Chernobyl (2019)

The HBO miniseries was remarkably prescient. In 2019, it was a warning, of the inevitable dangers that were waiting around the corner for a society built on lies and more lies. Craig Mazin and Johan Renck could not have predicted the arrival of the Coronavirus, arguably the worst global disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. "Why worry about something that isn't going to happen?" Especially when we know it is bound to happen...In 2020, the warning goes unheeded. As those in power continue to lie to each other and to the public and to themselves, the pandemic worsens. And they devalue expertise. Is Anthony Fauci our Legasov? The coal miner refusing to wear the mask is scarily accurate.

The first three episodes are frustratingly excellent, while the final two episodes are admittedly a little slow, though make science quite interesting.  The depiction of the Soviet Union in all its flaws, and styles, and bleakness is striking. I found a line in episode 4 to hit particularly close to home: "What you are proposing is that Legasov humiliate a nation that is obsessed with not being humiliated?" Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have this in common with the Soviet Union, caring only about appearances but being completely deluded as to how they are actually perceived. They are societies  that don't care about their people, ready to cut corners and silence the truth at the cost of lives. Comparisons to the Soviet Union are not complimentary.

Quick aside, I don't think Chernobyl should have won all the Emmys over When They See Us. Both express exasperated frustration in their early episodes, but Ava Duvernay's series evolves into an emotional journey that takes it to another level.