Jefferson the Caregiver
Rebel Without A Pause
Finally some good TV, been starving for it. Every episode was riveting and had my attention throughout.
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Chernobyl: You didn’t see this thread, because it’s not here (Potential Spoilers) (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Wrigley
- Start date
Sabertooth
Footballguy
Ok I'm done with this thread. I have to go watch it now.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
Capella
Footballguy
identikit
Footballguy
Why HOBO's 'Chernobyl' gets Nuclear so Wrong:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/06/06/why-hbos-chernobyl-gets-nuclear-so-wrong/#699241af632f
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2019/06/06/why-hbos-chernobyl-gets-nuclear-so-wrong/#699241af632f
beer 30
Footballguy
Man I get that Hollywood does what they do to tell a story but I'd encourage any of these detractors to go live in the exclusion zone if they feel so strongly that the threat from radiation is so minimal. That article comes off as the Nuclear Industry's rebuttal to the accident. I'm not a scientist, I only have anecdotal knowledge of the event from the same sources we all have access to and while I would probably enjoy visiting the area there is no way in hell I'm moving there.
And I know that's not what the article is asking anyone to do but they sure do paint a rosy picture of the aftermath of what is pretty much widely acknowledged as the worst nuclear disaster in the history of mankind. Feel free to draw your own conclusions.
TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
This is the stuff I was talking about. People still claiming that nuclear power is incredibly safe because even in the worst disaster (Chernobyl) very little happened, not many died, and really it's not as bad as people say.
It's crazy! I think some people see nuclear energy as this incredibly "green" source of energy and will defend it to the end. You can see the writer of that article is an "Environmentalist". When you're so blinded by your cause that you don't believe facts, you become a fanatic. I think nuclear is a great option for powering the world. But I also realize it's incredibly dangerous and could wipe out a quarter of the planet's livable landmasses.
I mean if your argument is "it's only thyroid cancer", maybe you need to step back and reevaluate your beliefs.
coyote5
Footballguy
That was my first question as I read through the article. Who is the author and what is his relationship to the nuclear industry, because that is a pretty aggressive attempt to invalidate the series.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
I was just looking at his author page and 3 of his last 4 articles are critical of the "Chernobyl" series (last one is about what a doctor wrote in a subscription newsletter). He seems a bit obsessed with ripping it, but maybe good for clicks.
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joffer
Footballguy
i have no problem with any of those "mistakes".
great series. still a pretty big fan of nuclear power.
General Malaise
Footballguy
Finished it on Saturday. Terrific series. Feel like a heel now for complaining about the accents. Never thought of it again.
Also, I quit smoking 20 years ago. I haven't wanted a cigarette more in the last 20 years than I did watching this series.
Also, I quit smoking 20 years ago. I haven't wanted a cigarette more in the last 20 years than I did watching this series.
Jaysus
Good times!
yeah, I found myself drinking straight, room temp, vodka and shouting "COMRADE" a lot more recently as well.
beer 30
Footballguy
Godsbrother
Footballguy
Of all the horrifying things in the miniseries, eliminating the animals would have been the easiest task for me. It was very sad but those animals had to be put down and I think I could handled it.
Redwes25
Footballguy
The thing I really don't like about this article isn't it doesn't cover a huge cost, which is storage of nuclear fuel. We have nuclear waste stored all across this country in pools that were designed to be short term storage as no central storage system was developed (even though we taxpayers fund a central storage system every year and the govt. uses it for other items).
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
Not great not terrible
Kidding of course. Best thing on tv in at least a decade.
beer 30
Footballguy
I have this guy at work I've just discovered watches a lot of the programs I do so we trade critical reviews back & forth quite a bit now. I told him about Chernobyl (I'm a bit of a geek about it) and said I thought it was some of the best TV I've seen in a decade. He watched it, read the article that is linked above about all the stuff they got wrong and kinda dissed the whole thing. Came off like it really wasn't as bad as the show portrayed. I bet the folks on the ground had a different opinion.
OrtonToOlsen
Footballguy
Anyone who finished watching the show and thought “nuclear energy is evil!” should stick to network sitcoms.
El Floppo
Footballguy
exactly. it's about how that specific type of reactor is wrong and how a paranoid communist bureaucratic morass doesn't help. and ned's mom.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
So what did he say after you told him he’s ####### nuts?
