Television Chernobyl (HBO/Sky drama series)

[calodo2003]

So it could've been a Coventry type thing, where we knew something was coming but did not want to divulge our sources?

I wouldn’t have put it past the US or UK governments of that era to have sat on the info for fear of divulging sources / methods, but I would rather think that once the US saw how massive the disaster was about to be, we would have passed radiation info through a proxy to be disseminated to media & international overwatch entities. Who knows, this may have been the case with Sweden, but I have never heard anything to the contrary of Sweden actually being the legitimate first to discover evidence of the disaster.

I am looking forward to the character arc of the Soviet bureaucrat who initially states that the radiation dose level for the first responders would be akin to a chest X-ray. I think he (or those he might be playing a composite of) doesn’t receive any punishment. I know that one of the nuclear engineers got ten years in prison for ‘negligence’ (not sure which one of the three in the show), but no one else received a prison sentence.

 

[Sanche7]

I wouldn’t have put it past the US or UK governments of that era to have sat on the info for fear of divulging sources / methods, but I would rather think that once the US saw how massive the disaster was about to be, we would have passed radiation info through a proxy to be disseminated to media & international overwatch entities. Who knows, this may have been the case with Sweden, but I have never heard anything to the contrary of Sweden actually being the legitimate first to discover evidence of the disaster.

I am looking forward to the character arc of the Soviet bureaucrat who initially states that the radiation dose level for the first responders would be akin to a chest X-ray. I think he (or those he might be playing a composite of) doesn’t receive any punishment. I know that one of the nuclear engineers got ten years in prison for ‘negligence’ (not sure which one of the three in the show), but no one else received a prison sentence.

The guy narrating rhee story at the start says that Dyatlov gets 10 year punishment. He's the guy who was calling the shots in the control room, the guy who went to the administration block to see the other guys and tell them the radiation is from the feed water

 

[United Hobbit]

I'm trying not to read the thread in case of potential spoilers but is this worth watching? Know its only been one episode so far but what sort of show is it? Is it hard to follow?

Trailer looked interesting so tempted by it and need something good to watch now Line of Duty is over

 

[harms]

I'm trying not to read the thread in case of potential spoilers but is this worth watching?

Spoiler — it exploded! So far, so good, really. Quite intense without major flaws in terms of realism or storytelling.

 

[United Hobbit]

Spoiler — it exploded! So far, so good, really. Quite intense without major flaws in terms of realism or storytelling.

Thanks, certainly sounds worth a try then I like intense shows so sounds interesting

 

[calodo2003]

I'm trying not to read the thread in case of potential spoilers but is this worth watching? Know its only been one episode so far but what sort of show is it? Is it hard to follow?

Trailer looked interesting so tempted by it and need something good to watch now Line of Duty is over

Recommended.

I was halfway through the second episode when I had to pause it as it did get a little intense, more of a ‘catch my breath’ moment.

 

[calodo2003]

The guy narrating rhee story at the start says that Dyatlov gets 10 year punishment. He's the guy who was calling the shots in the control room, the guy who went to the administration block to see the other guys and tell them the radiation is from the feed water

Thanks. Makes sense.

 

[Paxi]

On episode 2 and this is genuinely harrowing.

 

[Dan]

It’s excellent.

 

[Sanche7]

The direction is absolutely fantastic.
The scene at the bar where Legasov is asked if there's anything to worry about is a great scene, mostly because it's a scene they came up with to show the character's internal struggle. So is the one in which they are evacuating the city and a dog chases the bus. Loved the ending with the loud breathing, loud heart beats and the sound of dosimeter in a pitch black room. They have done very well to capture the horror of the situation.

I was wondering why there are only two scientists involved in such a big disaster but apparently the lady scientist is not a real person, she is supposed to represent hundreds of scientists from all across USSR who came forward despite threats of jail time and other punishments

 

[Paxi]

The direction is absolutely fantastic.
The scene at the bar where Legasov is asked if there's anything to worry about is a great scene, mostly because it's a scene they came up with to show the character's internal struggle. So is the one in which they are evacuating the city and a dog chases the bus. Loved the ending with the loud breathing, loud heart beats and the sound of dosimeter in a pitch black room. They have done very well to capture the horror of the situation.

