Painkiller and Dopesick Tell The Same Story Very Differently
▻https://www.cbr.com/netflix-painkiller-dopesick-same-story
In contrast with the similarities between the two shows, it’s their differences that allow them to demonstrate to audiences the impact of OxyContin more broadly. Dopesick’s focus on the case brought by U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia John L. Brownlee and his Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Randy Ramsayer and Rick Mountcastle, gives viewers a look at how OxyContin got to the market and the legal implications of Purdue Pharma’s choices. The amount of time spent with Dr. Finnix also showcases for viewers how easily doctors were swayed in the name of helping their patients who were in pain, and the show’s finale manages to be both optimistic and realistic.
Painkiller, on the other hand, doesn’t just dive deeper with characters like Glen and Shannon, it also spends more time on the history of the Sackler family and the development of OxyContin. These moments are narrated in flashbacks by Edie Flowers, a former attorney played with quiet strength by Uzo Aduba, which gives them a composed feeling that seems to merge fiction and non-fiction. Additionally, it is Clark Gregg’s eerie and angry portrayal of the deceased Arthur Sackler, who spends most of his time speaking to Broderick’s Richard Sackler, that really ups the ante on how unbalanced the Sackler family seems to be.
No matter which show viewers watch or prefer, both Dopesick and Painkiller make for important television that amplifies the stories of the hundreds of thousands of people across the United States who have been impacted by OxyContin and the opioid epidemic. Though similar in nature, it is their differences that make them each valuable to the discourse.