HBO’s Chernobyl, whose finale aired in early June, was a revealing insight into a dystopian political system − one where mankind creates horrible catastrophes and then refuses to acknowledge them, despite the desperate pleas of scientists and experts.
In our world, we know that the truth always come out. That’s not the case in the world of Chernobyl. There, the truth doesn’t come out, and media outlets give their own versions of facts – almost like alternative facts, if you will. It’s a strange concept to imagine, but it really did happen.
Dyatlov, who was the Deputy Chief Engineer at Chernobyl, says in the first episode, “You didn’t see graphite on the ground. You didn’t, because it’s not there.” The miniseries ultimately reveals a far-fetched nightmare where politicians look scientific evidence in the eyes and deny its outright existence, something that could only ever happen in the Soviet Union and is not at all a fable for anything else.
All in all, Chernobyl is one of the best shows of the year and is likely to be enjoyed for decades to come if anyone is still alive by then.
By William Boffa