First Time Watching | CHERNOBYL | Episode 1

[@saviourself687]

A quote regarding the "soundtrack" for the music in Chernobyl: "Every sound heard in Guðnadóttir's extraordinary score was captured from an actual power plant, including pumps, reactors and turbines. The Icelandic composer captured field recordings at a now-decommissioned plant in Lithuania, where the series was filmed."

[@davenaldrich3985]

Wasn’t that power plant also an RBMK Reactor like the Chernobyl facility?

[@christianforsstrom2222]

yes it was@@davenaldrich3985

[@gpeddino]

@@davenaldrich3985 Yeah, the Ignalina power plant. It was also used as a filming location because it looked very similar to the Chernobyl one.

[@TheVeenmeister]

That is correct. Ignalina was used to record the series. It also was called the sister plant of Chernobyl. It was built the same as block 3 and 4 of the Chernobyl plant with only minor differences. One was the chimney. Where Chernobyl had a single pipe, Ignalina had 4 smaller pipes next to each other. The RBMK reactors were almost the same as well. RBMK-1000 for Chernobyl and RBMK-1500(for higher output) for Ignalina. Also the housing blocks used are Soviet built high rise apartment blocks on witch they used the sound from. And it was so detailed that even the number plates of public, government and emergency vehicles were correct for that time. This series is one of the most detailed and amazing series I've seen.

[@oranski3299]

Love to see some Hildur love

[@AlexSmith_Rhysand]

I've watched hundreds of horror movies in my life and can legit say that nothing has ever terrified me as much as this show.

[@jeffreyisbell7471]

Cause it actually happen, and can happen again… as much as I hate to say.

[@dethtongue945]

Ditto. By far the most terrifying horror movie ever made.

[@prollins6443]

Worst is the episode where the three men go under the plant and their equipment fails, and all you hear is their Geiger counters screaming at them.

[@AlexSmith_Rhysand]

@@prollins6443 Yes! That one was awful especially because you knew they were dead after that. Also the rooftop operation to clear the graphite. When he looked over the edge at the core despite being told not to do that under any circumstances. I was literally screaming.

[@killerra]

It's how masterfully they used the fact that the people are completely ignorant to their situation to build overwhelming dread in us. Watching dead people go about their lives unawares is scary.

[@gpeddino]

This is possibly one of the best miniseries ever made. It's brilliantly produced and acted, very gripping, scary, heartbreaking and eye-opening. A tough watch but a necessary one.

[@Annonymous0283745]

I've never seen a better one.

[@saramarie2736]

yes, this and Band of Brothers!

[@mgsparky8870]

Defo.

[@STEFAZON500]

It is a well made series but factually it is incorrect that many things that are shown in the series never happened in real life.

[@zpitzer]

and produced by swedes

[@acereporter73]

It's a tough and frustrating story, but I think it's necessary to understand "the cost of lies."

[@shadowproductions969]

understanding it leads to one of my fave quotes in the series “every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid.”

[@tokyodude2715]

Cost of lies among the country and its consequence? Russia, the rotten society itself

[@TheCoastalRipper]

An absolutely awesome quote. Couldn't fit better to describe the western coverage of current events.

[@Cassxowary]

and yet nobody except vegans and activist ones understand and learned from it…

[@gamesswell2024]

Lmao “isn’t it in Call of Duty” was the last response I was expecting. I was posted to Germany in ‘87 right after this happened.

[@derekflores3089]

Makes sense, I don't think Chernobyl was ever mentioned in a history textbook when I was in school. I only learned about it after looking up Pripyat after playing COD MW cause a mission takes place around that area.

[@jonathanrenfro7126]

​@@derekflores3089 Yeah, I had never heard about it until I randomly bought STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl back in 2007.

[@mrichards6795]

Awesome reaction! The reason why you saw so much denial and buck passing is because, in the Soviet Union, if something went wrong, you better not be responsible for it.

[@Garagantua]

As far as I know: at least in the beginning, the people just really didn't believe it to be possible that the reactor could explode like that. Imagine parking your car at work, a few hours laters you hear a rumble and someone told you that your car exploded and destroyed the whole building. Would you believe that one person? Would you believe the second person, or the third? Sure cars can burn, but a normal passenger car without anything in it can't explode that way.

[@TheClocktowerCrew]

the best way to explain what radiation really is, is that its fire. Literal fire, but due to what light frequency it emits, we as humans cannot detect it. Radiation is like a ghost-flame, it continues to burn, and since animals were never put through the environmental pressures to evolve ways to detect it, it is imperceptible to biological life.

[@davenaldrich3985]

I’m glad y’all are watching this! It’s something everyone needs to see. Be warned, they pull no punches. Get ready! Especially with episode 4…..

[@WhiteHawk77]

Actually they do pull punches, it was worse than they showed.

[@davenaldrich3985]

@@WhiteHawk77 that is true, but the show does an excellent job of portraying what they did!

[@Evija3000]

@@WhiteHawk77If they showed even more people just wouldn't watch it I think.

[@WhiteHawk77]

@@Evija3000 sure, and they got to hit a particular rating. Just saying, the accounts of some of the radiation effects, like on the firefighter, were worse than they showed is all.

[@kvothe4637]

​@@WhiteHawk77 dude, just stop. Episode 3 is one of the most horrific things i have seen on tv. There isn't really much worse that can happen to a human than what happened to these poor souls and the show left nothing out so give over.