I was wondering why there are only two scientists involved in such a big disaster but apparently the lady scientist is not a real person, she is supposed to represent hundreds of scientists from all across USSR who came forward despite threats of jail time and other punishments

Yeah that makes sense. It would not be a great viewing if there were to many characters on screen.

 

[Sanche7]

Yeah that makes sense. It would not be a great viewing if there were to many characters on screen.

Yeah it's a common thing you see in movies and shows that are based on true events. The other I can remember from the top of my head is the character Maya played by Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty

 

[Paxi]

Yeah it's a common thing you see in movies and shows that are based on true events. The other I can remember from the top of my head is the character Maya played by Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty

I only found out that it’s done frequently in tv shows/movies and in hindsight it makes perfect sense.

I thought she was a real person...

 

[The Firestarter]

I am not aware of any Russian/Ukrainian dramatisations on the subject, they may be quality as well, but this is simply fantastic. Impeccable acting in the first two episodes.

 

[SteveJ]

I am not aware of any Russian/Ukrainian dramatisations on the subject, they may be quality as well, but this is simply fantastic. Impeccable acting in the first two episodes.

 

[Massive Spanner]

This is absolutely brilliant.

 

[CassiusClaymore]

This is brilliant. End of that second episode was horrible.

Also that big eared woman has been in this, thrones and line of duty in the space of 2 weeks

Did I see Jack Boswell of Bread fame in ep 2 also?

 

[Dan]

This is brilliant. End of that second episode was horrible.

Also that big eared woman has been in this, thrones and line of duty in the space of 2 weeks

Did I see Jack Boswell of Bread fame in ep 2 also?

Maester Luwin is in it too.

 

[Mighty Boosh]

This is absolutely terrific so far, really enjoying it and some great acting.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

This is the must-see drama from HBO this season.

 

[CallyRed]

Really gripping stuff. Such a harrowing story but brilliantly told and acted

 

[Morpheus 7]

Excellent, really following the timeline so far with little dramatisation. It's a story that I'm glad is being told to a wider audience. Some absolute heroes and criminals in the event.

 

[arthurka]

This is just one of the best tv series I have ever seen. Got the atmo and the rest of it down to a tee. Just so eerie and believable.

 

[harms]

Brilliant episode.

 

[Oldham]

Awesome.
And horrible

 

[Tarrou]

its great but not sure about the decision to use english, feels weird

 

[Massive Spanner]

its great but not sure about the decision to use english, feels weird

I know what you mean but I got used to it pretty quickly. To be fair the likes of Skarsgård are using their normal accent so I don't think it's that they specifically decided to go English, just didn't bother with accents. I mean I guess if you're going for the accents the question then is why hire English actors and do it in English?

 

[King7Eric]

its great but not sure about the decision to use english, feels weird

Most people would find having to follow everything through subtitles off putting. HBO isn't going to commission a show in Russian and without their production value, the show would lose a lot. It's the kind of show that needs a big budget to really tell the story well.

 

[calodo2003]

The direction is absolutely fantastic.
The scene at the bar where Legasov is asked if there's anything to worry about is a great scene, mostly because it's a scene they came up with to show the character's internal struggle. So is the one in which they are evacuating the city and a dog chases the bus. Loved the ending with the loud breathing, loud heart beats and the sound of dosimeter in a pitch black room. They have done very well to capture the horror of the situation.

I was wondering why there are only two scientists involved in such a big disaster but apparently the lady scientist is not a real person, she is supposed to represent hundreds of scientists from all across USSR who came forward despite threats of jail time and other punishments

Well put.

I am not familiar with the actor who plays Legasov, but he is quality thus far.

 

[calodo2003]

Yeah it's a common thing you see in movies and shows that are based on true events. The other I can remember from the top of my head is the character Maya played by Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty

Mark Wahlberg’s character in the Boston bombing movie, Patriot’s Day, was a composite as well.

 

[calodo2003]

I only found out that it’s done frequently in tv shows/movies and in hindsight it makes perfect sense.

I thought she was a real person...

