I lived and grew up just over 300 miles from Chernobyl. I came to the United States when I was 8 years old. I’ve always had to combat the misconception that people have of the former USSR. There was almost a fascination and romance of it. For the most part my childhood was great. It wasn’t until I became an adult and heard my family speak freely of it that the rose-colored glasses fell off quickly. That is the best way I can describe the USSR. A giant pair of rickety, smashed, dirty, rose-colored glasses that are desperately hanging on contradicting gravity. The reason I am telling you this is because watching this mini-series brought a light onto what I have been struggling to explain.

Chernobyl was an incredibly well-done mini-series. The story telling, the drama, and shear immersion of your soul into the world of that age will have you mesmerized. Hardly anything needs explained to us simpletons, and here we are dealing with nuclear fission. In a brief 5 episode snippet of television, you will understand the world for what it is. You will see a David and Goliath battle. You will see the Soviet Union for what it was. It is a man on fire, in a burning house, set ablaze by his own neighbors yelling “everything is the greatest here, comrade”. That is the USSR in a metaphor.

Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgard make for an amazingly beautiful, complicated relationship. It blossoms and immerses you in the characters. On a grand scale, it is an incredibly intimate story. Yes, you will learn something. No, it’s not bad for you. I am truly surprised at Johan Renck (director) and Craig Mazin’s (writer) magical storytelling, chilling imagery, and character development. This gets an absolute 100% can’t miss TV. I wondered what life would be life post GOT and if HBO keeps letting things like this happen, they’ll be fine.