Much of Episode 3 of the Chernobyl accident was displayed or “told” from the perspective of the young and strong-willed woman visiting her radiation-burned husband in Moscow. Empathizing with her character, her palpable pain left me feeling slightly disoriented.

Interested in orienting myself and curious to learn more about the Chernobyl incident, I spent some time reading and watching videos. And much like other bloggers came across inaccuracies regarding “the contagion of radiation,” especially in regard to the scene where the science-professor Khomyuk pulls the woman off her husband.

But, looking back on that scene more objectively, the medical drama has become less forefront and instead I’m more focused on the threat Khomyuk used after pulling the woman from her husband, saying she was going to report the hospital to the committee.

The power in those words was enough to silence both the strong-willed woman and the nurse and get Khomyuk arrested. This shows that the metaphoric impact of a potential “radiation” of information was just as powerful as the physical injuries that could be caused by the actual radiation.