Its seriously great storytelling. Full stop.
beer 30
Footballguy
He's a flaming liberal, I'm a staunch conservative so I countered with, "you believe that bull#### Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spews but the worst nuclear disaster in human history that could have ended most of life as we know it, that you question?" Haven't heard from him but was on Friday when we had our discussion so we'll see if he gets back to me on it. He sent a rather funny pic this morning so our thick skin seems to still be in place
El Floppo
Footballguy
huh... not a conservative/liberal thing, IMO. but people gotta politics, I guess.He's a flaming liberal, I'm a staunch conservative so I countered with, "you believe that bull#### Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spews but the worst nuclear disaster in human history that could have ended most of life as we know it, that you question?" Haven't heard from him but was on Friday when we had our discussion so we'll see if he gets back to me on it. He sent a rather funny pic this morning so our thick skin seems to still be in place
TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
I'm just glad there are more people like you, now. For decades, I've felt like the crazy person trying to tell others how bad it was. And everyone thought I was the loon spouting off "facts" I found on conspiracy web sites. It's nice finally seeing people realize the tragedy and devastation that Chernobyl produced. That article, and hundreds of others just like it, had been the widely believed facts for decades. It wasn't bad. The land is being lived on now. Animals have returned. The flora is blooming. It was only thyroid cancer...
krista4
Footballguy
I just finished watching this and will admit to skimming the thread (people upset about the English/accents? 
Really? ), so some of my thoughts have probably been covered:
1. The score to this series was just astounding. I might notice this more than others often do, but this one was astonishing in its depth, sorrow...it was absolutely harrowing and unsettling. If the person who composed the music isn't already well known and respected, surely he/she will be now. I was constantly stunned by how terrified I felt only based on the music.
2. I love Emily Watson. LOVE her. But I could have done without her character here, especially knowing she was a composite. It felt like she was there just to make the show not so "white male" dominant (though it still was). I didn't find anything in her character believable. Huge points for reuniting her with Stellan Skarsgard, though, after their starring roles in great movie I never want to see again, Breaking the Waves.
3. Speaking of Stellan Skarsgard, I know the main scientist guy (whose name I don't know) will understandably get the accolades here, but holy hell if Skarsgard wasn't just as ####### amazing. There was a scene in the last episode with just the two of them, where he was admitting his illness, that was unbelievably incredible.
4. Kind of astounding how it went from a (legitimate) horror movie to a (legitimate) courtroom drama. And a first-rate horror movie, in that you, who are safe in your living room, find yourself looking for little clues, peeking around a corner, not just taking it as it is but looking frame-by-frame for clues.
5. Watching makes you feel like desolation and disaster can be esthetically beautiful. That might be part of the huge spike in tourism in this zone (as documented by NYT article a couple of days ago, among others).
Really? ), so some of my thoughts have probably been covered:1. The score to this series was just astounding. I might notice this more than others often do, but this one was astonishing in its depth, sorrow...it was absolutely harrowing and unsettling. If the person who composed the music isn't already well known and respected, surely he/she will be now. I was constantly stunned by how terrified I felt only based on the music.
2. I love Emily Watson. LOVE her. But I could have done without her character here, especially knowing she was a composite. It felt like she was there just to make the show not so "white male" dominant (though it still was). I didn't find anything in her character believable. Huge points for reuniting her with Stellan Skarsgard, though, after their starring roles in great movie I never want to see again, Breaking the Waves.
3. Speaking of Stellan Skarsgard, I know the main scientist guy (whose name I don't know) will understandably get the accolades here, but holy hell if Skarsgard wasn't just as ####### amazing. There was a scene in the last episode with just the two of them, where he was admitting his illness, that was unbelievably incredible.
4. Kind of astounding how it went from a (legitimate) horror movie to a (legitimate) courtroom drama. And a first-rate horror movie, in that you, who are safe in your living room, find yourself looking for little clues, peeking around a corner, not just taking it as it is but looking frame-by-frame for clues.
5. Watching makes you feel like desolation and disaster can be esthetically beautiful. That might be part of the huge spike in tourism in this zone (as documented by NYT article a couple of days ago, among others).
