Chernobyl: That's Entertainment?

After hearing from several people whose opinions we respect, and the buzz online saying it's better than Game of Thrones and The Sopranos, my husband and I fired up the TV last night to watch Chernobyl, HBO's five-part miniseries about the notorious nuclear accident that happened so many years ago in Russia. Back then, in 1986, I paid minimal attention to it since I was busy being a single working female deeply involved in my career and the dating world, and Russia was so very far away. So last night I approached the show with a mixture of excitement and interest, hoping to learn the facts about a monumental historical event and be entertained at the same time.

A first responder on his way to having his face peel off.

Instead I was immediately freaked out by some guy hanging himself. Soon after I became quite nauseated by the events onscreen, my fragile blood pressure mounting with every taut moment. Sure it was only a movie, but still Chernobyl goes way farther than I was willing to go to tell the story of how a nuclear reactor exploded, raining down radiation on everyone nearby and sickening the first responders. People -- yes, I know, actors -- were vomiting all over the place, fortunately not in my living room but almost. Fake skin melted off of faces and fake blood oozed from body parts. And this was just in the first 45 minutes!

Plus the fact they are all British actors and there's not a Russian accent anywhere, although all the signs are in Russian and it's taking place in Russia. It's quite confusing.

With a horrible headache and mounting anxiety, I turned off the TV and then foolishly went to bed and tried to fall asleep. All I can say is that in comparison to what I saw, The Sopranos is a laugh riot.