Right now, it’s the best thing on TV.
Now that it’s the highest-rated TV show on IMDb ahead of Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, it’s fair to say that HBO and Sky Atlantic’s new show, Chernobyl, has really made an impression with viewers.
The miniseries is the closest thing you’ll get to watching a horror film because every detail of the catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 is depicted in terrifying detail.
Where the show really excels is how it deals with the very real and humane stories of the people whose lives were destroyed by the horrific accident.
At the top end of things, it’s possible to view part of the show as some sort of political thriller as Valery Legasov (Jared Harris) and Boris Shcherbina (Stellan Skarsgård) try to wrangle with the political mechanisations of Moscow, KGB restrictions, and a bureaucracy where speaking the truth can see you killed.
However, the show really excels in its depiction of the ‘ordinary’ people that have to deal with this extraordinary event and Ireland’s Jessie Buckley has consistently been excellent as Lyudmilla Ignatenko, the wife of Vasily Ignatenko.
Soldiers trying to clear the rubble while knowing that death is imminent. People saying goodbye to their loved ones as they slowly begin to die. The stoic nobility of miners that are digging to save lives, despite knowing that they’ll be dead in a few years.
Every facet of the mini-series is exceptional and in the latest episode, audiences were introduced to Barry Keoghan’s young soldier, Pavel.
After joining the army ranks and meeting his new officers, Pavel was told what his job would be – he had to kill all the wildlife in the area because every single animal poses a risk due to contamination levels.
Ultimately, this meant that squirrels, deers, cows, cats, dogs, and any other living creature had to be killed.
Granted, there hasn’t been a single episode of Chernobyl that was ‘easy’ to watch due to the scale of the tragedy and the agonising deaths that occurred, but it will always be haunting to see a dog being shot on screen.
For many Irish viewers, Keoghan’s arc in this episode resembled his breakthrough role as Wayne in Love/Hate.
Since Love/Hate, Keoghan’s rise has been meteoric, with wonderful performances in the likes of The Killing of a Sacred Deer, American Animals, and Dunkirk.
He can now count his impressive appearance in Chernobyl as one of his finest performances because the angst, sadness, and grief that Keoghan displayed was incredibly impressive.
Without saying much, the actor conveyed a small part of the horror that unfolded in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.
Much of the power in Barry Keoghan's performance during #ChernobylHBO ep4 is unspoken. His reluctance to do what the liquidators do, his horror when he has to do it, his inability later on to follow through with his task – it's all conveyed through his eyes and is so very moving pic.twitter.com/6JQ42flq8d
— Garry McC (@TheGMcConnachie) May 28, 2019
Barry Keoghan bringing yet another really strong turn in a minimal role. His face is just so full of character. This guy has a massive future in film.#Chernobyl #ChernobylHBO pic.twitter.com/5r2Gvliwdb
— Mr. Musk (No Relation) (@MythAddict) May 28, 2019
I genuinely sat up in my seat and shouted BARRY KEOGHAN! when I saw @BarryKeoghan in Chernobyl. Great to see Irish actors like him and Jessie Buckley involved in a fantastic show.
— Eric Fitzgerald. 🇵🇸 🏳️⚧️ (@mrericfitz) May 28, 2019
https://twitter.com/jehannedearc/status/1133496323074875398
Love/Hate fans couldn’t help but notice a certain amount of symmetry with Keoghan’s most recent performance.
Barry Keoghan gained instant fame in Ireland for his character callously shooting a cat in the 1st episode of Love/Hate and now he'll be famous the world over for his soulful animal "removal" role in #Chernobyl. He played his heart out in the 4th episode. G'wan the Irish! 👏🇮🇪👏
— Miriam Kennedy (@Miriam_Kennedy) May 29, 2019
https://twitter.com/TheTomMolloy/status/1133464867220992002
Strange how Barry Keoghan gained notoriety for shooting cats in the Irish gangster TV drama, Love/Hate, and now he's gaining praise for his role as a reluctant dog slayer in #Chernobyl.
Swings and roundabouts.#ChernobylHBO pic.twitter.com/2BdiEc1uTu— Mr. Musk (No Relation) (@MythAddict) May 28, 2019
I see @BarryKeoghan has moved on from just cats 😅 #Chernobyl #lovehate pic.twitter.com/wPoVY5eqoY
— Barry W (@barry_ward44) May 28, 2019
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