On the side of Jared Harris as Valery Legasov is Stellan Skarsgard as Boris Shcherbina, a figure who has to go through a bit of change as well, because he can't believe was going on there and as a politicians in a political system that was stabil and undestroyable and than what the local situation felt like. And I think he shows that he can play just everything well. That's a great character and Skarsgard is also strong as a actor.
The trio of the main characters is complemented by Emily Watson as Ulana Khomyuk, a woman who is also a scientist and digs for the truth, in spite of all the danger, and is therefore a bit of a link. Also for the audience, the right representation when it comes to finding out Okay, how does a possible lie construct play itself out against reality again? What about the people who have to exist in the middle of a ray-contaminated area? What will the consequences be?
And the series will make that very clear to us at the latest at the back, but also again and again in between with radiation sickness. That's visually so impressive but also almost disturbing that I have to question the twelve/thirteen-year age rating a little bit.
And besides these three there are a lot of side characters on the social, on the political, on the professional level, what is about progressing on the spot and which are all really important to tell the small side scenes and exemplary fates.
But if it's also about showing how easy it can be to just stop and look for a moment and be deadly and how people try to save their skin somehow, in a world where it's all about preventing something worse for the first time, it's really very coherent and really impressive when it comes to the cast.
This is complemented by an impressive craftsmanship. The camera work keeps on and on, on the scenes, which can be very cruel at times. We do not only experience the suffering of the people with, but also see compassionately how the people bleed out of all pores. Not as one is used to it, more cold but still compassionate, far away but at the same time very close, not concerning oneself but nevertheless it gets under your skin. When they are exposed to too much radiation.
When these dystopic images, like when a city like Pripyat is suddenly abandoned. When it is evacuated. If there are pictures where people are simply not allowed to get too close to something.
These are moments where people are sent in as human victims to prevent the worse because there is no other way, because no one knows a better way, then you see that it can justify it.
Part 1 
Part 3 
