Draft:Open Wide, O Earth
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| "Open Wide, O Earth" | |
|---|---|
| Chernobyl episode | |
| Episode no. | Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Johan Renck |
| Written by | Craig Mazin |
| Cinematography by | Jakob Ihre |
| Editing by | Jinx Godfrey |
| Original air date | May 20, 2019 |
| Running time | 65 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Open Wide, O Earth" is the third episode of the historical drama television miniseries Chernobyl, which details the nuclear disaster that occurred on April 26, 1986, and the consequences that everyone involved faced. The episode was directed by Johan Renck and written by the series creator Craig Mazin, and it was aired on HBO in the United States on May 20, 2019, while in the United Kingdom it was aired on Sky UK on May 21, 2019. The episode directly continues the story of the previous episode where the Inorganic chemist Valery Legasov and a Council of Ministers' deputy chairman Boris Shcherbina continue dealing with the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. Despite having drained the basement and successfully preventing the risk of a second explosion, they are now forced to avoid a nuclear meltdown that could contaminate the Pripyat and Dnieper rivers that could risk the lives of 50 million of people. Meanwhile, Ulana Khomyuk is sent by Legasov to a Moscow hospital to investigate what really happened in the night of the accident from the dying workers in the hopes of avoiding another nuclear disaster similar to the one that happened in Chernobyl.
Mazin started to research for the project in 2014, reading several books and government reports that detail the events that happened during the explosion and its aftermath. He also interviewed nuclear scientists and former Soviet citizens to understand how a nuclear reactor works and get a better idea of the culture in 1986. A companion podcast for the miniseries for each episode was released alongside the release of each episode, with the third one being with "Open Wide, O Earth" being released on May 20, 2019.
The episode was universally acclaimed by critics with strong praise towards the musical score, screenplay, cinematography, Watson's performance, and the accurate portrayal of the acute radiation syndrome (ARS). The initial broadcast of the episode through HBO drew over 1 million viewers viewers in the United States, while in the United Kingdom though Sky UK it managed to attract over 1.1 million viewers. The episode received a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award nomination and also a Primetime Emmy Award for Watson's performance.