Netflix’s Painkilleris the most popular drama sequence to explore the influence of the opioid crisis in the US, following Dopesick on Hulu. Basically based exclusively on the ebook Wretchedness Killer by Barry Meier and the New York Conditions article ‘The Household That Built an Empire of Wretchedness,’ it focuses particularly on the Sacklers, the steady-life dynasty in the back of Pardue Pharma, the company that changed into as soon as largely guilty for a upward thrust in doctors prescribing the highly addictive OxyContin.
The uncover tackles the crisis from just a few angles, following a wide-ranging ensemble solid of characters, including Uzo Aduba as lawyer Edie Plant life, whose makes an attempt to obtain a case against the Sackler family and Pardue Pharma manufacture the legend spine of the sequence.
One storyline entails Shannon Schaeffer, a college graduate played by West Duchovny who takes a sales manual job at Pardue and is in the initiating mad by the prospect of making correct money and initiating a high-powered occupation.
“I have confidence numerous other folks are going to survey themselves in her,” acknowledged Duchovny. “A theme for her is [the desire] for success and looking out for to assemble correct and grappling with the pressures of money and the draw in which that adjustments you.”
Shannon’s role contained in the company is to wait on doctors to prescribe elevated doses of OxyContin to sufferers whereas downplaying the chance of dependancy, in elaborate to steady elevated payouts from insurance companies. In the initiating, she is satisfied about the work, but over the six episodes of Painkiller, Shannon grapples with the morality of the hurt she has caused.
“I have confidence [Shannon is] no longer ideal drawn to Purdue on story of of the money, but on story of she thinks that she will abet other folks and assemble correct,” Duchovny explained.
After taking OxyContin herself for the first time and strolling into a swimming pool, Shannon comes to the conclusion that she must obtain out of Pardue and obtain amends, and her storyline ends with her assisting the U.S. Lawyer’s place of job in their investigation.
Netflix
Became Shannon Schaeffer a steady person?
Sure and no. Each episode of the uncover opens with the disclaimer that “definite characters, names, incidents, areas, and dialogue comprise been fictionalized for dramatic capabilities,” and whereas definite figures in Painkiller are transparently in step with steady other folks, comparable to Matthew Broderick’s Richard Sackler, others are composite characters impressed by just a few people.
Shannon Schaeffer is one such personality, who changed into as soon as written into the uncover as an instance the programs Pardue extinct to prolong sales of OxyContin, and to place a human face on Pardue’s profit-driven motivations. Her story performs out very carefully to steady life: Pardue Pharma sales reps comprise been highly incentivized, and these that efficiently happy doctors to prescribe elevated milligram doses of OxyContin got bonuses infrequently outweighing their yearly salary. Shannon particularly may maybe well well maybe additionally merely no longer comprise ever existed, but hundreds of oldsters esteem her did.
Philip Ellis is Records Editor at Males’s Effectively being, covering properly being, pop culture, intercourse and relationships, and LGBTQ+ complications. His work has regarded in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV, and he is the creator of Like & Assorted Scams.