Chernobyl - HBO mini series

[SpursforSix]

Just watched the first one and it was excellent. The accents are a little odd but it’s easy to overlook.

[baseline bum]

Just watched the first one and it was excellent. The accents are a little odd but it’s easy to overlook.

BBC Horizon did an amazing few episodes on it thirty years ago. Then PBS went and re-dubbed with an American narrator and put it on Nova. :lol

[Reck]

Just watched the first one and it was excellent. The accents are a little odd but it’s easy to overlook.

Haven't you played Metro?

You get used to the crude accent the more you hear it. BLYA!

[SpursforSix]

Haven't you played Metro?

You get used to the crude accent the more you hear it. BLYA!

I don't get the reference. But watching a movie about Chernobyl and hearing everyone speak with British accents takes a little getting used to.

[Reck]

I don't get the reference. But watching a movie about Chernobyl and hearing everyone speak with British accents takes a little getting used to.

No english with heavy russian accent? :lol

Metro is a video game based on some russian novels about a nuclear war and such. The accent makes for 50% of the enjoyment of the game.

[SpursforSix]

No english with heavy russian accent? :lol

Metro is a video game based on some russian novels about a nuclear war and such. The accent makes for 50% of the enjoyment of the game.

ah. Then no...this is not Metro. This is actors talking about Mother Russia and the state but with British accents. It's a little weird.

[SpursforSix]

Great 2nd episode. Y'all nigs need to be watching this.

[Reck]

Great 2nd episode. Y'all nigs need to be watching this.

So you got over the british accent? :lol

I'll check it out once the full 5 eps are out. I'll binge it.

[SpursforSix]

So you got over the british accent? :lol

I'll check it out once the full 5 eps are out. I'll binge it.

Yeah...I don't even think about it. They've got some top shelf actors. It works.

I wish I would have waited. It would have been perfect to binge.

[RandomGuy]

Just watched the first one and it was excellent. The accents are a little odd but it’s easy to overlook.

The second one blew my fucking mind, when they were briefing Gorby on what the full tank of water meant.

Holy fuckballs.

The most terrifying thing about this is that the danger was invisible and intangible radiation and the overall story was true.

The old soviet tech stuff and cars was trippy. Definite plus.

[RandomGuy]

Great 2nd episode. Y'all nigs need to be watching this.

+1

Being old enough to dimly remember this happening on the other side of the world, I had no idea it was that bad.

[SpursforSix]

+1

Being old enough to dimly remember this happening on the other side of the world, I had no idea it was that bad.

Same. And I never really understood about the situation with the tanks and potential worse disaster.

[SpursforSix]

Episodes 3 and 4 were pretty boring imo. Episode 4, as Cully would say, was grim business.

Hopefully this picks up a bit.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Just watched the first one and it was excellent. The accents are a little odd but it’s easy to overlook.

Watched episode one last night. I'm in. Annoying that everyone has to have a British Accent though :wtf:

[aj3292]

Same. And I never really understood about the situation with the tanks and potential worse disaster.

I didn't realize how bad it was either until I researched it years later. But when you're a kid, you just know something bad is happening--no one tells you how bad it could be.

[Reck]

Started this yesterday. Very good start and you're right OP, the british accent is kind of weird at first but then you settle in and you dont even register it anymore.

If you people haven't watched any of the podcast, then do. I watched the first podcast right after episode 1 with the maker of the show and it's just great. He addresses every key points and why not use accents and all that behind the scenes knowledge.

[Judy Booty]

Happy day!

[Judy Booty]

whoops. Oh well...

[pgardn]

Same. And I never really understood about the situation with the tanks and potential worse disaster.

Another explosion.

The material was so hot it was going to melt its way through to another source of water and cause an even larger explosion (stream flash pressure build up) throwing shit everywhere in addition to being a gigantic bomb blast.

[SpursforSix]

Another explosion.

The material was so hot it was going to melt its way through to another source of water and cause an even larger explosion (stream flash pressure build up) throwing shit everywhere in addition to being a gigantic bomb blast.

Yes. I get that. Although there is some question about the movie exaggerating that danger. Although with the other reactors still running, there certainly could have been worse outcomes. And the potential meltdown.

[pgardn]

Yes. I get that. Although there is some question about the movie exaggerating that danger. Although with the other reactors still running, there certainly could have been worse outcomes. And the potential meltdown.

Its hard to tell what the movie did and did not exaggerate in some of the more exciting examples because we just dont know.
And they did have a meltdown of sorts. They did melt fuel and graphite. They created compounds you should not find anywhere else in the universe.

If you read the wiki on Chernobly the accident, it is all over the place.
Its seems very likely to me some of the input has come from sources that have a political stake in the way its presented.

What I found striking is there is a claim that the term glasnost, or openness, came from the problems the USSR had from this incident because they really did not trust the scientists. This term was very popular and absolutely gone now. Their science people had a very tough time trying to reconstruct what happened, they feared it would happen again, possibly a design flaw that would not allow for testing of very cursory limits. And they wanted to know what they could get out of the reactors. The math only goes so far. And of course the scientists as a whole did not want to solve such a massive problem putting people at risk and they were going to get the blame. Or having to present solutions that required exposure to horrible amounts of ionizing energy.