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El Floppo
Footballguy
I mentioned unthread that that in a series with jaw-dropping astounding scenes, the quiet scene on the bench outside the courtyard with the two of them and the caterpillar might have been my favorite...agreed about skarsgard, who was astonishing.I just finished watching this and will admit to skimming the thread (people upset about the English/accents?
1. The score to this series was just astounding. I might notice this more than others often do, but this one was astonishing in its depth, sorrow...it was absolutely harrowing and unsettling. If the person who composed the music isn't already well known and respected, surely he/she will be now. I was constantly stunned by how terrified I felt only based on the music.
2. I love Emily Watson. LOVE her. But I could have done without her character here, especially knowing she was a composite. It felt like she was there just to make the show not so "white male" dominant (though it still was). I didn't find anything in her character believable. Huge points for reuniting her with Stellan Skarsgard, though, after their starring roles in great movie I never want to see again, Breaking the Waves.
3. Speaking of Stellan Skarsgard, I know the main scientist guy (whose name I don't know) will understandably get the accolades here, but holy hell if Skarsgard wasn't just as ####### amazing. There was a scene in the last episode with just the two of them, where he was admitting his illness, that was unbelievably incredible.
4. Kind of astounding how it went from a (legitimate) horror movie to a (legitimate) courtroom drama. And a first-rate horror movie, in that you, who are safe in your living room, find yourself looking for little clues, peeking around a corner, not just taking it as it is but looking frame-by-frame for clues.
5. Watching makes you feel like desolation and disaster can be esthetically beautiful. That might be part of the huge spike in tourism in this zone (as documented by NYT article a couple of days ago, among others).
TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
Right? Where were all the Black and Asians at? Just another Hollywood movie where minorities get left out.I just finished watching this and will admit to skimming the thread (people upset about the English/accents?
1. The score to this series was just astounding. I might notice this more than others often do, but this one was astonishing in its depth, sorrow...it was absolutely harrowing and unsettling. If the person who composed the music isn't already well known and respected, surely he/she will be now. I was constantly stunned by how terrified I felt only based on the music.
2. I love Emily Watson. LOVE her. But I could have done without her character here, especially knowing she was a composite. It felt like she was there just to make the show not so "white male" dominant (though it still was). I didn't find anything in her character believable. Huge points for reuniting her with Stellan Skarsgard, though, after their starring roles in great movie I never want to see again, Breaking the Waves.
3. Speaking of Stellan Skarsgard, I know the main scientist guy (whose name I don't know) will understandably get the accolades here, but holy hell if Skarsgard wasn't just as ####### amazing. There was a scene in the last episode with just the two of them, where he was admitting his illness, that was unbelievably incredible.
4. Kind of astounding how it went from a (legitimate) horror movie to a (legitimate) courtroom drama. And a first-rate horror movie, in that you, who are safe in your living room, find yourself looking for little clues, peeking around a corner, not just taking it as it is but looking frame-by-frame for clues.
5. Watching makes you feel like desolation and disaster can be esthetically beautiful. That might be part of the huge spike in tourism in this zone (as documented by NYT article a couple of days ago, among others).
Apple Jack
Footballguy
The show runner mentioned that he used a woman for the composite because many of the countless scientists who were involved were women.
leftcoastguy7
Footballguy
Forgive me, I may have fallen asleep for a bit when watching this--
In the beginning episodes, they talked so much about the meltdown and how they needed to fix the problem quickly before it reached the groundwater. I saw the miners digging to reach the area. Then? I assume the miners reached the area and they fixed the problem. I don't remember them talking much about this after that point. How was this problem ultimately solved?
In the beginning episodes, they talked so much about the meltdown and how they needed to fix the problem quickly before it reached the groundwater. I saw the miners digging to reach the area. Then? I assume the miners reached the area and they fixed the problem. I don't remember them talking much about this after that point. How was this problem ultimately solved?
Grahamburn
Footballguy
It's even better if you turn on Russian subtitles.
joffer
Footballguy
i believe the miners were there to clear space for a heat exchanger under the concrete pad, but the core never melted through far enough to cause a problem.
joffer
Footballguy
the podcast highlighted this and the woman who did it. agree wholeheartedly it was tremendous.I just finished watching this and will admit to skimming the thread (people upset about the English/accents?