[@ZizouZico]

One of the former Soviet high ranking officials who appears in this series watched the show when it aired and confirmed that, yeah, this really accurate. This show is incredible. Btw, the show runner here, Craig Maizan, was also the show runner on TLOU.

[@Awaken2067833758]

It is not accurate at all, it is fiction based on real events

[@pepparmostheelder]

@@Awaken2067833758 Dude just shut it. It is very much accurate but it is not a documentary. The fact that there are parts that arent or some parts that are missing doesnt change that fact.

[@Maxens8888]

What you just said made no sense at all, if its fiction based on real events that still shows what happened doesn't mean it's not accurate lol@@Awaken2067833758

[@kikirikikirlafsdfskd]

There are some mistakes and licences. Like radiation sickness took hours-to-days before symptoms start and also Bryuchanov was among first, who supported city evacuation (creators admitted this mistake).

[@Awaken2067833758]

@@kikirikikirlafsdfskd and there was no risk of the reactor exploding like a nuclear bomb making the continent inhabitable. Many licenses and a lot of dramatization

[@Yevgeniy-UA]

Chernobyl is one of the greatest miniseries ever made. I'm glad you are reacting to it. This show is a bit dramatized, but still, it's based on real historical events, real characters, and real stories. After episode 5, consider watching a short epilogue. They will explain what happened at Chernobyl after the disaster and what happened to all the people who were involved in the liquidation.

[@lizetteolsen3218]

Excellent suggestion

[@salto1994]

i think "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific" would be great too for them

[@СССРЛучшеечтобыло]

Chernobyl is HBO's most deceitful show ever ! It has nothing to do with historical real events From the word At all ! This TV series has only poured shit on many worthy leaders and ordinary workers ! The liquidation of the accident in Chernobyl was the most Successful and Organized among all accidents at nuclear power plants to this day !!!! What do we see in the series ???? Nothing of the sort !!! Only lies and Shit Shit Shit Shit Shit !!!! )))

[@Tycandrias]

omg, from Arcane, one of my favorite shows, to Chernobyl. Another one of my favorites. I'm excited to see if you like this series. This is going to be a very dark ride but it's worth it.

[@dalbertyn]

There is a podcast made by the writer for this series about the making of this series. It's equally interesting and heart-braking. He talks about how some characters in this mini-series are representations of teams of people (because there was A LOT of people involved) and where they had to make changes to be able to fit everything in. Something I learned from the podcast that they weren't able to address in the show was that the radioactive dust was blown all over Europe and people in Sweden got sick (the Skarsgård's dad got sick from it, if I recall the podcast properly) and Europe had zero clue what was going on for most of this.

[@Tjoppy]

10:05 that shot of the burning remains of the reactor core always makes me think that mankind opened a portal to hell that night and were unprepared for the consequences.

[@darkarpatron]

"Unforeseen Consequences."

[@Ladco77]

@@darkarpatronGet out of my head, Mister Freeman.

[@christopherhodges7607]

We basically did

[@handlerone5172]

Those two and the guy on the rough literally stared death in the face.

[@nathangenovese]

5:50 yes thats the actual recording of the call they made to the fire department that night.

[@insaneyoggi]

"It's in Call of duty" LOL

[@TheTerkzzz]

I feel that when people say Gulag and reference a game.. 🤡

[@nickyarbrough8392]

Thrilled that you guys are reacting to this! It's definitely one of those shows that everyone should watch at least once. The show has some inaccuracies for the sake of watchability, but the broad strokes are very, very accurate, and Chernobyl is one of the events that still colors the international political landscape today. It contributed (maybe more than any other single event) to the fall of the Soviet Union. The miniseries also asks a lot of questions that are relevant even today about the nature of a government's relationship with its people. Chernobyl was at least as much a political disaster as it was a nuclear one, as the bureaucrats and politicians made everything worse at basically every turn as they tried to cover their asses in an ever-expanding umbrella of bullshit, first at the local level and then all the way up to the Kremlin. It was taught in one of the domestic governance courses at my university as being one of the absolute worst case scenarios for governmental dysfunction and the perverse incentives that can arise in a de facto patronage system like what the late Soviet Union had. The show is also just damned good TV, although it gets very, very grim at times, far more so than The Last of Us. I'd also really strongly recommend the companion podcast to the show that the showrunner put out. Lots of context and interesting facts there!

[@G1NZOU]

I agree, one or two technical details are inaccurate, but in terms of atmosphere, and the attention to detail in terms of costuming and location shooting, they really did their homework.

[@philipped.r.6385]

The most innacurate stuff in the show are that they pretend that irradiated people are themselves radioactive, which isn't the case in any significant way and that people could get executed by firing squad on a whim in 1980s Soviet Union, which is complete fantasy. Nikita Khrushchev had dismantled most of Stalin's repressive machine more than 2 decades earlier including the gulags. Appart for that, the show is very accurate except a few minor details.

[@IgnisKhan]

My understanding is that the biggest "inaccuracies" are just misunderstandings that some of the people involved believed to be true at the time. The show doesn't slow down to spell out that, no, XYZ isn't actually the case, and modern critics label that as being "inaccurate".