I liked the story, and that you put it up, because it shows the problems politicians have with the empirical truth giving bad news so react by shutting the knowledge down. And that scientists are not angels either.

We in the US have gone from the Earth is NOT increasing in atmospheric temperature, to ok, the temp is going up, but humans play a very small role (ex look at the volcanoes), ok the volcanoes are not near as significant as human output of CO2, so its the sun cycle, ok we are going to pay "our scientists" to present an alternative view (that some know is false, others are just gadflies and like money) on and on... But in this case we wont see a massive problem in a short amount of time. We will pass it on.

We are having trouble with the truth in this country, in a very obvious way.
Some folks are fine with that as long as their political needs are met.
Good timing.

Overall:
People with very different values and jobs were put in extreme situations that forced unwinnable outcomes.
The real world. Glad you posted the thread.

[SpursforSix]

Its hard to tell what the movie did and did not exaggerate in some of the more exciting examples because we just dont know.
And they did have a meltdown of sorts. They did melt fuel and graphite. They created compounds you should not find anywhere else in the universe.

If you read the wiki on Chernobly the accident, it is all over the place.
Its seems very likely to me some of the input has come from sources that have a political stake in the way its presented.

What I found striking is there is a claim that the term glasnost, or openness, came from the problems the USSR had from this incident because they really did not trust the scientists. This term was very popular and absolutely gone now. Their science people had a very tough time trying to reconstruct what happened, they feared it would happen again, possibly a design flaw that would not allow for testing of very cursory limits. And they wanted to know what they could get out of the reactors. The math only goes so far. And of course the scientists as a whole did not want to solve such a massive problem putting people at risk and they were going to get the blame. Or having to present solutions that required exposure to horrible amounts of ionizing energy.

I liked the story, and that you put it up, because it shows the problems politicians have with the empirical truth giving bad news so react by shutting the knowledge down. And that scientists are not angels either.

We in the US have gone from the Earth is NOT increasing in atmospheric temperature, to ok, the temp is going up, but humans play a very small role (ex look at the volcanoes), ok the volcanoes are not near as significant as human output of CO2, so its the sun cycle, ok we are going to pay "our scientists" to present an alternative view (that some know is false, others are just gadflies and like money) on and on... But in this case we wont see a massive problem in a short amount of time. We will pass it on.

We are having trouble with the truth in this country, in a very obvious way.
Some folks are fine with that as long as their political needs are met.
Good timing.

Overall:
People with very different values and jobs were put in extreme situations that forced unwinnable outcomes.
The real world. Glad you posted the thread.

Reck mentioned the podcast earlier and I’m through two and a half of them. I’d highly recommend as it gives some some pretty good insight. The writer also mentions how important the story is beyond the historical facts. How lies propagate to the point where we begin to not recognize truth.

[SpursforSix]

i’ll also add that from the podcasts, it’s clear that the writer did put in a lot of time and research and that I think more is known than you might think.

[pgardn]

Oh SFS, one other thing I found strange:
Everyone claiming they dont know how they could get an explosion to begin with.

You got lots of water separated in different volumes. You got lots of heat. You got enclosed spaces... Boom. Always possible. Just say "how did the water become steam so quickly as to blow things up."

Now explaining how the water overheated in enclosed spaces, ok, but cmon...

I thought they should have explained this as much as they did some of the other "science" stuff. They did not go much into what different types of ionizing radiation does to particular cells, how far it penetrates, reacts with diff molecules, etc.. (I would like more of this) But the artists go to do their thing (not disinterest everyone like I would... make that, I have)

[pgardn]

i’ll also add that from the podcasts, it’s clear that the writer did put in a lot of time and research and that I think more is known than you might think.

I need to listen to that/those.
The Wikipedia on this is a mess.

[SpursforSix]

Oh SFS, one other thing I found strange:
Everyone claiming they dont know how they could get an explosion to begin with.

You got lots of water separated in different volumes. You got lots of heat. You got enclosed spaces... Boom. Always possible. Just say "how did the water become steam so quickly as to blow things up."

Now explaining how the water overheated in enclosed spaces, ok, but cmon...

I thought they should have explained this as much as they did some of the other "science" stuff. They did not go much into what different types of ionizing radiation does to particular cells, how far it penetrates, reacts with diff molecules, etc.. (I would like more of this) But the artists go to do their thing (not disinterest everyone like I would... make that, I have)

The question was not about any explosion but the explosion of the core itself after they had pressed the kill button. I thought they did a good job explaining it in Episode 5 in a way that wasn't too difficult to understand. Or at least to accept.

