Painkiller review: Netflix's opioid-crisis miniseries is too offbeat for its own good
The show struggles to juggle multiple timelines, character POVs, and tones, only allowing some interesting angles to get surface-level treatments. It has a confusing mix of genres, too: The drama is obviously fictionalized yet it feels like a docuseries, with excessive use of voiceovers, graphics, and headline clippings. Plus, every episode opens with real people remembering their loved ones who died.
Edie explains how Richard Sackler came into power after his uncle Arthur’s heart attack and emerged as the mastermind behind creating and supplying OxyContin—without giving a damn about its lethal outcome. Broderick and Gregg face off against each other in absurd ways throughout the six episodes, including a physical fight at the end played for pointless, offbeat laughs.
It also feels like mixed messaging, with the series creators losing their grasp on the meaningful story they want to tell in favor of “entertainment value.”might be worth watching for anyone who wants to learn about the epidemic. However, far better projects about the crisepremieres August 10 on Netflix
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