Dopesick TV Review

Plot: The series takes viewers to the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction, from the boardrooms of Big Pharma, to a distressed Virginia mining community, to the hallways of the DEA. Defying all the odds, heroes will emerge in an intense and thrilling ride to take down the craven corporate forces behind this national crisis and their allies. 

Review: The last time a limited series hit me as hard as Dopesick was 2019’s Chernobyl. That acclaimed HBO retelling of the infamous nuclear meltdown chronicled the massive mistakes made by the Russian government to cover up the glaring shortcomings in their safety protocols that led directly to the deaths of dozens and indirectly to thousands of lives. Hulu’s Dopesick looks at the myriad failures of Purdue Pharma and the United States government that has led to an epidemic of opioid abuse and the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in America alone. This is a hard look at one of the biggest crises in history through a series of interconnected narratives, some featuring the actual players involved along with some fictional creations.

Taking a cue from Steven Soderbergh’s acclaimed drug epic Traffic, Dopesick looks at the rise of OxyContin and it’s impact from multiple perspectives. Starting with Richard Sackler (Michael Stuhlbarg) pitching the medication to his family to the sales reps including Billy Porter (Will Poulter) and Amber (Phillipa Soo) as they are given direction from Purdue Pharma on how to maximize profits of the drug through misinformation, we see just how nefariously this corporation pushed OxyContin on the public. Shifting a decade into the future, we see State’s Attorneys Rick Mountcastle (Peter Sarsgaard) and Randy Ramseyer (John Hoogenakker) as they meet obstacle after obstacle in trying to mount a case against Purdue Pharma. We also meet DEA agent Bridget Meyer (Rosario Dawson) who has her own crusade against the widening addiction spreading before her eyes. These three storylines converge over the series, pitting the attorneys and DEA agents opposite the Sackler controlled company whose control reaches into the very heart of government agencies like the FDA.

The series also gives us a look at those directly impacted by opioids. Focusing on a small mining town, we see the town doctor Samuel Finnix (Michael Keaton) as his prescriptions directly alter the lives of his friends and neighbors, especially Betsy Mallum (Kaitlyn Dever). As Purdue ramps up their methodology to increase dosages while downplaying just how addictive their painkiller actually is, these working-class people change from upstanding citizens into the worst versions of themselves, hopelessly addicted and at risk of the titular symptom when their prescriptions wear out. It is a jarring experience to see these people devolve. At times, Dopesick borders on over-the-top depictions of addiction symptoms that borders on being a high-budget after-school special, but it kept me shaking my head at just how bad this drug impacts those who turn to it for salvation.

Based on the best-selling non-fiction book of the same name by Beth Macy, Dopesick unfolds in a similar manner to the book by using a mixture of public records, investigatory insight, and relatable character stories to deliver a quintessential look at how the opioid crisis came to be. Having seen seven of the eight episodes in this limited series, I can say with certainty that if you have read the book, you will appreciate the deviations this adaptation takes in order to make this story dramatic without sacrificing the facts. Written by Danny Strong (Recount, Game Change) and Benjamin Rubin with episodes directed by Strong, Patricia Riggen (The 33), Michael Cuesta (Homeland, Dexter), and Barry Levinson (Rain Man, The Wizard of Lies), Dopesick shifts between the 1990s and early 2000s through each episode to showcase the scope of the investigation and just how quickly OxyContin altered the landscape of drug addiction in the United States.

It may seem silly to tell you that there are spoilers when this story has been chronicled in the media for years as well as in the book that this series is based on, but while the investigative twists are shocking on their own, how Strong chooses to implicate these fictional characters into the opioid tapestry will anger and sadden you. The performances from everyone involved here are top-notch, especially from Peter Sarsgaard, John Hoogenakker, and Rosario Dawson. Michael Stuhlbarg is also quite a villain as Richard Sackler, the architect of the entire rollout of Oxy. While Stuhlbarg does not share a physical resemblance with Sackler, his mannerisms are spot on. On the fictional side, Poulter and Soo have understated but solid roles while Kaitlyn Dever gives a tragic performance as Betsy. The standout here is Michael Keaton who has had one hell of a year so far. Alongside his brilliant turn in Netflix’s Worth, Keaton is assured to get nominations across the board for his performance here.

Dopesick is not a feel-good show. In fact, watching this series made me angry at a fundamental level that the sheer greed that allowed this drug to be so easily accessible happened with the full knowledge of those elected to protect us. As a series, Dopesick is engaging, dramatic, and will have you bracing constantly as you quickly grow fond of these characters only to see many of them succumb to the perils of addiction. This is an easy series to watch about a hard subject. Brutally honest and shocking in its depiction of addiction, Dopesick is going to reignite an important discussion about drugs. Like Chernobyl, I recommend this for everyone but be prepared as it will definitely make you uncomfortable about casually popping that next painkiller.

Dopesick premieres on October 13th on Hulu.

Dopesick

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