Chernobyl - HBO/Sky *Spoilers*

sc86

The Specialist wrote: »

She never existed (she is a single character to represent a group of scientists that worked with Legasov).

ah no really
Thanks for the info

Sardonicat

PhilOssophy wrote: »

I think that's why Dyatalov was seen commiting suicide in the opening scene of the series.

It is Legatov who commits suicide in the opening scene.

Sittingpretty

PhilOssophy wrote: »

I'm not a nuclear physicist, but I did study physics in college, and read a book on the disaster a few years ago.

My understanding is as below, and I am 100% open to contradiction!

They were trying to test what would happen if there was a power cut (or failure). The pumps which were providing water to the reactor core would cut out in the event of a power cut. They were trying to test if the turbine could continue to provide power to the pumps (thus keeping the reactor core cool) while the backup generators were started up.

In such a test, they were supposed to reduce the output of the reactor to 120MW or something like that. That was supposed to be the test.

However, Dyatalov ordered that they reduce it to 0MW, neither Akimov or Toptunov felt this was the correct thing to do (and they had studied nuclear physics which Dyatalov had not) but they did what they were told. Apparently at this level, the core becomes unstable and both were uncomfortable with the request, but as it came from a superior they did it anyway. The theory was that at 120MW they could easily shut off the reactor by pressing the A5 switch or whatever it was called. Apparently this would have been fine and the test would have been a success.

Once they reduced the output to 0MW, they lost control of the reactor, the switch did not work due to an effect called the positive void coefficient of nuclear fission (i'll let you google that yourself, its beyond my pay grade here!!), which basically meant the control rods were no longer able to be pushed down fully to shut off the fission. What happens then is a massive spike in temperature in the core, followed by a meltdown, followed by an explosion.

Akimov and Toptahuov did everything right, it was the call by Dyatalov to completely turn off the output which caused this explosion. I think that's why Dyatalov was seen commiting suicide in the opening scene of the series.

I hope this is something of an explanation!

It was Legasso the physicist that hung himself in the opening scenes no? After depositing his tapes with all his info on them in a vent in his building.

AdamD

The Specialist wrote: »

She never existed (she is a single character to represent a group of scientists that worked with Legasov).

To be fair if there is one thing that I have a gripe with its the portrayal of two scientists dealing with this issue. Maybe I'm wrong but I assume the soviets had a huge team analysing this.

cozar

I assume dyatalov died shortly after explosion like the rest of the engineers.?

Sittingpretty

cozar wrote: »

I assume dyatalov died shortly after explosion like the rest of the engineers.?

He didn’t die until 1995.

sc86

wow , how did he survive so long!

so much for karma , how did he live with himself

Fourier

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.

Even as a particle physicist I was also initially confused as to how such a large explosion could have been possible. In fact I wasn't aware that the Chernobyl team had considered this possibility until it was pointed out to me March last year on this forum. I did a bit of reading up on the original papers and later simulations afterward, summary here:
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=106485024&postcount=4895

The Specialist

AdamD wrote: »

To be fair if there is one thing that I have a gripe with its the portrayal of two scientists dealing with this issue. Maybe I'm wrong but I assume the soviets had a huge team analysing this.

I'm sure the actual team was much larger, but think the show decided to portray these via 2 characters to keep the story focus and pacing tight.

PhilOssophy

Oh it was Legasov in the opening scene. I knew the original blast didn't kill Dyatalov and thought it was him. Thanks for the correction!

By all accounts Dyatalov was an extremely pig-headed man.

valoren

AdamD wrote: »

To be fair if there is one thing that I have a gripe with its the portrayal of two scientists dealing with this issue. Maybe I'm wrong but I assume the soviets had a huge team analysing this.

She is a composite character to represent the team working on it. Kind of like in Apollo 13 when you have Gary Sinise playing Ken Mattingly in the command module simulator going through the power up procedures. Mattingly, and John Aaron the engineer, are composite characters representing the litany of people on the ground who worked the problem.

Technocentral

Brilliant series, terrifying like a zombie holocaust, wonder if its popular or just watched by people who remember it like me?

Gimme A Pound

Dyatlov and two guys in senior management (remember them at the beginning) were sent to a labour camp, despite unlikely being in good health. Two (including Dyatlov) were released early. The other guy had a breakdown and attempted suicide, hence his early release

Dyatlov maintained he was scapegoated and that shoddy workmanship was the cause. He wrote a book on it. I'd imagine the truth was a combination of the two. Yeah he survived a long time, but then again he didn't end up trawling the bowels of the plant like the other poor feckers.

Itssoeasy

Sittingpretty wrote: »

He didn’t die until 1995.

And in an interview near his death he still was defiant.

The Specialist

Technocentral wrote: »

Brilliant series, terrifying like a zombie holocaust, wonder if its popular or just watched by people who remember it like me?

