The Dropout (2022)

Title: The Dropout

Year: 2022

Genre: Biography | Drama |

Seasons: 1 |

Runtime:  403 min

Creator:  Elizabeth Meriwether

Starring:  Amanda Seyfried, Naveen Andrews, Sam Waterson

7.5/10

TV series that chronicles Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ attempt to revolutionize the healthcare industry after dropping out of college and starting a technology company. 

EASY TO FOLLOW, WONDERFUL ENCHANTING CAST

A lot has been documented during the story behind Theranos, how Elizabeth Holmes screwed everyone and made a very serious fraud. How incapability to emotional connects with her faults is staggering. It’s staggering to see how Holmes didn’t care whatsoever what happened to her employees, family members or the patients using her product. She was, apparent to the mini-series, a very disturbed woman whose greed made everything worse. The Dropout certainly showcases the explicit rise and fall of an eccentric leader

Theranos was founded in 2003 by Elizabeth Holmes who had previously worked at Stanford University. She wanted to create a blood testing device that would allow people to get their results faster than ever before. Her idea was revolutionary, and she raised $700 million dollars in funding to make her dream a reality. In 2015, Theranos received FDA approval for its first commercial product called Edison. However, in 2016, the Wall Street Journal reported that Theranos’ technology did not work properly and that many of the company’s claims were false. After the report, Theranos filed for bankruptcy and Elizabeth Holmes was charged with wire fraud.

Elizabeth Holmes was born in 1984 and grew up in Washington, D.C. She attended Stanford University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2004. While studying at Stanford, she met Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, whom she later married. Sunny helped her start Theranos after they both graduated from university.

Of course, much of this series is thanks to Amanda Seyfried. Her interpretation of the main character is a pure fascination but it’s not her performance that makes it worth its while. Instead, it’s Naveed Andrews, Sam Waterson and Stephen Fry’s performances that elevate the story to a different degree. Their performance is far more subtle and has more impact on every character compared to Seyfried. Although Amanda makes a nice effort to make this all-over-the-place character it’s the actors around her that actually make her look even better.

Surprisingly, the story is easy to get inspired by and this modern revolution and failed to attempt behind it all but what’s interesting here is that the dialogue has a good flow. Even if it’s a biographic drama with depth, there are enough amount of cheerful moments that cut deep into the emotional spectra. The soundtrack choices by the showrunner dip the point of the series and it’s easy to not take it seriously.

Why they choose Dylan McDermott is beyond measure and it’s an enigma once he’s part of the series. He plays Tyler Schultz, grandson of Sam Waterson’s George Schultz. The series chronicles those Holmes has harmed and it’s even more fun to follow these conspirationists as they try to take down a fraud company.

Here’ the series starts and finishes with the company. Holmes is convicted of wire fraud. The trial hasn’t been started. It would be interesting to follow that path as well.