CHERNOBYL 1x02 - Please Remain Calm - Reaction and Commentary - It gets worse?!?

[@karlmortoniv2951]

“Hulked out Bill Murray” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 You should be aware of Stellan Skarsgard if you’re not. Damn’ fine actor who’s been around for decades and father of three uncommonly talented and good looking sons who are all doing very well in all sorts of things. Stellan just played Baron Harkonnen in “Dune” and seemed to enjoy acting in a fat suit far more than can be healthy. Jared Harris (son of Richard) is no slouch either. They’re a wonderful pair in this.

[@paulcristiansarbu1040]

Regarding the name: chornobyl (with an "o", as it is in Ukrainian) means wormwood. And as Neil pointed out it is indeed a compound word, which would translate to "black stalk".

[@jalfd1]

Regarding your comment about how and whether the fall of the USSR could be traced back to this event, I believe Gorbachev himself has said that he saw Chernobyl as the singlest biggest factor leading to the fall of the Soviet Union

[@ninagray4441]

Yep, this is an intriguing element of these events and I've heard spoken of as part of historical fact on several occasions.

[@richieclean]

The locations used are about as authentic as you can get, since pretty much all public buildings in the Soviet Union were built to the same specifications. The exteriors of the Chernobyl power plant were filmed at Ignalina, the plant mentioned in the opening of this episode, since it's a decommissioned RBMK Nuclear Power plant almost identical to the one at Chernobyl.

[@saulmadrid9950]

This series does a phenomenal job in not only conveying the events following the accident, but I believe the story is more so an homage to the people who were affected and those who volunteered to clear the mess away. They were the real heroes.

[@ninagray4441]

You were 12 when Chernobyl happened, I was 10. I'm from Scotland and most of my info was due to my father being a physicist who had worked in nuclear power plants, without that I would have been as clueless. I still recall my dad shortly after it happened explaining the differences as to how nuclear plants (U.S.S.R V The West) were made and why plants in the West are not vulnerable in the same way due to structural defects that plagued the Soviet ones. The incident in Japan from a few years back, without the tsunami, it wouldn't have happened, though also it should not have been built somewhere so vulnerable to such weather.

[@YekouriGaming]

They are flying to the Moscow hospital as it has the radioactive department. Even to this day there are only a couple hospitals that have the specialists to deal with radiation sickness, a couple of Russians have died in failed nuclear warhead tests since the 2000's. Just like the military divisions that are called in are in the radioactive contamination division (in case of nuclear war), who have special training and special equipment. Such divisions still exists to this day, both in case of a failed nuclear test but also in case of nuclear war.

[@buddystewart2020]

I do love this series. Although all the technical information presented isn't 100% accurate, they do convey the feeling of the scale of the disaster. There's a youtube channel called THE ATOMIC AGE where a Nuclear Engineer reacts to the series. He points out places where the science is incorrect, and where it's pretty close to accurate as well. It's well worth the watch after you finish this. You may not want to react to it, but for personal viewing, it's worth your time. He did his reactions about six months ago.

[@mariekek9934]

I'm from the Netherlands and when this happened we were advised to not eat fresh vegetables for a while. I clearly remember it but didn't realise how bad it was being only 7 at the time. This show really gives me chills but it's so well done.

[@nichellec.1752]

Someone probably mentioned it, but there is an accompanying podcast that explained the accuracy, choices, behind the scenes stuff. Each episode has a corresponding podcast episode. I believe you can find it on KZbin...at least, it used to be on KZbin

[@mariekek9934]

I listened to it on Spotify. Really interesting.

[@kristinaschlegel2680]

I am forever blown away by your base of knowledge. IMHO the fact that you know & understand bigger picture concepts (because of your grasp of the smaller details) lends to such an intense emotional review. Thank you for educating us in the process. Also props to your architecture acumen.

[@craigchalloner153]

Its hard to put a finger on how this story resonates so intensely. the acting, the direction, the score, everything just roots you to the spot. It's like it's own brand of Horror.

[@carlwilson6235]

If you're interested, there's a Chernobyl podcast HBO did that goes episode by episode giving both production and historical context - it's on youtube and also the usual podcast apps.

[@YekouriGaming]

Just to clarify, the graphite chunks that was blown outside were radioactive but not you will die instantly radioactive. Graphite is really good a conducting heat, and will practically never melt as it is a carbon crystal (press it long enough and it becomes a diamond), so it was over 1000 degrees celcius or 1800 degrees fahrenheit. Some of the chunks were glowing red hot. If anyone was ever to pickup such a hot piece of material it would just burn through it and burn your hand with 3rd degree burns, it is like touching the red glowing steel in an oldschool anvil.

[@hornetgags]

The helicopter crash happened a couple of months later but they changed the timeline to pay tribute to the pilots. The crash was caused because one of the rotors clipped one of the crane chains, there's actual video of the crash on You Tube.

[@servantofmelian9966]

I know this is a late response, but ... "How many of these figures are historically accurate". Quite a few. The one that impressed me the most is Boris Scherbina, who seems like a total dick at first, but turns into a hero later. And Gorbachev, had he been like most of his predecessors, would have allowed the situation to become even worse.

[@Carrot421911]

It happens so quick its hard to tell on the first viewing, but the helicopter hit a crane cable and broke its rotor. It did happen pretty much excactly like that, but not at that time. it happened a couple of months later, IIRC.

[@YekouriGaming]

It happened in November, about the time that they were clearing the roof and building the sarcophagus (which is why the crane was there in the first place)

[@carkawalakhatulistiwa]

20:33 In 1986. Soviet union the lowest one-month salary Is for light work is like a street cleaner is 70 rubles the salary of a factory worker is 150 rubles and the salary of a company director or mayor is 300 And the highest salary was 830 rubles per month belonging to the president general of the communist party of the USSR. so 400 ruble is stil good

[@NeilTalks]

Thank you so much! This is great context.

[@ArathirCz]

Each episode have also an acompanying podcast with the makers of the show that is definitely worth a listen.

[@LinkCat67]

3 mile island was near Harrisburg PA. Just south of where my family was from.

[@danielkarlsson258]

Visiting Pripyat in 2012 was once in a lifetime. Scary, sad, amazing, all at once. What got me most was the schools... Standing with the Ukraine.

[@dewidavies9161]

When you were talking about the wind directions ect I live in North Wales UK and its a very mountain/hill area and where I am there's alot of feilds in the hills that aren't allowed to have livestock on them and just cut the grass and leave it as it is due to so much radiation coming over here

[@JohannaSarkar]

The winds were blowing north west. I live in Sweden (born in the 90s though) but I think that it’s still forbidden to pick and eat wild mushrooms in some parts of the country bc of the radiation from Chernobyl. Swedish nuclear plants would pick up readings of radiation from Chernobyl at the time.

[@JohannaSarkar]

Oh, also. Regarding the accuracy, the writer Craig Mazin has a podcast (I think it’s only available on Spotify but don’t quote me on that) deepdiving into every episode, writing, directing, the story at large etc. Highly recommend!

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

15:32 Yes and no. The real helicopter snagged a cable, many months later. One of many tiny changes made for dramatic effect. Mind you, intense enough radiation will shred a lot of electronic equipment. 20:39 I'm told 400 ruples at this time would be enough to purchase a car.

[@carolmurphy7572]

I'm totally wrapped up in watching this with you, and watching your reactions as you have many of the same emotions I'm feeling. The anger. The frustration. Simply aghast over the denial of what happened and what needed to be done to mitigate the damage. Idiots and cowards passing the blame. The futility! And, at the end of this episode, the acceptance of the potential magnitude of the disaster, and the resolve to try to save as many lives as possible. I know one thing ... I can't wait for your reaction to the next episode! Cheers!

[@Cee_H]

Stella Skasgard as Boris has great voice acting in this show and he also did excellent job as the Baron in Dune.

[@Anna-s2m4u]

His great actor

[@iKvetch558]

At 26:45 you commented about the speed of the Soviet evacuation effort. You are probably correct that they should have and more importantly, could have evacuated sooner. However, the accident happened at 1:23 in the morning on April 26th, and the buses to evacuate Pripyat started their work at 11:00 am on the 27th...about 33 hours and 37 minutes later, so it seems like your suggestion that they should have evacuated 36 hours sooner was a bit too optimistic? 😁✌

[@Lindeman08]

I read somewhere that about 5% of the fallout from Chernobyl reached us here in Sweden. I have a deformity since birth and sometimes people that I meet from other countries will ask me if it's because of the Chernobyl disaster but as far as I know there has been no such effects recorded here.

[@Kathadrion]

I'm from the part of Sweden that was most heavily hit by the fallout (and my dad actually worked at Forsmark at the time). I have heard that supposedly there has been an increase in people with thyroid issues in those parts of the country after Chernobyl, but I don't know to what degree that has been verified or if it's really just rumors.

[@hoon_sol]

You're absolutely right that the prevailing winds are eastward there; still, that's only a general rule, and when it happened the wind was primarily blowing west-northwest, and only later did the plume start reaching eastward.

[@YekouriGaming]

Chernobyl (the city) shares name with a Ukranian name for artemisia absinthium or mugwort. The Chernobyl power plant was named after the city built around 14 kilometers or 8.6 miles up the pripyat river. It is just literally the plant for making absinthe . The town of Pripyat is obviously named after the pripyat river, and the marsh land north of the river are called pripyat marshes after the river. Pripyat's name originates from the geographical region of Polesian (Poland also shares etymology with Polesian) where it is located.

[@Lord_Williams]

I guess by now you’ve watched all 5 episodes of this show. It was incredibly done and perfectly acted. I am incredibly interested in this accident and have researched this quite extensively. But for anybody who has not watched this show, please do. Loving the channel and much respect.

[@benzo28lerenzo]

"Do you have a Geiger counter?"

[@alsherb98]

I can't help but think that a reaction to The Death of Stalin would be pretty timely right now or at the end of this series.

[@jthomann71]

Chernobyl is like a modern day Pompeii, abandoned in situ like a snap shot in time, an open air time capsule.

[@iKvetch558]

Well...except for the gigantic containment and deconstruction facility that has been installed over the remains of the reactor and the original concrete sarcophagus it was encased in by the Soviets. 😁✌

[@jthomann71]

@@iKvetch558 Okay, Pripyat then, unnecessary pedant. Go be boring at parties.

[@pavelslama5543]

4:45 Chernobyl can be literally translated as a "black plant", but it means sage brush, the plant.

[@SpearM3064]

Ionizing radiation... well, it _ionizes._ It effectively creates a short that drains the battery faster. More complex electronics (e.g. a computer, a cellphone, etc.) fail more spectacularly, because the radiation can cause memory bits to flip, destroy diodes, etc. However, a flashlight is a pretty simple mechanism, just an on-off switch, a battery, and a lightbulb. Its batteries might drain faster, but it should still work for longer than shown in this episode. In fact, what REALLY happened is that the water was only up to their knees, and their flashlights did NOT go out.

[@efricha]

The names of the divers are right, and the flashlight failure really did happen. The solution in the next episode was contrived -- in reality, they went by feel! EDIT: Three Mile Island was a partial meltdown in Harrisberg, PA. The West knew much more based on the fallout spreading west than the USSR was telling its own people. When it was clear that they couldn't hide it, I remember the evacuation effort and the washing down of streets in Kiev. We didn't know about the work of the liquidators yet, and that part of the story is yet to come. The two main characters are real and their real names, and their fates are really what happened. The tapes are real. The lady physicist is a composite character. All other named characters are real people, including the firefighter and his wife, Lyudmilla.

[@John_Locke_108]

Dang Neil, just looked at your Patreon page and this whole show is already available along with the remainder of Season 5 of Lost. There will be ten bucks coming your way today once I finish up some work.

[@memsesosmo5084]

I'm a bit late but wanted to make two comments: - I wasn't alive during the fall of the Iron Curtain and got no in-depth knowledge there. I think Ukraine was indeed one of the countries where the protest movements started. The U.S.S.R was certainly slowly losing the system war from what my parents remember - we live in what was former East Germany. But as the series shows the Chernobyl clean up efforts took (and take!) up a lot of man power and resources, which would translate to other shortage. It's certainly not the only reason, but I can see how it could have tipped the chain of events off. - On the accuracy of the show, others will know better in detail and the maker has a podcast where he is open about some of the intentional changes made. However, with history there isn't a cut-and-dry narrative, especially as this is pretty fresh, so some competing claims are out there. I believe the explosion size was more fringe theory. Someone else already mentioned it in another comment, but a ton of material draws from the first hand accounts in "Voices of Chernobyl", which is a raw book, in the best ways. The whole fire fighter story, episode fours most heartbreaking scenes and even Khomyuk got some with the telephoning around and asking to talk to the minister in Minsk. (Irl the account said he was a tractorist not worker in a shoe factory.) I mention this because some of the details that people point to come from these accounts, which are subjective and only paint their own view of the event. Notably for example the scene in episode four talking about children dying for their mothers is delivered by Khomyuk but adapted from the book. - One thing I do know a bit about is however biology and I can gladly tell you that altruism as biological species trait exists and is effective! It's certainly something that has helped humans as they spread, so even though it doesn't benefit the individuals, maximising species survival is still a positive trait. There are many species that help or nurture injured or old members, even if they have no direct material benefit. Some species also help others. So that's hopefully some good news to cheer you up while watching this relentless piece of television.

[@AmarthwenNarmacil]

I just recently found out, we had a nuclear reactor explode and meltdown in Switzerland in 1969. The only reason nothing really bad happened was because it was built underground in a cavern (and was also way smaller). The official language was that there was an "incident", while today it is considered one of the major nuclear accidents worldwide. I was never thought about this in school and only stumbled over it by accident a few days ago. I guess the Sowjets were not the only ones who liked to downplay things and keep stuff under the carpet.

[@ericforsyth]

And in a many ways, it's a good thing they did. Imagine if the rash overreaction to Fukushima had happened back then (because of even more ignorance regarding how radiation works), on an even wider scale, closing down the potential for wide-scale fission power in the West, replaced by fossil fuel. How many billions if not trillions of tonnes of CO2 would that have contributed to...

[@oarabiletshwagong1736]

The fall of the Berlin wall happened because Gobarchev allowed it to happen, he is the reason eastern Europe became their own independent countries not controlled by the Soviet Union. He allowed them to hold their own elections to free themselves from the Soviet Union control. So the Eastern block becoming free didn't cause Gobarchev's fall, but rather he believes it was Chernobyl that caused the collapse of the Soviet Union

[@russellmoir2776]

Regarding who is real and who is not - the last episode gives you this information.

[@tfpp1]

Just discovered your channel, and am really enjoying your reactions/commentary to this awesome mini-series. All of the questions your raising at the ends of your videos will be answered by the end of the show. So, put a pin in all the things your asking (but do ask them out loud, it's interesting for the rest of us to know what you're thinking), and be sure to watch & react to the "epilogue" at the end of the last episode.

[@magichands8791]

Wormwood translated into Russian is Chernobyl.

[@homeiswhereukeepurdealdoe]

never EVER the ending of an episode gave me SUCH anxiety.

[@baker3423]

To some of the questions you have about the authenticity of the show: I would say just wait until the last episode most of those questions will be answered.

[@joyceandrews5484]

Not exactly sure why your "friends" would put you through this! LOL 😆

[@whtz9000]

The shot, yeah.

[@ninagray4441]

Ostriches don't stick their heads in the sand - a QI fact.

[@babalonkie]

Those fireman clothes that were dumped into the hospital basement in this show are still there today... the radiation readings are still enough to kill someone in minutes.

[@jimchabai3163]

Lots of brutalist architecture in Winnipeg as well

[@HDgaming519]

I watched quite abit of youtube videos on this disaster there are some people that explain how the reactor works and what went wrong

[@Reece_Hart]

This show is heart breaking, depressing and infuriating and just so, so good.

[@RosieM1970]

My childhood friend is the creator of Fallout

[@ariadnepyanfar1048]

I wanted you to react to this so badly, and now I'm feeling horrified at putting you through this. I know you delay the release of episodes, so you might know some of this stuff already if you've watched the whole thing. Boris Shcherbina, the gravelly voiced party man (Stellan Skarsgard who played the creepy Baron Harkonnen in Dune!) is real, as is Professor Valery Legasov. The female scientist Ulana Khomyuk is a synthesis of dozens of soviet scientists who really knew and did the actions she takes in the show. The Soviets did a lot of things badly, but one thing they did early was gender equality, and at the time STEM fields were 50/50 male-female. Chernobyl sadly advanced human knowledge on radiation. It turns out water is even more protective against radiation than we thought, and using water tanks to shield humans from solar storms is now a fixture of science fiction and real planned journeys to Mars. The Chernobyl incident did lead to the breakup of the USSR. Firstly, the financial cost was an unmitigated, astronomical disaster. Second, Professor Valery Legasov's suicide cassette tapes were smuggled and copied throughout the USSR, especially among all the scientists, and they were the last straw that broke the trust of the entire Soviet community that the Soviet government was protecting and bettering the interests of its citizens. Up until then, the majority of people were convinced that however bad things were, they were at least better looked after than the wage slaves under capitalism in the West. Interestingly, it was during a visit to the USA that Boris Yeltsin's lost his faith in Communism/the USSR and persuaded him to let the empire fall apart organically when the Berlin Wall fell two months later, instead of holding the empire and communist experiment together. In Texas Yeltsin made an unscheduled stop at a supermarket, and was astonished at the variety and abundance of produce, and the free samples available. He asked a lot of questions of the workers and customers, and was crushed by the daily abundance available to ordinary USAmericans compared to Soviet citizens, and even Gorbachov himself. Docu-Drama nitpicks: The show lets the audience think radiation caused the helicopter to fail and fall. In reality, the helicopter fall happened exactly like that, (the real footage is available on KZbin) but months later into the cleanup efforts, and due to smoke obscuring a cable that the helicopter accidentally clipped. There is a big pushback that the "Bridge of Death" never happened, that there is no historical record of it. However the incident of Pripiyet citizens watching the Chernobyl fire from a bridge with their children, outside in the fall of radioactive ashes, is recounted in the book "Voices From Chernobyl" by the Nobel Prize for Literature winning journalist Svetlana Alexievich. I was about the same age as you when it happened, and while I didn't know about the extraordinary danger of a second explosion or the extent of the cleanup either, I was very aware of the (warranted) hysteria in Europe over the radioactive cloud that did indeed travel eastwards. My parents made the decision to stop buying any food from Europe. Several family favourite condiments disappeared from our home in Australia forever. Marmalades and chutneys from the UK. Mustards and special occasion cheeses from France. Even today I know that there are still some European and Scandinavian nations that ban or routinely test some foodstuffs for high radiation content. Mushrooms and pigs are particularly prone to concentrating radiation from the environment. Which foods were safer or more dangerous to eat was a big concern for the people and governments in the whole of Europe and the UK in the years directly after Chernobyl.

[@shercahn]

I think they used the actual helicopter footage because you can see the blades hitting the cable in the show's version.

[@whtz9000]

I like brutalist architekture

[@squidcaps4308]

It is so funny that you keep saying "why would these guys fly there".. They had no choice, there was no choice in Soviet Russia. Your life belonged to the state, they could do whatever they wanted with it.

[@cherylsims5636]

Excellant series about Historical Event. To think we would all be dead right now if the Soviet Union was unable to contain this event. If you want to know the Russian, watch review of this series by ""DashaRussia"" She grew up near this area and now lives in Canada.

[@ninagray4441]

Most of the figures portrayed are real. The female Belarusian scientist isn't. If you wish to do a deep dive, the book Chernobyl Prayer, which is one of the main sources of the research for this programme, is a remarkable and humane read.

[@ingsve]

Unfortunately if anyonne wishes to visit Pripyat to get an image of how things were when it was abandoned is that a lot of people have already had that idea and a lot of stuff has been disturbed and posed to make better pictures by previous tourists so you don't really know what's real and what is staged.

[@karentargaryen7959]

The movie regarding the US nuclear disaster is the China Syndrome. Worth a watch.

[@iKvetch558]

China Syndrome was not about 3 Mile Island, it was a fictional thriller film, and the movie came out before the accident. 🖖✌

[@lunagal]

Chernobyl is still the worst nuclear accident. Even moreso than Fukushima. But did you know that Russia/USSR had numerous nuclear accidents they covered up? The 2nd or 3rd worst accident (not sure of it in relation to Fukushima) was at Kyshtym in 1957. USA has had some too that aren’t talked about in addition to Three Mile Island.

[@sallyshipwreck4315]

I was a lot older than you and didn't understand how bad it was. I think it was about a week before the news got out to all the world. Wonder how many of the people who worked at the plant and cleaned it up were Ukrainians. You'll get the answer on who is real or fictional at the end of the movie.

[@ct5625]

I'd add London to the list of places with brutalist architecture. The Barbican, Trellick Tower, Royal Festival Hall... we have a lot of Brutalist buildings in London, mostly because they were considered modern and a cheap option after the destruction of WW2.

[@TheClairem75]

We have some down in Southampton too. Grade II listed as well

[@kellybailey1377]

Just a note, it is just Ukraine, not The Ukraine. The term "The Ukraine" is a holdover for when they were part of the Soviet Union. the use of the term reduces Ukraine to a territory and not a sovereign nation. :)

[@John_Locke_108]

Sadly, there is very little that is fictionalized in this show. Some minor things but the science and the numbers are not exaggerated.

[@mariekek9934]

Sometimes reality is more horrifying than fiction.

[@iKvetch558]

I have seen Chernobyl given a 70 percent rating for historical/scientific accuracy...and that seems about right. There is a great article on History vs Hollywood about the show that details all the large and small things they did not get right in the show. 🖖✌

[@John_Locke_108]

@@iKvetch558 70% is insane. I watched a lot of documentaries before and after watching the show and it's insane that this occurred.

[@iKvetch558]

@@John_Locke_108 What is insane, that Chernobyl blew up? Not really, it was kind of inevitable given the way the Soviets managed the RBMK reactors. If you mean 70 percent is insanely low rating for accuracy, it really is not...it is actually a very high rating for accuracy for something made by American filmmakers for an American TV network. Very few movies made about historical or scientific subjects are ever fully accurate, they are only ever accurate-ish.

[@John_Locke_108]

@@iKvetch558 No. What is insane is that this show feels like it has to be exaggerated. But it's not. It's nuts that I was 9 when this happened but I have memory of it. Because this was before the time of the internet, it wasn't in your face like it would be now. Nobody talked about this in my school or in family here in the states. It's like it didn't happen

[@O___________0]

19:27 I find it twisted yet appropriate that Gorbachev says “All *victories* come with a cost. “ Only such evil government would call that a ‘victory’ without batting an eye. Chilling.

[@oarabiletshwagong1736]

The Chernobyl disaster happened because of the Soviet Union but it couldn't have been fixed if it wasn't for the Soviet Union.