After the underwhelming finale of Game of Thrones, I didn’t have any new shows lined up for watching. I had already blasted through the seasons of Schitt’s Creek available on Netflix – which had been my only other must-watch show – and didn’t feel inspired to look for new options. I couldn’t even motivate myself to watch the new John Wick movie … and I love John Wick. So I’m not sure how or why I ended up binge-watching 5 episodes of Chernobyl in 2 nights. Maybe it was curiosity to see how Soviet-era life (which I experienced first-hand) would be portrayed. Whatever the reason, my decision to watch more than paid off. It’s weird to say this about a show that pulls no punches in portraying a terrible event, but I … well, I loved every minute of it.
Don’t get me wrong, it was hard as hell to watch. It kicked my anxiety into over-drive – the sustained tension is on par with any good horror movie – and yet I couldn’t tear myself away from it. After I finished watching it, I began devouring all the information about Chernobyl I could get my hands on. What fascinates me the most is the human psychology of disaster events, both before and after; how people react, and how those reactions drive the chain of events. I know that the show has been criticized for factual inaccuracies and for Hollywoodizing the real story, but I think it nailed the atmosphere and the spirit of what happened. It’s not so much a cautionary tale about nuclear power; it’s a cautionary tale about the deadly consequences of lies, misinformation and carelessness … and that has not ceased to be relevant in the decades since Chernobyl.
The acting, writing, cinematography, set design, music are all fantastic. I was tempted to reference the insta-classic meme “not great, not terrible” from the show itself, but decided it wouldn’t be fair (or accurate). But that does bring me to something else I wanted to touch on. In the wake of the show, there has been a whole internet cottage industry of Chernobyl (show) related memes. You wouldn’t think so, perhaps, but this show has proven to be just as meme-able as Game of Thrones. My husband, who hasn’t seen the show, thinks that’s weird and disrespectful. I get where he’s coming from, but I must admit that I have chuckled at some of them nonetheless. It’s dark humour, for sure. I think it’s human instinct to use humour when reality is brutal and wholly outside one’s control; I experienced some of that first-hand when I was growing up in the Soviet Block. That being said, I would guess that most of the people who are making/sharing/enjoying these Chernobyl memes (myself included) were not directly involved in the events portrayed by the show. Does it make it better or worse that the memes are inspired by a TV show rather than (direct) reality? It is, after all, a show based on real life events and people. I don’t have any definitive take on this, by the way, but it’s something that’s been on my mind lately and I would love to hear your thoughts.
After I finished watching the show, I ordered and quickly tore through Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe by Serhii Plokhy. I cannot recommend this book enough. It wasn’t originally my first pick for Chernobyl-related source material, but it was the only book that was available through Amazon Prime; I’m impatient, what can I say. I’m so glad I got this, however, because it is very well written, informative, and captivating. Along with the details of the disaster and its aftermath, it provides insight into the socio-political climate of the time, along with the history of the Chernobyl nuclear plant and the town of Pripyat. Reading it provided a ton of relevant and fascinating context to the show, and allowed me to consider it with a more critical eye. For example, the book was far more sympathetic to the men who ran the nuclear plant than the show – yes, even Diatlov (the “villain” of the series) – without being wholly exculpatory, which I found interesting. Ditto for its commentary on Legasov. I still maintain my earlier comments on the show – yes, the story/facts were Hollywoodized for narrative impact, but the overall spirit was bang on. Anyway, if you enjoyed the show and want to learn more, this book is a good place to start.
Have you watched Chernobyl and if so, what did you think?
Did you ever read Alexievich’s Voices from Chernobyl? It’s a collection of oral histories. Amazing. One of the most remarkable book I’ve read in years.
I also read the Plokhy book. Not sure I’m up for watching the show, though!
No, I wanted to get that but it was not available through Prime.
The show is a hard watch but so, so good. It’s visceral in the way that only a visual medium can be.
I really liked the series. It was really interesting to see the different ways being in a non market economy impacted both how the accident occurred and how the country recovered.
I watched the show (also after GOT) and finished it last night actually. Really liked it though I found it very depressing. I’m part Russian and visited the country many times, few of which in the early 90’s when I was a child. I found the show fascinating and loved the story telling. Will get the book for mentioned too.
Not sure if you have watched Killing Eve, but I’m liking that as well.
Loved the TV show. I did a research paper on Chernobyl in high school physics so I was already aware of how the accident happened and its radioactive effects. I was so nervous the whole time, anxious about the health of all the characters.
I’m not all the way through yet, but I’ve been listening to the companion podcast “The Chernobyl Podcast” and possibly enjoying that more! It’s creator/writer Craig Mazin and NPR’s Peter Segal talking about each episode, getting more in depth on the history and the production. I’d be curious to know what you thought about the authenticity of the sets, costumes, etiquette, etc.; Craig talked a lot about how they tried to get every detail right.
Final thing I loved was that they used a female composer and she is getting a lot of recognition for her work on the show! Female composers are so terribly under-represented.
The music is great in this series. So atmospheric! Great comments all around. Curious to know what you think about the performances, especially Emily Watson, Jared Harris and Stefan Skarsgard?
I loved them all. The Boris-Valery relationship was nicely done. But in some ways, the most memorable performance was Diatlov … I was surprised to read that the actor has a background in comedy.