Spoilers

“Vichnaya Pamyat”

This series concluded with a powerful episode that saw testimony in a trial of the people facing the blame for what happened on April 26, 1986.

Boris, Legasov and Ulana would all testify about the events of the night and the way that Anatoly Dyatlov ignored protocol in his attempt to complete a required test. However, when Legasov took the microphone, he explained out the process of the way a power plant worked. But it was not only that, but Legasov, putting his own life on the line, talked about how the flaw in the AZ-5 system led to the failure of the shutdown procedure, and thus it being a failure of the Soviet Union for the devastation.

The court scenes were full of tension and made for a dramatic way to wrap up this fantastic five-episode series. The acting in the series was on display in this episode even more than before. Stellan Skarsgård and Jared Harris really stood out among this wonderful ensemble. Neither of them were shown as heroes. Both characters knew that they were not heroes, yet they were doing what they knew was right.

I can see why Legasov made the decision to kill himself after hearing the way he was going to be treated as he slowly got sick from the radiation. It is a powerful piece of entertainment with an amazing result.