If there was ever a show that should not be binged in a single sitting, it's HBO's Chernobyl -- a five-part limited series that chronicles the tragic events during and after the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986. It's a harrowing and stomach-churning tale of bureaucratic negligence, ego, paranoia, and bravery set against the backdrop of the Cold War. It's one of the most horrific scripted series out there... And it's bloody brilliant.

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Chernobyl Miniseries Gallery 19 IMAGES

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Chernobyl may lack the supernatural element found in other terror-inducing series like Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House and Hulu's Castle Rock , yet it's still utterly terrifying - precisely because it really happened. The limited series doesn't need ghosts or ghouls to frighten you. Instead, Chernobyl uses its most powerful tool... The truth. Or as close as we're going to get from what writer, creator, and executive producer Craig Mazin ( The Hangover Part 2 ) has painstakingly researched in order to tell his story.The horror in Chernobyl is expertly captured by director Johan Renck ( Breaking Bad ), as he takes the viewer on a nightmarish journey filled with death, fear, and confusion. In the series premiere, titled "1:23:45," Renck keeps the panic intimate - never showing you more than a few characters inside the plant at a time. The explosion takes place late at night, so the facility isn't fully staffed and most of the supervising heads of department are at their respective homes. And even though you don't get to know all of the characters very well, every death feels deeply personal.In one particular scene, shortly after the explosion, a group of workers is sent deeper into the facility to ascertain what happened to the core. And while you can't see the radiation invade their bodies, you can feel its presence with the help of ominous orchestral music, and Renck's excellent work behind the camera, which makes the cramped spaces of the nuclear plant feel overbearing and perilous, even before the radiation's devastating effects take hold. The overall situation is enraging, as we learn more about the mistakes made by the people in charge.In a historical account about a nuclear disaster, there are few things scarier than a group of suit-wearing bureaucrats sitting in a room making decisions about other people's lives. While chaos ensues at the plant, the politicians, along with other high-ranking officials, debate policy and talk about keeping the story under wraps and protecting the strength of the nation from outside ridicule. All of their concerns are about saving face until one Soviet nuclear scientist named Valery Legasov (played with gravitas by Jared Harris), says what we are all thinking, "Hey everyone! If we don't fix this thing we're probably all going to die." I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea.Harris' Valery spreads the gospel of nuclear doom and gloom like a pro. Every word the veteran actor speaks feels like it's laden with five-hundred-pound bricks. Stellan Skarsgård's brash Boris Shcherbina, who accompanies Valery on his trip to Chernobyl, is a welcome respite to the good doctor's melancholic demeanor. Boris is a complex character, who, like his bureaucratic counterparts, wants to dismiss the incident as a minor setback. However, something about Valery's warning convinces him to look deeper, even if some of his methods of "getting the job done" are costly.And as if Chernobyl wasn't already stacked with accomplished actors, two-time Oscar nominee Emily Watson (Gosford Park) joins Harris and Skarsgård as the Soviet nuclear physicist Ulana Khomyuk. As expected, Wilson easily holds her own amid the predominately male cast. If Valery is the "we're all going to die" voice, Ulana is the one who says, "OK, this is how we're going to fix it." Together, they make an unlikely, but entertaining trio as they try to prevent the situation from becoming worse.Despite some graphic scenes involving the harrowing effects of nuclear radiation, which can be hard to stomach, the show allows some respite from the grimness of the catastrophe through the impactful moments of heroism sprinkled throughout. While the suits have political power, it's the everyday workers, fireman, nurses, and doctors who are on the ground trying to save lives. In a later episode, Skarsgård's Boris delivers an emotionally stirring speech to a group of men about sacrificing their lives to save others, and how it's in their blood to serve their nation honorably as they have always done. Even though I can't directly relate to what it's like to grow up in that part of the world, the powerful camaraderie among the men is palpable. But perhaps that's Chernobyl's greatest message - even in the midst of tragedy, hope, bravery, and community still endures.