PainKiller — Learn From Your Pain
This Netflix mini-series is based on the book Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic by Barry Meier and the New Yorker article “The Family That Built the Empire of Pain” by Patrick Radden Keefe.
When a movie or series is based on a book, I know it’s going to be tasty.
Long Story Short
This mini-series is about the greedy Sackler family that easily gets away with starting a health epidemic in the 21st century. Purdue (run by the Sackler family) turned OxyContin into a billion-dollar blockbuster. Purdue launched a successful marketing campaign that addicted millions of people worldwide, also causing pain and death on the side.
The show lets us peek behind the curtains.
The series follows the success of the Sackler family and their operations. It also depicts how a dedicated team tries to hold them accountable for their actions.
There are disclaimers on each episode that are read by real family members of people affected by or lost to opioid addiction.
The ugly truth many of us don’t want to face.
I would recommend watching it.
Two Things From Me
This show made me think harder than I expected.
It made me think about the role of pain in our lives.
And the way we see addiction.
This is Britt’s great pitch at a sales conference:
“- Temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. These are known as the vital signs. Do you know what is not a vital sign? Pain.”
I was like, really? That’s not true. Pain is part of our lives.
I mean, it’s very strong, so it’s hard to deny.
But pain is just one of the many feelings we can feel. It’s like a huge slap to stop doing everything else and focus. Well, what do I know about pain?
I’m too stubborn if it’s about pain.
Something must be wrong with me. Hmm, let me think more about pain and get back to you since this piece is about the series.
Love is the only feeling that can overcome pain
It was very touching how Glen — the main character who got addicted to Oxy and lost his family and livelihood — tried hard to defeat addiction by going through hell just to get back to normal. And he didn’t succeed. That’s addiction.
It’s not just on you. It’s up to your brain.
I’ve met addicted people. And I heard people condemning them.
I’m so angry when people say that addicted people are weak — like it’s a choice.
It’s also sad to hear from an addict that their problem is beyond them — like their action has no consequences.
Isn’t it something in between?
You have to fight for yourself and also get real help, whichever addiction you are fighting.
In this case, clearly, it was heroin that caused the trouble in the brain. You have to follow the steps while detoxifying your body.
It’s a very complex topic, and all I have is guesses.
Actually, Three Things
It’s interesting how directors showcased this story, and I’d add also the American Nightmare. Which is another Netflix series based on a true story and a book, but let’s not go there.
The true heroes are not the ones in the front.
I think the true hero in PainKiller was Shannon.
She was the one who did the right thing despite the fact that there would be no reward for doing it. She had a great life, and she could sacrifice her own luxurious life for the sake of truth.
In the American Nightmare, Misty Carausu is the hero. Her perseverance was remarkable. Without Misty, the case would’ve been lost. Misty Carausu was a detective in the Dublin Police Department in California who wanted to find out everything about a strange case.
She connected the dots, and in the end, she solved more than one case.
Misty wasn’t promoted or received a big paycheck because of what she did.
Shannon lost her career.
To me, both are heroines.
She did her best and moved on fast.
Last Thing I Promise
The music choices were genius. Thanks, Matt Morton.
Thanks for reading!
The Witty Witch