Dopesick Review
If you are anything like me, you much prefer movies to TV shows. It is difficult for you to stay invested in seasons and seasons of the same story, aside from a few aberrations. However, you admit to loving short series.
Aside from The Office, my favorite TV shows—and usually the only ones I can actually complete, start to finish—are limited exclusives like The Undoing, Big Little Lies (mostly the first season), Sharp Objects, and Netflix, Hulu, or HBO documentaries.
Dopesick is no exception. I finished this Hulu original series in two days over winter break. If you are craving a quick, disturbingly informative new binge, look no further.
Dopesick follows the true story of Purdue Pharma’s manufacturing and promotion of Oxycontin, a branded ‘non-addictive Opioid’ in the late 90s. The Sackler family, an ongoing lineage of multiple billionaires and owners of Purdue Pharma, reap further billions from Oxycontin sales, sales which they hope overshadow their lies, laundering, fraud, and simply put, inveterate immorality. Richard Sackler, only in his mid 50s at the time, became the president of Purdue Pharma due to the overwhelmingly profitable results of Oxycontin.
The show also examines several other players in politics of Purdue Pharma. There is Betsy (left), a girl from impoverished, western Virginia working in the coal mines who is exposed to Oxycontin in its early days; Sam (center left), a doctor from the same area who begins prescribing Oxycontin unbeknownst to its deathly effects and eventually becomes hooked on it himself; Billy (center right), one of Purdue’s first salesman of Oxycontin who is addicted to the immense wealth he’s accumulated but beginning to understand the lies within the organization; Bridget (right), the Deputy Director of Diversity at the DEA who works tirelessly to expose Purdue Pharma and struggles with the repercussions this has on her marriage; lastly, there’s Randy and Rick, assistant U.S. attorneys from Virginia who—with negligible resources and immense hindrance from Purdue—ultimately expose the monstrosity that has become the Oxycontin market.
Dopesick is a striking reminder of the power money plays in deflecting blame. From Oxycontin’s release in 1996, millions suffered effects of the drug. Betsy’s story adds the tragic, personal element to the narrative that symbolizes so many others.
She begins taking Oxycontin for a severe back injury and becomes so addicted that she can never truly recover, no matter how much her parents try to find her help. When Betsy’s mother is informed that Betsy has overdosed and died, I found myself almost relieved.
Even as a mere observer, the ordeal is so emotional, and sparks such a deep hatred for the Sacklers that I cannot even imagine what it is like to be personally connected to such a destructive drug.
For ten years after 1996, the Sacklers used money and exploitation to continue selling their drug at higher and higher dosages for higher profits, even roping in the FDA to make Oxycontin appear safe to doctors, prescribers, and patients.
Their marketing scam presented a non-addictive opioid that was ultimately so addictive, by the time those taking it were aware of the risks, they would already be addicted themselves. Moreover, the opioid epidemic brought on by Oxycontin was strategically established in the poorest parts of America: Appalachia, parts of Kentucky, and rural Maine. This way, the drug could be well-instituted in places without the resources or lifestyles to focus on its detriment. Richard Sackler, in turn, was a greedy, killing machine.
I highly recommend this show. Not only was the acting top-tier in my opinion, but the true sadness of the epidemic was well-researched and purposefully not over-dramaticized. Michael Keaton is remarkable, and has a quite personal tie to the role. Keaton actually came onboard the case in part because one of his nephews died of an opioid overdose. Moreover, the casting is phenomenal. Richard Sackler’s actor, Michael Stuhlbarg, is one of the most hateable people I have seen on screen. As is Philippa Soo who plays a saleswoman alongside Will Poulter.
Dopesick also reiterates to me the importance of our own research. The FDA’s involvement with essentially protecting Oxycontin as a legitimate drug for as long as it was considered to be is truly frightening, because we view them as the organization to protect us from these disasters. The show sheds light on all of the faults of the pharmaceutical industry, and how prescriptions can lead to addictions which cause colossal heartbreak and crime. So, if you are still reading and are not deterred by a couple of spoilers, watch this show. It certainly taught me things I was not aware of, and kept me hooked the entire time.