FIRST TIME WATCHING: Chernobyl Episode 1

Me watching the reaction video for the first time. 20 minutes in: "She's not going to make it through all 5 episodes"

TGrimace

Honestly things like this are way scarier to me than traditional horror films. The idea of nuclear radiation and what it does to you, being man made but which man has ultimately no control over whatsoever, is haunting. This will be my second time watching it through, I enjoyed the series so much, but it’s a tough watch. The sound design is so so good, it’s part of the reason it’s so scary, all long slow dread-inducing droning sounds, like metal girders buckling, or something huge trying to force it’s way out of a container. The sheer refusal to acknowledge that anything was wrong in the hours after it happened, brought about by the (legitimate) fear those in charge had of what the State would do to them if they accepted responsibility, made it so much worse, unfortunately though it was an accident waiting to happen.

Andy Crawley

I never got past the first episode. I was screaming at the TV the whole time and even though I know this is how it happens it was just so horrible to watch. I’m going to try and revisit it with you! So far we are having the exact same reacts so at least now I’m not feeling alone!! We actually said “oh no” in unison once lol

Julia

This show is amazing. Very tough to watch, but amazingly done and incredibly important.

Rory Owens

Yes this is also well done.

MertzRocks

Dammit... I was one one of the ones thaat suggested this and now I have to wait for a copy to watch with you lol... Funny how things work out sometimes.

MertzRocks

I really can't believe this one came in 2nd. This show is ROUGH. But Jared Harris is damn good in it.

Joe Blankenship

Not sure if you have seen it already, but you should check out Years and Years on your own time at least, it honestly might be too depressing for reactions that you would like to share with others, but if you like the tone of this, than Years and Years would be comparable.

Nicholas Hentges

Yes; The Wire!

Matt D

dont look anything up. the show answers all your questions

Joel

I love this series and episode 2 is one of my favorite tv episodes of all time (please watch the wire and sopranos). Radioactive material is what is dangerous. Dust and debris that sticks to you is what is bad for you. If you want to learn more there is a nuclear engineer that reacts to this series and explains a lot of the science.

Michael

stock up on tissues

Wu Sha Ling

or Florida

Vincent Valentin

You have to understand that authoritarian regimes always underreport things like death tolls to downplay any potential weakness. whatever the official number is, when it comes to the USSR, you can almost certainly expect it to be much higher.

THE LORE!!!

I also highly suggest From the Earth to the Moon on HBO about the space race. Very good, and much less heartbreaking than Chernobyl.

William Shipley

I was born and raised in Oak Ridge, TN where they made the Uranium-235 for the first atomic bomb. I was an engineer working at the National Laboratory (formerly X-10 during the war) and did some work design work for the National Security Complex (designated Y-12 was one of the primary production facilities for Uranium during the war along with K-25). I have worked in the nuclear industry for many years and been around many reactors. Don't worry too much about living near reactors. There were many compounding factors to the failure of Chernobyl that are not present in power reactors currently in operation in the US. Although research was halted by a previous administration, there are reactors that the physics won't allow a meltdown. The physics of the reaction are such that in the event of a complete failure of the cooling system, the reaction will shut itself down. It is pretty interesting stuff.

William Shipley

I’m sorry that this was so hard on you, but I think you will be glad you watched. It’s harrowing, and will be throughout. But it should be, and while it’s hard to watch and process, I have never regretted watching it. It is a tragedy born of ignorance and stubbornness, blind faith and fear, and the devaluation of science and rationality beneath status, political favor, and hubris. The villain doesn’t realize they are the villain. The show makes a point of emphasizing everyone’s conviction that they are right. I don’t want to get political in here, especially since this transcends politics, so I’ll frame it this way. Nothing is absolute, and science isn’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean everything is equivalent. Narrative is easy and can be powerful, but if it is elevated to stand as a substitute for evidence, then we are lost (not doomed lost, necessarily, though… but rather unable to get our bearings lost). Ok, that’s enough of that. Comedy Friday, maybe?

Byron

I'm sorry Nat, but this show is going to be really hard watching for you. My advice, don't binge watch it, it is to much in one sitting. I am old enough to remember when the Chernobyl disaster occured and not being able to drink milk as the radioactive cloud had reached the U.K. and contaminated the grass that cows were eating here.

Stephen Woods

oh boy. I’m actually kinda worried about you watching this series now. the first episode is definitely rough but it gets worse 😬 it’s one of my all time favorites though.

