DOPESICK “Whistleblower” (S1E5): It’s All Coming Together

Dopesick has thus far been a dramatic recreation of events leading up to the Opioid Pandemic, opening our eyes to the conscious decisions that would cost the lives and livelihoods of many. Through the addictions of  Dr. Samuel Finnix (Michael Keaton) and Betsy (Kaitlyn Dever), last week’s episode “Pseudoaddiction” gave insight into the chemical changing effects of OxyContin – and its devastating effects.

This week, Dopesick focuses on the investigation, giving viewers a different perspective, elevating the tension, and continuing its jaw-dropping display of the obstacles those seeking justice faced. But it does not forget the addict, never allowing the audience to forget those whose addiction was negated and reduced to the fault of the individual – and whose finically status would dictate the treatment.

Impactful Opening

Dopesick packs the punches from the opening moments of each episode. Where viewers were shown teenagers partying in the woods, crushing Oxy to bypass the 12-hour release and ending death, this week maintains the effects of the addiction the drug created. Capturing the rippling effect of addiction, “Whistleblower” begins with a young boy walking off the bus, confused as there is no one to meet him. The scene evolves with tension and sorrow as a woman is seen preparing for a funeral, the young boy playing quietly behind her – the woman his grandmother. As the years pass, the boy’s grandmother is shown investigating Purdue Pharma, building her website against the company whose drugs robbed her of her daughter and her grandson of his mother.

As she is seen making phone call after phone call, each rejected by the receiver, viewers see not only the rippling effect of addiction but those left behind who relentlessly fought to be heard – and to have the stories of their loved ones heard as well. They were the warriors of change. As the phone rings, she answers with the first sign of hope. It is an effective beginning as it begins to bring the pieces closer together, stitching everything we have seen thus far into a cohesive image. As the episode travels back to 1999, viewers know we are about to see what leads up to the phone call she receives, layering the anticipation and interest.

No loopholes for Justice

As the gaps between the past and the court case thins, there is an increasing tension that is building, a tension fully encapsulated by Peter Sarsgaard’s Mountcastle. Buried in paperwork, his small team works on limited resources trying to sort, file and categorize all the material provided to them by Purdue. Long hours pile up over the years, and all parties are beginning to reach their blowing point. As Mountcastle and Ramseyer (John Hoogenakker) realize it will take years for them to comb through all they have, they begin to formulate a new plan – find a whistleblower.

Their search remains barren for much of the episode, their hunt eventually leading them to grandmother from the beginning of the episode. She becomes an asset to them, giving them not only much-needed information but a link to the key to unlocking their entire conversation. But her involvement comes at a price, the depravity of a drug company providing little immunity to their own. At the moment the case seems to finally have the one-two punch their assistant attorneys have been searching for, their hope relapses into despair.

Not everyone recovery is the same – neither is their treatment

Sadly, the heading is this section of our recap is too true. Everyone has their own recovery, but not everyone is given the same resources or chances to succeed as others. Dopesick is clever and aware enough to know that when telling a story of corruption and addiction, you have to look at it from all angles. For “Whistleblower”, Betsy and Dr. Finnix each are reaching the heights of their addictions.

For Dr. Finnix, his addiction is shown as growing more and more out of control, emulating the desperation to get his next fix. As he runs out of pills, he begins looking for new means of obtaining the drug. While his highs become more intense and more frequent, Finnix Finnex pushes the limits around him, finally crossing a line he may never come back from. Yet, as the empathy pours out for the effects of his addiction, he is seen later on in a nice, clean rehab facility, free to move around, completing assigned tasks, and even taking visitors. There is a sense of wholesome peace welcoming him to the path of recovery.

Betsy faces the height of her addiction as well, stealing her mother’s jewelry to pay for the pills that feed her addiction. Her father Logan (William Flaman) and mother confront her after discovering what she has done, her father putting the pills down the trash compactor. In a stand-out performance by Dever, viewers will be holding their breath as Betsy seems willing to lose a limb in order to keep the drugs. As they destroyed her stash, so does she destroy the things they love. Her story does not end like Finnix, however. Both addicts face the same battle, they each find the treatment of their disease differently. Where Finnix finds peace within the walls of the rehab, Betsy is shown being strapped into a hospital bed, empathy, understanding, and freedom completely taken away. She is plunged into darkness, the dreary lighting speaking to the emptiness that welcomes her.

Conclusion

Dopesick’s “Whistleblower” is an impactful episode, one that encompasses all its characters without feeling bloated. It is mindful of the struggles and falsified accomplishments of its characters and is dedicated to bringing this dramatic recreation to life to draw empathy and understanding of how the epidemic came to be. And while its characters may be at a stalemate, the series does not leave its viewers in such a state – greeting movement and anticipation for what is to come.

New episodes of Dopesick streaming on Hulu every Wednesday!