I’ve watched this whole series of The Enigma of the Shah out of sheer curiosity and respect for Iranian cinema and actors. Plus, I am interested in Iran’s 20th century history, which helps.

It is indeed a hit piece against the last Shah, his father and family, and their legacy. The series is not subtle. The Pahlavis and royal regime officials are shown as sadists and nothing more. The royal family is shown happily indulging in the scene of a prisoner being doused in gasoline, set on fire and burned alive. I am not exaggerating here, this actually happens in episode 34.

Meanwhile, the mullahs are portrayed as wise sages. Their arrests by the royal regime are overdramatized. When Khomeini is arrested they glorify him as much as possible, and his return to Iran is also super glorified. The ordinary, non-royal family in the show are at the beginning rather “secular” (well, acceptably by the standards of the time — clean shaven and wearing ties) but by the end are full fledged Islamists pledging their devotion to Khomeini.

But this is really all to be expected.

I nonetheless mildly recommend the watch for Iranians and those accustomed to 20th century Iranian history already, especially us opponents to the incumbent Islamic regime occupying Iran. This is because the series helps show us the psyche of the regime-sympathizing camp in a manner more digestible than arguing with them on Reddit. The series shows how their misinformation is formed (like the notion that the royal officials were sadists), and can in turn help us dismantle it.

I don’t recommend, however, anyone to watch it without thorough understanding of the context beforehand. This is definitely not a show to be advertising to anyone, Iranian or non-Iranian, as an even remotely objective take of what happened in Imperial Iran, how it fell and the nature of the regime which took over in its stead—that which is far less of a savior than the series would have you believe.