FIRST TIME WATCHING CHERNOBYL 1X2 PLEASE REMAIN CALM REACTION

[@ededdandeddytv5164]

“You are dealing with something that has never occurred on this planet..” is f***ing terrifying

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Oofff yes! That line hit hard!

[@i7Elya]

I am from Kyiv, Ukraine. Was born in 1988 and whole my childhood all kids were taking pills since kindergarten and checked for thyroid changes each 6 months. There was doctor who entered each class in school and examined all kids one by one. And thank you for this amazing reaction, best I've seen!

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us - it must have been frightening as a child, we cannot even imagine. Your support means the world to us!

[@i7Elya]

@@OfficialMediaKnights tbh, as a child you don't understand it. Only now I actually start to understand the scale of danger

[@Some_Guy6]

@@OfficialMediaKnights A family of mine(parents and young daughter of 10) went on vacation to Sweden before,during and after the accident. They all passed away soon after. Diagnosis of all 3 was "sudden agressive cancer". In most of Europe it's still forbidden to pluck things from the forests due radiation.

[@TheUltimateBastich]

I was born on April 26 1986, 13 hours after explosion.

[@missJolie85]

@@Some_Guy6 Oh wow, they must have been really unlucky. Most of Scandinavia was somewhat fine. I'm born in 85 in Oslo Norway.

[@YolandaAnneBrown95726]

For an episode called "Please Remain Calm", there's nothing as terrifying as the sounds of the radioactive detector screaming loudly, the lights fading, and the terrifying sounds of the workers panicked breathing.

[@TheTsar1918]

Yes, high amounts of radioactivity can ruin electronics. It'll drain batteries, short circuit computers, fry wires...you name it. In fact, if you look at photographs or home movies taken in both the plant and Pripyat at that time, you will notice black haze at the bottom of the pictures, or see little sparkly white spots pop on the screen. That's radioactivity literally eating the film. It's an invisible enemy.

[@JH-lo9ut]

That pile of firemen's clothes is still down in the basement of the old hospital in Pripyat, where they left it. It is one of the most radioactive places on earth. *Edit. Saw that someone already mentioned this... Anyways. There are pictures and videos out there showing, what supposedly is the very pile of clothes worn by the firemen, untouched for all these years. Truly haunting.

[@mrdunk2955]

And after this show there was an influx of tourists in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Many influensers or "big fans" that go and take stuff as "souvenirs" from the zone, I wouldn't be surprised if this exact pile of clothing had suffered the same fate.

[@dickbong3661]

@@mrdunk2955 Oh, its already happened. At least one helmet is missing from the pile, it was last seen near the edge of the pile in a photograph taken in 2013, and since then it's vanished. Probably some fucking moron stole it as a souvenir. I hope to god they at least knew to wash it off before taking it home. The good news is that because of nonsense like that, in 2015 the stairwell to the basement was filled in with soil, and there's now multiple warning signs informing people that going down to the uniforms without proper PPE is a violation of exclusion zone protocol, and they WILL find out when you set off the radiation alarms at a checkpoint (as you'll inevitably carry out uranium particles if you go down there without proper equipment). And when they catch you covered in uranium particles, you'll be issued a steep fine, and also given decontamination... which means you're stripped to your underwear, shaved bald, scrubbed down, then sent home like that, because that's the easiest way to handle someone getting covered in uranium particles.

[@zacharydaly5328]

@@mrdunk2955 for the sake of those dumb tourists, let's hope they didn't - the firemen's clothes and boots are to this day still emitting so much radiation that it's some of the most radioactive debris in all of Chernobyl. Even the hottest areas of the Red Forest (that the Russains stupidly dug foxholes in during the early days of the Ukraine invasion) aren't emitting half the radiation those boots and clothes are still putting out to this day. To the best of my knowledge, only the corium in the basement of reactor #4 is radioactively hotter than the firemen's clothes.

[@Some_Guy6]

@@mrdunk2955 Actually, after a tourist stole a fireman helmet they closed up the basement permanently.

[@silverdandylmao]

​@@Some_Guy6 the fuck?!?! Do tourists have zero brain cells?? That is literally RADIOACTIVE?!?!

[@ashleyowen7664]

16:15 for me, this seems to be the point where Boris realises the extent of the disaster and how bad it actually is 17:46 that announcement was real, it says something along the lines of: " ATTENTION, ATTENTION - due to unsatisfactory conditions because of an accident at Chernobyl, we are evacuating the area, please take with you ONLY what you can carry, leave everything else, including pets and animals behind, you have one hour"

[@JoshSweetvale]

It also involved the words "temporary" and possibly "a few days."

[@Jeff_Vader]

I know you wrote this a year ago but I have to pick you up on this. What's the difference between "the extent of the disaster" and "how bad it actually is"?