[@nickyarbrough8392]

@@IgnisKhan To an extent, but there were also some changes for dramatic effect. Yuvchenko bleeding immediately from contact with the door after being directly next to the core (which would be fatal - the actual Yuvchenko lived another 20 years), the threat of being thrown out of the helicopter/summarily shot/what have you (this would've been accurate decades earlier, but wasn't really a thing in the Soviet Union of the '80s), as well as the circumstances of Legasov's suicide and subsequent exposure of the system, etc. The show also outright vilifies the three plant managers. In actuality, testimony from the surviving workers at the plant suggest that they were respected if not well liked and no more responsible for the disaster than anyone else - the issue was entirely systemic, not individual. Overall, though, the show gets a lot right and goes for broad truth rather than facts, which I think is the right approach.

[@IgnisKhan]

@@nickyarbrough8392 Sure. Many of the complaints I've seen regard the experiences of the wife of the firefighter, and the things she was told. I fully believe that in real life she was told inaccurate things about radiation, and the show didn't correct them. Likewise for the doomsday scenarios presented to Gorbachev in meetings.

[@douglasfrazier2856]

I remember this accident - I was about 32 at the time - little bits of information came out day by day, it became more and more clear how bad it was - the radiation cloud went around the world, monitors in California detected it when it finally crossed the Pacific Ocean - also, note that the radiation of concern is gamma rays, which are like x-rays but more energetic - but gamma rays are emitted by radioactive matter, so the dust and ash from the burning graphite & uranium in the core was blown on the wind, shining out gamma rays the whole time. But even having been around when it happened, we had nothing like the amount of you-are-there understanding of the disaster that this special shows - it's worth seeing, please see the whole thing, as citizens of the modern world we need to know how this sort of event comes about

[@MattHaleUK]

I love how naïve but so very emotionally invested you both are. Seeing someone learn the gruesome details of this incident for the first time is a gift you have given us. Thank you!

[@Idkguywat]

When that fire-fighter picked up that rock of graphite 8:48 , that one thing is like holding 4 million X-rays in your hand.

[@leewaffe3]

Fun fact, the worker who held the door opened survived. Because his body was half exposed while opening the door he was able to recover albeit the skin and areas of his body that were exposed deteriorated and had to undergo 15 surgeries including multiple skin grafts. Never the less he was one of the few orignal workmen that survived the first day at the plant 4.

[@malslslb5394]

The dying trees part was absolutely real, this place is now called “The Red forest”

[@cool42701]

That beam is what is known as "Cherenkov radiation". It is due to the radiation ionizing the air around the reactor core and producing photons that are extra fast (hence the blue color). There is a really cool video of this, in this context horrifying, phenomena from a test reactor in the US where the reactor glows blue underwater for the same reason.

[@sld1776]

Yes, but the particles from a reactor don't have enough energy to create Cherenkov effect in the atmosphere. Dyatlov was lying.

[@cool42701]

@sld1776 By themselves, yes. The particles collide with air molecules and the collision with the air particles excite the air into higher energy states. Those higher energy particles then rapidly decay back down to their ground state via photon emission and the photon would necessarily be rather high energy due to the nature of the collisions and decay paths.

[@DeadFishstick]

Please keep watching those miniseries! "Chernobyl" plus "Band of Brothers", "The Pacific" and "True Detective" are absolutely amazing and a must see!

[@TheGoIsWin21]

Came here to recommend essentially this exact list, well done 😂. I second all three. As far as "masterful television" you can't really beat the 4-pack there.

[@Eviliothemad]

the bleeding trough the skin is high radiation damage. i was in kindergarden as it happend, we weren't allowed to play outside. stay inside during rain and the city closed the playgrounds and extracted all the sand from the sandboxes, too couter the radiated rainfall in my community in Germany. the radiation cloud reached over a good portion of europe .

[@fzwilling]

Amazing show and I am glad you guys watch it. Concerning the released radiation that started to cover parts of Europe, I was 11 when Chernobyl happened, we weren't allowed to go outside when it rained. If it started raining while you were outside, you were supposed so seek shelter right away. Certain edible mushrooms and wildboar/venison from southern Germany has still a high concentration of radioactive Isotopes and shouldn't be eaten 40 years later.

[@Davemented]

@fzwilling I'm the same age (old fart high-five) but I grew up on the west coast of Canada so we were safe. Everyone was glued to their televisions for the week after the news broke, and my parents (who had immigrated from Hungary) were contacting their parents regularly. I barely understood what was going on but I knew it was terrible.

[@Pakal77]

In France, our medias told us that the radio-active cloud stopped at the borders of our country... (was 18years old).

[@KaiMarcad]

Example of the current radiation levels from Finland: According to EU guidelines, food products offered for sale should not contain more than 600 becquerels per kilo (Bq/kg) of caesium-137.Mushrooms picked in Pälkäne in Pirkanmaa, south-central Finland had a reading of nearly 1,000 Bq/kg. Meanwhile those picked in Hyvinkää, some 60 km from the capital, contained 1,300 Bq/kg.

[@mdswish]

In Soviet Russia, even today, their power comes from the perception of their power, despite reality being very much different. For the executive leadership in the country to admit that a disaster like this could happen would be unbelievably embarrassing for them, both as a country and on the geopolitical world stage. Nobody in middle management wants to acknowledge that anything like Chernobyl could happen, or to be the one to tell their bosses that it happened. As bad as Chernobyl was, it was made orders of magnitude worse because of their response to the disaster during the first 24 hours.

