Chernobyl - HBO/Sky *Spoilers*

Mickeroo

Wibbs wrote: »

That ending...

IMHO from the acting, script, pacing, direction, soundtrack and production design this series was one of the finest pieces of television drama I've ever seen.

No two ways about it.

PropJoe10

I think that last episode is one of the finest episodes of television I've ever seen. Absolutely incredible. Blown away by the quality of this series!

omerin

DeanAustin wrote: »

The writer said he was a horrible prick.

There is a backstory though. He was at the centre of another nuclear accident years earlier and not long after his 10 year old son got leukemia and died. The theory is that he was in denial about the potential dangers of nuclear power because if he accepted those, he would be accepting that he may have been responsible for his son’s death.

Tremendous tv. Best thing I’ve seen for god knows how long.

The link to him and his son getting cancer was his contaminated clothes, it mentioned it in the podcast as a possible cause, and happened prior to the Chernobyl incident.

I don't think it was mentioned at the end, but did the three main characters ever contact each other after he received the warning from the KGB?

what an absolutely brilliant piece of TV and a credit to the attention to detail, talent and time and effort put in, to not settle for second best or cut corners

gauralordon

On the subject of whether to visit places like this or not. I know it’s not even in the same league, but having been a bit of a history nerd at school, one of the most enriching experiences I ever had was going to Auschwitz & Birkenau while on a trip to Krakow 2 years ago.

From the outset as soon as you board the coach to make the hour or more long journey to the camps, it’s clear that this isn’t a tourist attraction. It’s a memorial site, and a fierce reminder of the horrors humans are capable of under oppressive and propaganda-driven rule. A reminder that something like that can never happen again in the future.

Before I watched Chernobyl I had a vague interest in its history, and almost a fear of diving into it because nuclear science is such a specialised and hard to grasp subject. After watching it I can safely say I would be highly interested in taking a trip there. I would imagine going to Chernobyl is somewhat similar to the experience of visiting a historic site like a WWII prisoner of war/forced labour camp. In the sense that a general idea of what happened there is widely known, but it’s easy for it to seem abstract and almost unknowable because of the amount of very general and broad information out there about it. In short it would only serve to drive home the real reality of what happened if you did take a trip to see it in the flesh.

The site is also a memorial. An eternal reminder of the horrors humans are capable of, and that it can never happen again in the future.

Slydice

What is the cost of lies?

I'm in bits. The series was a masterwork!

The cast, the acting, the direction, the locations, the clothes, all of it!

None more so than the soundtrack which had me ranging from terrified to an emotional wreck and more.

• The bird at the end of the first episode.
• The divers in the dark at the end of the second episode.
• The interviews in the hospital in the third episode.
• The empty cot at the end of the fourth episode.
• The speech at the end of the fifth (and final) episode.

Well done to all the makers of the series.

Larbre34

For anyone who has never heard of it, you should look up the phenomenon known as the 'elephant's foot'

It is the remnants of reactor number 4 that melted down into the basement of the containment building, mixed with sand, graphite and concrete such that it is still, 33 years later, a semi-molten hot mass that emits enough radiation to lethally dose someone in its presence in one minute. Spend more than 5 minutes there and you're dead in 2 days max.

And this damn thing will be dangerous for at least the next 100,000 years....., equivalent to the amount of time that has past since our earliest homo sapien ancestors began migrating beyond equatorial Africa. Mind boggling that anyone could be so irresponsible with such danger and power.

Zorya

lab man wrote: »

Only came across this programme today where can I see it on TV from ep1

If you don't have a TV or channels package you can go to NOW TV online, sign up for 14 day free trial, download app to computer and watch it that way. Episodes will be available there until July I think. Don't forget to cancel free trial afterwards.

Cina

Not much to add other than what's already been said before, but yeah, this is one of the finest single series of TV I've ever seen, right up there with Band of Brothers and season four of The Wire. Everything about it was incredible.

Special props to Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgård who were magnificent and in my eyes formed the best character relationship I've seen on TV in many a year, and all in the space of five episodes.

I was in bits at the end of it, I really can't remember the last time a show did that to me.

Masterpiece.

lawred2

Made a nice change from your usual American depiction of Soviet Russia and Russian people

Drumpot

Spoilers in this post .... If you haven’t watched , don’t read.

Unearthly wrote: »

Very emotional ending

Agreed, what absolute heroes so many of those Soviet people were and particularly legasov. He knew going to the reactor and remaining there was a death sentence. Then he gives himself another death sentence by telling the truth. I love it when KGB explain why they won’t kill him, they don’t think he’s the stones. But like I said he’s already thrown himself at the mercy of radiation and the kGB so they totally underestimated his resolve.

And Boris , wow, just what an amazing person. To go from a career yes man to just a hero. His story was even more remarkable because he had to change completely and after he found out he was on a death sentence by being near the reactor , instead of self preservation he did whatever it took to safeguard the area and Protect as many people as possible. He didn’t needlessly put people in harms way nor did it take it lightly when they had to.

