Dopesick (Limited Series)
Created by Danny Strong
★★★½
Betsy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Dr. Samuel Finnix (Michael Keaton), shown. (Photo by: Antony Platt/Hulu) - Episodic Stills
It's no secret that the way our government is set up to benefit big business (specifically pharmaceutical companies) ostensibly is bereft of legitimate checks and balances. But why do we let this go on? How does it affect a class of people that aren’t considered or cared for when making decisions that are mutually beneficial for both the government and the pharmaceutical companies that are supposed to be superintended by that very government? Danny Strong and Barry Levinson’s Dopesick, a new limited series from Hulu, examines these ideals through a star-studded and sometimes heavy-handed lens.
The limited series follows several different types of people that either contribute to or are affected by the Oxycontin mismanagement that occurred (and somewhat still does) in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. Dopesick showcases how the effects of Oxycontin created by Purdue Pharma and backed vigorously by Richard Sackler (a chillingly dour Michael Stuhlbarg) specifically impact a small town doctor, played brilliantly (and executive produced) by Michael Keaton, and his patient (a sympathetic Kaitlyn Dever), as well as her family (an also brilliant Mare Winningham and Ray McKinnon), while simultaneously showcasing the pharmaceutical reps (Will Poulter and Philipa Soo, both terrifically playing against type) who are pushing the pills on doctors and the attorneys (Peter Sarsgaard and John Hoogenakker) and DEA Agent (a fiery Rosario Dawson) who try their damndest to get a control on the chaos brought about by the ‘miracle’ drug.
The series jumps back and forth through time at an almost constant rate, yet there is never any confusion or disarray to the narrative on display. Though we witness the better part of a decade, we, as an audience, still feel the weight of any given moment, no matter if we had just witnessed a scene five minutes ago that actually took place five years before the current one.
Paired with a timely and infuriating true story, Dopesick’s cast confidently elevates the material given by tapping into something real, even though it may be ham-fisted at times in the writing department. Both Poulter and Keaton have a subtle understanding of their circumstances, even when they don’t admit to their knowledge of a given situation. Dever and Winningham also steal the spotlight from their fellow cast members, delivering raw emotion to the sometimes matter-of-fact mechanics the show epitomizes. Though don’t count on the script receiving any accolades, watch out for Poulter, Keaton, Dever, Winningham and Stuhlbarg come next Emmy’s season.
Overall, the show does a mighty good job of keeping us hooked, delivering unknown facts to the common viewer in a way that will manifest with audiences. Yet, however strong the true story may be, the scripted version feels somewhat conflated with its own conveniences and manipulations that, while effective, manage to take away some of the necessary weight needed to convey the messages in a more effective manner. Hulu’s Dopesick ultimately boasts a brilliant cast and a harrowing true story that sometimes is frustratingly undermined by its eagerness to deliver consistent emotional turmoil to its audience.
