Painkiller

This story has already been dramatised by hulu in dopesick so redoing the exact same thing, when the first time it was done so immaculately, is bound to not go that well...this is a much more superficial version in the sense that it is created with a more entertaining aspect than adherence to the actual truth and it is also squeezed in only 6 episodes when there is so much more to cover. It is an ok show, with few good performances, like Richard Sackler's role, but only because the story behind it is so fascinating, otherwise there is nothing great to hold the viewer. It is like when Jennifer Lawrence was booked to play Elizabeth Holmes in the film Bad Blood but after seeing The Dropout and Amanda Seyfried's performance, she said "what's the point in redoing something that has been done so well?" and quit...So if you want the best version of this story, check out Dopesick.

I had high hopes for this show. I had read that it was going to focus on the family behind Purdue who have basically been unpunished for there part in the opioid epidemic. I think that is a story worth telling. At least I would like to see it. I have been personally effected by this crisis in so many ways. I myself became addicted to OxyContin. It kind of happens before you even realize it's a problem. I know that sounds ignorant now, but at the time there was not information about this drug for the masses. I had 3 surgeries within a 6 month period in 2010 and I was prescribed Oxy after each one. I can still remember not having a clue what was wrong with me the first time I experienced withdrawal. At the worst point of my 7 years of opiate addiction I was taking a minimum of five 80mg extend release OxyContin, plus I was on 10mg oxycodone at least 4 times a day for breakthrough pain. It was HELL!! And these were all prescribed by a Dr on a weekly basis. Thankfully I have been clean for 7 years last month. However my partner of 15 years, and my sister where not so lucky. They both died of overdoses 6 months apart from one another in 2021. So, this is my story and it is one of many...so so many. Dopesick on Hulu was an amazing retelling of the history. This one not so much. It starts out okay, and then the last couple of episodes it's like okay we need to finish so we will just put 10+ years worth of content in the after message of the show. I know I ranted and got off topic of the show a bit but it was all just to say as someone personally affected so much by this crisis I am always excited to see shows that are supposed to have an accurate retelling of how we got here. Painkiller did not hit the mark they way I had hoped it would.

Painkiller is a rather fantistical retelling of a sad story that is all too familiar to many of us. It doesn't compare very favorably with Dopesick, counting on flashy visuals that almost overwhelm a compelling narrative. The acting is excellent, as are the technical aspects, and the show is, in it's way, entertaining. It's always a pleasure to watch Matthew Broderick. The most moving aspect of the series may be the heartfelt disclaimers that introduce each episode. As the deplorable Sacklers have now been shielded from further lawsuits, they will now be able to slink off the stage to enjoy their off-shore millions. None have served jail time, none have been prosecuted. Perhaps the only bit of satisfaction is to see the Sackler name obliterated from the many art museum wings and hospitals that they funded with their ill gotten fortune. Disgrace is their only legacy.

First of all, I am not going to score this show. I find it not really appropriate to score a show that is about the pain and immense sorrow that is caused to people. And the main reason is that still many millions of people struggle daily with the (after-)effects of what the Sackler family did...

As society, we need to ask ourselves how on earth it is possible that the Sackler family - whom is directly responsible for addicting millions of people worldwide - is allowed to get away with what they have done. And it is not only the additing of so many people... No! It is the consequential deaths that are the result of those addictions.

That the Sackler family is able to still live in extreme luxury is beyond me. Yes, they may have 'settled' federal lawsuits by paying a multi-billion fine, but that was a small amount compared to the gigantic profits they have made altogether.

I think it therefore all the more important that the victims - and even casualties - are put center stage by such a series as this. Where we had "Dopesick" (Hulu) some time ago - where already a large group of society is made aware of what happened - it is this time "Painkiller" that is dropped on the Netflix service. And I hope that as many people as possible will watch this show. Because the Sackler family did get away with addicting millions of people! And they should be made accountable for all deaths that they caused!

If I look at the storyline of "Painkiller", it contains all the main elements that we also know from "Dopesick". I personally found that "Dopesick" gave more details, but that can also expected with its duration of over 8 hours, versus around 4.5 hours for "Dopesick".

The acting in "Dopesick" is overall pretty decent, with a clear outperformance by Matthew Broderick. Dina Shihabi, whom we know from e.g. "Archive 81" - a show that unfortunately got discontinued after 1 season - also did a pretty good job as one of the bad guys.

It's not bad and quite enjoyable. The problem here for anyone who has taken the time to watch the massively superior Dopesick is that they have watched Dopesick. This version of events seems quite rushed and doesn't come close to the nuanced performances and detailed storytelling of Dopesick. It's hard to put your finger on the why this fails to be as impactful as Dopesick but it fails big time. After watching Dopesick I did quite a bit of research on the subject matter and found the storytelling to be quite accurate in that production. I feel so sorry for all the people whose lives have been ruined by this travesty and genuinely feel Dopesick does a much better job of telling this unfortunate story.