Every Chernobyl Episode Ranked From Worst To Best
3. Episode 3 - Open Wide, O Earth
More than any episode, Open Wide, O Earth explores the boots on the ground, civilian impact of the disaster.
It still features some of Legasov’s relief effort and government dealings, just as other episodes deal with the surrounding area, in particular, Jessie Buckley’s Lyudmilla Ignatenko. Open Wide, O Earth though puts them front and centre.
Legasov sends Khomyuk to the one hospital that can deal with radiation exposure, and here is where we truly witness the of the aftermath that the Chernobyl disaster will leave in its wake. For anyone that gets squeamish easily, watch this episode with caution.
The scenes with the miners, both meeting the Minister Of Coal and working naked, could have both been played for laughs and ruined the tone of the whole thing. However, with the surrounding drama so startlingly real, the scenes never come off this way.
Instead, these miners are shown as tireless heroes, even as Legasov makes the risks known and Shcherbina admits he doesn’t know if the Soviet Union will look after them.