HBO's Chernobyl

Albedo said:

Waiting for my 'wreck of the Batavia' miniseries ...

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Me, I’m waiting for “Brexit: The Series”. I do hope the CGI-rendered zombie hordes look believable.

onesecondglance said:

For fans of the soundtrack, you might like this: Cities Last Broadcast - The Humming Tapes. Search for "dark ambient" and you'll find lots more.

Edited to add: the Chernobyl soundtrack is now available to buy. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI1-1m1iKCs

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More excellently dark ambient music inspired by the Chernobyl incident: Shrine - Ordeal 26.04.86

Pleased to see the Emmy wins for Chernobyl, all well deserved. I was disappointed none of the actors won, but that was offset by the wins for Cinematography and Music, which were both so integral to the intensity of the show. Huzzah!

ElaineA said:

Pleased to see the Emmy wins for Chernobyl, all well deserved. I was disappointed none of the actors won, but that was offset by the wins for Cinematography and Music, which were both so integral to the intensity of the show. Huzzah!

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Same. I'm sure Ben Whishaw was amazing, but Skarsgard was simply perfect. But I'm glad to see the show won. I've seen the expert predictions were for When They See Us, which was great, but Chernobyl is really in its own league.

I finally got around to purchasing it from Amazon and watching the series. In spite of some historical inaccuracies, it was very well done overall. What a sad story. I shouldn't have watched the first two episodes before bed...

I am thinking that one under examined cost of the disaster is PTSD among survivors too. Being ripped from one's home, subject to the terror of being exposed to radiation and not knowing how much you got and whether or not you might become ill, and having to be in such a stressful situation must have taken a huge toll on people, one that has likely created plenty of illness in its own right. I remember reading somewhere that depression, alcoholism and anxiety about possibly becoming ill still plague survivors.

"Deserves Got Nothing To Do With It" -- Clint Eastwood in "Unforgiven"

Good Black Progressive: Good for Chernobyl. It was a well-directed and well-acted dramatization of a terrifying incident based upon true events that still resonates to this day.

Good White Progressive: Oh, definitely. That's what makes it so effective and so chilling. Because it happened and could again.

Good Black Progressive: Oh, most definitely. By the way, have you watched When They See Us which was also nominated for multiple Emmys and is also a well-directed by Ava Duvernay and well-acted dramatization of a terrifying incident based upon true events which still resonates to this day? Despite it's multiple nominations it won only a single Emmy for Jharrel Jerome's portrayal of Korey Wise, the brother who had nothing to do with the incident, but is still included as one of the Central Park Five and did the most prison time. . You 'member them, right? The five Black and Latino brothers who went to jail for a crime they didn't commit, but a certain Orange P-Grabbing POTUS took out full-page ads calling for the death penalty for them and to this very day still insists they are guilty of a crime they never committed.

Good White Progressive: Yeah, it's in my queue. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I'll be sure to before the year ends. Or the next Emmys occur. Whatever comes first.

Good Black Progressive: Okay. Thanks. Much appreciated how the suffering of White Russians you'll never know means so much less than the suffering of Black Americans our history books don't talk about, but I'm sure they mention Chernobyl.

Good White Progressive: Hey, it deserved it's Emmys. Have you watched it?

Good Black Progressive: No. I haven't. Have you watched "When They See Us?"

Good White Progressive: No. Not yet.

Good Black Progressive: Ditto. When we do maybe then that is when we can have a reasonable discussion about what "deserves" what. Right now we can't.

Good White Progressive: Has it ever occurred to you that people tend to gravitate to stories about people who remind them of themselves?

Good Black Progressive: Only when I'm awake.

nighttimer said:

Good Black Progressive: Good for Chernobyl. It was a well-directed and well-acted dramatization of a terrifying incident based upon true events that still resonates to this day.

Good White Progressive: Oh, definitely. That's what makes it so effective and so chilling. Because it happened and could again.

Good Black Progressive: Oh, most definitely. By the way, have you watched When They See Us which was also nominated for multiple Emmys and is also a well-directed by Ava Duvernay and well-acted dramatization of a terrifying incident based upon true events which still resonates to this day? Despite it's multiple nominations it won only a single Emmy for Jharrel Jerome's portrayal of Korey Wise, the brother who had nothing to do with the incident, but is still included as one of the Central Park Five and did the most prison time. . You 'member them, right? The five Black and Latino brothers who went to jail for a crime they didn't commit, but a certain Orange P-Grabbing POTUS took out full-page ads calling for the death penalty for them and to this very day still insists they are guilty of a crime they never committed.

Good White Progressive: Yeah, it's in my queue. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I'll be sure to before the year ends. Or the next Emmys occur. Whatever comes first.