[@ashleyowen7664]

@@Jeff_Vader i meant "extent" as in the area covered and what it was covered by, and as by how bad it is, this is when he realised how serious of a problem it actually is and that it's NOT going to be a simple "clean-up and done"

[@hazardpay8560]

@28:52 "why is it affecting the lights?" Yeah that's the radiation... so many neutrons are shooting through the flashlight, even the basic and robust circuitry of the light is being stripped away...eroded by particles moving at roughly 3 % the speed of light it's why your DNA gets scrambled into uselessness... each one of those 'bullets' blasts away little sections of your genetic ladder. If you ever come across anything labeled "DROP AND RUN"... I suggest you follow that instruction set. asap! Also ... those three men... Oleksiy Ananenko, Valery Bezpalov, and Boris Baranov....Fucking HEROES! They lived! Baranov died in 2005 of a heart attack, but Ananenko and Bezpalov are still alive today

[@LoveEachDay94]

Im so ahappy to hear that what a fucking nightmare

[@MrSporkster]

This series is a masterclass in 'show, don't tell.' I was in high school when Chernobyl happened. It was a defining event of my generation.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

YES!!! Exactly! That's why we were so excited with the storytelling - we were not spoonfed any information, and whatever 'info-dump' we experienced, was due to the scientific aspect of this disaster, and even that was handled wonderfully! I can only imagine the shockwaves this event would have caused at the time - and the crazy part is that the ripples of those repercussions echo on until today!

[@MichelKulmann]

The helicopter scene is so well done. It is very similar to the real footage from that time. Great reaction, guys. This TV series should definitely be shown in schools.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Absolutely!! The way the building tension was captured and the stakes elevated was masterful! Thanks for your support, we appreciate you!

[@aussiejed1]

2:41 "Such a subtle switch in the acting..." Jared Harris, exemplerary actor, son of British acting legend Richard Harris who you may know as the first Dumbledore, among his many other famous roles. Such an amazing cast in this series, so many fantastic actors.

[@gazt8926]

Correction…Irish acting legend

[@EndlessNameless5]

Wow, I had no idea that they were father and son!

[@TheJordanK]

Oh shit that makes so much sense. I didn’t know that.

[@xenomorph2056]

Although the 3 men who opened the sluice gate valve were likely conscripted instead of volunteers, I tear up every time I watch that scene. The utter selflessness they showed in doing what they did is absolutely awe inspiring. They could have easily deserted or killed themselves, but they chose to go in and get the job done. Heroes, in the truest sense.

[@stpetepiper]

I saw another video that brought up their account of it and from what I remember they said they weren't really asked like that, but they weren't forced to either. Those three were just told to go do it and they considered it was part of their job/duty since they worked there and would obviously be able to navigate it better than anyone else and already knew exactly what they were looking for. True heros

[@nickous.]

Actually all of those 3 people survived

[@adab.3681]

There is one good thing, though: they all survived, two of them are still alive today. Baranov died in 2005 of a heart attack. (Bryukhanov died in 2021; Fomin is still alive today.)

[@MonaroMel1]

I loved watching this with you guys. You really get it! I live in England and I was 13 when this happened. Within a week of the explosion sheep were dying less than 100 miles away from where I live. When you're both finished watching it all I'll suggest a few things to look up on Google. Seriously it'll blow your mind. Absolutely devastating 😢

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Thank you so much for watching with us! It means the world 😃 That is insane! All the way in England! Please share those suggestions when we get there. We love learning some insights!

[@SPQRatae]

@@OfficialMediaKnights Sheep in the mountains of north Wales were monitored for radioactivity, and killed if too radioactive for human consumption, until...2012.

[@MonaroMel1]

@@OfficialMediaKnights You're welcome and I will, definitely 🙂

[@lastfirst5689]

In Northern Scotland scientists were checking the grazing land for contamination and did find positive results, animals were destroyed. Land had to be treated. In Central Scotland leaflets went to all houeholds warning us not to go out if it rained, all windows and doors had to be closed. Paranoia was high however, there are still side effects being reported especially at birth.. Nice reaction

[@MonaroMel1]

Yeah we had the same in England. Its crazy to think of the damage caused by a (not going to spoil it but if you've watched the show you know)

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

My god, that is insane... Just to think how far and devastating the effects of this reached is horrifying and heartbreaking. I remember from my childhood times in Germany, the paranoia regarding Nuclear Power Plants was still at such a high. And honestly, can't blame people for being scared, it was rightfully so...

[@monil2447]

Self-sacrifices usually appear in action scenes: the heroes don't have much time to think and they die almost instantly and emotional music pays homage to the characters and embellishes their deaths. Here the three volunteers get up when dozens of others in the room could do it for them and there is no adrenaline from the action scene or nice music and...it really happened . This show really shows the worst but also the best of which humanity is capable.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Absolutely agree. They were heroes. They did what was needed and they saved countless lives. The way this series shows certain events really just let’s the events itself speak for themselves

[@phh2400]

​@@OfficialMediaKnights And then, later russians dig trenches around Chernobyl power plant and battalion commander tells that it is safe, because on same positions the red army dug its defenses during second world war. ​

[@hiddenInsight486]

They didn't volunteer exactly, they just happened to be on shift and have the required knowledge, so they were told to do it and they did.. it was pretty straightforward from their accounts

[@Silver-rx1mh]

If you don't tear up at the end of this series then you have no soul. Imo this is one of THE best shows that I've seen in decades and yours is one of THE best reactions that I've seen to it.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

This show is fantastic so far! A lot of it is so hard to watch but the show is probably some of the best filmmaking I've seen in a while. Episode 3 had us tearing up big time already. Thank you so much for those kind words! It means the absolute world to us. We make these for you guys and knowing you guys enjoyed it makes our day. Thank you!

