Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am originally from Ukraine, from a town about 100 km south-west of Kyiv. Parts of the region ("oblast' ") I lived in as a child were considered contaminated after the Chernobyl nuclear plant explosion. They will remain contaminated for years to come... I was 4.5 years old when the Chernobyl tragedy happened. I grew up hearing about it, and have read about it extensively. There is a lot to be said about why it happened, but, I believe, it is much more important to know what followed. And I was thrilled to see that this was the focus of the miniseries. The aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster shed light on everything that was so horribly wrong with the totalitarian Soviet system: lies, lies, lies, and more lies; complete disregard for human life; widespread lack of professionalism and initiative; fear of responsibility; fear of being reported by your "fellow comrade" and punished. That system brought out the absolute worst in human beings (despite occasional episodes of true heroism). And it's high time for more conversations about that kind of system. The first episode of this miniseries (the only one that's been released at the time of this review) is almost impeccably true to the events. The Soviet dynamics and ambience are just right. Casting was done well, especially in the case of Bryukhanov and Lyudmila Ignatenko. Some reviewers complained about the lack of Russian accents...This is a matter of preference, but, as a native Russian speaker, I must say fake Russian accents - and they happen a lot - can just kill an otherwise passable or even decent production. In this case, the well-researched story, solid acting and production make it look so real that I do not even notice the language they speak...So, even if you know nothing about Chernobyl and care not about how a totalitarian system works (perhaps you even think it can only exist in far corners of the world, and so this topic could never be of any relevance to you here in the U.S. in the 21st century...) - watch it and dread it. And if you want to pick up a book, I'd recommend a book by Svetlana Alexievich "Chernobyl Prayer", which begins with the blood-chilling story of Lyudmila and Vasyl Ignatenko, followed by similarly horrifying accounts of regular people (and some officials). I am so grateful that HBO picked up this topic, and cannot wait for the new episodes! Well done, HBO!