Summer

Okay, I’m something of a Chernobyl expert having seen this, read a number of books and watched several documentaries on the accident, I can answer some of your questions. A number of them are answered as the series progresses, but to keep it tight for the ones raised in this episode: 1.) Iodine pills block radioactive iodine from entering the thyroid. Most radiation related deaths direct and indirectly caused by Chernobyl have been thyroid cancer. 2.) This will make itself clear as the series progresses, but to put it shortly…It’s easy in hindsight knowing all the effects of the accident, the impact, the legacy, to call all these people idiots and dumbasses for not acting correctly as they should in the first hours following the explosion. But they were dealing with something that had literally never happened in history before. I’ll put it like that. There had been incidents involving the release of radioactivity into regions around the world, smaller contained incidents like Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in 1979, but nothing on this scale in terms of a reactor actually exploding and threatening so many lives, had ever happened. 3.) The pumps they were turning were still the orders from Dyatlov to try and keep water flowing through the reactor, but they were turning valves on water pipes that lead effectively to nowhere. They were crying because likely quite a few of them realised truthfully what was going on or at least got the inkling of what was happening. 4.) The official death toll of the Chernobyl disaster is a very complex matter. THE official death toll is commonly put down as 31, all of them fireman and workers at the plant. The number of deaths relating to the actual fallout of radiation across Europe is very uncertain, although it’s without a doubt a very large number. Estimates from various sources and studies range from as few as 4,000 (which came from the United Nations), an unrealistic number considering much of Eastern to Mid Europe was contaminated. Legasov quoted a figure of 40,000 probable deaths in the decades to come after 1986. The highest stated figure is from Greenpeace at around 200,000 global deaths over the years, in terms of abortions, cancer victims as a result of radiation exposure, children born from parents exposed in 1986 etc. which they’ve stuck to since 2006. I would estimate that between 10 and 20,000 is a realistic enough figure in terms of deaths both direct and indirectly attributed to Chernobyl since the explosion occurred up until now. This is a disaster that whilst incredibly frightening and horrific has never ceased to fascinate me. It’s considered to be one of the most globally significant events in the past 100 years, and yet before this series aired, aside from people like me who knew almost everything one could learn about Chernobyl, the general public think it’s fair to say, haven’t been properly educated about what really happened. For them, Chernobyl was just a power plant that blew up, there was radiation and people died. It was SO MUCH more than that, in terms of what happened under the surface behind closed doors. This series, barring only a couple little details here and there that are changed or happen at a different time than they did, is pretty much about as accurate to what happened as a TV drama can get and be understood by the audience. So glad to see you reacting to it at last. It really kinda IS a horror series of sorts, in knowing this really happened and that’s what’s scary. I should warn you, this series doesn’t get any brighter and more cheerful. There’s some really intense, really bleak stuff here to come, but in spite of the show’s imagery being a lot to stomach, I do think people should know and understand this disaster. Like The Holocaust, Titanic, 9/11, Jonestown, and every other impactful event in history, Chernobyl deserves more than any to be understood and remembered. Looking forward to Episode 2. 😊

Jack Mellor

This was an excellent choice. It’s incredibly well done, impactful, and relatively brief. I can’t wait (3rd tone through the series) even though it’s going to be rough.

Byron

But they would have been exposed much less. What was so bad for them was being in the fallout, not just direct exposure to the core itself.

John

This was a rough thing to watch knowing the history.

Squ33ky

That's a bit misleading. Radiation not spreading from person to person is correct so far as it's not contagious. However, someone who has been contaminated and still has contamination on their skin or clothes can absolutely pass that contamination on to someone else. You are spot on about nuclear power being safe. A Chernobyl style accident can't happen in the West. Even the Fukushima disaster was minor compared to the scale of Chernobyl.

John

To be fair to the people watching it from afar, they would have been exposed even if they had stayed in their houses. and Nuclear power plants are a lot safer than they used to be. :)

Michael Short

Omg we're doing Chernobyl. Bring on the pain.

Opti_Frog

Oh and to answer a few things: "How do you make a sound like that?" You put a microphone into a nuclear power plant. Sound design took a lot of audio from currently operating nuclear plants. "He has the same glasses" - yup - because under communism in the U.S.S.R., there was only one glasses manufacturer, so that no one person could have "better" glasses than anyone else. Everyone had the same glasses - I think there were maybe three styles of frames available.

Charity Konusser (the chonus)

LightsCameraJake

I cant get mine to sync up properly either, im using amazon though

VProductions

I am *thrilled* that you've started Chernobyl just after I joined your Patreon. It was my first vote in a poll for what you should watch! It's odd to say that this is one of my "favorite" television series, but it is. The quality of writing, acting, directing, scenic and CGI work, etc. is second to none. The story is harrowing (I was in high school when this happened so I remember it very, very well), but it is also gripping drama. Glad you're going on this journey!

Charity Konusser (the chonus)

The sound design was perfection. All the sound effects were taken from recordings of noises inside power plants. Yes, the trees turned red from radiation. Don't worry too much if there's something you don't understand. It was written in such a way as to explain everything you need to know by the time the series is over. The entire series is a masterpiece, but I am sorry for how hard it is to watch.

John

am i the only one having issue with, video desync. ? video will only stay synced for 5 - 10 sec , then natalie´s video will get behind, my video HBO MAX streaming ....

Peter Heine

Hi Nat and thanks for this reaction, it's not an easy show to watch 😕 Radiation is definitly one of the most dangerous, mortal, mightiest and scariest power in the nature. It can go through almost everything, it's really complex and difficult to stop it. But the saddest part of the story is the fact it happened and too many poor people were involved and lost their lives 😔 Knowing you, I hope you will be able to hold on, in any case I send you a maximum of support waves 🤗! I hope you're fine, take care, be safe and stay golden! 💛

Calo Grsf

Oh boy, I mean, this is one of those shows that's a tough but necessary watch, maybe necessary isn't the word, important then. Plus it's extremely well done, but she's gonna need some extra Holiday movies and such after this, and plenty of tissues during.