[@СССРЛучшеечтобыло]

For you to understand Three Mile Island in the USA, 1979 nuclear power plant accident So that you realize that not only in the USSR there were accidents ! The difference is that in the USSR evacuation was carried out in the shortest possible time Highly organized ! Without casualties and panic ! And not what you were shown in the HBO show )))) In reality they evacuated everyone in 36 hours !!!! In modern times at Fokushima they evacuated for a week ! So don't bullshit about the USSR !

[@Aaniel_al.Meara.]

@@СССРЛучшеечтобыло Yep, that exactly how USSR works, even here in comments they (you) are spreading insane delusianal information.

[@francescocrenna6001]

Arguably my favorite mini-series I've ever watched, thanks for starting this journey! It's not gonna be easy but you won't regret it

[@cutelilpenguin85]

"I might actually have nightmares if we keep watching this." "Yeah, I know." "Are you ready to watch the next one?" "Yep." I laughed out loud, haha. That's how you know the show is good.

[@ArtofFreeSpeech]

You and me both. I came down here in the comments just to see if anyone else laughed at that as loudly as I did.

[@walterbrockman5194]

Growing up tin the 60's I was very aware of the event when it happened. Binge watched the series on my trans-Atlantic flight to spend 3 months in Eastern Europe the end of 2019. Much of that time I traveled Ukraine. The war with russia was on going then. I observed many aspects of Ukrainian psychology then, Chernobyl, russian aggression, a hunger for Freedom and democracy, work ethic, ingenuity, and an uncanny sense of humor. Slava Ukraini I'll enjoy watching this with you. Buckle up. Many of the comments below give you good info regarding the series and events. Younger people need more history education to understand the world of today and hopefully we won't repeat mistakes of our past.

[@HahsJeje]

Yes! An excellent miniseries. Great cart, great cinematography, great music and a true thing that happened. So glad you are starting this ❤ Edit: also made by the same guy who in part made the last of us.

[@corriban]

Awesome, one of the greatest mini series in recent memory. And I don't think there's anyone I'd rather subject myself to it again with than you two. This will be a rough ride but it's neccessary.

[@aklein7864]

I bet you're rethinking those Chernobyl coffee mugs... 🤣 0:47

[@OlaCh93]

Many first responders didn't have any protection, but in a days after many people were given chemical protection gear (that's all they had in a storages) - like rubber costumes, but it was completely useless against radiation. In a photographs from this period many people just wore gas masks. Things improved later when they started cleaning process, but only for people working directly at the plant, or radiologists that knew what to do (wear lead). For example many police officers who were coordinating evacuation should be also given protection but they stood only in cotton masks in a fields/villages surrounding the plant, being extremely exposed.

[@MLawrence2008]

Great reaction ladies. FYI it also very nearly happened in the USA too. The Three Mile Island accident was a partial nuclear meltdown of the Unit 2 reactor (TMI-2) of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station on the Susquehanna River in Londonderry Township, near the capital city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The reactor accident began at 4:00 a.m. on March 28, 1979, and released radioactive gases and radioactive iodine into the environment. It is the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. On the seven-point logarithmic International Nuclear Event Scale, the TMI-2 reactor accident is rated Level 5, an "Accident with Wider Consequences". As an amazing coincidence on March 15, 1979, twelve days before the accident, the movie The China Syndrome premiered and was initially met with backlash from the nuclear power industry, claiming it to be "sheer fiction" and a "character assassination of an entire industry". In the film, television reporter Kimberly Wells (Jane Fonda) and her cameraman Richard Adams (Michael Douglas) secretly film a major accident at a nuclear power plant while taping a series on nuclear power. At one point in the film, an official tells Jane Fonda's character that an explosion at the plant "could render an area the size of the state of Pennsylvania permanently uninhabitable".] After the release of the film, Fonda began lobbying against nuclear power.

[@anoriolkoyt]

Looking into an active reactor core is definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

[@pyro3rg]

Jared Harris (playing Valery Legasov, the man recording the tapes in the beginning) and Stellan Skarsgard put on a masterful performance in this series. Looking forward to the next episode!

[@FanEAW]

BTW the forest at the end is called "Red Forest" which comes from the ginger-brown colour of the pine trees after they died following the absorption of high levels of ionizing radiation. Yes, this really did happen. even today that area (more the waste graveyards) remains one of the most contaminated in the world to this day.

[@19RaxR91]

0:38 - "I dont like to know the truth." Dont worry, comrade, neither did the people in charge of resolving the conundrum in question, so You will feel right at home.

[@danieldz7906]

This call from beggining it was real one. This girl was calling all the fire department around powerplant. If u knew russian - she was in extreme stress.

[@sethraelthebard5459]

Radiation poisoning is probably one of the most horrible ways to die. It is about as close as humans can come to actual zombification. Your body is literally decomposing from the inside out.

[@bforce1107]

I’m so glad you guys reacted to this. Masterful television. Before Craig Mazin did The Last Of Us he did this. This show is the reason Mazin was able to do The Last Of Us. He built up a lot of clout with HBO with this series and all the awards it won.