[RandomGuy]

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/06/04/chernobyl-is-the-highest-rated-tv-series-ever

“Chernobyl” is the highest-rated TV series ever
HBO’s show rates higher on IMDb than other historical dramas and even “Breaking Bad”

[RandomGuy]

The question was not about any explosion but the explosion of the core itself after they had pressed the kill button. I thought they did a good job explaining it in Episode 5 in a way that wasn't too difficult to understand. Or at least to accept.

I think the dramatization of the trial did a great job.

Jared Harris is a good actor.

He is also, by the way, in the Expanse, the sci fi series I recommended, and is one of the interesting characters there. Not quite a full bad guy, not quite a saint, in the way that well-written complex charactors are.

[SpursforSix]

I think the dramatization of the trial did a great job.

Jared Harris is a good actor.

He is also, by the way, in the Expanse, the sci fi series I recommended, and is one of the interesting characters there. Not quite a full bad guy, not quite a saint, in the way that well-written complex charactors are.

Wow about highest rated series ever.

I though all the actors were amazing. Harris at the top of the list. And Skarsgard. I think I'm going to finally dig in to GOT. Then probably Season 5 of Luther which should be done by then. And then the Expanse.

[Reck]

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/06/04/chernobyl-is-the-highest-rated-tv-series-ever

“Chernobyl” is the highest-rated TV series ever
HBO’s show rates higher on IMDb than other historical dramas and even “Breaking Bad”

So they're weighing 5 episodes against 50 and such? Shocker it would rate higher.

Hell, Breaking Bad didn't even hit their peak until probably mid season 3.

[pgardn]

The question was not about any explosion but the explosion of the core itself after they had pressed the kill button. I thought they did a good job explaining it in Episode 5 in a way that wasn't too difficult to understand. Or at least to accept.

Episode 5...?

Well ya know what.
I probably need to watch it.

I got carried away reading about how much is still not clear and what it’s like today.
NPR did a whole segment on how areas outside of the exclusion zone that are not inhabited by people.
These areas are doing quite well ecologically. Even with the chances of higher mutation rates.

I need to down load the podcasts. I’m kinda of semi done with the series, it got me interested a bunch of stuff I did not know about.

We just got HBO. I’m gonna leave the Throne stuff for when I have time. Kinda worried.
I had to contro myself on Breaking Bad to no more than 2 at a time. Don’t like addictive stuff.

[SpursforSix]

Episode 5...?

Well ya know what.
I probably need to watch it.

I got carried away reading about how much is still not clear and what it’s like today.
NPR did a whole segment on how areas outside of the exclusion zone that are not inhabited by people.
These areas are doing quite well ecologically. Even with the chances of higher mutation rates.

I need to down load the podcasts. I’m kinda of semi done with the series, it got me interested a bunch of stuff I did not know about.

We just got HBO. I’m gonna leave the Throne stuff for when I have time. Kinda worried.
I had to contro myself on Breaking Bad to no more than 2 at a time. Don’t like addictive stuff.

LOL. Are you saying you thought it was done at 4?

[RandomGuy]

LOL. Are you saying you thought it was done at 4?

The article below has a link to a fascinating twitter thread by a woman who lived in the USSR at the time. Her step father actually was one of the soliders who was deployed there. Worth reading, as apparently the show's creator was a fanatic about realism, something I picked up watching it. I didn't understand how accurate it was until reading her thread. wow.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kzmnvn/interesting-things-you-need-to-know-about-chernobyl-hbo-miniseries-before-the-finale

[SpursforSix]

The article below has a link to a fascinating twitter thread by a woman who lived in the USSR at the time. Her step father actually was one of the soliders who was deployed there. Worth reading, as apparently the show's creator was a fanatic about realism, something I picked up watching it. I didn't understand how accurate it was until reading her thread. wow.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/kzmnvn/interesting-things-you-need-to-know-about-chernobyl-hbo-miniseries-before-the-finale

I’ll check that out.

From the podcasts, which are all basically interviews with the writer, it seemed above everything else, he wanted to convey the truth as much as possible and took very little dramatic liberties.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Good series. First and last episodes were great. HBO just does TV right, heh.

That trial explanation of how the explosion happened was great.
Also--seems the GoT meme-making crowd transitioned to Chernobyl as well. Very odd to see such a show heavily memed :lol

[redzero]

I look forward to Russia's version, where they finally tell us the real story. People will never understand irony.

[pgardn]

LOL. Are you saying you thought it was done at 4?

Yep.

And the first two are definitely better than the last two.
Minus the one I missed.

[pgardn]

Good stuff about Russians thriving in misery but still ready to die for the old country.

Life’s a bitch and we go down with this big rotten ship because, it’s our big rotten ship.

[pgardn]

Episode 5 was very good. Trial was great.
Great series SF6

The background music/sound was incredibly appropriate throughout as well.
Now to listen to the podcasts on the 5th episode.
Legasov described the runaway because of the graphite ends of the control rods as a nuclear bomb, it’s nothing like that. Gonna have to find out why that was put in.

Tremendous watch, thanks.


The whole theme about lies... how apropos for our times right now.