Hulu’s latest miniseries is an adaptation of the podcast, The Dropout, which tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes, who defrauded investors with her now-infamous company Theranos. It’s an interesting story of intrigue and deception, which at least in the first three episodes, has been expertly retold in the series.
Amanda Seyfried stars as Elizabeth Holmes in a very different role than anything I’ve ever seen her in. Comparing her performance to the real Elizabeth Holmes, it really is spot on. She’s definitely come a long way since the days of Mean Girls and Jennifer’s Body. Elizabeth is truly a troubled soul, even from childhood, she was singled out and picked on. This led to a level of social awkwardness in her adulthood that becomes ever so present in her eventual business dealings.
The show has been framed excellently by using recreations of Holmes’ deposition in 2017, where she testified about all the wrong-doings at Theranos. You see, she always wanted to invent something and become a billionaire. One day, she had the idea of a blood test that can be done by just pricking your finger, as opposed to getting blood drawn. The only problem is, she and her team can’t get it to work. This leads to various deceptions and bending of the truth, which in later episodes will lead to Theranos’ downfall.
The rest of the cast of the show is also excellent, including Naveen Andrews, who plays Elizabeth’s much older and unlikely boyfriend, Sunny. Also among the cast is legendary English actor Stephen Fry, who plays Ian Gibbons, a renowned biochemist who joins the team in the early days of Theranos. Gibbons' real-life story is a tragic one, one that I’m interested to see unfold with an actor of Fry’s caliber in the role.
Elizabeth goes through many trials and tribulations in the first few episodes, from losing funding, staff and almost losing her position as CEO. As the weeks go by, the struggles are bound to get even worse. I’ve enjoyed The Dropout so far, and if you’re a fan of biographical stories told in a dramatic light, then this is a good show to sink your teeth into.
The first three episodes of The Dropout premiere Thursday, March 3rd on Hulu, with the five subsequent episodes dropping weekly.