Starring: Michael Keaton, Will Poulter, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Kaitlyn Dever, Rosario Dawson
Created by: Danny Strong
Dopesick chronicles America’s brainwashing by the means of Opioid addiction with a massive pharmaceutical conglomerate being at the center of it. It is based on the non-fiction book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy.
Dopesick’s Synopsis
This mini-series tells the viewers an expository and cautionary tale about how the Opioid epidemic flooded through a nation, with Purdue Pharma being the sinister source driving all the chaos. Courageous men and women, from the district attorney’s office, DEA, grieving families, and a handful of doctors did everything they could to put an end to the suffering. Sadly it was a fight that took everything out of them, it is a fight that continues to this day.
Initial Thoughts
Watching Dopesick proved to be quite a heartbreaking experience. The series authentically executes a story about how an unprecedented evil from corporate tyrants tricked so many individuals, including medical professionals into believing that their pain can be traded for more pain including that of their loved ones who watch them as their souls wither away. The first episode takes a knife and gradually impales you in the back until you feel the tip of the knife protrude through your chest by the end of the episode. Each following episode continues the torture by twisting the knife clockwise and counter-clockwise over and over again.
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There are eight episodes of Dopesick, the pacing is even throughout the course of the series, and the tension builds upon every episode. There’s a well-crafted, multi-layered story here. Dopesick is as much character-driven as it is story-driven. The entire cast is comprised of some of Hollywood’s finest performers along with a few up-and-comers.
Top-Notch Acting
Every single actor more than delivered exceptional performances, but the ones who stood out the most were Kaitlyn Dever, Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, Will Poulter, and most especially Michael Stuhlbarg. Stuhlbarg played Richard Sackler, the villain of the story. Sackler is so despicable, that I’m getting angry as I write about it. He’s a narcissistic elite with a perverted delusion of grandeur when he is truly the devil whispering in people’s ears. Stuhlbarg succeeded at getting me to loathe Sackler, he wasn’t even trying, his face alone looks like every single Batman villain combined.
Meet The Orchestraters Behind Dopesick
Danny Strong was the one who translated Dopesick from the pages of Beth Macy’s book to the small screen. I’ll be honest with you, I’m not familiar with his works as a director or producer, I just know him as Doyle from Gilmore Girls. Now that I see what he’s capable of as a showrunner, I must say, I’m impressed. I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of his works in the future.
I wish I read Beth Macy’s, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America, but I very much intend to. It’ll be interesting to see firsthand what she had to say about Purdue Pharma and all the distress they caused with Oxycontin.
There’s a sinking feeling knowing that both the mini-series and the book are based on true events. It’s tragic and infuriating knowing how massive corporations get so many people addicted to drugs with no regard for their lives or their families. This was personal for Strong and Macy, they needed to do something to spread awareness, and they did, I hope people would listen.
Final Words
Dopesick easily took its place as one of my favorite mini-series, it’s captivating, raw, informative, and thought-provoking, but it will hurt you, it will break your heart, just when you think that your heart can’t be broken any further, it crumbles into dust. I’d strongly recommend the show to anyone looking for an amazing drama to watch. All eight episodes of Dopesick are available on Hulu.
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