this show has been incredible and is, in my opinion, the best television series to reach the screens
everything you want is there - tension, eeriness, accuracy, sorrow. the series doesn't bend the events to suit the viewer, it leaves you waiting in anticipation to find out later. for example, the scene where valery meets with the kgb chairman and they converse about his doctors appointment. they don't give the viewer the answer right away, valery instead retorting that they quite obviously know already. you still don't find out what's wrong with him until later on in the episode, where it still isn't fully explained.
the scene with valery's punishment at the end of the episode was heart wrenching, you want to shout at the screen(like various other moments in other episodes) telling him that he will have a legacy and will be remembered as a hero. his suicide a year later adds even more emotion to the episode, knowing well he just couldn't cope
boris and legasov's friendship developing from episode to episode was great to see. we all hated shcherbina in episode 2 when his blind obedience got in the way, but as we move on to episode 4 and see his outrage at the event of the robot failure we see how much the cleanup means to him after he realises the gravity of the catastrophe. his confession at the end of the episode pulled at my heart strings too. a dying old man who saw himself as insignificant in the cleanup attempt, which couldnt be further from the truth.
when they were conversing in episode 3 about the effects of radiation and how they would develop cancer in time, we agreed they got off lightly and thought nothing of it. 2 episodes later they're both dying of probable cancer, the reassurance gained from their conversation leaving us instantly and being replaced with dejection
there are far too many scenes to explain, the whole series is a masterpiece
hoping the actors and show get nominated for a television award. acting and writing is beyond incredible
thank you HBO