Pripyat, 26th of April 1986
A sudden and bright explosion wakes up all the habitants near Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, alarming few and wowing most of them. A safety test was scheduled for that night, but something went wrong, leading to the catastrophic consequences we're all aware of.
Firefighters are called and so is Vasily Ignatenko, while his wife Lyudmilla is doubtful about his safety.
People are told that the fire is the main problem, but the actual danger (the radioactive kernel) is kept hidden...only for a couple of days since people all over the area start to have health problems caused by the graphite and radiations.
To understand how serious the problem is, Communist Party of the Soviet Union's general secretary Michail Gorbačëv sends vice-minister Boris Shcherbina and professor Valerij Legasov to Chernobyl and the reality they have to witness is unbelievable and unbearable.
At first, the accident was meant to be kept with the URSS borders, but levels of radiations are detected in Sweden, forcing Moscow to admit the fact. In the meantime, professor Ulana Khomyuk arrives from Minsk to help professor Legasov in finding a quick and effective way to put reactor 4 in safety, but the task is going to be much more insidious than previously thought...
Episode 4 shows how civilians were also called to join the military forces to help; from getting people live their homes, to sanitizing streets and buildings and take care of the stray pet animals who were left behind.
Episode 5 is centered on the Chernobyl trial in which the defendants Dylatov, Bryukhanou and Fomin had to admit and take their responsibilities on the matter. It's with this episode that the viewer gets to understand fully and with simple words and demonstrations how everything started.
A sudden and bright explosion wakes up all the habitants near Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, alarming few and wowing most of them. A safety test was scheduled for that night, but something went wrong, leading to the catastrophic consequences we're all aware of.
Firefighters are called and so is Vasily Ignatenko, while his wife Lyudmilla is doubtful about his safety.
People are told that the fire is the main problem, but the actual danger (the radioactive kernel) is kept hidden...only for a couple of days since people all over the area start to have health problems caused by the graphite and radiations.
To understand how serious the problem is, Communist Party of the Soviet Union's general secretary Michail Gorbačëv sends vice-minister Boris Shcherbina and professor Valerij Legasov to Chernobyl and the reality they have to witness is unbelievable and unbearable.
At first, the accident was meant to be kept with the URSS borders, but levels of radiations are detected in Sweden, forcing Moscow to admit the fact. In the meantime, professor Ulana Khomyuk arrives from Minsk to help professor Legasov in finding a quick and effective way to put reactor 4 in safety, but the task is going to be much more insidious than previously thought...
Episode 4 shows how civilians were also called to join the military forces to help; from getting people live their homes, to sanitizing streets and buildings and take care of the stray pet animals who were left behind.
Episode 5 is centered on the Chernobyl trial in which the defendants Dylatov, Bryukhanou and Fomin had to admit and take their responsibilities on the matter. It's with this episode that the viewer gets to understand fully and with simple words and demonstrations how everything started.
My Opinion👍👎
The nuclear catastrophe that happened in Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, in SSR Ukraina, is sadly famous but what's even sadder is that schools' history programs rarely cover it.
This is one of the reasons why I liked HBO's mini-series...I was also really pleased with the casting choices: I think Jared Harris and Emily Watson are extremely talented!
I know only the generalities of the accident and I think miniseries like this help a lot the new generations to learn, even if in a simplified way, historical events. I watched it with "history nerd" friends and they told me it was pretty accurate and it was well-received worldwide.
The attention to the efforts common people made in order to fix the situation was detailed and showed the entire spectrum of human emotions: astonishment, shock, a sense of helplessness at first, anger, frustration and sense of duty afterward. I enjoyed a lot the miners' attitude towards the politicians who ask them to go to Chernobyl and dig a tunnel to reach the radioactive kernel...the whole process of digging was tragicomic, which was kind of a relief in an overall dark and leaden atmosphere.
Also, the setting was very well recreated: the '80es Soviet Union's surroundings were extremely believable HtoT, from the buildings to fashion and technology.
It has been interesting to see how the entire situation was experienced by common people, while Shcherbina, Legasov and Khomyuk are constantly observed by KGB.
Since it's a reconstruction of real-life events I won't rate the series (as I do for biographies), but I guess that it's pretty clear where I stand by my opinions above and down below.
This is one of the reasons why I liked HBO's mini-series...I was also really pleased with the casting choices: I think Jared Harris and Emily Watson are extremely talented!
I know only the generalities of the accident and I think miniseries like this help a lot the new generations to learn, even if in a simplified way, historical events. I watched it with "history nerd" friends and they told me it was pretty accurate and it was well-received worldwide.
The attention to the efforts common people made in order to fix the situation was detailed and showed the entire spectrum of human emotions: astonishment, shock, a sense of helplessness at first, anger, frustration and sense of duty afterward. I enjoyed a lot the miners' attitude towards the politicians who ask them to go to Chernobyl and dig a tunnel to reach the radioactive kernel...the whole process of digging was tragicomic, which was kind of a relief in an overall dark and leaden atmosphere.
Also, the setting was very well recreated: the '80es Soviet Union's surroundings were extremely believable HtoT, from the buildings to fashion and technology.
It has been interesting to see how the entire situation was experienced by common people, while Shcherbina, Legasov and Khomyuk are constantly observed by KGB.
Since it's a reconstruction of real-life events I won't rate the series (as I do for biographies), but I guess that it's pretty clear where I stand by my opinions above and down below.
Should you watch it?
Yes, because it's short, it's engaging and gives you an idea of
what it has been for all the people involved in the process of securing the plant.
Do yourselves a favor and watch it.
Ph: impawards.com
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