Chernobyl, HBO Miniseries

This 5 hour miniseries produced by HBO is getting a lot of press. It's got a 9.7 rating on IMDB.COM. That's a higher rating than Band of Brothers, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and The Wire. In fact it's the highest rating ever on IMDB.COM for a TV series.

I watched the first episode last night. I don't understand the hype. Bleak, gory, horrific, nonsensical anti-Russia propaganda is how I would describe it. Shot through a gray lens, everything is dirty, rundown, and depressing. At one point the local officials and some Communist party officials had gathered in an underground nuclear shelter to discuss what to do about the meltdown (actually an explosion) of one of the nuclear reactors at Chernobyl. The idea was put forth that the area should be evacuated. This idea was being tossed around when an elderly party member, probably a veteran of WWII, stood up, took over the room, and explained that there would be a cover up, no one would hear about this disaster, and this was being done for the glory of Vladimir I. Lenin. Everybody in the room began clapping hands and smiling.

I am not kidding.

At another point the officials were talking about the radioactivity level. Initial readings were 3.6 roentgens.

One official said, "that's not bad, but it's not great, either."

"But that was as high as the measuring instrument went."

"Well get another meter and remeasure it."

"We did. We used a [model name and number of meter] and it goes as high as 20 roentgens. It pegged the meter and then burned out."

"Well, obviously it's a defective meter."

"Yes, well, we thought of that so we got a military unit [model name and number] and it goes up to 2,000 roentgens. The meter pegged and then burned out."

"What is the matter with these defective meters?"

"It's not defective, sir."

"That's your opinion."

"It's not an opinion."

"It is an opinion, and I like my opinion that the meters are defective much better than your opinion."

And so it went.

Near the end of the first episode as radioactive ash began falling on citizens that had gathered to watch the cool colors of the reactor fire, they dance around in it as if it's snow, smiling and laughing to each other.

Look, I know propaganda when I see it, and this is it.

Now, I'm wondering if the 9.7 rating on IMDB.COM is faked. I could not give this production more than a 7.

 

Sure, I can buy that. But claiming three radiation detectors are faulty, clapping and smiling about covering up a nuclear accident for the glory of Lenin, dancing in fallout ash, etc. Just struck me as absurd.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL

 

Another scene that bothered me. There was a hospital about 10 miles from the reactor. Nurses and doctors on the night shift are looking out the windows from the upper floors of the hospital at the flames licking the sky. Ambulances have been sent to the site.

One of the nurses asks a doctor, "Do we have iodine pills in stock?"

Doctor asks, "Why in the world would we need iodine pills?"

Nurse, asks again, "Do we?"

Doctor: "Why would we need iodine pills here?"

I rolled my eyes.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL