Honestly, the third episode of Churnobly was really unsettling, especially the parts in the hospital. I think those gory clips were more emphatic than when the character’s mentioned the numbers of deaths. The choice to show the gory details forces the audience to realize the severe impact of the radiation. Additionally, the pregnant wife of the fireman portrayed the impact on families. This character was interesting because I was split between admiring her for her loyalty towards her husband and being concerned about her child. As a whole, I think that the wife’s character was used to show the loss and heartbreak of the people who did survive. The effect of Churnobyle exceeds direct deaths and health impacts.
I totally agree! I heard somewhere that the show actually downplayed the gore and it was so much worse in person (told by a nurse). It’s so sad knowing how fast the radiation sickness got to them and the false hope they had when they initially were “getting better”.