Chernobyl - HBO/Sky *Spoilers*

BobMc

Just caught ep1 of the podcast too, great info and insight into the making and backstories etc. well worth a listen
a change from breakfast radio in the car for a couple mornings

CrankyHaus

Itssoeasy wrote: »

How is Anatoly Dyatlov depicted in the show ?

Unsympathetically in Episode 1, where he is a bullying, arse covering, incompetant in denial about the scale of the disaster.

However the prologue implies that he was subsequently unfairly scapegoated as fully responsible for what happened.

Hector Savage

Itssoeasy wrote: »

How is Anatoly Dyatlov depicted in the show ?

For me similar as the book midnight in Chernobyl pretty arrogant and in denial.

He had a son that died of Leukemia that looked like he picked up from exposure to radiation through his father at another plant in the USSR.
He was in denial about the cause of that too.

Big Game

Jurgen The German wrote: »

Excellent TV.

For anyone that has in interest in the possibilities of what could happen in the event if a nuclear war, check out Threads. It's a 1980s BBC commissioned docudrama. It is as terrifying and sobering as any "horror" movie I've ever watched and I've watched a crap load of them. Its available through various other sources and Severin Films released it on blu ray last year.

Haven't seen it since the 80s but had a huge impact on me watching it then, thought it was amazing.

CrankyHaus

Big Game wrote: »

Haven't seen it since the 80s but had a huge impact on me watching it then, thought it was amazing.

Threads is great but I actually preferred The War Game from 1965. Withdrawn from TV by the BBC for 20 years as "too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting" it's both hard hitting and a good showcase of Peter Watkins' style of directing. You can get it on YouTube.

Dial Hard

Jess Buckley being the only person in the entire cast doing a Ukrainian accent is just silly. I've no idea why the director allowed it.

Also, anyone any idea why all three torches went out at the end??? Was it supposed to be related to the radiation or are we to believe it's just the world's biggest & worst coincidence?

CrankyHaus

Dial Hard wrote: »

Jess Buckley being the only person in the entire cast doing a Ukrainian accent is just silly. I've no idea why the director allowed it.

Also, anyone any idea why all three torches went out at the end??? Was it supposed to be related to the radiation or are we to believe it's just the world's biggest & worst coincidence?

As I understand it, very high levels of radiation distort electronics. I never heard about it with torches but certainly the robots later provided for clearing the roof all failed due to a lack of adequate shielding (requiring humans to be deployed at enormous risk)

Jimmy Bottlehead

CrankyHaus wrote: »

As I understand it, very high levels of radiation distort electronics. I never heard about it with torches but certainly the robots later provided for clearing the roof all failed due to a lack of adequate shielding (requiring humans to be deployed at enormous risk)

Yep, the high levels of radiation short electronics. The 'Battle of Chernobyl' documentary illustrated this through the robots mentioned above. Pretty sure that's also why the helicopter ended up crashing despite instructions to pull back, but I could be wrong. (EDIT: Seems I was, and that it was radiation poisoning that discombobulated the pilot)

Really, really loving this series. Captures the horror of the situation very well, the casting, acting and sets are great. Another good job, HBO.

peddlelies

Loving this so far, it's excellent.

bnt

That point during the second episode when they were talking about the potential consequences of a much larger steam explosion ... seriously hair-raising. To talk about a steam explosion measured in megatons spewing radioactive material over whole countries had me going "oh sh-- oh sh-- oh sh--" like nothing else. Ukraine and Belarus are not small countries, and Chernobyl is almost at the centre of both.

bnt

bnt wrote: »

That point during the second episode when they were talking about the potential consequences of a much larger steam explosion ... seriously hair-raising. To talk about a steam explosion measured in megatons spewing radioactive material over whole countries had me going "oh sh-- oh sh-- oh sh--" like nothing else. Ukraine and Belarus are not small countries, and Chernobyl is almost at the centre of both.

I’d be be a bit sceptical of the potential for an explosion that large, nothing I’ve read in the past on the accident made the potential steam explosion out to be something of that scale, very very bad yes but no where near that scale.

Leaving reading about it aside my own feeling would be an explosion that large would not be possible from a steam explosion even if taking out the other reactors. Now it would have very very severe consequences and result is an absolutely massive radiation release but megatons of an explosions sounds too much to me.

Atlantic Dawn

Watched the 2nd episode, liking it more now. I can't really do the wait for a week for the next episode though so I'm going to wait until the next 3 are done and watch them back to back.

Slydice

I'd recommend not googling the explosion thing.

After googling, there's a youtube video of one of the soviets saying it was said by the people (the science people i think) at the time so I reckon it's just another reason many people are going to die.

... which from the directors commentary I've seen.. is one of the main plot arcs you can spoil on yourself.

is_that_so

Bowen Uptight Tenet wrote: »

I’d be be a bit sceptical of the potential for an explosion that large, nothing I’ve read in the past on the accident made the potential steam explosion out to be something of that scale, very very bad yes but no where near that scale.

Leaving reading about it aside my own feeling would be an explosion that large would not be possible from a steam explosion even if taking out the other reactors. Now it would have very very severe consequences and result is an absolutely massive radiation release but megatons of an explosions sounds too much to me.

Probably a good deal too high but maybe it was a guesstimate. Good episode all the same, definitely some dramatic licence in there at times but it works.

valoren

Bowen Uptight Tenet wrote: »

I’d be be a bit sceptical of the potential for an explosion that large, nothing I’ve read in the past on the accident made the potential steam explosion out to be something of that scale, very very bad yes but no where near that scale.

Leaving reading about it aside my own feeling would be an explosion that large would not be possible from a steam explosion even if taking out the other reactors. Now it would have very very severe consequences and result is an absolutely massive radiation release but megatons of an explosions sounds too much to me.

I loved the dichotomy between the autocrats attitude of it being a case of "nothing to see here, just a fire that's all" and the scientific consensus of continental Armageddon. Better to take the nuclear option, pardon the pun, to convince people of the seriousness of the situation I guess.

Credit Checker Moose

No new ep this week?

Greyfox

Wow.. OMG.. both episodes 10/10, absolutely amazing television! Very well written, grim and so gripping

The Specialist

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

No new ep this week?

It's on Tuesday nights so EP 3 is tomorrow

alchemist33

This has been great so far. The portrayal of a system based on dogma and fear making them all so slow to react is fantastic.

Dial Hard

The Specialist wrote: »

It's on Tuesday nights so EP 3 is tomorrow

Technically it's on Tuesday mornings at 2am so available any time after that

Arghus

Not for the faint of heart this week.

No punches pulled in depicting the horror of death by radiation poisoning.

gandalf

Man that was a rough episode. Excellent telly, great performances again but grim viewing.

mcdaids69

tough watch this week..tell ur partners to hold their stomochs,every word is watchable this week,very fast paced

Powerful viewing...

Atlantic Dawn

Best episode so far, the coal miner lads stole the show, reminded me of the oil riggers being asked to take out the asteroid in Armageddon. Stellan Skarsgård is doing a great job too as Boris Shcherbina.

Slydice

Those poor bastards

cozar

The ending with the steel coffins ...heartbreaking

harr

Poor poor ****ers what an absolutely terrifying way to go... I would hope someone would put me out of my misery.
The miners were some crew...

Working class heroes

WOW!

Itssoeasy

I will get around to watching this but does this episode deal with the liquidators ? Those poor bastards had an awful life after even if it was short.