[@CazuhLynn]

You asked whether the cloud was for real. Yeah it was. The depiction might or might not be exaggerated, but even northern Germany was affected by it so much that our government handed out iodine pills. Also, even to this day, you are not supposed to eat game or collect mushrooms in the forests as it is still considered unsafe to eat in some parts of our country. And Tschernobyl is so far away and other countries were affected so much more that us. By the way, I was born years after the catastrophe and still remember warnings broadcast by the radio because of the radiation. Years later. Tschernobyl was crazy

[@pistalapistala6726]

I really liked that both of you reacted respectfully, not making innapropriate jokes or anything like that. This series requires that respect, because it’s real history. Thank you.

[@d112cons]

This is about 2 disasters - one was the reactor. The other was a system of secrecy that kept information from people that could have saved lives. Even the (soon to be infamous) Dyatlov - as ugly as he was - was acting on the assumption that a core explosion was impossible, and that those in charge would lie about one of it benefited them.

[@iAmDiBBz]

Chernobyl does a good job are emphasizing events that actually took place... But MOST importantly. it deeply instills the ever subtle yet mysterious "Radiation" damage that can happen in mere seconds. the story telling and the constant glooming fact that there is a silent killing force that is doing so much damage to your body you don't even realize it till hours later. its probably up there in my top 5 as the best accurate historical TV shows.

[@howardandrews9593]

I don't do spoilers, having said that, hold on to your seats cuz this show DOES NOT HOLD BACK!!!! It's a series that needs to be shown to the world, or at least to all students in schools and universities. It gives all those who may not know how scary, deadly, efficient, radiation really is, as well as being relentless and unstoppable. So glad my favorite duo is reacting to this one here, you 2 are awesome together, such chemistry and closeness, it's a pleasure to watch, and I absolutely love your channel. As Haylo mentioned, this show is as accurate as can be, and pretty damn graphic, but it's worth it, buckle up and enjoy the ride, can't wait to see your reactions.

[@sethraelthebard5459]

An exposed nuclear reactor core is about as near as we can get to an actual Lovecraftian horror. "A nameless, formless malevolence from which there is neither defense, nor escape. To gaze upon it's evil would drive one to madness; to stand in its presence is certain death."

[@RazorbackX99]

This series is quite accurate, and teaches a great lesson about Corruption, Arrogance and Sacrifice... and of course History.

[@stell4you]

It's in many points very exaggerated. But still better than most of it.

[@tilltronje1623]

​@@stell4youwhat is exxagerated? They literally towned down the injuries

[@casparvvedel5607]

​@@stell4youWhat was exaggerated, specifically?

[@stell4you]

​@@casparvvedel5607 kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2KqdoOpiLujkLs

[@shadowproductions969]

​@casparvvedel5607 mostly the speed of the radiation effects and even the nurses that treated these firefighters has documented it and stated they didn't look near as bad as this depicts. I wouldn't say much of this is "very" exaggerated but it is, mostly for added drama or to make a point easier

[@FlatMarssSociety]

"I remember something went wrong" That had me rolling. But cool that more folks are learning about it. I think the show did a great job at shedding light on what happened.

[@kevinburton3948]

I was 16 years old in 1986 (I'm Canadian)- we heard on the news about the "Nuclear Cloud" from Chernobyl and how it far it could travel- possibly crossing the Atlantic and affecting North America. However I never truly knew just how bad it was until I had watched a documentary on the 20th anniversary of the accident in 2006. The documentary was grim, startling and depressing... This miniseries on Chernobyl makes that documentary I watched look like a birthday party video. This is going to be a tough watch- but an important event to learn about. Looking forward to you two going through this series.

[@Wanda711]

I'm Canadian too, about 10 years older than you, and I remember this event well. I had no idea how bad it was until I saw this series. Radioactive particles floating through the air, sure, but the whole thing in episode 2 about how close they came to the whole thing melting down to the water table and causing an even bigger explosion - never heard about that. In fact, I remember a sort of scornful attitude in North America, as if this were just another blunder by those incompetent Soviets. Now I'm impressed by how they managed to handle this catastrophe, with all the problems and limitations they were working under. A lot of really bright brains combined to figure out what to do.

[@johnbrookes4892]

i'm from the UK, lamb and beef still have raised radiation levels from animals eating grass contaminated 40 years ago by this

[@sfurules]

"Why wouldn't they have Iodine Pills!!??" Welcome to the Soviet Era

[@mitchelcole7007]

16:00 they did know how dangerous it was, they just didn’t know that was the situation 😢

[@nanamin4678]

I've always hated the sound of Geiger counters, it's so unsettling but after watching this show, it straight away traumatized me lol

[@shadowproductions969]

one of the things they dramaticized for the show. There were several instances where they had them on when in reality they didn't and wouldn't have because it is pointless.. they KNOW there is high radiation and it's unavoidable.. the beeping is for tension to let the audience know how bad it is. The biggest pet peave I have with this, and likely how they handled it back then too, is that NONE of these engineers bothered to use the inverse square law (which was known about for decades before Chernobyl happened) that basically says, for every time you double the distance, the amount of radiation is reduced 4. Even with the measley 3.6R dossimeters they had, they could have started moving further and further away from the plant until it read a proper reading then calculated the radiation by the distance they traveled. Even the high range dossimeter wouldn't have had to get right up against the exposed core. It's likely they did it this was in reality too, but these days they'd simply use math rather than endangering everyone.

[@tonikaihola5408]

I was there in 2010, very eerie hearing the Geiger counter pick up pace as we got closer. We drove through the red forest which you saw in this episode. Also visited the reactor 4 building (outside), went to the bridge, school, hotel etc.

