This episode of Hulu’s dramatic retelling of the grim tale of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos sets all the pieces in place for the finale. In between the brave and driven figures who sought to expose the company’s wrongdoing, the show takes time to explore one of the most iconic images of its founder. Francesca Gregorini again takes the helm on this episode, which is written by regular story editor Wei-Ning Yu.
Since episode one, The Dropouthas made great use of a central framing device. Most of the big events of the series were accompanied by a recreation of the deposition wherein Holmes accounts her actions as CEO. That segment is absent from episode 6: “Iron Sisters”, but in its place is a clever alternative. Most who can picture Elizabeth Holmes have a particular image in their head, the one that opensThe Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley. The close-up, where she’s looking directly to the camera while surrounded by harsh bright white, was originallyfilmed for an adcampaign. From that position, Elizabeth does most of her framing in this episode.
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Rather than establishing the events as they happen, the show’s take on Errol Morris interrogatesHolmes as a person and is leftwanting. The most impressive aspect of Amanda Seyfried’s performance as Holmes and the way the character is written is that it manages to make her feel scripted within a scripted work. Holmes was notoriously obsessed with image, every aspect of her personality manicured and stage-managed for maximum public relatability. Of course, the entire work is scripted, yet Holmes still manages to feel uniquely artificial against a world of naturalistic performance.Watching Seyfried, a great actordoing a spectacular job, embodying someone trying and failing to give a natural line read is strangely gripping.
The show juggles three primary plotlines at once throughout the episode, consistently expanding in scope with each new story. As Elizabeth tries to nail her ad read, company newcomers Erika Cheung and Tyler Shultz discover the unpleasant truths of science. The pair is famous for becoming whistleblowers who provide the necessary evidence to signal the company’s downfall. Shultz is the grandson of board member and elderly diplomat George Shultz, which every character in the series takes time out to remind him. Cheung came to the company from humble beginnings and risks it all in an attempt to do the right thing. They uncover secrets the audience already knows, but sneaking around behind the company’s back manages to injectsome legitimate horror momentsinto the series. It’s extremely well-handled, both go through difficult choices in very compelling dialogue exchanges.
The other effort to unseat Holmes and defeat Theranos is helmed by her former neighbor Richard Fuisz and Phyllis Gardner, a professor at Stanford who was the first to doubt her. Both figures that Holmes crossed in the past, Fuisz still stubbornly pursuing a woman who dared to defeat him as Gardner tries to stop a monster she saw coming years earlier. The pair hunt down every lead they can, seeking anyone who can back up the fraud both are aware of. After the tragicdeath of Ian Gibbons last episode, his widow is more than happy to join the effort to expose Theranos. There’s a very compelling scene in which the three of them discuss how Holmes convinces everyone to do her bidding, and their differing reasons are philosophically interesting.
This episode introduces a number of new characters. Ebon Moss-Bachrach, probably best known for hisrole inThe Punisher, appears in the long-awaited role of John Carreyrou, the journalist who brought the story to the attention of the masses. The instant he appears, the informed audience feels the end approaching. Camryn Mi-young Kim, a relative newcomer to the acting world, brings real pathos to the role of Erika Cheung. Her struggle feels extremely real and human, bringing the narrative back to the level of regular people who need money to live, unlike the rich and powerful of the main cast. Dylan Minnette, of13 Reasons WhyandDon’t Breathefame, gets to shine in the role of Tyler Shultz. He evolves swiftly from a rich kid who idolizes Holmes to a courageous figure, facing off against his own family.
Only two episodes ofThe Dropoutremain, and both newcomers and people familiar with the tale know that the end is near. The grifter biopic is becoming a hugely popular trend right now, but this one remains the best in the business. It’s hard to believe that people will ever get sick of watching people get rich, behave badly, then suffer the consequences, especially with shows this good in the medium.The Dropoutis intelligent, fun, compelling, and often crushingly real. The central performance is excellent, but everything around it makes the show worth watching for newcomers and fans of the story.
