THE DROPOUT (S1E4) “White Old Men”: The Illusion Elite

Following a lackluster three-episode introduction, Hulu’s The Dropout returns. Where “Green Juice” saw Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried) take on the persona and image media outlets would capture later on, “Old White Men” puts her front and center – but not always in the literal sense. “Green Juice” left viewers with anticipation for the series to pick up on the intensity and compassion for its main character that up until its conclusion, it had been lacking. In its final moments, The Dropout found its intrigue.

Watching the pieces around her fall while she creates the image she wants to see, Elizabeth Holmes ended “Green Juice” as a potentially dominant force, with her boyfriend Sunny (Naveen Andrews) about to take his place beside her within Theranos. “Old White Men” picks up down the road, the construction of the Theranos building complete and Sunny’s influence changing the entire landscape of the Theranos functioning model. And as we quickly discover in its opening moments, this change of direction has led Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes into Walgreens corporate headquarters.

The Pitch

Leaning hard into the “fake it till you make it” ideology, The Dropout opens with Elizabeth Holmes, whose voice has become deeper and huskier, addressing a room of Walgreen corporate employees – the lead of the room Dr. Jay Rosen (Alan Ruck), the Medical Director of Walgreens. As viewers will come to understand, he not only is the man behind telehealth records, but is the dreamy-eyed visionary of the Theranos and Walgreens partnership. Still a visionary for the future of medicine, he is an element of the potential partnership Elizabeth Holmes latches onto instantly.

As she pitches the idea of wellness centers, she is able to elevate the idea of in-store blood tests – expanding beyond the clinics CVS had successfully launched years earlier. Yet, partnerships are not made on pitches alone, the episode moving a few months along. Even with nothing more than a pitch to show, Dr. Rosen takes the idea to the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Wade Miquelon (Josh Pais). Immediately declining to even consider the idea, Dr. Rosen persuades him to take a meeting with Holmes and go to Palo Alto to hear the pitch himself.

The Dropout does a solid job of crafting Wade from this point, his hesitancy speaking to a solid set of corporate morals and investment guidelines. While he is willing to hear Holmes’ pitch, there is protocol he is rigid on, sending Kevin Hunter (Rich Sommer) with Dr. Rosen to look at the lab and the technology Theranos is promoting. As a former employee of Quest Diagnostics, he has become key in providing valuable information in regards to potential Walgreens investments.

Uncertainty from the Inside

While Walgreens tackles the volatile road of partnership, Ian (Stephen Fry), Head of Chemistry at Theranos, starts to build on his concerns from previous episodes. Where initial security had been installed and employee communications limited, “Old White Men” gives viewers the paranoia and control parameters that had facilitated the illusion of Theranos’s success. Ian speaks briefly with the new assistant of Holmes, she surprised he even knows her name – the security guards in the lobby discouraging loitering of the employees in the foyer.

As Ian continues through the episode, his surroundings become more and more suffocating. Secret meetings cause the lab staff to be locked down in place, unpermitted from leaving the lab. Ian, after discovering the true intentions of Project Beta, turns to his friend Channing (Bill Irwin), whose placement on the board turns him from confidant to informant. As Holmes fires Ian for going behind her back, the framework of paranoia and control is further instilled within the narrative framework, Ian being asked to sign the papers from legal immediately and being escorted from the premises.

As Holmes and Sunny would pitch the Theranos device, the success of garnering investments with nothing to show weighed heavily on their ability to control not only the workings of their company but seemingly outside as well. The Walgreens team was asked to sign NDAs following each meeting, Kevin Hunter becoming the key to preventing the team from seeing the lab. His previous employment at Quest Diagnostics became clutch to weaving the narrative that he could be gathering intel for the most vital Theranos competitor. Codenames are used for reservations, Sunny and Elizabeth driving the need for privacy to heighten the competition, but making others feel uneasy.

It’s a Man’s world?

Within the last couple of months, The Dropout has become the second series to look at the deceivability and lack of culpability of an elite class to be illusioned to the posturing of an image. From the moment the Walgreens team arrives at the Theranos headquarters, Dr. Rosen comments on the cars, blown away by the potential money they represent. As they enter the glorious building, Dr. Rosen is again hit by the open floor plans and the prospect that radiates from this successful image before him.

While it initially begins with a building, the illusion grows. Sunny and Elizabeth have crafted the perfect image, posturing themselves literally above the team when they enter the building, a sense they feel they are not only better but are in full control –  presence immediately evident. There is a power to their posturing that elevates every image of success around them, bringing the moths to the flame.

And as images need actions, Holmes and Sunny create an illusion of a bidding war, a need to get on board with a project before another takes hold and makes millions. And Sunny and Holmes have the intel needed to drive the need behind the projection of the illusion. On the morning Kevin Hunter is to be let in the lab, the Walgreens team arrives just in time to see the team from Safeway entering the building, forced to stare across the open floor plan as they are pitched the idea of in-store blood testing. And as Walgreens is just about to let the deal go, they are declined instead by Holmes, a hint of an offer from CVS on the horizon.

Viewers will see an understanding of the artist’s interpretation of how Walgreens was duped into investing $140 million dollars in a company and the product it never even saw. And you see the embracement of the modern world can create the biggest illusion of them all. It is effectively established and executed, understanding and even resentment following.

Conclusion

While The Dropout’s “Old White Men” still drags its feet a bit, it is an intense thrill ride that not only sets a strong foundation of intrigue for future episodes but gives viewers a further explanation of how “Old White Men” are far from elite.

Have you seen the latest episode of The Dropout? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

The Dropout premieres with new episodes on Thursday!

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