Episode 1

Truth, lies and political expediency
A cracking political thriller with most of the action Washington based and involving governments, private companies and perhaps predictably, a small oil-rich Asian country (Trygyzstan, Tyrgyztan or Tyrygsztan depending how quick your eyes are) so the events are very contemporary and mostly credible, too.

The 350 minutes get off to a stunning start with an airliner being blown up and crashing onto an expressway near Washington and from this point on you'll be hooked like I was. Considering this is not big bucks Hollywood the crash looked incredibly convincing, as does everything else though it was mostly filmed in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario.

The six parts move along efficiently, especially with plenty of steadycam and accompanying sound effects, but you'll have to pay attention because this is not black and white plotting, the good guys are not obvious and there is no winning side. The casting is fine with Jason Isaacs turning in a great British Ambassador...

A Rousing British Miniseries That Brings The Terrorism, Espionage, And Thrills To American Soil
While I don't think "The State Within" is a perfect political thriller, I will pay it the highest compliment for this type of entertainment--it is ambitiously complex without being unnecessarily convoluted. This six part British miniseries (each part is approximately an hour) carries about twelve major characters and five major plot strands and interweaves them expertly throughout. Seemingly unrelated events converge as layers of intrigue and duplicity are revealed. While some have compared this to a more cerebral "24," it actually has little in common with the American show other than the overt themes inherent in global politics, government corruption, and terrorism. But wait a minute.....Just as "24" in an intriguing thrill ride that sometimes strains credibility, so is "The State Within." And just as you might overlook the believability factor in "24" because the story told is so intricate and entertaining, you might also be willing to accept "The State Within" at face value...

Engrossing political thriller
This is very similar to Spooks, or MI:5 as it is titled in the US. If you like that BBC show, you'll like this.

We only watched season one of The State Within recently, despite the fact that it originally aired in 2006. It has aged well because we had no idea we weren't watching a current BBC series. The State Within is six episodes/six hours in length and was nominated in the US for two Golden Globes in 2008, one of which was for best mini-series or motion picture made for television and the other for best performance by an actor for the Ambassador played by Jason Isaacs (who I best remember as the heartless baddy from The Patriot).

This series is tightly scripted and absolutely riveting. What this means is...do not walk away for a minute unless you hit pause! Every episode is jam-packed with political intrigue, and the viewer is kept as suspensefully in the dark as the incredible cast of characters are in this series. Little by little, more of the machinations...

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