been held, all very odd.