I think this show will also have a creeping effect once its over, where people will start to realize even more how great of a show it turned out to be and how well done it was.
It has a particularly haunting effect on me, as I basically do the same job that Dyatlov had. I dont work in Nuclear plants, as you need a special license, and the one Nuclear plant we had in MA is temporarily shut down. So this mini series really translates with me, as far as what the engineers and guys on watch were dealing with (sans radiation) I am somewhat familiar with. I also work the night shift, and things are awesome when your boilers (core) is running smoothly. That control room is like Nirvana, you get paid a large sum of money in order to look at computer screens and record data every hour/make sure equipment is running correctly.
But when shit hits the fan? Its EXACTLY like how that episode 1 sequence went, minus the delusional chief engineer. You almost looking frozen and being in a state of paralysis is real. Thats the thing you must overcome in times of crisis/stress, is inaction. Not doing anything is better than doing something even more destructive, but you simply must follow the planned procedure for whatever event has taken place.
For instance, if one of the boilers fails, as in the flame shuts off, the alarm will sound (loud as fuck) and you bolt into action (probably in the middle of watching a Rogan podcast). Look at the boiler and ask yourself (why the fuck did the flame go out?)
There are only a few reasons that would happen, you go through your checklist and attempt to fulfill your duties. If you still cant fix the problem after following procedure and subsequently taking intelligent steps to fix it outside of protocol still doesnt get it done, THEN you make a call. But I couldnt IMAGINE a fucking nuclear reactor core explosion. A single legacy fossil fuel boiler explosion is catastrophic, nevermind a fucking nuclear reactor.
What I didnt understand was the operators' lack of awareness of radiation in those moments. I can understand if you were already in a spot and got fucked, but those guys who willingly went on the roof or down into near the core are fucking retarded. There is no way you work at a Nuclear power plant and not understand the fundamental properties of radiation poisoning. Perhaps thats the point of the show, one of the dying Ghoul operators in the hospital said he was like one of the top engineers and he was only 25....
No fucking way you would EVER see a 25 year old in a Nuclear Power Plant control room in the United States.