[@dirdib69]

Oh, Boris definitely knew a lot about concrete. He was in construction, and the Soviets dearly loved concrete.

[@interviolet6675]

From what I could gather the main cast are comprised of actors who cover several bases of a larger group that was involved with this disaster. As part of a heavily dramatized retelling of events it's amazing and well made. This kind of series like this *should* make people feel an immense sense of dread and bleakness I know I do.

[@SCharlesDennicon]

"Because it must be done" => Stellan Skarsgård's performance is nothing short of stellar. Everything about this show is sensational, but the acting, mainly his and Harris', jeez. Chills, non-stop.

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

02:08 If you burn it the radiation literally turns into smoke and wanders through the air. You have to seal it away from people, preferably surrounded by lead or concrete or something similar.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Thank you for clarifying!! We appreciate the info!

[@myphone4590]

They were dealing with both radiation and radioactive material. Radiation is more or less invisible light that gives you a sunburn slash cooks you like a microwave oven: it's bad and can do a lot of damage, but the exposure ends when you get away from it. (Doesn't mean you're out of the woods, there's a lot of this sunburn will be a lot worse tomorrow and is going to blister and peel, but it doesn't feel so bad yet. Only it's your internal organs because you're mostly transparent to these frequencies.) Radioactive material glows, emitting that light. The firefighters in the parking lot were next to brightly glowing graphite that cooked them through. But they were also doused with smoke full of radioactive material, which is why their clothes burned people hours later. And they breathed it in, it got into their bloodstream, and then they themselves were glowing from the inside. The human body generally tries to store trace minerals like zinc and selenium in the bone marrow, and heavy metals get thrown in the same storage. Uranium is a heavy metal. There's a bunch of different types of radioactive material. Each time a radioactive atom loses a chunk of itself, it turns into a different element with a different half-life (or two different ones when it splits into a big and a little piece), most of them on a fairly short fuse (ranging from years to nanoseconds) until you eventually wind up with something stable like lead or hydrogen. (Think popcorn that can pop a half dozen times before it's done. Radioactive iodine has a half-life a little over a week, long enough for your body to absorb it and go "iodine, I know what to do with this" and send it to your thyroid where it goes pop pop pop a few times in rapid succession and gives you cancer. That one's particularly bad because your body collects it and concentrates it into a small space that does something important, so it doesn't take much to get really bad.) The reactor fuel was uranium 235 with a half-life of 24,000 years, but when you stick a bunch of it together the pops set each other off. When you hit a big enough size and density of that specific kind of uranium (critical mass) the whole pile goes off at once. Uranium breaking down into radon gas is another common decay product: radon has a half life of 4 days and if the gas goes off in your lungs it's suddenly a solid, and further decay steps nail whatever cell it's stuck to multiple times. Cells are a lot better at recovering from one hit than several. That's why they put radon detectors in basements, if there's uranium in the soil the decay product seeps up out of the ground, and it's a noble gas heavier than air so collects in unventilated low places.

[@thatnorwegianguy1986]

The general who said he would do it himself and drive the truck was a veteran of ww2 and fought the nazis in some of the toughest battles of the eastern front. He was wounded several times during ww2.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

That man was badass!

[@MisterRawgers]

Do you know his name? That man is a legend and deserves a movie of his own

[@vaultboy1419]

@@MisterRawgers Vladimir "Balls of steel" Pikalov. Not only thanks to what he has done in Chernobyl. He's the defintion of a badass.

[@thamasdk8727]

This series is so well made and overall just incredible from start to finish.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Exactly right! It's been incredible so far, HBO and Craig Mazin have done it again!

[@timwilson3153]

This series is a masterclass in "show, not tell". They let the subtle motions, expressions and tonal shifts to control the atmosphere of this show.

[@jonasfermefors]

I remember getting the news that there was Soviet radiation detected. We were not allowed to play outside between periods at school for a while. I was 16 and living near Stockholm when it happened.

[@619WWEFAN]

I know I’m a bit late, and idk if someone said it yet. But during the evacuation announcement scene (which was real also), the people were told to only bring essential items and that it was only gonna be temporary, which it wasn’t. They still were not aware just how severe this truly was either It’s one of my fave scenes of the whole show cause idk what got to me more: the announcement itself or the music. Both went well brilliantly.

[@QuakeCentral]

the clothes are still there in the basement of Pripyat and they are still insanely radioactive and staying down there with the clothes can get you sick. the clothes in the basement are actually considered one of the most radioactive places on earth, or just the hospital basement itself.

[@michellehawk282]

Gorbachev was the last leader of the soviet union and is considered one of the better ones. He had a big role in ending the cold war and introduced new political and economical freedoms in the soviet union, allowing for enhanced freedom of speech. After resigning his presidency, he became a vocal critic of Russian presidents, including Vladimir Putin, campaigning for Russia's social-democratic movement. I think they did a very good job at showing how even though he was commitet to preserving the soviet state, he still cared for the people and he did a ton to help in the aftermath of Chernobyl. Little side fact: The clothing of the firemen actually still lies in the basement of the hospital and remains dangerously radioactive to this day. Also that helicopter did actually go down, there is real footage of it. We aren't entirely sure how it happened but in the real footage you can see the rotor blades get caught in the crane so it is most likely that the radiation might've made the pilot dizzy and then there was also the thick smoke, making the pilot lose control over the helicopter, so those two factors were probably the reason for that.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Thank you for the bonus fact! And for some great insight on Gorbachev. It is clear already from this episode that his priority was to contain the damage and make decisions that could save as many people as possible. Also that helicopter scene was devastating. This show doesn’t exaggerate what happened when it comes to these events. It simply shows, no need for slow mo or making it seem more epic. The pure rawness of it is what makes it so effective. I’m assuming the radiation hit that pilot hard. Like you said that combined with low vis caused that accident. The worst part is that the Pilot was already dead even if he didn’t crash. Again thank you for such an amazing comment, love to hear from you 😃

[@hiddenInsight486]

The helicopter happened during construction of the confinement sarcophagus, yes it hit a crane cable and was likely pilot error as there was no smoke or anything at the time.

[@blissfull_ignorance8454]

Citizens were heavily supervised in the USSR by the KGB, you couldnt trust even the private phone calls being really private. More so were the scientists etc supervised, so people came up with very clever way to send their messages in code language etc.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

That's incredible, the ingenuity people showed in the face of such restrictions... and see, it prevented a worse catastrophe in this case...

[@JoshSweetvale]

​@@OfficialMediaKnightsNSA

[@IandRsLoveChild]

I was a small child when this happened. We lived in Frankfurt and all the parents were afraid to go outside in the rain...but all the people on the TV kept assuring them that it was safe...so my parents let us go out. Twenty years later my brother got a job at a nuclear power plant...but his safety sensor kept reporting dangerous levels of exposure despite no exposure happening. He tested positive for Strontium-90. I tested positive for the same thing shortly after when he let us all know about it. Strontium-90 affects bone tissue which can lead to bone and blood cancers which we both have to get regular testing for. All because people wanted to "prevent panic".

[@vitaliishumilov7806]

11:27 The reason why Gen. Pikalov took the initiative to conduct dosimetry is very simple and extremely practical: from the conversation he realized that things were bad and the radiation measurement would show a huge numbers. And if he had sent a low-ranked soldier there, party bosses would simply not believe him. He knew very well how the Soviet system of subordination and mutual responsibility worked. So he did everything possible to skip as much bureaucracy as possible.

[@KayinAngel]

So I watched when it aired and rewatched it again a few months into quarantine. And let me tell you it hit very different early into COVID.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Ohhhh I can imagine!! It's a little disconcerting to see the commonalities when it comes to the denial in the face of a dire situation that needs to be addressed immediately, yet not being taken fully seriously can result in catastrophe...

[@roudkaross]

People tends to forget that radiations also affects electronics, that's why the lights go out, the electronics are fried

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Yes!! Thanks so much for clarifying that, we were unsure if that's what it was or just faulty equipment (the flashlights etc)

[@lesliewhite6784]

This mini-series earned every accolade it got.

[@jerodast]

2:00 - I love/it's crazy how the answer to your question is basically "pour a few feet of concrete around them and leave them in that room forever." 5:50 - Other comments have disagreed with this, but I thought Gorbachev was portrayed leading this situation with an admirable amount of wisdom and openness. He challenged Legasov's facts but still acknowledged the danger enough to send a high level party man who could get things done AND an expert on the science. And, as we find out later Shcherbina was the right man for the job, even if he didn't know it - if this was a feel good drama one might think Gorbachev did know it.

[@jerodast]

My only criticism is, he would've accepted the initial report if Legasov hadn't spoken up. But based on everything he'd been told up 'til then, it was being handled, so why would he question it? To question it he would've had to acknowledge the corruption of the system, to question EVERYTHING all the time to cut through the yes-man ass-covering bullshit. While that's not TOO MUCH to ask, it's also...a high standard that few would meet in that position.

[@vagabond142]

24:04 What I like about they did Chernobyl is that many directors would put dramatic, or bombastic "bad" music there. However, if you notice, there is barely ANY music in the show, and the director uses silence as a very effective dramatic weapon. When Legasov asked for permission to kill three men, there is nothing but deathly silence for a few seconds, and the actor portraying Gorbachev did an excellent, subtle job of registering the depth and shock of what the professor had just asked. Silence throughout the entire show was used masterfully.

[@andrewwestman2407]

I follow a lot of reaction channels and you guys have an absolutely perfect flow/tempo to your videos with the commentary. Not too much, not too little. Nicely done.

[@TTM9691]

Another great reaction. Hey, sad thing to note about this outstanding series: the actor who plays Dyatlov (Paul Ritter) died a few months after this series aired! He is SUCH an amazing villain in this miniseries and it makes me a little sad that this great actor's legacy is going to be this character that we RELISH despising! Had he lived, I'm sure we would have been seeing him as the next super villain in Flying-Man-With-A-Cape Part VII 🤣

[@JacKnife3705]

11:58 Im not sure if you knew but alot of other people and some reactors mistakenly think the radiation destroys the helicopter. It actually just hit the cable for a crane’s hook. If you look closely you can just see it and the hook and the hook starts fall after. Its also based exactly off what happened when they brought helicopters in for the fire. So yes that is exactly what happened during the actual disaster.

[@iche50]

Yes, And the helicopter is today still inside the reactor.... This show is verry close to reality.

[@tyrannosaur219]

It is possible that it was partly due to the radiation, as metals exposed to high levels of radiation eventually undergo a hardening process due to all the particles bombarding it and changing some of its atomic structure. Basically, metals or at least steel tends to become much harder (can’t be bent or deformed as easily), but because of how hardness works they/it also become much more brittle (more easily cracks or breaks apart when flexed). I read.. somewhere, though I can’t remember exactly where - that the rotor blades of the helicopter became compromised from exposure and made the impact with the crane cable much more catastrophic. Could be wrong, though, and the amount of time/exposure wasn’t enough to induce a substantial change in the strength of the metal, but either way it’s fascinating and terrifying stuff

[@TheTuubster]

What this series is about: a) Incompetent, narcissistic people in power position, who are more concerned with their own self image, are the most powerful destructive force. And they still are, as the world's history documents, still to this day. b) Building a monument to all those who suffered and were willing to suffer, that did not have control over the destructive decisions made by these incompetent narcissists, to repair the damage done by these types of people. The haunting truth of the story of this series is, that it is also an allegory of what goes wrong in the history in mankind, on a small scale in families and businesses, and on a large scale with nations. Because every day good people prevent "core meltdowns" caused by the wrong people in power positions all over the world.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Thanks so much for your comment. I cannot tell you how much I agree with you - it's like we are stuck in this time loop, as humanity, where we repeat the same mistakes. Those in power and in privilege make choices to maintain appearances and it's the regular people that pay the price.

[@lucianaromulus1408]

It's a good intro into Communism and what such dictatorships look like. What's crazier is Gorbachev was one of the better leaders lol so just imagine if a truly horrible person was in power at the time.

[@MrDarthdaver]

Absolute Masterpiece of a series

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Indeed!

[@perenniallachrymosity276]

I'm just gonna commend how phenomenal this entire cast is on all ends from the lead roles by Jared Harris (Valery), Stellan Skårsgard (Boris) and Emily Watson (Ulana) to the supporting roles in pre-Oscar Jessie Buckley (Lyudmilla) and our new Joker Barry Keoghan (Pavel) who you'll be seeing soon. The casting directors Nina Gold and Robert Sterne (they were the ones who did Game of Thrones and The Crown) really outdid themselves. If you plan to watch Dune: The Sisterhood (prequel series for the Dune movies by Denis Villenueve) made by HBO, you'll be seing Emily Watson pretty soon as the lead role there so keep on the look out for that.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Seriously though - this cast is just phenomenal. The subtlety, yet depth of emotion, the despair and utter terror st the face of the insurmountable... It's truly a feast for the eyes. It's also a great way for them to pay their respects to the victims of this catastrophic incident!

[@perenniallachrymosity276]

@ProudOfYourRoots Well, I think it was a joint production between the two.

[@hdtripp6218]

That pile of clothes in the hospital was still there until recently when it became a tourist destination..I believe they have moved it now

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Wow, no way.... That is insane... I can't imagine what it must have felt like to still see that pile there. All those people... this is devastating😔

[@hiddenInsight486]

They didn't move them, they just used concrete block to seal the doorway.

[@hermandobernardes722]

the guy heading the meeting was Gorbachev the former president of the Soviet Union

[@ChiefWiggum0]

General Pikalov also chose to go himself instead of having one of his men not just because of the danger, but because of the political bureaucracy in the Soviet Union at the time. Had a normal soldier gone, they probably still would not have believed him.

[@comradedog4075]

Fun fact those fire fighters clothes a still siting in the basement of that hospital. Except for one boot that some tourists had taken with them. Those clothes btw were inside the core which was at the time emitting around 30,000 rem. And it only takes 500 rem to kill a man.

[@MonaroMel1]

I'm honestly a bit gutted for you both watching the next episode, it's really hard to watch. I'm sorry for all of the comments, I posted the first one before I finished listening to your video.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

No worries at all! We read all comments and are grateful for them. I’m already worried for the next few episodes. This show is both amazing but such a hard watch all at the same time.

[@MonaroMel1]

@@OfficialMediaKnights It really is brilliant. I put it up there with one of the best documentary/drams based on true events I've ever seen. I'm really looking forward to watch the reso of them with you both 😁

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

You are absolutely right on that! Stay tuned for the rest of the episodes, they'll be coming out back to back this week!

[@sethraelthebard5459]

I was looking forward to your reaction to the 15,000 roetgen reading. You did not dissapoint. 😂 I am glad you love this series as much as I did. I only found it a few months ago, and I cannot watch it all in one sitting. It's a show that leaves you deeply unsettled.

[@rufflazy2366]

Excellent editing of the show, and reaction too thanks.

[@cpj83]

Intelligent reactions!!! I love it. Thanks for your filmmaking insights.

[@arnel4996]

I was born 1986 in April in Germany. When i was 10 my parents where part of a programm, where children from Belarus and Ukraine had the oportunity to visit us for a couple of weeks to have clean air, food, water and just a nice time here, I remember Sascha and Nikolai and i am wondering where they are today. Maybe they got cancer, maybe they are fine. I pray that they are fine and live a good healthy life. Love your reactions. You are a nice couple. Stay healthy and all the best wishes to you

[@davidmarsden192]

@1:26 "No one's answering the phone". In the last episode the KGB ordered the telephone lines to Chernobyl/Prypiat cut off to "prevent the spread of disinformation".

[@craigthorne26]

Always enjoy your reactions guys and one of the best mini series to react to, keep up the great content :)

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Thank you so much for the wonderful comment, we're so glad you enjoy our videos!!! Don't worry, we're gonna keep 'em coming!! 😊

[@sethraelthebard5459]

If you are interested in an even more harrowing story, look for the original script for this episode. It has conversations and events that were omitted from the broadcast. Including the fate of the nurse who first asked for iodine pills. She later died of radiation poisoning after handling the clothing of the firefighters and the exposure from the initial triage of the Bridge victims.

[@Dan-gi6tf]

This show was haunting. Great reaction!

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

It truly is... They've done a spectacular job at portraying the horrors and fears after such a devastating event. Thank you for your compliment, we are so glad you enjoyed our reaction 😊

[@so-ares]

Radiation destroys eletronics, they had to find the valve in the dark.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

I didn’t know that bit that radiation also affected electronics. I guess if it decays things it’ll decay everything. I never really thought of it.

[@hiddenInsight486]

In real life they didn't use any lights, they did it by feel only. The people they picked to do it were the ones who would know the route best and happened to be present on site at the time, there was no volunteering

[@Inc0gnit045]

This is not just a miniseries this is literally a piece of art

[@kauhalephinfan2304]

Excellent show, excellent reaction. I do have to point out that the female physicist Ulana Khomyuk that warned them about the tanks was a construct of the show, not an actual person. I believe that the character represented many scientists that wanted to help but were afraid…not 100% sure about that.

[@aklein7864]

Such an interesting point about feeling like an intruder watching it - it's the subject matter that makes the difference. Plenty of things are filmed intimately, but it is only when you already know that the end of this true story is such death and destruction that you begin to feel disrespectfully voyeuristic. At the same time, the educational importance of telling this story outweighs everything. Death takes everything from us and death will take us all. The living deserve whatever the dead can give.

[@icanintospace]

"I'll do it myself". Pikalov was a brave and honourable man. He lived a long life, and though decorated, later in life he was quite a pain in the a*se for the Soviet Politburo because he was too independent in his thoughts.

[@madwolf1488]

2:08 - Burning contaminated thigs is the worst thing you can do - you release radiation back in to the atmosprhere

[@campagnollo]

You were asking about burning the firemen’s clothes. That won’t help. All you would have is contaminated ash. Worse, the contaminants would then be spread into the air. Even a microscopic particle of U-235 is dangerous.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Thanks so much for the explanation! It's absolutely insane how rapidly toxic and adaptive radioactivity is... an invisible killer, for lack of better phrasing

[@foxinroch2085]

Nice job, guys. I really enjoyed it!!

[@scottsmith6631]

Emily Watson's character is a 'composite' of many scientists who contributed fact and theory during and after the disaster. The ending credits of episode 5 mention this. It's an expedient way to keep the size and cost of the cast and the run time of the 5 episodes to an acceptable level for HBO. It's done frequently with documentaries.

[@2684dennis]

15:19 the ages of their cousins 14 and 5 year are the atomic numbers on the periodic table for the 2 elements.

[@jeffreysmith236]

To be precise and accurate, sand isn't an element, but is of course made up of silicon and oxygen, and silicon is 14 iirc.

[@dirdib69]

15000 was just the high value of that dosimeter - the actual count was likely higher still.

[@biopsuk671]

This is such a powerful series and one of the best ever made

[@jillfromatlanta427]

Gorby really did the right thing sending Legosov and Boris to Chernobyl. If he had believed the other information he was told, this would have been much, MUCH worse.

[@kevinmcpeek5799]

I am new to your channel, but I am really enjoying your reactions. You have technical comments as well as emotional awareness. It makes for a great mix. I did want to say that I have binged a bunch of your reactions and for some reason, the young lady seems to apologize for her intelligence. She, on a few occasions, has said, " I might be wrong, or am I remembering this right?" almost making excuses for her intellect. I hate to see that, you are a smarty pants and you should be bold in your wisdom.... Just my opinion. Hope I'm not overstepping my bounds. I might be wrong,... LOL

[@hinahanta]

At the beginning of this episode, those firefighters clothes and boots are still in the basement of the hospital. Still radioactive.