[@Mimi-cq4bg]

Yes, the forest is real. It’s called the red forest and it’s still affected.

[@formatique_arschloch]

I remember when this happened. I was seven. Here in Finland it was recommended not to pick and eat mushrooms for couple of years after this. Finland is quite far away from Ukraine, but winds brought some radiation here. Not enough to cause any immediate danger, but some recommendations from the authorities.

[@MrSporkster]

Oh Lord, you better buckle up tight because this is gonna be rough. Chernobyl happened during the Cold War, when I was in high school. It was a defining event of my generation. In one of his tape recordings, Legasov said, 'Recalling this trip now, I must say that I had absolutely no idea that we were moving towards an event of a planetary scale, that would most likely be remembered like events such as famous volcanic eruptions; Pompei for example or something similar to that.'

[@ghsteo]

Probably one of the best mini-series ever created right along side Band of Brothers. Craig Mazen who also helped write Last of Us show came up with this.

[@blastingweevil2968]

allmost 40 years later and there is still some parts near the CHERNOBYL powerplant that you cannot go anywhere near if it was not for the sacrifice of so many men in trying to contain the explosion things would have been a lot worse.

[@lucianaromulus1408]

I dont know how well versed you guys are on history, but this show is a GREAT introduction to Communism and its evils. To be fair though, weve been on the same path in the West 😅 that being said, i have such love for the Soviet people and all their sacrifices to a nation that only saw them as a number. May they never be forgotten 🙏

[@YoureMrLebowski]

12:07 i'm impressed with Haylo's knowledge.

[@stevenkaye1625]

Love that you're watching this! Hands down one of the best mini-series I've seen. Really difficult to watch, but also brilliant.

[@satsunada]

The trees are referred to as the "glowing forest" of Chernobyl. The sap in the trees absorbed so much radiation that the trees glowed at night. It's no longer a "threat" per se but the effort to contain it and every other problem ... well, that's a later episode.

[@Domazsakalauskas]

Glad you get to experience this masterpiece. Cause it's something most people should see. My childhood friend back in Lithuania was what is called a child of chernobyl. He was born around that time when the accident happened. He got blood cancer when he was a 18-19. died 3 weeks. Miss him tho. And the scene where the bird dropped and the kids where walking from school It's filmed in Lithuania (majority of this mini series is) I actually lived right by that block. Around the time when they filmed this lol.They closed down part of that entire neighborhood. And fun fact, the music was recorded with the sounds made by a soviet made nuclear plant in Ignalina.

[@TuNn1r]

The sad part is that the show is pretty accurate. There are some things of course that are over the top, and others that will be explained at the end of Episode 5, but alltogether unfortunately it is fairly accurate. And if this gives you nightmares, then I would advise getting a LOT of coffee for the upcoming episodes, especially Ep 4. This series shows the cruel reality that so many people had to go through.

[@marcusrowan7212]

Loved you two watching

[@RGSRinc]

This mini series is amazing. It shines such a harsh and unforgiving light on communism as a system and its failures. Self-delusion, CYA at all costs, bureaucracy and utter incompetence. But it also illustrates the basic human qualities of self-sacrifice for the greater good and for love of one's fellow man and country. So look forward to your reactions to the remainder of the series. Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard, and Emily Watson's portrayals are amazing, as is their norm.

[@riculfriculfson7243]

I was in my mid teens in the UK when this happened. I remember having to stay inside due to the fallout. This series is a wild ride. Well done for already knowing about iodine.

[@neilstackhouse4488]

I think I've written some variant of this comment on like TEN different reactions of this I've watched, lol! Anyway, there are a lot of biases that human beings have running all the time because in almost every situation they keep us alive. However, they can lead us into some false conclusions as well. Some of the big ones most people have heard of are things like confirmation bias. The idea that if a piece of evidence lines up with a belief you already hold you are more likely to accept it without any criticisms. Another less well known bias, though, is something called hindsight bias. Basically, if we know how something ends we are much more likely to look at all of the things that led up to it and say things like "how could you NOT see this?!!?" When in reality we very likely would've made the same mistakes they did. In the case of Chernobyl, in the minds of the operators, the reactor exploding was LITERALLY (correct usage of literally) as likely as the sky falling. Something the very laws of physics wouldn't allow to happen. So honestly, I can't really blame them when they go outside and see what amounts to pieces of broken sky and think "no, that can't possibly be what that is."

[@GoldenTV3]

One thing to consider is more people die per year from coal mining related diseases, injuries, etc.. than anyone has ever died from nuclear power accidents. Also, before the Ukraine war started, they had the actual building contained within a larger dome and were in the process of literally dismantling the building part by part using cranes and burying it.

[@mk-ultraviolence1760]

Dyatlov, the guy in charge at the plant was likely nowhere near as bad as he is often portrayed. The problem was one of the more popular historical accounts of Chernobyl was written by someone who had an axe to grind with him. According to other accounts Dyatlov actually tried to help out and was probably the one person who knew what he doing because he actually was in a previous nuclear incident aboard a submarine where he got a relatively minor dose of radiation (which is why I'm inclined to believe it rather than him just being stubborn idiot in denial along with several things he wrote afterwards).

