Dopesick – Episode 1, First Bottle

As a Brit, I’ve watched the Opioid crisis unfold in USA with some astonishment. How could this happen? How could a government allow this to happen? Why?

The CDC estimates the economic burden of the prescription opioid crisis has cost some $78.5 billion, in the USA alone.

Creator Danny Strong (who also created “Empire (TV)”) brings us his mini series Dopesick, about this crisis and how it came about. Already available in the US on Hulu, it’s now coming to Disney+ in the UK.

We begin with Richard Sackler, Michael Stuhlbarg (“The Shape of Water”, “Doctor Strange”), the young member of the Sackler family who announces to the rest of his family that they are about to lose 25% of their business as one of their patents ends.

His idea is to create an opioid aimed at treating moderate pain relief, something that can be used by people for anything and everything, taken again and again.

They name this new ‘wonder drug’ OxyContin and announce that “less than one percent of patients became addicted to OxyContin”, this is, of course, a lie. OxyContin is a class two narcotic.

Despite this, the FDA, in particular a certain Curtis Wright, provide Purdue, makers of OxyContin, a special label, stating that the drug is less addictive than others in its class. Some two years later, Wright resigned from his position at the FDA and joined Purdue as a director.

We head to a small, religious, mining town, Finch Creek, and meet Dr. Samuel Finnix, Michael Keaton (“American Assassin”, “Spider-Man: Homecoming”), the town’s doctor.

We also meet Betsy Mallum, Kaitlyn Dever (“Last Man Standing (TV)”, “Monsterland (TV)”), who is the only female miner, living with her religious parents.

Liz is also gay and in a secret relationship with the foreman at work. Whilst in the mine one day, there’s a collapse and Liz injures her back, a long, lingering pain begins.

Dopesick switches between years, from the Sackler Family planning the launch of the drug, to the trial, to a DEA agent, Bridget Meyer, Rosario Dawson (“Zombieland: Double Tap”, “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot”), who led an early attempt at an investigation to Rick Mountcastle, Peter Sarsgaard (“Interrogation (TV)”, “The Survivor”), and Randy Ramseyer, John Hoogenakker (“Castle Rock (TV)”, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (TV)”), who began the investigation we now know.

At the trial, Finnix is asked what, in his opinion, has led to so many deaths in his small town and his instant answer is OxyContin. He’s then asked who prescribed that and he replies, “me”.

Purdue spent millions pushing OxyContin, including doubling their sales team which is where Billy Cutler, Will Poulter (“Midsommar”, “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch”), comes in, selling OxyContin to Finnix.

It’s a star-studded cast and Dopesick is off to a very good start: strong performances, lush scenery and legendary director Barry Levinson (“Rain Man”, “Good Morning, Vietnam”) behind the camera.