[@sergeantliangplays]

28:45 I see nobody explaining this so I will even if it's late. The reasoning is because the radiation was so high that the neutrons passing through were basically burning the electric parts of the flashlight out.

[@iKvetch558]

In this episode, there were a few things the makers of the show got wrong. For one thing, the character who said that they should close off the city in the first episode and is evacuated in this one, did not exist...he was added for dramatic purposes. Also, the helicopter crash did not happen so soon after the explosion...it really happened months later in October, 1986, and had nothing to do with radiation. As I mentioned in my comment to episode 1, once you are done with the series, the History vs Hollywood article on the show is a must read. ✌💯

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Thanks so much for the clarification on that - again, we did expect some changes to be made for dramatization purposes, as long as it's kept respectful. We'll be sure to look at the article after completing the show and we'll get back to you in the comment section to tell you what we think!

[@Diana-qi2xc]

Well, they talked about all of that on their podcast, they have one for every episode. The helicopter didn’t crash because of the radiation, it was caused by pilot mistake (most likely sunset blinded him), who approached too close to the crane and rotor blades hit the cable (and you can clearly see that in the episode).

[@iKvetch558]

@@Diana-qi2xc It is good that they talk about the helicopter crash in their podcast, but not everybody listens to that, and I never like to assume that a reactor has....so I just post a short note about it. ✌

[@akonsamantha]

I've watched many Chernobyl reaction videos, but you guys had the best reaction

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Awww dude!!!! Thank you so much. What a compliment. It means the world to us, truly!Honestly though, this show was so expertly and wonderfully crafted, all we had to do is just pay attention and really take in everything that was happening on screen.

[@Nu_faci_tu_dastea_cu_mine]

the 3 men who went all survived with boris baranov dying of a heart atack in 2005 with radiation still being debated on if it had a role or not and the rest living atleast till 2016 for other info i can offer

[@SuviMatinaro]

Im from Finland. I was 6 when this happened. I cant remember the worry my parents must have had. My dad told me the shock they felt when the radiation in Sweden was published. It ment the first clouds had already passed by us. They tried to prevent me and my littke brother playing in the rain water puddles by water chutes and getting sand or soil in our mouths. There were and still are strict guidelines on mushrooms or berries consumption etc. Terrifying.

[@wysiwyg2006]

I went to Chernobyl and pripyat in 2008. Was right near reactor 4 building on the tour

[@MDBowron]

I was about just over 1 years old or so when Chernobyl happened, my parents were travelling with me through America and Western Europe at the time, but were concerned about whether they should at the time. We went to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Lake Tachoe, then England, Scotland, Wales, France, West Germany, and part of Italy before going across to Malaysia and back to Australia, my home country.

[@philiponeill6903]

Regarding the firefighters' clothing - it's still there, in the basement of the hospital. To this day, that pile of clothing is one of the most radioactive sites on the planet.

[@matt_canon]

14:00 He suspected they might be KGB agents with their observations and questions, so its good he didn't say anything.

[@mglmouser]

Radiation attacks the chemistry in the lights batteries. That’s why they’re going out. But they have crank-based capacitor lights too. You’ll see that in a bit.

[@pedroantonioirigoyen3966]

Even when I have watched this so well done serie many times, I love to see you both guys reacting to it!!

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Thank you so much for taking the time and watching our reactions, your support means the world to us! Stay tuned, the rest will be uploaded all throughout the week!

[@Julia68yt]

24:50 I was 17, living in W-Germany, when that sh-t blew up. E-Germany actually rejected Gorbachev's changes and were in absolute denial regarding the severity of the situation. While every other european country had strict measures in place (discarding whole harvests and top soils, continuous radioactivity measurements in the f-ing weatherreports!!!, condemning forests) E-Germany did nothing. But most people listened to neighbouring countries radio/tv and knew what was going on. The situation was so surreal that they made jokes like "At our border is a sign that says 'radioactivity reroute' so everything is fine."

[@Bianca_Arlette]

Those firemen's clothes are still in the hospital's cellar to this day... and they are still dangerously radioactive.

[@TRKdemir]

Hi to all. I'm in Turkey. Almost all of my relatives, my grandma, grandfather, their uncles and aunts and parents, all died because of the cancer. Even those people raised in a small village and never smoked, drinked or not been exposed by toxic materials. All died because of the cancer. We believe all just because of the Chernobyl's contamination at Turkey. Still so many cancer case in Turkey happening. :(

[@hongk0ngfu3y]

an outstanding mini series when you have watched hours of documentaries and you can pair the events together

[@sirdavidoftor3413]

You guys were talking about the animals that were left. Many survived, however there have been studies done to confirm that mutations in their DNA are occurring, as suspected. I believe PBS had a documentary on life in the prohibited area. I have also seen a documentary on Nova , I believe, about building the sarcophagus around Reactor 4. Sorry I don’t have the links, but it has been over 10 years since I seen them. I have also watched videos on KZbinrs going to Chernobyl and filming what it looks like today. Seems there is a tourist industry building around going there. Stay safe, stay sane, stay strong

[@ThoraxFTW]

I'm from Romania and while there is war in Ukraine near us and they fight near Nuclear Power Plants i have iodium pils ready at home in case of disaster. My mom told me a lot about the accident of chernobyl and how they took iod pils back then, she died 4 years ago because of cancer !