[@astrorick2910]

There are some inaccuracies (some are quite big) in this miniseries, especially from a scientific standpoint. Please don't think that nuclear energy is dangerous because of this series or because of this accident, Fukushima and Three Mile Island (the 3 accidents that are usually mentioned), it's actually among the safest forms of energy we currently use. Edit: 6:20 no, it wasn't 8:16 no, you're right, they didn't 8:34 yes, but they didn't use it at first because they didn't know what was happening 8:44 as they mention later, that's graphite, it is used as moderator for nuclear fission reactions (it slows neutrons down) 16:00 it's not that they weren't aware, they weren't paranoid as people are today. Those kids playing in the ashes had a higher chance of developing lung problems from breathing the ashes themselves rather than having any effect from the radiation. I mean, I wouldn't play during an accident, but most of them are probably still living in Ukraine/Russia today (or died/displaced because of the war)

[@GWNorth-db8vn]

The people watching from the Bridge of Death are an urban legend. It was called that for a couple of years before the accident because a man jumped off it in front of a train. It was two in the morning on a school night and the bridge was a long uphill walk outside town. People didn't keep their cars at home in Prip'yat, and anyone who cared to could just go up the stairs to their roof and have a better view.

[@CarlosCasanova9]

these reactions are gonna be so dope

[@reaganfiddler8419]

“Do you taste metal?” Is hands down one of the most terrifying lines I have ever heard in media

[@_Wolfsbane_]

We had radiation fallout in my country - 820.46 mi (1,320.40 km) away. For many years it was forbidden to pick and eat fruit, berries and mushrooms, or game/venison from the area that got the brunt of the fallout.

[@mythical1059]

this is a very real and sad story in history. everyone should learn about it at some point. Terrible misfortune brought to so many people that could have been made even a little better if only they had reacted faster

[@Obosii]

Fun Fact: The team who made this incredible show also made Star Wars: Andor, which is why that show (which is probably the best Star Wars in decades) has a similar feel of palpable dread, though not as severe as in Chernobyl. Andor even features a handful of the same actors.

[@erikalulea3608]

I remember this very well , As I live in The north of Sweden, And that we were forbidden to gather mushrooms from the forest and stuff like that because they were not sure how much the radiation had spread to Sweden. Was scary.

[@frankwitte1022]

-"I don't like this, I don't like this ..." +"Are you ready to watch the net one? -"Yep!" I just loved that bit of conversation between you two😉 Great reaction video!

[@Short_Round1999]

This series is the BEST visual aid to the recounting of the moments that happened before-during and after the accident

[@vikingcreature]

While a LOT of the science regarding the radioactivity and its effects on people are exaggerated as heck, the fear and genuine incompetence displayed is 100% real. Amazing series!

[@mikecarew8329]

Great reaction and love your curiosity. A few notes from this Gen Xer. Yes of course we knew about radioactivity in 1986. The Hiroshima bombing was 41 years earlier. Describing the plant director as a “corporate bigwig” made me laugh. This was the Soviet Union- there were no corporations / private industry at all. Government power plant run by government appointees. Remember this was a totalitarian state (hence the KGB watching Legasov at his apartment). These were men scared out of their minds that the government would shoot them for any mistakes / accidents like this. Contributed to the society of lies and secrecy so central to the thrust of the miniseries. Yes there were radiation and hazmat suits in 1986. Though given the state of the Soviet economy at that time, unlikely to be in hand for the local fire brigade in Soviet Ukraine. The USSR, like all totalitarian states, was indeed an “evil empire” and their own people usually paid the highest price.

[@wgandy9541]

This is why it is so important not to let just one group, faction or party determine what is "misinformation". Censoring "misinformation" may actually be keeping the truth from the public (as it did in this case).

[@DivusGeorgius]

just like KZbin does it, right?

[@shadowproductions969]

@@DivusGeorgius youtube has ALL KINDS of misinformation on it, they censor very little. But the problem with censorship of information is that it's usually arguable what is true and what is not. Sometimes what is called conspiracy or "Fake news" turns out to be very real. Control of information is one of the first things most people in power seek to have. It's why we hundreds of news stations and newspapers but almost all of them are owned by a few small groups, like Sinclair.

[@wgandy9541]

@@DivusGeorgius Correct!

[@Taudlitz]

Its scary there are now people who dont know if Chernobyl was real historic event. But I guess world move forward and old history become forgotten over time

[@RuiFernandoCaldas]

Welcome to the real world! I was 6 when this happen, not too far away... it was very real back then for every European. Please hold on to the last episode... it's sad to know it was real but at the same time, we learn with the mistakes I guess... Not wanting to know the truth just to avoid tears is the main human problem... this will help you to fight that back! This is an excellent series because it is not fiction. Try "Band of Brothers" next! Also very real!

[@heffatheanimal2200]

"Growth comes from knowledge, and sometimes knowledge is painful. Shying away from growth and knowledge always leads to greater pain." This series can be devastating to people who don't know about the story. Pace yourselves, know that it doesn't hold back. It will be worth it *hugs* @RuiFernandoCaldas hey, we're the same age 😁 Bloody hell that must have been terrifying at the time. I still have very vague memories of the news reports at the time, and it stuck with me until my mid teens when I started studying nuclear incidents and legacies. Chernobyl and Kyshtym were both subjects studies over the years. I am so thankful that my partner left Belarus only a few years before it happened 😬

[@Ordog213]

I was 11 in bavaria, germany....no one understand what was going on. One day in the fall a group of trash man in protective gears showed up to pull everything from grandpas veggie garden into a trash truck. Every playground was closed and every bit of play sand was removed.....we didn´t understand what was going on

[@AB-80X]

Sadly, I'm not so sure we learned a lot from Chernobyl. It mainly put the last nail in the coffin for further development of nuclear power in the west, which is very sad. Hopefully the nuclear reinnecance which seems to be blossoming at the moment will change that.