1. The score to this series was just astounding. I might notice this more than others often do, but this one was astonishing in its depth, sorrow...it was absolutely harrowing and unsettling. If the person who composed the music isn't already well known and respected, surely he/she will be now. I was constantly stunned by how terrified I felt only based on the music.
2. I love Emily Watson. LOVE her. But I could have done without her character here, especially knowing she was a composite. It felt like she was there just to make the show not so "white male" dominant (though it still was). I didn't find anything in her character believable. Huge points for reuniting her with Stellan Skarsgard, though, after their starring roles in great movie I never want to see again, Breaking the Waves.
3. Speaking of Stellan Skarsgard, I know the main scientist guy (whose name I don't know) will understandably get the accolades here, but holy hell if Skarsgard wasn't just as ####### amazing. There was a scene in the last episode with just the two of them, where he was admitting his illness, that was unbelievably incredible.
4. Kind of astounding how it went from a (legitimate) horror movie to a (legitimate) courtroom drama. And a first-rate horror movie, in that you, who are safe in your living room, find yourself looking for little clues, peeking around a corner, not just taking it as it is but looking frame-by-frame for clues.
5. Watching makes you feel like desolation and disaster can be esthetically beautiful. That might be part of the huge spike in tourism in this zone (as documented by NYT article a couple of days ago, among others).
beer 30
Footballguy
They did gloss over what happened with that. It might have been mentioned in a subsequent episode as a throw away line but essentially the miners dug the area out to insert a heat exchanger to help relieve some heat being generated by the meltdown and slow the process of it eating through the floor (I think that's the basics of it). Regardless, they never installed the exchanger because of an issue (forget what) so everything the miners did was for naught. I read somewhere that approximately 100 of the 400 died in what is suspected to be cancer related issues that came from Chernobyl. Not sure how you quantify that when they all smoked like chimneys but getting dosed with hig amounts of radiation certainly didn't slow down the cancer.
El Floppo
Footballguy
ConnSKINS26
Footballguy
Me neither, I was under the impression that the heat exchanger under the concrete helped keep it from melting through and into the ground water. Damn.
Chaka
Footballguy
beer 30
Footballguy
Sort of explains it but I know there are more details accounts of what really happened out there, I've read them. Just don't have time to waste on the Googles right now.
https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1141188/Chernobyl-explained-miners-HBO-Sky-Atlantic-series-real-life
Chaka
Footballguy
Isn't Shellenberger a lobbyist for the Nuclear Power Industry? I am pro nuclear but have trouble accepting anything written by him as inherently objective on any level.OrtonToOlsen said:
Regardless of that I really don't think posting a couple hysterical tweets indicates than anything other than an tiny fraction of people walked away from Chernobyl thinking Nuclear Energy = Bad.
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
I certainly hope that nuclear energy isn't demonized. If we ever manage to harness nuclear fusion, it will be the single biggest technological revolution in human history IMO and have an unbelievable impact. Energy would be so cheap it would essentially become free. And with that, desalinization and transport of clean drinking water would be cheap.
OrtonToOlsen
Footballguy
TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
I think the key here is: Nuclear energy is not a black/white issue.
It is not evil, nor is it a safe, clean alternative. It has both pros and cons. But more than any other power source, it has the worst "worst case scenario." I don't want people to ever be "comfortable" with nuclear energy. I like to think of it the same way we think about handling a gun: always treat it as loaded. I think it's OK to like the idea of using nuclear energy but also be worried about how deadly it can be.
It is not evil, nor is it a safe, clean alternative. It has both pros and cons. But more than any other power source, it has the worst "worst case scenario." I don't want people to ever be "comfortable" with nuclear energy. I like to think of it the same way we think about handling a gun: always treat it as loaded. I think it's OK to like the idea of using nuclear energy but also be worried about how deadly it can be.
wilked
Footballguy
You stirred up an interesting thought experiment in my head.
Lots of pluses for unlimited clean energy. What would be the “risks” or watchouts?
are there any? I’m thinking from the perspective that energy costs introduce natural checks and balances, ie light pollution...
TheIronSheik
SUPER ELITE UPPER TIER
I'm not a nuclear physicist, but I believe fission would still have the risks of catastrophic explosions. Probably put that as 1A on the risk list.
The worst case scenario for continued use of fossil fuels isn't so rosy either. It just plays out over a much longer time period.
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