Chernobyl - HBO/Sky *Spoilers*

0gac3yjefb5sv7

[Deleted User] wrote: »

This was a great thread until a few posts ago.

Loved the TV series. I am now a Chernobyl fanatic. I'm reading and watching all the books and documentaries I can. Soon I'll know as much about nuclear fission as some of the guys in the control room that fateful night.(slight exaggeration).

Episode 2 is tough viewing though. After the firefighters laughing and joking in the hospital and playing cards, to rot and practically dissolve a few hours or days later.. you can only imagine the horror for those around them and them themselves.

I've read criticism of episode 4, that it was filler, that the euthanising of pets "wasn't so bad", but it gives you an idea of the scale of the recovery operation and you had seen some of the jobs carried out by others. Divers, miners, soldiers who cleared the roofs, many of whom died before the age of 40. Killing the pets was grim work but so much better than other jobs that were had.

The killing of the animals was necessary because they were all, or many were irradiated. Dogs and cats don't generally live long enough for cancer to become a factor in their death, however, both creatures have been known to travel great distances in search of food. You don't want an irradiated dog wandering over to downtown Kiev. So they all had to go.

There was a question earlier in the thread, why the animals just got buried while some of the firemen were entombed in lead caskets with concrete on top. The answer: those were nuclear plant workers and firemen, they were directly exposed to the core and were seriously radio-active. The animals were not.

Great post.

I wonder if an irradiated animal reproduced, say in a different city. Would that offspring be dangerous also or would that be completely safe?

Pheonix10

Pheonix10 wrote: »

Great post.

I wonder if an irradiated animal reproduced, say in a different city. Would that offspring be dangerous also or would that be completely safe?

As was demonstrated with Ludmilla*(the firemans wife), there may be no off spring. However, you(as the government) don't want irradiated animals wandering around. Hence the cull.

I did particle physics in high school but am nowhere close to an expert on nuclear physics, so I am only speculating. I don't know, is the short answer.

Credit Checker Moose

Probably not. If it had mutated DNA the mutations would spread in the rest of the population.

Wibbs

Heckler wrote: »

No its not. Neither common knowledge nor true..

Actually that part is more accurate. Gorbachev himself said it was a massive contribution to the break up of the Soviet Union. In the sense that it was already in play, but the massive cost, the very public aspect of it and international attention accelerated this process. On just this score some have seen it as somewhat of a positive.

Paddy Cow

Deleted User wrote: »

Not looking at any posts here because of Spoilers. Just finished the first two and going onto a third in a while.

My God it is horrifying. So well done and so gripping I don't think I've felt like this watching a show before knowing it's real.


Edit: 1.07am Let's go #4. I need more depression in my life apparently.

Isn't that like not reading the plot of Titanic so you don't spoil it?

how.gareth

Pheonix10 wrote: »

Probably the best TV series I've ever watched.

Not till you’ve seen the virtues

Got myself "Midnight in Chernobyl" probably similar to a few others in this thread - actually looking forward to my lunchbreak in work tomrrow to finally sink my teeth in!

Anteayer

Well, if they want to do that it would just undermine exports of their very safe, modern and well-thought-of VVER reactor as it would look like the state was still engaging in coverups.

Accidents happen. Arrogance happens. Aviation history for example has plenty of them.
You own up to and learn from your mistakes. If someone wants to start denying reality 30 years after open investigations, it will just make them look utterly ridiculous.

I get very, very worried when any country starts politicising safety issues around potentially very dangerous technologies that have to be handled in a totally transparent way to achieve any kind of safety. This stuff is best left to scientists and engineers, not politicians and spin doctors.

Industries like that are about credibility, not blind patriotism.

Itssoeasy

I can kinda understand the top brass not believing what had happened had actually happened initially. I mean the type of reactor at Chernobyl wasn't able or supposed to blow up so from what I've seen and read. I know the disaster affected both Ukraine and Belarus but from my personal interactions from belarusians the President of Belarus is a boyo altogether so I think the people of the Ukraine faired better.

Itssoeasy

BTW, just to be clear my personal interactions with Belarusians involve those being part of the election process and being told " you can vote for anybody BUT you know who you should vote for" I mean that's taking the piss. Also, the president has a heated footpath outside his residence.

GrumPy

Man, this thread used to be cool! For anyone that's recently watched the show and is offering their 2 cents on what actually happened/ wildly speculating, I suggest you listen to the podcasts before contributing.

It fills in any and all gaps and really is an excellent addition to the series, I'd argue it's critical listening if you want to engage in a decent conversation with other viewers..

Anteayer

It's still an interesting thread, as it shows decades later, the same state supersensitivity and propaganda still exists.

sc86

I blame trump for chernobyl

astrofool

GrumPy wrote: »

Man, this thread used to be cool! For anyone that's recently watched the show and is offering their 2 cents on what actually happened/ wildly speculating, I suggest you listen to the podcasts before contributing.

It fills in any and all gaps and really is an excellent addition to the series, I'd argue it's critical listening if you want to engage in a decent conversation with other viewers..

