DOPESICK (S1E6) “Hammer the Abusers”: A Thematic Episode Drive The Narrative Forward

The years are drawing closer and closer as Hulu’s Dopesick brings viewers one episode closer to the court case it has been building too. Where last week “Whistleblower” presented immovable hurdles, false senses of hope, and inches of accomplishment, “Hammer the Abusers” truly begins to show the promise behind the labors in the pursuit of justice and personal freedom. Yet, where there is promise, there is also struggle, the hurdles never truly removed from the course.

”Hammer the Abusers” opens in a more mellow fashion than its predecessors, an mechanical and rigid capturing of American consumerism shown from start to finish. As farmers harvest the crops and robotic factories fashion and staple the pills, viewers are brought full circle to the full-scale epidemic in the form of legalized retail drug sales and growing demand. A poignant opening, it lacks the shock value of previous beginnings, instead of delivering the cold and callous workings of a well-oiled machine. But every machine sees a wrench eventually, and the state of Maine is here to deliver.

Announcing an almost war on OxyContin, the governor of Maine expresses both his concern and charge for change in the wake of the growing criminal and overdose cases within his state Sending letters out to all doctors practicing within his state, his public declaration causes the ripple effects that will peak and valley in the years to come. As “Hammer the Abusers” opens in a new decade, viewers are left waiting to see the ripples, the episode giving due moments to check in with its central cast.

Hammering the Addict

What Dopesick does well is constantly reminding viewers of the victims. They are never forgotten. And while their darkest moments are captured dramatically through this fictional retelling, they are never shamed for what happened to them, rather given a moment of empathy and understanding. Where attention wavers in the series’ focus on a character from episode to episode, Betsy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Dr. Finnix (Michael Keaton) are never left behind.

Finnix is shown still in the rehab facility, fighting his cravings, but seemingly fighting a deeper demon within – guilt. As he refuses to initially partake in group sharing, there is a clear sign of the guilt and shame he bears for not the addiction that afflicts him, but rather his patients he feels he brought this on. As he struggles with his emotional turmoil, he further debates the success of the very program he is in – especially as those around him relay their lack of success over the years. Keaton continues to capture the growing battle within Finnix, always aware of the knowledge his character has as a former doctor, allowing it to further influence and drive each movement, emotion, and direction his character embraces.

Moving from Finnix’s path to recovery, viewers are brought back to Betsy’s, whose struggles have found their own darkness and hope along the way. Surrounded by fellow church partitioners, there is a Midsommer feel to the ritual, her supporters placing their hands on Betsy, asking for her to be freed of her demons. As their voices grow in strength and plea, Betsy matches them, her voice eventually rising above the crowd. Dever brings underlining desperation to Betsy’s words, knowledge of her inability to fight her addiction, and the fates of so many around her fueling her cry for freedom. Hands shaking, viewers see her fight and devotion to getting clean,  yet how strong and constant the cravings are. As the episode reminds viewers of the rewiring Oxycontin causes to the brain, there is a deep sadness that swells as we are forced to look at the desire and want to be clean and the body’s inability to allow it to be.

It’s not about winning the battle but the war

This is an episode the finds its strength in the examination of its character’s pain and guilt. You see it in both Betsy and Dr. Finnix, but you also see it in both the assistant attorneys, Mountcastle (Peter Sarsgaard) and Ramseyer (John Hoogenakker), and in DEA agent Meyer (Rosario Dawson). Each is pushing against an immovable force, finding roadblocks each time they turn. Yet, as many stops in the road as they may face, Dopesick is dedicated to capturing their resilience and unrelenting push for justice. And while they may lose some battles, their fight may win the war.

Easily on, Meyer is shown in marriage counseling, further interlacing her devotion to her case and the growing fissures in her marriage. There is a cry for attention from her husband, one she knows she can not truly give until she has won – an emotion Dawson leans into in every way. She is a torn soul fighting for those closest to her, as well as those she has never met. We as viewers know how her fight for her marriage will end, but we are left to wonder where her investigation and resilience will take her with her fight against Purdue.

Enacting an exhaustive study, Meyer is able to find tangible proof with a solid methodology that separates the abuser and the patient, discovering what the FDA needs to alter their previous decisions. Yet, as she, and assistant attornies Mountcastle and Ramseyer discover, the influence of Purdue goes farther and deeper than they could have ever imagined.

Conclusion

As Dopesick’s “Hammer the Abusers” makes strides in bringing viewers closer to the final court case it has been alluding to, it does not exclude Richard Sackler (Michael Stuhlbarg) from its examination of guilt and pain. While he seems to not to express guilt, there is a quiet and reverberating undertone of his pain. He has strived to be the best of the family, earn their respect. Viewers are subtly shown what had to be given up in order to achieve this – to meet their approval. And those sacrifices have never ceased, a family trip vs. the focus of his company presenting a choice he must make – though not without a momentary pause of pain and regret. Sackler is a man driven by ambition and greed, but also a man is driven by an unfulfilled need of acceptance and approval.

With only two episodes left, Dopesick has uncovered the darkest secrets behind the corporate drive of consumerism that plagues the patient and the consumer. With a sense of compassion woven in each moment, it has been unafraid to call out those who knowingly did harm and revitalize hope that there are always those who will continue to fight for the unheard victims. And with two episodes remaining, we are not done yet.

New episodes of Dopesick streaming on Hulu every Wednesday!

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