I think it's fairly popular to be honest, overheard some of the younger staff in the office here (who were definitely only a twinkle in daddys eye at the time it occurred) talking about it and they are constantly questioning if what they watch actually happened

Dial Hard

mike_ie wrote: »

I find that the accents add far more to the show than they take away, TBH. It gives the viewer an immediately relatable handle on the social classes in play - working class *sound* like working class. Far better than the usual faux-Russian "I am not gas station. This is sophisticated laboratory" you find in movies like Armageddon.

That actor (Peter Stormare) is Swedish. He gets cast as Eastern Europeans a lot for some reason.

sc86 wrote: »

see a few complain about british accents etc , would they prefer it was in russian with subtitles?

I would, but I suspect I'd be one of the few. It worked for Dark.

Anyway, I'm glued to this. Can't believe there's only two episodes left.

Gimme A Pound

2smiggy wrote: »

One thing I've learned is not to mess with Russian coal miners !!

Their main guy was brilliant! I actually laughed when the miners shed all their clothes due to the heat and he sauntered up to Legasov and Shcherbina, manhood bobbing away, to tell them to get over it as the heat was too much. And then sneering at their bewildered, slightly disapproving faces "Oh relax, we're still wearing the f'ucking hats."

A teeny bit of comic relief is very very welcome.

Itssoeasy

sc86 wrote: »

wow , how did he survive so long!

so much for karma , how did he live with himself

He lived in denial it seems. He believed it was anybody or anything else's fault the accident happened. It wasn't his fault even though he changed the parameters of the test against the ones set out by the authorities. As was said it was about seeing how the reactor would function without power. The Israelis bombed an Iranian plant which had Soviet built reactors in it.

valoren

Was nice to see that Finchy from the Office was once a General in the Soviet Army. No wonder he was a bloody good rep.

Gimme A Pound

I just think re the accents that if it's in English in the first place, then that's already an inaccuracy, so why not have them using their actual accents instead of attempts at mimicking the likely nuanced accents of Ukraine/Belarusia, which again would be an inaccuracy, as the actual people weren't speaking in English with bad Ukrainian/Belarusian accents!

And they can have English, Irish, Scottish, American, Australian, Canadian, NZ, Welsh accents - it doesn't matter.

TheValeyard

It's a great show, very well done.

valoren

Zaniyah Gigantic Caricature wrote: »

Their main guy was brilliant! I actually laughed when the miners shed all their clothes due to the heat and he sauntered up to Legasov and Shcherbina, manhood bobbing away, to tell them to get over it as the heat was too much. And then sneering at their bewildered, slightly disapproving faces "Oh relax, we're still wearing the f'ucking hats."

A teeny bit of comic relief is very very welcome.

Favourite part was the miners passing by the Minister of Coal and dusting up his pristine suit. His reactions going from "Ah here...ah stop....oh well....I asked for it....carry on...."

Gimme A Pound

valoren wrote: »

Favourite part was the miners passing by the Minister of Coal and dusting up his pristine suit. His reactions going from "Ah here...ah stop....oh well....I asked for it....carry on...."

I enjoyed the petty bureaucrats being told to fuk off with their pointless rules and obsession with power/control... and they really had no comeback. Apart from the KGB guy in Moscow confronted by Legasov. That bit was kinda darkly funny too, when Shcherbina told Legasov he did very well, in that he came across as a naive idiot.

But yeah the head miner guy's badassery and wit were awesome.

Gimme A Pound

Reminded of another Skarsgaard/Watson film, Breaking The Waves. Excellent show.

Limpy

I visited chernobyl last year. It was on the bucket list. Visited the ghost town of Pripyat, names of apartment occupants still on the mail boxes ect.

Looking forward to the series as I've yet to see it. There's a very good documentary which we watched on the way to the powerplant.

https://youtu.be/p5GTvaW34O0

Seeing the thriving Town (Pripyat) later in the current state was really strange, especially the children's park. An un believable experience.

Cina

Dial Hard wrote: »

That actor (Peter Stormare) is Swedish. He gets cast as Eastern Europeans a lot for some reason.



I would, but I suspect I'd be one of the few. It worked for Dark.

Anyway, I'm glued to this. Can't believe there's only two episodes left.

I probably would too, but Dark is a German show so it's not really comparable. The idea that HBO and Sky would spend such a huge amount of money on a mini-series, when their mean reach is English speaking markets, and do it in Ukrainian/Russian with actors nobody knows? No chance.

I really don't mind it, I'm glad it's just "look, the actors speak whatever their accent is, deal with it" and then carry on with this great show, rather than trying to fake it or whatever.

sc86

subtitles would not work with main audience american / brittish
pain in the ass trying to read and watch
they were correct to have english imo

sc86

on another note , some amount of smoking fags going on!

Gimme A Pound

sc86 wrote: »

on another note , some amount of smoking fags going on!

I keep thinking that, and "god they smoke way too much - so bad for them" and then...

Shur they're fooked anyway.

Credit Checker Moose

Still the case to this day with smoking. It is so cheap. $2 a box for good smokes.