[@puregameplaysonhard]

I really recommend a series of Polish documentaries titled The Last People of Chernobyl (it's available on YT with English subtitles). It tells the stories of people who still live in the zone - there's a small group of elderly people who returned to their homes after the catastrophe and have been living there all by themselves up till this day. The documentaries were co-created by my friend who also organizes urban trips to Pripyat. On one occasion they encountered an old lady in a seemingly abandoned village. She needed immediate medical assistance and they helped her. That is how they learned that there were still people living there and from that point on they have been organizing humanitarian help (even now, during the war in Ukraine). Hence the documentaries. I rarely shed a tear but oh boy those movies are really touching, the people shown in them kind of remind me of all the elderly people I have known who had to experience the atrocities of WWII.

[@christophergamedev]

You were wondering if the fire department calls were actual recordings - yes, these were actual call recordings. While these are just calls betwenn operators and contain no drama, using real recordings had the effect of putting you right there, right then - with real people involved. Thst's why it's so powerful.

[@donkrkonto]

I am excited to see you guys react to something a bit more serious, and Chernobyl is a great choice, hope you like it!

[@stevenclarke5606]

The item that the firefighter picked up was a part of the reactor fuel channel and was highly radioactive, as it was part of the reactor’s core, if the core is outside then it’s a seriously bad day.

[@danh8804]

acute radiation sickness is probably about as horrible a way to die as there is, but I gotta say I imagine the idea that any of those workers got to look into the open reactor and see the reaction in full bloom... imagine the majesty of it. Power like a star right in front of you

[@TehCream]

“Chernobyl Prayer” which served as inspiration for a lot of what is shown in the screen is an amazing book of testimonials from actual survivors, relatives of first responders, people who stayed or moved back into the zone. The first story told is the one of the firefighters wife which is told pretty much exactly as it’s shown on screen. I really think the book should be required reading for everyone. It’s terrible the event that happened and the way it was mishandled due to the country trying to keep up its strong image. The show itself is horrific and beautiful and spooky, one of the best TV shows ever, and also should be required viewing. Everybody should know about what happened at Chernobyl. Highly recommend the book.

[@Dweiathecat]

2:46 The music was composed by Oscar awarded Hildur Guðnadóttir. She did a fantastic job.

[@ShneekeyTheLost]

I'm surprised you two aren't more familiar with the historical Chernobyl event which occurred, it is the single greatest nuclear disaster to befall the civilian nuclear industry, and has been endlessly hyped up by various parties for various reasons. However, that probably stands you in good stead here, because you didn't have any preconceived notions of what happened, and the full horror on display will come at you fresh and by surprise, much as it did many of the individuals present. But don't let it scare you too much. There are no reactors still in operation that can fail in this manner. There have only been two other (civilian) nuclear disasters in all of history, Three Mile Island (which was at least contained in feet of steel reinforced concrete) and Fukushima, and neither of those two even remotely approached the level of atrocity that Chernobyl attained. All three disasters, and many incidents that never became disasters in the first place, have been endlessly researched and studied to produce a set of rules by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to prevent these situations from happening again. It's not completely impossible for another nuclear disaster to happen, but the odds it will even begin to approach the horrors you've witnessed here are so low that you've got a better chance of hitting the Powerball Lottery the first time.

[@bloodymarvelous4790]

From writer Craig Mazin, known for Scary Movie 3 & 4 and The Hangover II and III and director Johan Renck, known for music videos for Madonna, Robbie Williams, and Kylie Minogue. and they made one of the 5 best miniseries and TV shows of all time. Let that sink in for a minute...

[@Melonlordrinrei]

If you end up quite fascinated by this series (realising how long it's been since you started) I would recommend reading 'Manual For Survival' by Kate Brown. It's basically everything that happened afterwards including the reaction of America, clean up process, research done, cover ups and how the area is impacted today. A really fascinating read, but heavy emotionally.

[@TheJerbol]

"Is that a chamber pot?" Bruh when do you think this takes place haha

[@PiletskayaV]

Well, hello again, ladies! 😉 I'm not a big anime fan, and I watched your channel solely because of the Arcane TV show. It was an absolutely stunning adventure. When Arcane ended, I realized it was time for us to part ways and go our separate paths. So, I unsubscribed from the channel. But what do I see now! Chernobyl? Goodness! I understand you don't want to let me go just like that?! 😂 I live in Ukraine and for me Chernobyl is not just a TV show. It's my history. It's a part of our life that can't be forgotten, no matter how hard our people try. The part that still affects the lives of my people to this day. When I watched it for the first time I couldn't hold back my tears. It seems I'll have to shed a few more again. Well, it's time to subscribe to your channel back again for another wild adventure. Girls, thank you for your work! Let's go! 🥰

[@fritzkaraldo8452]

Reactor 4 exploded that night, as we all know. But most people don't know Chernobyl had 3 more reactor that needed to be operated. You can't flip a switch and bugger of home. The last reactor was shut down in december of 2000! Clean up at Chernobyl is scheduled to be finished in 2065!