Chernobyl-HBO 5 Part Mini Series

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Simply put this is a "must" see


I remember vividly the events of Chernobyl but never could one imagine the gravity the world faced when the nuclear reactor had a melt down and exploded

The scenes and characterization of events will literally have you tongue tied. The filming and acting in this is simply riveting and will have you on the edge of your seat. It's difficult to know how much is historical fact and how much is graphic realism of the effect of such exposure to massive amounts of radiation

The final episode airs this Mnday

This show is rated 97% on IMDB and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes

 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
The graphic reality of the depiction of the radiation sickness as well as fatal burns by firefighters who had no clue re the severity of the situation they were fighting as they were told the radiation was no worse than that of a chest Xray

The only downside (minor) is that it is a British production with all actors having strong English accents. The props and scene locations used will shock you. Much of the footage is from the real event

The world had never seen a disaster of this sort until Chernobyl and all the communistic regime had the party line answer that there was no crisis.

It literally destroyed the entire infrastructure of the USSR as all crops and wildlife were destroyed by troops and all pets were killed. Also the term "bio robots" were used to depict the term they gave to the many 1000's of troops who were taken to the roof top and given 90 seconds to sweep as much graphite as they could from the roof back into the nuclear reactor

This series will have you on the edge of your seat as it is so realistically shown
 

Barry2013

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Completely agree Steve.
I watched episode 4 on Sky Atlantic last night and nearly started a thread on it to ascertain if it had been shown in the States.
It is probably not 100% accurate but I suspect it is not that far off the truth.
I appreciate our no politics rule but it is a devastating indictment of the then Soviet communist way of life and the huge problems that Gorbachev inherited.
 

MTB Vince

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May 11, 2019
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Two episodes in and HOLY TERRIFYING SH*T Batman! Imagine if the general public had been fully aware of the gravity of this event at the time...
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Each episode is about an hour Bob

The general public were told only what the communists wanted the people to know and also held it from the world

This is drama at it's best with depiction so realistic that it makes you sit on the edge of your seat as you shake your head in disbelief
 

jeff1225

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Completely agree Steve.
I watched episode 4 on Sky Atlantic last night and nearly started a thread on it to ascertain if it had been shown in the States.
It is probably not 100% accurate but I suspect it is not that far off the truth.
I appreciate our no politics rule but it is a devastating indictment of the then Soviet communist way of life and the huge problems that Gorbachev inherited.

From what I've read the show sticks closely to the facts accept to a few timeline changes (the helicopter crashed later in the timeline) and the character of Ulana Khomyuk (played by Emily Watson) is not a real person but an amalgamation of many of the scientists that worked on the disaster.
 
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Barry2013

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From what I've read the show sticks closely to the facts accept to a few timeline changes (the helicopter crashed later in the timeline) and the character of Ulana Khomyuk (played by Emily Watson) is not a real person but an amalgamation of many of the scientists that worked on the disaster.

Thanks jeffrey.
It seems to me that the invention of Ulana is an acceptable drama means of telling the story and doesn't detract from the series.
A very interesting aspect of the real Chernobyl is how few people died of subsequent cancers apart from the early frontline workers. The large exclusion area is now a thriving nature reserve. One documentary on TV some years ago featured an old woman who had refused to move and had continued to grow and live on her home grown vegetables including brassicas which were full of radiation.
 
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Steve Williams

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. One documentary on TV some years ago featured an old woman who had refused to move and had continued to grow and live on her home grown vegetables including brassicas which were full of radiation.

We saw that old lady in episode 4 milking her cow and refusing to leave
 

jeff1225

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Thanks jeffrey.
It seems to me that the invention of Ulana is an acceptable drama means of telling the story and doesn't detract from the series.
A very interesting aspect of the real Chernobyl is how few people died of subsequent cancers apart from the early frontline workers. The large exclusion area is now a thriving nature reserve. One documentary on TV some years ago featured an old woman who had refused to move and had continued to grow and live on her home grown vegetables including brassicas which were full of radiation.

Absolutely agree. Sometimes these unifying characters are the best characters in a show.