She is a composite, but strongly resembles one woman, a former CIA operative. They fleshed her out a bit so as not to appear so much like that chick.

 

[King7Eric]

Well put.

I am not familiar with the actor who plays Legasov, but he is quality thus far.

Jared Harris. Quality actor. Has done some fantastic work in Mad Men, The Terror and even in his limited role in The Crown.

 

[The Firestarter]

Jared Harris. Quality actor. Has done some fantastic work in Mad Men, The Terror and even in his limited role in The Crown.

Aye, was ace in Mad Men.

 

[harms]

its great but not sure about the decision to use english, feels weird

I know what you mean but I got used to it pretty quickly. To be fair the likes of Skarsgård are using their normal accent so I don't think it's that they specifically decided to go English, just didn't bother with accents. I mean I guess if you're going for the accents the question then is why hire English actors and do it in English?

This will require for HBO to find a whole bunch of top quality Russian actors, and also cut away a huge part of the audience that won't be bothered to watch it with subtitles... as a Russian, I don't have a problem with them using English to be fair.

Warrior (a 2019 TV show about Chinatown in the late 1800's) solved a similar problem quite creatively. Here's a quote from a recap as I'm not sure that I can describe it correctly:

One of the unique things Warrior does is weave languages, in the same way it weaves its characters into each others paths. The episode uses both Cantonese and English. With language at the forefront in the first minutes of the episode, Ah Sahm’s reveal that he speaks English to the racist guards, and unaccented, sets up for how we see the rest of the cast of characters throughout the show.

When Ah Sahm is walking to the Hop Wei with Chao the use of language starts in Cantonese (as identified in the closed captioning) with Young Jun and the rest of his crew. However, as Chao and Ah Sahm enter, it seamlessly shifts mid-sentence to English. As the audience, we are aware that they are indeed speaking Cantonese to each other, but with the series being made for an American audience, it’s shifted to English for viewers, and its important to note that the bulk of the English dialogue is written without accents.

Then, when Chao is approached by Big Bill in the street mid-joke, the language switches again, seamlessly into Cantonese from English, which shifts again when Chao speaks with Big Bill, which is then accented. This is a technique that I have not seen executed in any other show or film and it excites me.

As a Latina, seeing the ability to use native or cultural language alongside unaccented English serves as a standard for other shows to meet. I can’t explain it, but it adds dimension to the characters, it makes them more than their language, and centers them in every scene. I hope to see this replicated in other media, as it’s truly amazing.

 

[The Firestarter]

Two reviews from IMDB:

Im ukrainian, born in 1988 and still live here. I want to give the authors of this show a big thumbs up for the whole set they have made. Every little detail of the buildings, flats, uniforms, clothes, cars, especially big thumbs up for ambulance "RAFiks" (RAF-2203), almost everything is 99% identical to the real things of the time, just a few mistakes on some signs that have been written in a mix of russian\ukrainian and some other unknown language, but it all doesnt matter, because what i have seen previously in other movies about soviets were so bad that its not even comparable to this.

I'm Russian. Amazing work! Newer, you hear this, never ever before western cinematography made such authentic film. I speak about details: cars, kitchens, clothes...

 

[Sanche7]

Warrior (a 2019 TV show about Chinatown in the late 1800's) solved a similar problem quite creatively. Here's a quote from a recap as I'm not sure that I can describe it correctly:

I was just thinking of this, the way they move the camera / change the perspective or point of view when they switch from Chinese to English is fantastic and probably the best way they can keep it authentic while the characters speak English
Warrior is a fantastic show btw

 

[Oldham]

It´s great.
But I'd like the language to be Russian. I'm sure they have excellent actors so that should not be a
problem.

 

[calodo2003]

If it stays on the same arc, it could be the best miniseries HBO has done since the first season of True Detective.

 

[Vidic_In_Moscow]

Absolutely brilliant so far, feels incredibly eerie.

 

[United Hobbit]

Have now caught up and watched the first 2, am really getting into it as it's something a bit different, the sheer scale of it is insane and to think it could have been so many more countries affected. I wasn't alive when it happened is the show relatively true to what happened or has anything been dramatised/ exaggerated? Some of the failings by some of the powerful people are scary and impacted so many lives.