Chernobyl

This is one of the best dramatic series I have watched in years. It can be difficult to maintain tension and drama describing true events that the viewer might be already aware of to some extent, but this program manages it nicely. It is a little predictable in how it tells the story, by which I mean it uses several angles from different characters' points of view: the scientists and administrators representing the Russian government, the employees of the power plant and other disposable workers, and of course the masses of people caught up in the disaster; and finally, for a close-up look, the wife of one of the plant's employees, who follows her husband to a Moscow hospital. All of these perspectives are handled well.

A couple of the c...

Terrifying and sobering as exceptional a piece of television narrative as you're ever likely to see

The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star was Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was made bitter.

• Revelation 8:10-11

Вічная Пам'ять

• Polychronion chanted at the end of Eastern Orthodox funerals

_This bitch was in the middle of the room with her puppies. She went for me I p__ut a bullet in her. The puppies were licking my arms, being all sweet and playful. We had to shoot at point-blank. Saints preserve us! There was this ...

I was really excited for this series as I have read a good amount about the USSR and have a personal relationship to it, having been born in a former satellite country. But I came away disappointed. The series really drew out some scenes for no reason, to the point where I felt the need to fast-forward (for example, essentially the ~entire 5 minutes of going under the core to open a valve). I was also frustrated that the series started right at the point of disaster; I think I would have appreciated more context in a backstory section.

Can't recommend.

very good series