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Oh my god, we are so truly sorry - we wish much strength to you, and yours, and for the loss you've experienced. May she rest in peace!

[@trollerjakthetrollinggod-e7761]

In case you were wondering. Most electronics aren't designed to survive radiation. Even the most hardened equipment will eventually fail, for the same reason radiation is fatal. It rips electrons out of place.

[@Dinstyvmorsa8539]

"Fun fact": It was Sweden who pressured the USSR to admit that an nuclear accident had occurred. When workers at the swedish nuclear power plant came to work they had to pass control areas which could detect radiation and the alarms kept going off, from the workers arriving TO work. Which made them do an investigation and managed to triangulated the radiation as coming from the Chernobyl.

[@dustinmitchell4711]

FYI they never disposed of the firefighter's clothes, they're still in a pile in that basement.

[@LosviajesdeJimbo]

The three unsung heroes survive and two are alive until this day

[@Shiftry87]

They massivly overestimated the impact of those water tanks exploding but they made a good point of showing that they couldent allow it to happen.

[@PM-ql1nx]

As amazingly inventive human beings can be, we should never be allowed to leave this planet.

[@armybear831]

Actually there's video of that helicopter that crashed well dumping the boron on the core. That really happened, it's on KZbin.

[@entity22]

One of the top qualities of this show, and it has so many, is that it really captured the atmosphere, the feel, the look and the way things worked in communism in the entirety of the USSR and Warsaw Pact countries(of which mine was one, Romania). In fact, there's still similarities to this day, corruption and how the public sector as a whole is often managed, the politics of it on a macro and micro scale, from the big wigs like state secretaries, to the public servant at some counter. That is what caused Chernobyl and what could have had it result in an even bigger catastrophe. Like for example when Boris asks Legasov how a nuclear reactor works, it was a teaching moment for the audience and a nice little scene to build tension and such but later you realize Boris wanted to have some knowledge so he can spot bullsh1t from the plant directors who he knew would try to minimize and save their skins and assume he's stupid enough to fool him. Or the guy in Minsk that Ulana went too, that's a classic, we have those types today too, who think they're superior because they hustled their way to the top by doing business, deals, using leverage and connections to get even more leverage, more power, more access to the top when they can barely read and write properly. It's this mix of actual incompetence in a system not based in actual value, with an office culture where every one is focused on making quotas and getting promotions and awards and letting all of their frustrations and need to feel in control, on whoever is beneath them(Dyatlov being an example). Plus, of course, the fact that what was always most important was appearances, the USSR and other fellow satellite communist states(as well as probably all totalitarian regimes of any kind) are primarily concerned with appearing strong, rich and happy and in the end it always results in a kind of structure that is structurally compromised on the inside but painted nicely on the outside with cheap paint and held together with cheap glue

[@Michael-dy2lb]

I swear, of all the emotional rollercoasters in this series, cutting this episode off with three men waist deep in radioactive runoff deep under the burning plant, they're the only people in the whole world who can stop the coming explosion and save tens of millions of lives, and then their flashlights go out because of the radiation and they're helpless in the dark. Wow! That was incredible and soul-crushing at the same time. At Chernobyl, almost everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The only that didn't go wrong was people. Plenty of people did the wrong thing for various reasons, but enough people were smart enough, inciteful enough, clever enough, and/or brave enough to stave off one of the worst disasters in human history becoming by far the worst disaster in human history.

[@jeffreysmith236]

The cool truth is they didn't use flashlights, they did it in pitch black darkness, they knew that layout like the backs of their hands, but that would not work on film.

[@hsmorg3640]

I am super late to this.. but its just insane to me, if these people didnt do the hardwork and sacrifices they took, the entire world wouldve been damaged by this

[@Lion-D.-Garp]

When I was 6 yrs old.. Chernobyl happened. We had fun.. was exciting getting out of school early ... transported in military vehicles back home. Now... almost 40 yrs after I'm horrified...... I never reckognized as a kid that the world as we know it was on the edge to end....

[@Wattywatasaurus]

Just FYI, a 2 to 4 Megaton explosion is the equivalent of 2 to 4 million tons of TNT. For context, the Beirut explosion in 2020 was between 500 to 1,100 tons of TNT.

[@uriadelavaro3956]

Guys, the best reaction on this masterpiece show. Love it.

[@OfficialMediaKnights]

Wooow thank you so much, this is a huge compliment!!!

[@hiddenInsight486]

To be fair, it was only a temporary evacuation, gather basics for a few days and go

[@jeffreywebb4029]

I remember a story about 3 mile island. People had to go into the basement there too. One of the men saw a beaker that had water in it. It was filled with water. Said the glass vibrated in his hand from all the neutrons bouncing around inside of the glass. He said he put it down and got the hell out! Just crazy!