Jess and Derek talk about the way secrets and lies deprive people of the ability to help themselves and each other; the dystopian notion of "a circle of accountability"; what the miners represent in their cynicism and dignity; and Chormuk's qualitative quest to find out the truth of what happened that April night, and to make it make sense.

In this episode, Jess and Derek talk about official buck-passing, the gendered spaces of decision-making and scientific practices, methodological and measurement nerdery, the power and confinement of being in charge, and intense claustrophobia.

As always, Jess says the smart stuff, while Derek does plot summary.

In this episode, Jess and Derek talk about the lies that bind, the combination of callousness and heroism operating on both systemic and interpersonal levels, and how difficult it can be to reckon with truths as blindingly obvious as a nuclear explosion.

Reading List:

Alexievich, Voices from Chernobyl (2006)

Plohky, Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe (2018)

Higginbotham, Midnight in Chernobyl (2019)

The show's official podcast.

A little note about why we're rewatching a 2019 miniseries in the year of our lord 2025.