Hi pretty one. Could you confirm that you cried as much as I did in the fifth episode yesterday with his last scene together???
It wasn’t just that one scene, it was a build up of scenes.
Boris coughing in the court. It was so natural that for a nanosecond I thought “wtf did they keep the footage of Stellan coughing?”
Nope, that wasn’t Stellan coughing, that was Boris dying.
And look at Valery’s concerned stare right there.
Boris is dying. My Boris is dying.
Still Valery’s so proud of Boris becoming a nuclear reactor expert that his eyes are following him around.
And then Boris coughs *again* and Valery can’t take his eyes off him as his friend leaves the room.
After the bench scene Valery is a changed man. He’s still staring at Boris, almost mesmerized. He’s determined. As someone said, Ulana couldn’t convince him to tell the truth, but Boris’ illness did. Their talk was the turning point for Valery.
Ulana notices the change in Valery and looks at them both. She knows what happened. She knows how important Boris is to Valery. She knows Boris made the difference she couldn’t.
You see, it’s one thing to see thousands dying of radiation, to see yourself dying of radiation, but it’s a different story when someone you love dies. It’s personal. We’re talking about a different level of pain and anger here.
And THIS is why the bench scene is so important. It’s not just shippy, it goes deeper. It’s what steers Valery into motion. Brilliant storytelling right there.
Boris is in the brink of tears, not only because he’s watching his own life falling through his fingers but because he knows that what he told Valery will seal his fate.
However he will stand by his side until the end.
“We’re in this together. You know it. I know it.”
Boris’ glare says it all. “You’d better tell them everything, buddy.”
That’s Boris contradicting himself. Changing his mind.
I’m SO glad he did not just change his mind about “bravery” and whether its worth it or not. I’m glad he became the very reason why Valery is being brave. I’m like so glad. I’m happy.
And of course this whole scene is about Boris. Boris *knows* Valery is talking about him here.
And then we have the chilling scene with Chairman Charkov, I swear I was hoping for a scene like that; the state crushing Valery, stomping on his spirit. And to top it all? It’s not just about Valery losing his job, his authority, his duties, his reputation.
It’s about him losing his friends. The ones most important to him. Boris and Ulana.
Charkov first plays the intimidation card.
But he’s an experienced sadist and he can see that threat doesn’t work with Valery who doesn’t blink an eye, Valery who is already dying of cancer. So he changes his tune.
See, this is not just Charkov threatening to hurt Valery’s friends. This is Charkov practically telling him “I know what hurts you the most, worm, and I’m going to twist the knife so deep you’ll be wishing for that bullet.”
That sounds kinda… childish, doesn’t it? As if Valery is grounded or something. But it hits the target.
And to seal the deal, to make sure we, the viewers, understand what this is all about (Valery losing Boris and Ulana) we have this scene here. The sheer heartbreak in everyone’s eyes.
Valery’s last goodbye. A speechless nod through a car window. They even deprived them of a proper goodbye.
By now you’d think this is about both Boris and Ulana, right? Because they’re both standing there, silently bidding farewell to Valery.
No it’s not. This is about Valery and Boris. Because Boris’ face is the last thing Valery sees. The only thing he sees. That familiar face, the tears in his eyes.
Everyone will forget Valery.
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