Chernobyl Is So Scary People Can Only Process It Through Memes

Over four episodes, I have for some reason willingly subjected myself to the new HBO show called Chernobyl. It's about the 1986 nuclear disaster that has left a chunk of Ukraine unsafe for human life due to high levels of radioactivity. Chernobyl takes a detailed look at what went down the night of the event, as well as what followed as the government struggled to contain and recover from it.

Maybe it's the fact that everything we're watching actually happened or that it has strong parallels to what our society is currently facing in regards to climate change or maybe it's just all the puke — whatever the reason, the show can be profoundly difficult to watch, so much so that people on Twitter are debating whether or not they can even handle it.

I can't speak to that, but I can speak to the way I'm getting through it: memes. Despite the fact that this was a horrific, real event, Twitter has had no trouble finding comic relief. It's honestly necessary after all that creepy music (or lack of, in the case of the show's somehow-even-eerier credits). Ahead of the show's finale, the internet has doubled down on its obsession with the show and made those hours of radioactive torment worth watching. Below is a taste.

"The starter pack for watching #Chernobyl"

I'll admit some of the memes hit a little too close to home, like this one from writer Kate Aronoff!

It's upsetting and true, but I can't handle thinking about that on top of all the animals I just watched soldiers kill, so I prefer the ones like this.

Tiffany Haddish, save us.