There are so many things to love, in a horrible way, about this show. I didn’t know much about Chernobyl before other then the headline stuff. My overall sub conscious thoughts were probably “sneaky Russians” or something negative like that. This show is one of the few that shows that most people in Russia (normally portrayed as bad) are good, decent , normal people just trying to do the right thing or what they think is the right thing. It’s sad to think we need this sort of enlightening but life is such and story telling has always been a human way of informing so I wouldn’t get hung up on that.

The music was constantly haunting, very much like a zombie apocalypse. The colors were drab and right down to the credit font it felt messy 80s totally lacking in style.

In terms of propaganda it shows how dangerous it is when a national government lies to its people but indeed when foreign governments (Russia = bad) do the same. I’d love it if the international community could find a way to welcome Russians and reach out to the more common folk who don’t appear to know any better then having a “strong Russia”.

Another element I took was that this shows again how government decisions made on a lie can have so many far reaching effects. The US empowering Terrorists to influence wars was mostly to blame for sep 11 and the subsequent Middle East intervention, would love to see an honest movie about that but it doesn’t pay to tell the truth about the Americans, they have to be the hero.

I think Chernobyl is so relevant now in a world where lies and rhetoric are coming back strong. Where nationalism and a rising far right are dividing people yet again. What’s going to be the cost of ignorance and can enough of us rise above it to do the right thing like Boris and Valery?

valoren

shrewdness wrote: »

They really portrayed Dyatlov in a terrible light. I wonder was that hammed up for dramatic effect or if he really was such a hateful prick in real life.

"Let him finish...." A great moment and this series was so good that even the arrogantly ambitious bully Dyatlov, the supposed villain of the piece, get's redemption when Legasov comes clean and explains how Dyatlov and the staff actually didn't know about the design flaw with the reactor and how in their ignorance they caused the explosion. They weren't aware because the true villain is the soviet system itself.

Zorya

valoren wrote: »

They weren't aware because the true villain is the soviet system itself.

Oddly, and probably people will vehemently disagree with me, but I found subtle echoes between the portrayal in the film of high level Soviet meetings and expert committees and titled dignitaries and endless paperwork and stifling bureaucracy and keeping subordinates in their own lane and the constant threat to whistleblowers and the whole vile machinery of the state with its entrenched interest groups, and what we experience nowadays in our so-called free progressive democracies.
''We are strenuously looking into the matter and have established a government committee to make all suitable enquiries and will make an announement in due time when we have had sufficient expert input.'' Sound familiar?

CrankyHaus

valoren wrote: »

"Let him finish...." A great moment and this series was so good that even the arrogantly ambitious bully Dyatlov, the supposed villain of the piece, get's redemption when Legasov comes clean and explains how Dyatlov and the staff actually didn't know about the design flaw with the reactor and how in their ignorance they caused the explosion. They weren't aware because the true villain is the soviet system itself.

That was a great scene. Even just the look on Dyatlov's face when he realised the show trial he'd expressed such contempt for had just gotten a lot less showy.

With regards to Zorya's comment. Yeah all bureaucracies share tendencies, though the USSR took it to the next level. I too see plenty of similarities with our own system.

I thought the post trial interview with the KGB was excellent in a similar vein. The way he brought up the historical anti-semitism for self advancement and attempted to use it to break his self belief. All corrupt systems from gangs to empires insist on a person engaging in the corruption before they can move up the ladder, it's an insurance policy against them growing a conscience and attempting reform later on.

Tabnabs

You have to give HBO and Sky special kudos for commissioning the show and backing the production. I can't imagine it was an easy sell to American TV audiences.

Hopefully this highlights the quality of talent outside of the USA and just how successful and groundbreaking some ideas for the small screen can become.

Very exciting to see what else the writer and/or director gets involved with and is allowed to bring to fruition.

Sittingpretty

Even the scene with the caterpillar was fantastic, so simple, but so effective.

sydthebeat

as a horror fan, this show was one of the most harrowing and scary things ive watched in years. Gripping, compelling and so though provoking.

is_that_so

Tabnabs wrote: »

You have to give HBO and Sky special kudos for commissioning the show and backing the production. I can't imagine it was an easy sell to American TV audiences.

Hopefully this highlights the quality of talent outside of the USA and just how successful and groundbreaking some ideas for the small screen can become.

Very exciting to see what else the writer and/or director gets involved with and is allowed to bring to fruition.

The writer, in the first podcast, covers this and said they chose not to cast any Americans so as not to make it too familiar or look like a just another TV-made disaster movie. His next job is back to what he has done, writing so-so films and it's a remake of Charley's Angels. He seems to be good at that stuff but I'd like to see him take on more challenging material. Chernobyl proves he is well capable.

s3rtvdbwfj81ch

is_that_so wrote: »

His next job is back to what he has done, writing so-so films and it's a remake of Charley's Angels. He seems to be good at that stuff but I'd like to see him take on more challenging material. Chernobyl proves he is well capable.

Maybe nobody else thought he could pull it off.

