Emmy Catch-Up: Dopesick (Series Finale)

Dopesick: Season 1, Episode 8 “The People vs. Purdue Pharma” (B+)

I think any disappointment I found in this finale, which is Emmy-nominated for both its writing and directing, is that things never culminated in the way they should because that’s not how history went. Getting a few important people to take the fall and the company to pay out a huge settlements were the best wins they could have hoped for, and seeing the protests in 2019 with people declaring “Shame on Sackler” and demanding that the name be taken off buildings and other institutions was powerful. It was also upsetting to see Billy called into a room to be let go and pressured into signing an NDA so that he could get a severance package or forfeit any compensation or legal protection on the spot if he refused to do so. Fortunately, he made the right choice, but that was surely just one instance of a high-pressure technique that worked all too well to intimidate people into submission. Hearing all of the charges that John, Rick, and Randy were ready to file showed the scope of all this and how there were so many issues with what Purdue was doing regularly. This episode is Peter Sarsgaard’s Emmy submission, and while he does do fine work, I think he’s pretty consistent across the whole series and could have chosen any installment. I do think, in addition to supporting actress Kaitlyn Dever, who played Betsy, and lead actor Michael Keaton, who played Samuel, both of whom have been collecting prizes and are likely to win Emmy too, Will Poulter would be my choice from the supporting actor field for his portrayal of Billy. This show is both very well-done and highly informative, and it’s ultimately just a shame that it had to be made given the horrible history it recreates.

Series grade: A-
Series MVP: Kaitlyn Dever as Betsy

What I’m Watching: Dopesick (Penultimate Episode)

Dopesick: Season 1, Episode 7 “Black Box Warning” (B+)

As if the timeline of this show and just how long Purdue was allowed to push dangerously addictive medication wasn’t sickening enough, we got to see how, decades earlier, the Sackler family was making assurances that it was acting honorably and honestly in its practices. The black box warning fiasco is especially horrifying, since Purdue somehow came out ahead with more advantageous language that actually gave them the freedom to be more aggressive, even if they had to pull the 160mg pill off the market (which it’s not entirely clear they did). Bridget was understandably furious to learn that the study she had commissioned wasn’t enough to raise any alarms or change anything. That’s a stark difference from the attitude John expressed when he decided they were going to charge the executives, even when he didn’t get the approval he needed to do so. But something has to change, and hopefully calling enough attention to all this will finally begin the process of exposing the harm that has been done. Billy stealing the training tapes was a helpful first step that indicates he may be part of taking down Purdue after being one of its most successful salesmen. Samuel saw firsthand how difficult the road back to normalcy is as he struggled to get his medical license back while still being on methadone, and it was devastating for him to learn that Betsy died from her mother as he was waiting for her to come so that he could get her the help she so desperately needed.

Emmy Catch-Up: Dopesick

Dopesick: Season 1, Episode 6 “Hammer the Abusers” (B+)

The phrase “hammer the abusers” indicates a clear desire to suppress any sort of evidence that there might be anything wrong with the drug itself, and it’s clear that the truth doesn’t matter at all when it comes at the expense of making a profit. Billy is starting to lose his patience with those who only want to celebrate how little work they’re doing to sell the drug as widely as possible, but it was the FDA approver who was full of immediate rage and ready to go in front of a grand jury right away when he heard that Purdue was distributing a scientific chart that they had explicitly told them they weren’t allowed to use. The Maine U.S. attorney seemed like he might really be gunning for Purdue, but that story had a disappointing ending. As she saw the end of her marriage looming because of her obsession with taking down Purdue, Bridget managed to overcome a handful of obstacles to figure out a way to really get to Purdue, though the timelines of this show suggests that she’s not going to be terribly successful. Emails that automatically delete after they’re read isn’t promising. Samuel’s resistance to rehab was understandable given that oxy addiction is a different beast than alcoholism, and the only positive about him relapsing as soon as he got out is that he was honest with Leah about it. Betsy’s recovery doesn’t appear to be going any better, despite her attempts to accept religion and the support of her parents.

Emmy Catch-Up: Dopesick

Dopesick: Season 1, Episode 5 “The Whistleblower” (B+)

It’s crazy to think how long it took for anyone to do something about the fact that oxy is clearly addictive, but there are so many reasons why those who wanted to didn’t end up doing anything about it. Marianne was fiercely committed to getting someone to take action after her daughter died from oxy, but it still took Rick a full year to get back to her, and she wasn’t even the one who was able to provide actual intel since she never worked for Purdue. Maureen was, however, especially since she sent the email to members of the Sackler family about what she had learned before she got fired, but her stress-related relapse made her testifying impossible. Rick is still doing his best to intimidate Purdue by coming in every morning in the middle of the night to fax them between 4am and 5am so that they think there’s a whole team working on the case, but their support isn’t terrific. Randy was shocked by how many search results got pulled up under “crush and snort,” but getting someone to go on the record was much tougher, even with someone like Paula who was well aware of the situation. Samuel, who was up to a horrifying 400mg per day, finally got caught when his receptionist and nurse called in his pill usage following a botched surgery, and he was even in the middle of trying to procure an oxy prescription from the doctor who had saved the patient’s life. Billy coming to visit seemed like it might finally open his eyes, and hopefully it did when Samuel still just wanted more pills, the most surefire sign of out-of-control addiction. Betsy’s situation is also very sad to watch, particularly as her parents found themselves being asked to pay $3000 for their own belongings that she had stolen to buy oxy.

