Chernobyl — Episode 5: Vichnaya Pamyat — A Review

17th September, 2019.



It has to be said, I’m back at work, tomorrow night.

Which is …

Well …

About par for the course, when you think about it.

At any rate?

I’ve popped in an old friend: who’s expecting an AppleTV, at some point.

I’ve cleaned the house, written more Teasers: Anne, the Badwolf herself, will like one, I’m certain.

Oh …

And I’ve railed against man’s inhumanity to man.

Well … watched some Blake’s Seven, anyway.



It’s been quiet, in other words.

Quiet enough that I’ve actually wanted to finish off a series.

A miniseries, if you must know.

Yes: I’ve seen the last episode of Chernobyl… 

~≈☢︎≈~

Episode 5, Vichnaya Pamyat* opens with a flashback: to the day before the explosion.

Shows us Dyatlov, Bryukhanov and Fomin (Paul Ritter, Con O’Neill, Adrian Rawlings) meeting to discuss a theoretically easy safety test …

Them moves on, showing that this is the three men’s trial: in the abandoned city of Chernobyl, itself.

The irascible Boris Shcherbina (Stellan Skårsgard) is called first: explaining the workings of this type of type.

Dr Khomyuk (Emily Watson) is next: explaining some of what went on.   And emphasising how the human elements of the accident contributed to the disaster.

Valery Legasov (Jared Harris) is last.

He further explains that the poison Dr Khomyuk mentioned, is Xenon.



Which can sometimes help cool reactors down.



And how a build up of it, and the steam generated when the pumps failed caused a dangerous build up of heat … 



Explains how the control rods supposed to keep the nuclear fuel from burning too fast worked: and how the graphite tips on the rods failed to do work.



And how the one single button supposed to lower those rods into the reactor … was doomed to failure … 

~≈☢︎≈~

Now … 

Have I just seen one hell of a series?

Oh, my gods, haven’t I just!

The story of Chernobyl, a tragedy started by human ineptitude, made worse by politicking, malice, inertia … 

A tragedy that could have been worse by human ineptitude, made worse by pig headedness … 

A tragedy worsened by the fact its central characters had the guts to investigate, and then speak out, only to be ignored …



Until the story’s central character, Valery Legasov, commits suicide: having left a pile of further information.

Chernobyl … ?



Is gruesome, horrific, tense, tragic … 


And possibly the best series I’ve seen this year … 



I dare you to watch Chernobyl: and tell me otherwise!

*        It’s Ukrainian for “Memory Eternal.”