Joe D. MacGuffinstuff

Chernobyl is still available with Sky Now in the UK, unfortunately with adverts.

Jeff white

One of the things I like about the opening episode is that it gives you an overview of events and a sense of the importance of them without necessarily explaining everything. In other words you kind of share the sense of intensity, confusion and conflicting messages/impressions as the characters themselves. What is clear, as you picked up, is that people are already covering their own back and that poor decisions are being made due to lies, not listening and simply not wanting the reality to be what it is. It's a great show but a tough watch. But Avatar will be a nice change of pace.

Paul Mason

I am overjoyed that you are doing this series. although it is a very difficult watch. It is a story that needs to be told or it is likely to happen again. I think the acting and production design/sound are excellent. It changes character in the later episodes but remains compelling.

Jeff white

For anyone watching on the version on Amazon Prime, I found I had to play back the Youtube video at about 1.05x speed to keep it (roughly) in sync

Chris Cooper

It doesn't get easier. Thankfully the series is less intense and graphic than the book it's based on. There are some heartbreaking scenes in the book

Tay Schumaker

This is a tough series to watch, Nat. But I promise you it's worth it.

Black Heart Games

oh Nat... youre in a world of pain with this series. I really don't know if someone so empathetic like you should watch something like this. I recomend you to watch all the chapters in one go and post it later. if you extend this one into weeks you gonna get destroyed for a long time.

oscar latorre

Oh Natalie, you poor thing. This series gonna do a number on her.

Obie Brown

she will do ATLA when Chernobyl is over, meaning like in 2 weeks time. ^^

Krystal

Another great heavy hitter from HBO. Can't wait to watch it all over again.

Stephen Lewis

Wait what?! I thought Avatar won the poll!! I was soooo excited! I mean this show was pretty good too but it's hard to beat nostalgia and air bending

john collins

The actor who play Zharkov, Donald Sumpter, also played Maester Luwin in GoT

Justin M York

great reaction Nat. I never thought I would watch this entire show once more but your reaction is worth the stress. looking forward to the next episodes. <3

Krystal

Yeah but I think she’s watching this one real quick since the polls were close and it’s only like one season and there’s not a lot of episodes.

Jenny Tolls

From a pure masochistic POV, i love watching people react to this. The numbers that are "official" were the numbers reported by the Soviet Union and if the first episode tells you anything, there's a lot of brushing things under the rug. I think the important thing to remember when watching the series is that Chernobyl was the first time a nuclear power plant cracked open ever. The reaction of people is understandable from the sense that this happening was not possible. As far as everyone knows at this time in history, nuclear power plants are safe. Also yes the recordings used are the original calls recorded. Rule of thumb can be that any media shown in Russian is original footage as none of the show's dialog is in Russian.

Haughtbreaker Nic

Wait, but Avatar won the poll..?

Josh Baker

From what I've heard, the entire soundtrack was created using sound from nuclear reactors!

Joshua Couch

20 minutes in and remembering how unrelentingly stressful this show is...

Steve J

"but what about the cat?" asking the real important questions over here.

Zachary Gaudreau

There is a 'nuclear engineer reacts' to Chernobyl and other portrayals of nuclear energy in tv and film

Christopher Robles

Looking forward to some Soviet executions eh?

Christopher Robles

Even if Google Drive doesn't detect auto-content like YouTube does, hosting that amount of footage unblurred would still be illegal. If you're doing something illegal, it's a good idea not to broadcast that fact (ie share the link) to hundreds or thousands of people. It only takes one snitch.

Nikolai

Overall is pretty accurate to history. The characters and dialog are dramatized a bit because entertainment, but I believe the show writers were quite meticulous on the technical aspects of the disaster in an attempt to get it 100% accurate to what we believe happened.

Steve J

would you ever consider using dropbox?

Jerry Gomez

For the Google Drive videos, since they're not going on YouTube, can't them be unblurred? I've seen over reactors do this. Just wondering. Just trying to eliminate the need for syncing up two screens if possible.

Justin Credible

Thanks for watching this show on your channel Nat. Total flashback today seeing you wearing the same shirt you wore for your very first reaction, SW Ep.4 🤗 This show is so intense, and the foreboding atmosphere really does get to you. You were really getting wound up by the total lack of culpability and the attempts to cover up what happened with the explosion. As was I. This show was made by Sky in partnership with HBO for their Sky Atlantic channel here in the UK. Thanks for a powerful reaction today Nat 💛

Darryl Low

Keep your tissues handy.

Joe Blankenship

Oh yes time for some roentgen

Kelvin

Ohh Here we GOOOO. Excited for this journey.

R.BGames37

LETS GOOOOOO!!!!

ISeeTrees ofGreen

I am so excited

Maxwell Hunter