Chernobyl's fifth and final episode unfurls, as the remaining puzzle pieces of the tragedy come together, revealing the truth of what truly transpired on that fateful night. The brief introduction, reliving the events in Pripyat 12 hours before the explosion, sets the stage for a journey back in time to Moscow in 1987.
Legasov, though thanked for a job "well done" by the International Committee, finds his moment bittersweet. Despite an imminent promotion, the reactor remains unfixed, and worse, his hair begins to fall out - a consequence of his exposure to radiation. As he contemplates his next move, Ulana pleads with him to tell the truth to the Russian Committee.
The meeting commences, with all our main players in attendance. After a brief scientific explanation from Boris, Ulana takes to the stand and paints a haunting picture of the human cost of that fateful night. Interspersed throughout these moments are flashbacks to what actually happened before the explosion. Shockingly, one of the people in the control room was a young man aged just 25 years old.
Ultimately, the fingers point at Dyatlov as the man responsible. After losing power and failing a safety test, he defiantly tells the others to raise the power again for another test that night, despite pleas from his colleagues and messages from the computer recommending shutting down the reactor. He even threatens to fire the workers if they don't follow his command. This leads to a web of lies in the committee, with Dyatlov claiming he wasn't even in the room when they actioned this.
As tensions rise, Boris can be seen coughing uncontrollably into a handkerchief, prompting them all to take a short recess. One of the standout moments of the series unfolds next: Legasov and Boris share a touching, respectful moment together, thanking each other for their work on Chernobyl.
As they return, we're plunged back into the events of that fateful night, witnessing the devastating consequences of Dyatlov's actions as Legasov delivers a poignant narration of the nuclear reaction. He pauses for a moment, long enough for Dyatlov to unleash his fury, twisting the truth into lies and propaganda. But Boris stands firm, insisting that Legasov continue his speech uninterrupted. An impassioned discourse on the Union ensues before we reach the final, tragic moment of the reactor's explosion.
Following the committee's session, Legasov is rebuked, promised by officials that his statement holds no weight and that he will fade into obscurity, stripped of his scientific duties in all but name. The series concludes with a final monologue from our scientist, as we cut to scenes of the characters' lives in the years after Chernobyl.
Chernobyl ends as it began, with a beautifully crafted episode and a shocking, humbling reminder of the disaster's magnitude. It doesn't require big, expensive CGI or action-packed sequences to convey its message; instead, it relies on the same tactics that made Band Of Brothers such a timeless classic – a gritty, realistic depiction of history. This is what will ensure Chernobyl's status as one of the best mini-series ever made and its highly regarded reputation among critics and audiences alike. It can hold its own against Band Of Brothers in terms of its truthful portrayal and respectful depiction of real events. As Legasov concludes his episode with a message that echoes throughout the five episodes – what is the human cost of lies?