Emmy Catch-Up: Dopesick

Dopesick: Season 1, Episode 4 “Pseudo-Addiction” (B+)

For every step of this process where it seems like something should have been properly addressed, there’s an absurd and horrifying development that makes it clear that the exact opposite was done. The concept of “pseudo-addiction” basically just negated the idea that addiction could be a thing, and encouraging doctors to prescribe more medication when people were already using it seems like the most irresponsible thing possible. Paula spoke up and got fired because of it, and Billy didn’t seem too shaken but is likely going to reconsider his position after getting assaulted by a very much addicted and dopesick Samuel when he went to stop by. After confiscating and taking all of his patients’ pills, Samuel now knows how to access the entire twelve-hour supply of the drug, which is only going to keep him more addicted. Betsy saw her ex-girlfriend and her parents team up to confront her about her drug problem, but unfortunately she got targeted by a predatory dealer who has infiltrated what should have been a recovery space. Bridget isn’t making much progress with the FDA despite clearly illustrating that opioids should be only permitted for severe pain, and the biggest breakthrough in all this was the disturbing discovery that a study suggesting opioids are not addictive was actually just a five-sentence letter from the editor to a scientific journal taken out of context. That alone is extremely unsettling, and it’s scary to think in today’s world how a social media excerpt can also be cited as definitive proof of something rather than just one person’s potentially irrelevant opinion.

Emmy Catch-Up: Dopesick

Dopesick: Season 1, Episode 3 “The 5th Vital Sign” (B+)

I understand that characters and elements of this story are invented and fictionalized for dramatic purposes, but there’s no denying the effectiveness of having some of the very people intricately involved with the excessive prescribing of oxycontin being offered the drug themselves. Randy having his own doctor interrogated by Rick after his cancer surgery was a rare example of when someone was actually able to stand up to the overwhelmingly strong push for opioids, and to help pinpoint the stronghold that Purdue has over the industry. While he initially wasn’t able to make his case, Rick had a much easier time convincing the judge when he had connected all the dots of Purdue bolstering itself with testimonials from supposedly independent review boards and groups it had started and funded itself. Bridget is similarly motivated to go after the “cartel” that she sees Purdue as, and she was only egged on more by the despicable interaction she had with Amber, who is unapologetically cruel and who was all about supporting the “whales” whose existence made Billy question what he was doing. As Richard tries to bring oxycontin into the global market, its effects on Betsy are worsening, with her mine mistake costing a huge price. Now, in his rush to get back to support her, Samuel has found himself in need of pain medication too, and though he knows that 20mg is not a good place to start, he’s likely to give in to the individualized dose the doctor at the hospital was very quick to recommend.

Emmy Catch-Up: Dopesick

Dopesick: Season 1, Episode 2 “Breakthrough Pain” (B+)

I only had time to watch one episode of this show way back in October while on the middle of a road trip so that I could speak to a few members of the cast and creator Danny Strong. I’ve heard only excellent things about it since then, and it received a number of Emmy nominations, so it’s good to dive back in. Like other limited series from this past season, including “The Dropout,” “Inventing Anna,” and “WeCrashed,” there are so many red flags where people just accepted information that was either completely fabricated or extremely manipulated. Samuel demonstrated a healthy skepticism about the effects of oxycontin at the start, but unfortunately that didn’t last long, and then he ended up becoming a paid speaker on a panel to recommend the benefits of a drug that it turned out was absolutely very addictive and highly dangerous. It’s interesting to see how Billy appears sincere and even cautious about overmarketing something that hasn’t been proven, but then he revealed to Amber that he made up a story about his dad getting sick, suggesting that he’s less trustworthy than he seems. Rick, Randy, and John are charging ahead with purpose, and the charge of criminal misbranding seems like the best avenue, one that may actually work now that their boss is aware that they’re not going after chicken farmers but pharmaceutical companies. Just as she’s starting to think about a life that could be fulfilling, Betsy is starting to truly suffer from the all-too-expected consequences of taking too much of a drug that doesn’t actually do what it’s been promised to do.

Pilot Review: Dopesick

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