'Chernobyl' Is a Stimulating Historical Disaster Drama and a Powerful Study in Ethics

Having read about it as a kid, I’ve long been aware of the Chernobyl disaster as a historical event.  But it’s only recently through watching HBO’s Chernobyl that I get to understand what happened in detail.

The 5-part mini-series mainly follows Valery Legasov (Jared Harris), the Soviet physicist put in charge of mitigating the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster and investigating what caused it.  Aiding him in this task are Boris Shcherbina (Stellan Skarsgård), the deputy chairman of the Soviet Union’s Council of Ministers; and Ulana Khomyuk (Emily Watson), a fictional composite character who stands in for the numerous scientists who worked with Legasov in real life.

In depicting the story of its sensitive subject matter, Chernobyl masterfully dramatizes the events before, during, and after the nuclear disaster while striking the perfect balance of being entertaining, edifying, and respectful.  It’s a stimulating watch from start to finish.  The production value is excellent, the writing rarely falters, the acting is very magnetic in general, and the direction does a splendid job in creating an ambiance of suspense, tension, and authenticity.

Moreover, Chernobyl is also a powerful study in ethics.  It not only explores a state that experienced a nuclear fallout, but a moral fallout as well, and the script makes the point of making it clear that the former was predicated on the latter.  This state is so obsessed with keeping an appearance of power and superiority above anything else, that even when reckless lies are what’s required for this, it will readily opt for them, regardless of how grave whatever immediate or future consequences may be.  What is bred from this is a culture of delusion, wherein its leaders are so confident of their infallibility that when evidences plainly point to the contrary, they are too quick to dismiss them.  This is a recurring theme all throughout the narrative, and from this rose, not only the catalyst for the disaster to happen in the first place, but numerous impediments that further complicated the already complex process of dealing with the aftermath.

This climate sets up a compelling arc for the show’s main character, Valery Legasov, who has to work within and against this corrupt system in place, and who has to find in himself the courage to proclaim an inconvenient truth in a society where doing so is not only not rewarded, but penalized.

All things considered, Chernobyl is a gripping, brilliant drama that is easily one of the best TV offerings of 2019 so far.  And it will probably remain among the top until the year-end.

If you ask me, this arguably makes up for HBO’s Game of Thrones season 8 fail.