Drop Everything You’re Doing: Extraordinary Show from HBO! Chernobyl
“Looks like Chernobyl is HBO’s apology for the Game of Thrones’ mess”
While Game of Thrones was getting a major backlash during the last couple of weeks, a new TV show from HBO has everyone talking about it and it has climbed its way up the ranking ladder to the number 1 show of all time! So, what’s so special about “Chernobyl”? Is it worthy of its new “Best TV Series of All Time” title on IMDB?
When I heard of Chernobyl’s buzz, I decided to watch it. Not because I was interested in its topic, as I knew that the Chernobyl catastrophe is heartbreaking and I wasn’t sure if I would ever be in a suitable mood to watch something like that. However, I wanted to know why this show was able to top some of the most popular shows like “Breaking Bad”, “Game of Thrones” (I’m not talking about you, Season 8), and “Black Mirror”, within only 3 weeks of it airing!
And I’m here today, to tell you just one thing: “Whatever you’re doing now, take a break from it, go watch “Chernobyl”, then carry on with the rest of your life”. There are just so many reasons why I think everyone should watch the show.
Do I Smell Metal?
It’s pretty obvious that the show is telling the story of the nuclear disaster that happened in Chernobyl in 1986. The most important factor is how it goes about telling it. In the first episode of Chernobyl, the audience gets to watch the start of the accident when the workers of Chernobyl’s Nuclear Power Plant were doubting the seriousness of it. While you’re watching, you can feel the tension just like you were with them in the room, and you’re just as clueless as them until they started getting the awful metallic taste in their mouth due to the strong radiation they have received, that they realized they made a catastrophe.
Would You Kill 3 to Save 60 Million People?
That was one of the most controversial questions back then. Another question, should they evacuate the city and cause panic to the 50,000 who live there? Or wait until the condition gets totally out of control? Is it ethical and morally correct to sacrifice 3 people in order to save millions? That’s one of the things I liked about the show, it forces you to think, about what’s right and wrong, about the importance of making decisions at the right time, and I honestly felt invested in the perfectly-written script of the show. The dialogue is so convincing that you sometimes forget that the people you’re watching are acting.
A Terrifyingly Accurate Soundtrack
No need to mention the great Cinematography, Set Design, and Directing, as we’re talking about HBO here, so you undoubtedly know that these elements can’t go wrong. But what deserves the most attention here is the Soundtrack. The eeriness and whistling in the distance makes you feel empty but scared at the same time. It’s like the music screams that something awful has happened, and I can’t see a better fit for this show than this soundtrack. Unlike many other TV series, Chernobyl doesn’t rely too much on it, it uses it only in a few scenes. But when it kicks in, it kicks hard.
“You Can’t Touch the Affected”
Despite the intense scenes with the skin peeled bodies and bloody coughs, what I found to be extremely difficult to watch was the relationship between those affected and their loved ones, and I was pitying both parties as I imagined how it must’ve felt to not be able to touch the ones you love while watching them die slowly. The show doesn’t stop there, it also puts you in the shoes of the affected people and shows you just how it feels when you know that your life is coming to an end, and all you want to do is to spend those last minutes with your closest ones. Phew, it was depressing to watch.
The Conclusion
As depressing as it is, I think it’s a mandatory watch in your life at least once. Not just for the strong dramatic aspect of it nor the fact that it couldn’t be done any better, but because I feel that the people who were there at that time (deceased or alive) need to have their stories heard and this show speaks for them, It’s a very important thing to know what it felt like at that time. And you’ll also come across some of the best truly heroic sacrifices in mankind; Doctors, Miners, Engineers, all of them sacrificed their lives to save a whole continent.
All of the reasons I just mentioned combined together make this a completely perfect show, and after 3 episodes in, I was easily able to figure out why this show is currently the top-rated TV series of all time. Do you agree with me? I want to know your thoughts as well, so leave them in the comment section. And if you haven’t watched Chernobyl yet, go watch it immediately!
All of the reasons I just mentioned combined together make this a completely perfect show, and after 3 episodes in, I was easily able to figure out why this show is currently the top-rated TV series of all time. Do you agree with me? I want to know your thoughts as well, so leave them in the comment section. And if you haven’t watched Chernobyl yet, go watch it immediately!
user rating :
5.00 stars (14 votes)
Ahmed is a content creator who loves working on exotic topics and adding his own perspective and view on it. He loves film-making and dreams about going to Hollywood one day. Traveling is an essential part of his life and he's up for any adventure that comes in his way. Whether it's writing scripts, shooting a film or composing a soundtrack, Ahmed is able to visualize his thoughts through these three talents.