MovieChat Forums > Chernobyl (2019) Discussion > Anyone else have a problem with Khomyuk?

Anyone else have a problem with Khomyuk?

posted 5 years ago by fountainhead (323)
13 replies | jump to latest

My only complaint with this series is that Khomyuk feels like a 2019 "strong woman" character.

Now, before you all jump on me, I have no problem with the fact that Khomyuk is a woman nor that they combined many real life scientists into one character. I'm also a fan of Emily Watson as an actress. My complaint is that where all the men in the series have some type of character flaw (Legasov has a wavering conscience and lies, Scherbina has a short temper, etc.), Khomyuk has none. She is perfect. She is kind, brave, intelligent, hard-working, ethical, doesn't make a single mistake and always seems to be the one telling the men what they don't know. As a result, her character feels forced and uninteresting, due to her perfection. Was there some type of woke feminist agenda being pushed with the character? I don't know, but even if there wasn't, it feels like there was and that just took me out of the story. What do you think?

[–] Katura81 (2) 5 years ago

No you're not the only one. I havent finished the last part of the series but I'm waiting for can she make a wrong call or something?? She was kinda like wonder woman coming in to save the day. The characters have flaws and she didnt have any. And this is coming from a woman lol

[–] fountainhead (323) 5 years ago

Even Wonder Woman makes mistakes sometimes, lol! I'll spoil the surprise for you: Khomyuk is the same throughout the series. That's why she jumped out at me as the most artificial of all the characters. Still a great show though!

[–] Poopsey1 (946) 4 years ago

Do you really need to write "lol"??? Why?

[–] fountainhead (323) 4 years ago

Do you really need to write? Why?

[–] Lampedusean (498) 5 years ago

She represents all the other scientists' best efforts combined. I'd say it is so not very strange that she's so flawless.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Hmm, I think that's a bit of a stretch, Lamp. The best efforts of all the other scientists seem to be far from flawless. They seem to get everything wrong, and everything they try fails.

Fountainhead, your question, "Was there some type of woke feminist agenda being pushed with the character?" raised a rueful smile for me. That type of female character is a stereotype in all entertainment media today. It's an even more noticeable fault in this production, because every other character is very realistic.

Up to the point where Khomyuk gets going, I was thoroughly absorbed in the story of human failings causing disasters. I thought, this is the kind of grounded story that should be made more often, where the audience can identify or at least empathise with the human weaknesses and imperfections that exist in the real world.

But then Wonder Woman turns up, and it's just another mass-entertainment television show after all.

[–] Lampedusean (498) 5 years ago

Bit of a stretch or not it is a valid explanation. Complaining about it seems more of the same incel mysogyny to me.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

"Incel misogyny"..... You know, I had to look that up. I'm not familiar with all the portmanteaux and catchwords and acronyms which people use instead of intelligent debate these days.

And I see it means "Involuntary Celibate", which, I take it, implies that the person given that label is a social underachiever whose bitterness over his lack of sexual success induces in him a hatred of women.

And this is the label you give to anyone whom you find doesn't agree with your "valid explanations" about characters in fictional media.

See, you have a problem. If I was to ascribe a portmanteau to it, I'd pick "Unintel". Because using inaccurate and speculative insults when you're debating is a proven way to look foolish.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

Oh, and another thing; you do realise that when you say stuff like that, you're doing precisely the same sort of thing that some men used to do whenever a woman would have a screechy whine about men. They would look slyly at each other and wink with a knowing smile, and say something like, "That time of the month", or, "Can't get a man", or "Frustrated spinster"... etc.

Incel is the lame feminist version of that insult. It's presented in portmanteau form because the women who use it aren't game to talk honestly when they speak.

[–] maul (1635) 5 years ago

It's unfortunate, because this essentially would have been perfect had they not felt it necessary to inject this crap into it. Still a great series, but this drags it down a bit. How about having a woman character that is capable, but can make all the mistakes the male ones can? Strange concept, I know.

[–] AckbarsRevenge (3800) 5 years ago

Yep. She's a Maria Suikowa.

[–] Martoto (5024) 5 years ago

She came across as an eighties Soviet woman to me and nothing "forced" about it except the obvious convention of compression of real characters into one fictional character, as is sometimes necessary.

If she'd been perfect she wouldn't have made the outburst to the woman in the hospital and got herself arrested.

She assumes the reactor could not have exploded the way the plant operators said and didn't instantly believe that the SCRAM button could have been pressed before the explosion.

If she'd been perfect then she'd have had the bravery to speak up herself about the design flaw herself instead of leaving it to Legasov.

The function of her character is to force the main characters to do better. She's able to be outspoken with them because she's ultimately not responsible.

Just because a character does not have a devoted arc created for them to fail and recover from failure does not mean that they are perfect.

[–] fountainhead (323) 5 years ago

Yeah, you make some good points. It's really just those several times when a male character says "Maybe it's X" and she says "No, you're wrong, it's Y" that she almost took me out of the movie. Upon a second viewing, she's not so bad, though I still find her less interesting than the other characters.