Good Black Progressive: Okay. Thanks. Much appreciated how the suffering of White Russians you'll never know means so much less than the suffering of Black Americans our history books don't talk about, but I'm sure they mention Chernobyl.

Good White Progressive: Hey, it deserved it's Emmys. Have you watched it?

Good Black Progressive: No. I haven't. Have you watched "When They See Us?"

Good White Progressive: No. Not yet.

Good Black Progressive: Ditto. When we do maybe then that is when we can have a reasonable discussion about what "deserves" what. Right now we can't.

Good White Progressive: Has it ever occurred to you that people tend to gravitate to stories about people who remind them of themselves?

Good Black Progressive: Only when I'm awake.

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You have a point, NT. I've actually started watching When They See Us. I've been pretty behind on my TV watching, but no excuse, really, since it's on Netflix.

However, I'm a white liberal and am certainly guilty of paying more attention to some stories than others. I think my fascination with Chernobyl goes beyond relating to the victims, regardless of their race, because I've always been interested in the science behind the disaster. There is something horrifyingly fascinating to me, and terrifying, about nuclear disasters, and poignant about an entire area needing to be abandoned and reverting to nature, possibly for thousands of years. I like to think I'd be just as interested if it had taken place in a part of the world where people weren't white, though the role of Soviet-era bureaucracy is historically interesting to me too, since I came of age during the end of the Cold War.

From what I've seen of When They See US thus far, the show is really, really well done, with really good acting, and I'm learning things I never knew about the case and about the kids who were victims of racism and police corruption. It should have its own thread here.

Roxxsmom said:

You have a point, NT. I've actually started watching When They See Us. I've been pretty behind on my TV watching, but no excuse, really, since it's on Netflix.

However, I'm a white liberal and am certainly guilty of paying more attention to some stories than others. I think my fascination with Chernobyl goes beyond relating to the victims, regardless of their race, because I've always been interested in the science behind the disaster. There is something horrifyingly fascinating to me, and terrifying, about nuclear disasters, and poignant about an entire area needing to be abandoned and reverting to nature, possibly for thousands of years. I like to think I'd be just as interested if it had taken place in a part of the world where people weren't white, though the role of Soviet-era bureaucracy is historically interesting to me too, since I came of age during the end of the Cold War.

From what I've seen of When They See US thus far, the show is really, really well done, with really good acting, and I'm learning things I never knew about the case and about the kids who were victims of racism and police corruption. It should have its own thread here.

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Yes, it should have. But since I don't want to be seen as the go-to guy for Everything Black Related on AW, I didn't, so there wasn't.

I've watched When They See Us. It's painful and entirely deserving of any and all awards. Ava Duverney is brilliant, and the acting was superb. I regret that expressing happiness for one show implies there's a hierarchy. I didn't mean that to be the conclusion, and I'm sorry I made it appear that way.

Guys, Chernobyl is in Ukraine, not Russia. The inability to differentiate between "Russian" and "Soviet" is offensive to those of us with families from the USSR (you know, with Russia invading Ukraine RIGHT NOW).

I need to watch this series because of Jared Harris. He played Lane in Mad Men and is such a terrific actor. Didn't know his father was the late Richard Harris, but now it makes sense.

ElaineA said:

I've watched When They See Us. It's painful and entirely deserving of any and all awards. Ava Duverney is brilliant, and the acting was superb. I regret that expressing happiness for one show implies there's a hierarchy. I didn't mean that to be the conclusion, and I'm sorry I made it appear that way.

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It doesn't have to be a hierarchy. I think there is a tendency for things that focus on European history and white culture(s) to get more media attention in general, and this can be compounded for those of us who have a preponderance of white people friended etc. on our social media. Our society is still pretty segregated, both physically and culturally, and the signal boost is much greater for some shows than others. This is significant, because research has shown that people who bond with people of color who appear as characters on (even fictional) TV shows, in movies, and in books etc. will become more empathetic, even if their personal circles of friends and family are less integrated. It's hard not to watch well-done shows like Chernobyl or When They See Us and not feel more for the people who were victims.

Sonya Heaney said:

Guys, Chernobyl is in Ukraine, not Russia. The inability to differentiate between "Russian" and "Soviet" is offensive to those of us with families from the USSR (you know, with Russia invading Ukraine RIGHT NOW).

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This is very true, and it's something people should become more mindful of. I can't help noticing how many people testifying in the impeachment hearings will start to say "The Ukraine" instead of simply "Ukraine," which is its proper name in the Post-Soviet era, for instance. Most catch and correct themselves, but a few don't. Old habits die hard, but it has been a long time since the Berlin Wall fell, and I am guessing this is pretty hurtful to Ukrainians.

At the time the show takes place, of course, Ukraine was still under Soviet control, and if I ever used the term "Russian" to refer to the Soviet government, it was because I think of it as something imposed on other countries within the Soviet Union from Moscow.