He'll have his pick of similar projects now though.

the 5 or 6 part mini-series is a perfect format for telling such a contained story.

I really found the Podcast enhanced my enjoyment of the piece, and that it was official and not "fans" talking a hundred miles an hour about nonsense minutiae, just one presenter speaking to the creator, it was excellently done and a real companion to the work, giving nuance and a greater understanding of first of all the disaster itself, and secondly the decision processes around the "making of".

there were hints that deleted scenes will be available in due course.

Mickeroo

is_that_so wrote: »

The writer, in the first podcast, covers this and said they chose not to cast any Americans so as not to make it too familiar or look like a just another TV-made disaster movie. His next job is back to what he has done, writing so-so films and it's a remake of Charley's Angels. He seems to be good at that stuff but I'd like to see him take on more challenging material. Chernobyl proves he is well capable.

Crikey, just looked at his imdb there and it's pretty horrendous. Never would have thought he had something like this in him based on that CV. Makes it even more of a miracle that it got made.

threein99

Sittingpretty wrote: »

Even the scene with the caterpillar was fantastic, so simple, but so effective.

It probably wasn't green before the explosion

Drumpot

is_that_so wrote: »

The writer, in the first podcast, covers this and said they chose not to cast any Americans so as not to make it too familiar or look like a just another TV-made disaster movie. His next job is back to what he has done, writing so-so films and it's a remake of Charley's Angels. He seems to be good at that stuff but I'd like to see him take on more challenging material. Chernobyl proves he is well capable.

If you listen to the podcasts with the writer you can tell it’s wasting his take st doing fluff like Charlie’s angels. He’s got a talent for going deep into the material he is writing about and he is committed to telling the truth as much as possible, not at the expense of entertainment. I would love to see him tackle more serious things like he did with Chernobyl as I anticipate plenty of lower quality attempts from other studios. He had the authority to make sure he gets to make an authentic show, respectful to the truth. Studios will make watered down Versions and will prob intervene if they think they are getting too dark or won’t attract a certain target audience.

is_that_so

Drumpot wrote: »

If you listen to the podcasts with the writer you can tell it’s wasting his take st doing fluff like Charlie’s angels. He’s got a talent for going deep into the material he is writing about and he is committed to telling the truth as much as possible, not at the expense of entertainment. I would love to see him tackle more serious things like he did with Chernobyl as I anticipate plenty of lower quality attempts from other studios. He had the authority to make sure he gets to make an authentic show, respectful to the truth. Studios will make watered down Versions and will prob intervene if they think they are getting too dark or won’t attract a certain target audience.

What also comes across from the podcasts is his passion for this project. He clearly has a knack for the other "day job" stuff but can't see one he might have the same focus on. This has certainly given him the credibility to go for better story types.

knucklehead6

One thing I loved about this series is that they won’t be able to ruin it with a second season.

It happens far too often, decent tv series telling one story arc, gets plaudits, gets renewed, gets ruined due to writers realising they have a cash cow and the standard drops

is_that_so

Mr.S wrote: »

Honestly one if the best shows I've seen in years.

I'm glad they didn't try and do dodgy Russian accents ala The Americans, which imo ruined the show.

The court room and ending scenes :eek:

If you haven't checked out the podcasts that accompany the show you should. Excellent stuff with lots of insight into what they did and why they did it.

ollkiller

What a show. Just fantastic all round. As a mini series it's up there with Band of Brothers which is the highest praise i can give it. The sense of dread was palpable the whole way through. The story, acting and cinematography all brilliant but a special mention has to go to the musical score. It brought the tension into your soul. I'll be re-watching the whole thing again very soon.

Penn

knucklehead6 wrote: »

One thing I loved about this series is that they won’t be able to ruin it with a second season.

It happens far too often, decent tv series telling one story arc, gets plaudits, gets renewed, gets ruined due to writers realising they have a cash cow and the standard drops

Unless they get creative with the makeup department and bring all the actors back for Chernobyl 2: Fukushima

loyatemu

“Why worry about something that’s not going to happen?”
"thats good, we should put that on our money"

what a great series, spot on with the casting too.

I don't think it was mentioned at the end, but did the three main characters ever contact each other after he received the warning from the KGB?

the Ulana Khomyuk character was a fictional composite of many other scientists.

is_that_so

loyatemu wrote: »

"we should put that on our money"

what a great series, spot on with the casting too.



the Ulana Khomyuk character was a fictional composite of many other scientists.

In the context of that time, probably not as they would have been watched.

errlloyd

I am not certain we will get anything like that for a while. Crept up on me and then blew me away.

The most enjoyable 5 weeks of television I've had in a long time.

crisco10

If you had asked me in January what my TV hilghlight would have been this year, how could i have not said the final season of GoT ?

However, Chernobyl completely blew me away (pardon the pun), completely overshadowed the last episode or two of GoT. Agree with other posters who have said that one of the best things is that it was only ever going to be 5 episodes. It lead to an absolutely perfect, consistent pace throughout.