I've read that except for thyroid cancer, there are no biological differences between cancers caused by the long term effects of radiation vs cancers that develop "naturally." That being said, cancer rates are thought to be higher in countries closest to Chernobyl.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Absolutely agree. Sometimes these unifying characters are the best characters in a show.

I've read that except for thyroid cancer, there are no biological differences between cancers caused by the long term effects of radiation vs cancers that develop "naturally." That being said, cancer rates are thought to be higher in countries closest to Chernobyl.
That’s why Ulana was swallowing up
Iodine pills and telling other people to be taking the sodium iodide.
The iodine is rapidly taken up by the person’s thyroid to make thyroid hormone and by flooding the thyroid it prevents uptake of radioactive iodine given off when the reactor exploded.Thats why the increase number of thyroid cancers which occur as a result of the I131 uptake into the thyroid
 
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NorthStar

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Not the best wiki read but educative and important:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

The "bio-robots" in that link had 40 seconds, and some here mentioned 90 seconds.
Also, they were supposed to do it only once, but some did it hundred times!

There is so much sadness after reading this Wiki page in its entirety.
I will eventually watch those five episodes, but now equipped with many facts.
It is my understanding that we'll never know the full scope of this disaster's impact.
Those are not innocent toys to play with. The radioactive debris underground are there for thousand years.

We need better engineers, managers, thinkers, great minds to manage our planet and its people.
Terrible how the human species is so ignorant. This one is considered the largest nuclear disaster, catastrophe.
Japan had its disasters too. ...Before and after, and we need other words than "disasters" to accurately describe. ...Gross human negligence, incompetence, etc.
 
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jeff1225

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Not the best wiki read but educative and important:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

The "bio-robots" in that link had 40 seconds, and some here mentioned 90 seconds.
Also, they were supposed to do it only once, but some did it hundred times!

There is so much sadness after reading this Wiki page in its entirety.
I will eventually watch those five episodes, but now equipped with many facts.
It is my understanding that we'll never know the full scope of this disaster's impact.
Those are not innocent toys to play with. The radioactive debris underground are there for thousand years.

We need better engineers, managers, thinkers, great minds to manage our planet and its people.
Terrible how the human species is so ignorant. This one is considered the largest nuclear disaster, catastrophe.
Japan had its disasters too. ...Before and after, and we need other words than "disasters" to accurately describe. ...Gross human negligence, incompetence, etc.

The USSR owns this disaster. They built a reactor with known flawed designs, didn't listen to their scientists, under staffed the installation and poorly maintained it. When the disaster happened, the police state lied to its own people and failed to protect them.

Japan's disaster was caused by a tidal wave. The USSR's was a self inflicted wound. The final nail in the Russian's attempt at Marxism.
 

NorthStar

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Yes Jeff, they made many mistakes. ...More than many, and they did cover it up for a while.
Swedish scientists recorded radio-active particles in their atmosphere but they didn't have any malfunction in their own land, they asked Russia if they had an accident, Russia said no. Then Sweden said they have to report to the higher authorities, then Russia admitted.

"Evacuation began long before the accident was publicly acknowledged by the Soviet Union. In the morning of 28 April, radiation levels set off alarms at the Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden, over 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) from the Chernobyl Plant. Workers at Forsmark reported the case to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, which determined that the radiation had originated elsewhere.That day, the Swedish government contacted the Soviet government to inquire about whether there had been a nuclear accident in the Soviet Union. The Soviet government initially denied it, and it was only after the Swedish government suggested they were about to file an official alert with the IAEA, that the Soviet government admitted an accident took place at Chernobyl."
_____

I was referring to Japan most recent one...like you just mentioned, created by a tidal wave.
Not the best place to build nuclear reactors, on the beach.
And they had two prior catastrophes, one in Hiroshima and the other in Nagasaki.

I know, they are different, but all with irreparable consequences. Bad stuff, bad decisions, complete lack of human life respect. Will we ever get out of those woods?
 
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BlueFox

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Hopefully it will be released on Blue Ray, since I don't get HBO.
 

Sharp 1080

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I watched several videos today on Chernobyl.
This one strikes a chord ...


I don't know how accurate is that HBO series, as I didn't see it yet.

I believe the flag raising that is shown in your posted video was shown in the last episode?
 

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