I'd imagine the "Ministry of Information" in Russia didn't catch the popularity of this till very late (and clever of the series to put the what happened and court room scenes at the end) and now there is overcompensation in spreading FUD.

Relikk

Fascinating interview with Dyatlov. He speaks incredibly slowly, obviously being very careful about what he's saying (probably best to watch it at 1.25x speed).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lua3rvuA-Hs

Wibbs

Wibbs wrote: »

3) The senior engineer was 55, not 25 and he was one of the most senior people in the Soviet industry with nearly 20 years experience. Try reading up on this stuff before you let your keyboard display your total ignorance.
.

While the poster is obviously talking nonsense and there were more senior staff present Toptunov (aged 25) was a senior reactor control engineer and was in charge of operating the reactor.

Pheonix10 wrote: »

May have been asked but is there any really good documentaries on this? Or other tv shows that come close.

There are a number of docs on YouTube but the best of all the stuff I’ve watched and read in it the best insight so far is the book (mentioned a few times in this thread) “Midnight in Chernobyl”. It’s available on audible also if like me you aren’t into actually reading but have an interest in the topics in books.

pc7

Binged watched this the weekend, it was fantastic. The scene on the roof had my heart thumping, just brilliantly done. I was holding my breathe willing him to get up and get the fook back inside. I never realized how close it was to full on **** storm. Brilliant show, brilliant acting, looked like a seriously grim place to live even before the accident.

Townton

Anteayer wrote: »

Well, if they want to do that it would just undermine exports of their very safe, modern and well-thought-of VVER reactor as it would look like the state was still engaging in coverups.

Accidents happen. Arrogance happens. Aviation history for example has plenty of them.
You own up to and learn from your mistakes. If someone wants to start denying reality 30 years after open investigations, it will just make them look utterly ridiculous.

I get very, very worried when any country starts politicising safety issues around potentially very dangerous technologies that have to be handled in a totally transparent way to achieve any kind of safety. This stuff is best left to scientists and engineers, not politicians and spin doctors.

Industries like that are about credibility, not blind patriotism.

It was more about the soviet socialist system crushing truth rather then simply ignoring experts. Shows the dangers of such systems that require fear and forceful manipulation to survive.

Tzardine

pc7 wrote: »

.......Brilliant show, brilliant acting, looked like a seriously grim place to live even before the accident.

Actually by Soviet standards Pripyat was a great place to live. It was something of a model city. It had a lot of luxury's that other cities did not, even down to the shops being stocked with better food.

pc7

Just on the tapes he hid outside (sorry if covered I’m late to thread), had he arranged for someone to pick them up? Or was it just luck?

leggo

Binged the show last week and read the whole thread over the past couple of days. I’m going to be that guy in work for the next week talking like I’m a nuclear physicist. Awesome show, I love shows that send you down a Google rabbithole after each episode, really helped fill the void after GOT.

Possibly ignorant question: the dogs episode got me wondering about rats, birds etc in the area who’d likely be able to spread the radiation but simply wouldn’t be possible to cull. How did that work? A cursory Google gave me nothing. Or is that why seagulls are absolute tanks these days? :pac:

TimeToShine

Very good show, the court case in the finale especially was fantastic, felt like I was watching The Wire or something. I thought episode 4 was a bit weaker, hard to feel for the radioactive puppies when people were dying by the handful in the episodes before. HBO probably could have stretched it into 10 episodes but it would have suffered, they've redeemed themselves to some extent in my eyes after that abortion of a finale in GoT.

Henry Ford III

I don't understand the GOT comparisons. Chernobyl was very real and the series largely historically accurate.

Hurrache

It's been mentioned a few times, but it's really worth listening to the associated podcast afterwards. I expected it to be pretty mundane and boring in comparison but it's not at all.

leggo

Henry Ford III wrote: »

I don't understand the GOT comparisons. Chernobyl was very real and the series largely historically accurate.

For me anyway it was having a void for a TV show to get a bit nerdy and obsessive over. For those who were disappointed in GoT, I imagine it was having a HBO show (that came with their Now TV sub) that surpassed expectations just as GoT ended.

0gac3yjefb5sv7

Hurrache wrote: »

It's been mentioned a few times, but it's really worth listening to the associated podcast afterwards. I expected it to be pretty mundane and boring in comparison but it's not at all.

That HBO YouTube one?

Mr E

Mod: Conspiracy bullshit (and follow-up comments) removed. Let's try and stick to, oh, I don't know, the facts? Cheers.

Hurrache

Pheonix10 wrote: »

That HBO YouTube one?

It's also a regular podcast so you can get it via whatever app you use.

Relikk

pc7 wrote: »

Just on the tapes he hid outside (sorry if covered I’m late to thread), had he arranged for someone to pick them up? Or was it just luck?

It's not known how the tapes were disseminated, so that part was artisitic licence.

Walter Bishop

Only listened to episode 1 of the podcast so far but it's definitely been interesting, expanding on some of the themes and creative decisions taken etc. really does add to the show.

Interesting the writer was Ted Cruz's roommate in college, sure that would scar anyone for life