Watchdogs and whistleblowers

In 1979, one of two nuclear reactors on Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania began to melt down after just a few months. Operator error, mechanical failure, and a lack of safety protocols exacerbated the crisis. Netflix’s new four-part series Meltdown: Three Mile Island documents the accident and its fallout for the nuclear industry.

Director Kief Davidson interviewed participants from across the spectrum: housewives who became anti-nuke activists, plant safety personnel who tested radiation levels in the containment buildings, and government officials whose mixed messages led to public mistrust and panic.

Two of the most prominent interviewees offered different perspectives. Lake Barrett, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s director of the cleanup operation, comes across as indifferent to questions about the safety standards put in place by Bechtel, the private company overseeing the site’s shutdown.

In contrast, Rick Parks, a former Navy nuclear technician who worked on the site for Bechtel, argues Bechtel and the energy companies were too focused on profits and not concerned enough with public safety. (Parks’ occasional rough language earns the TV-14 rating).