The Dropout

I watched videos of Elizabeth Holmes and I have to say that Amanda Seyfried's performance was spot on. I had no clue who Elizabeth Holmes was and had never heard of Theranos.

It's absolutely unbelievable to me that all these stupid men actually believed this woman without ever seeing the machine in action. It's sad that because of sociopaths like Elizabeth giving women a bad name others probably suffered.

This is my fourth foray into "Elizabeth Holmes" territory. I listened to the audio book of "Bad Blood," by the WSJ reporter who broke open the story of Theronos' fraud. I watched the documentary. I skimmed the "Bad Blood" book version and now I am watching this version.

All are worthy of consumption. "The Dropout" is by far the most fictionalized version, maybe even the only fictionalized one, but it still draws heavily from RL characters, situations, and conversations. I think it plays a vital role, in that it is the only one that gives Holmes something of a character arc. Yes, her deeds were heinous, but this company was not the brainchild of a 30- or 40-something Silicon Valley type.

It's important to remember that Holmes was a teenager when this company took root in her mind. And yes, her relationship with Sonny Balwani was established by then. But he is not the only one who seems unable to listen to what she is communicating. Her parents and brother all tiptoe around it, as do the middle-aged and elderly men who rally to her side. And that is not a condemnation of them, but rather a commentary on how family and relationship dynamics play an outsize role on personal decisions made in a business context. Especially when so much is at stake.

By the time the series hits its peak a Jenga Tower has been born. Everyone, Elizabeth included, is afraid to pull out a piece. The powerful men (and it is telling that one of the episodes is titled "Old White Men') who sit on her board are all-in, die-hard, a more than a little intense. She is really running with the big d0gs.

Wow.. this show is insane. I want to start off by saying that I know movies and shows overdramatize true stories so I'm speaking solely about the show right now. This goes from you rooting for the main character to you hating her.. like a real life Anakin Skywalker story.. IF this is close to what actually happened I would have been horrified to have been a part of this company. What a truly terrifying slip into "The Dark Side".... Wow.. just wow..

This started out on the wrong foot making Holmes look like a "victim of society," couldn't catch a break, men stepping over her and sabotaging her. Anyone who knew anything about the story knew all of that was a bunch of bull and I almost stopped watching but gave it one more episode and from there on, the show told the story like it was.

It gave just a dramatic glimpse of what Holmes and her company really were, a bunch of fake, fraudulent, backstabbers. So overall decently told be she was not manipulated and just became a horrible person, she always was.

As Episode 1 of "The Dropout" (2022 release; 8 episodes of about 50-55 min each) opens, it is "July 11, 2017" and Elizabeth Holmes, CEO of the Silicon Valley startup unicorn Theranos, is in a court deposition, answering uncomfortable questions about whether/how she misled investors. We then go to "Houston 1995" as young Elizabeth is running track awkwardly. We then move to "2001" as her dad loses his job in the Enron corporate collapse.... At this point we are 10 min into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this mini-series is the brainchild of Elizabeth Meriwether ("New Girl") and directed by Michael Showalter ("The Big Sick", "The Eyes of tammy Faye"). In other words: top talent is on board here. Let me admit that I was somewhat skeptical of this mini-series, having seen the excellent 2019 HBO documentary "The Inventor: Out for Blood In Silicon Valley" that made me wonder what additional insight this mini-series could provide on what drove Elizabeth Holmes to do what she did. Turns out: quite a lot. We learn of origin details that I hadn't heard before (such as how Elizabeth and Sunny actually met). And to top it all, Amanda Seyfried is in top form and delivers a more than credible performance as Elizabeth. One of the big advantages of this mini-series over the HBO documentary is that we now know how it all plays out, as a verdict in the law suit against Elizabeth Holmes was rendered in early 2022. Bottom line: having seen the initial 2 episodes so far in "The Dropout", and regardless on how you feel about Elizabeth Holmes, "The Dropout" is a surprisingly entertaining mini-series that has caught my attention, and I'm looking forward to seeing the remainder episodes.

The initial episodes of "The Dropout" premiered on Hulu on March 3, and are now available on demand (where I caught the initial 2 episodes), with new episodes being released on Thursdays. If you have any interest in Silicon Valley or in corporate malfeasance, I'd readily suggest you check out "The Dropout", and draw your own conclusion.

UPDATE 3/17/22 I'm now 5 episodes into it, and I admit I'm outright transfixed by it. A train wreck is about to come and I can't wait to see it all happening.

UPDATE 4/7/22 Just watched the 8th and final episode. I have updated my rating for this mini-series to 9 stars, yes it is that good. This fascinating mini-series simply got better with each episode. The last 2 episodes, when the house of cards finally falls apart, is TV-viewing at its very best. The performance of Amanda Seyfried is towering, and surely worthy of an Emmy nomination, if not win.