In episode 4 of the gripping series Painkiller, Shannon rises through the ranks at Purdue. She earns a promotion for her sales prowess and has to train new sales recruits. Purdue's Chairman Udall personally requests Shannon to omit mentioning incidents involving teenagers in her reports, subtly signaling that the executives are just a call away for any concerns she may have.
See Also: Painkiller - Season 1, Episode 3 Recap
Shannon’s colleague Britt credits her promotion to her own efforts and even gives her a quick lesson in feminism, pointing out that their male coworker, Dr. Fitzgibbons, is likely envious of her achievements because she's a woman.
Edie, another focal character, highlights the grim reality of the opioid crisis. She recounts a 2000 incident where a drug dealer transported homeless people to multiple clinics. The dealer's goal was to have them secure OxyContin prescriptions, keeping most of the pills for himself and leaving them with only a few. During one such operation, a police chase resulted in a catastrophic road accident.
Law enforcement officers confide in Edie about the severe abuse of OxyContin. This leads Brownlee to task her with investigating if Purdue has any illegal acts in getting OxyContin FDA approval.
News breaks about OxyContin's addictive nature, causing a public relations crisis for Purdue. Richard, another key player, shifts the blame onto those addicted to the drug. This approach tragically mirrors the lives of Purdue employees like Glen, who hides his own OxyContin addiction from his family, an obsession that later leads to a disastrous workplace accident.
While Shannon enjoys her newfound success, buying a house and a car, she starts recruiting fresh graduates like Molly to market OxyContin on commission. However, a wave of protests against the drug begins to swell. Following company instructions, Purdue spokespeople insist that the users, not the drug, are the problem.
This notion is reinforced when Shannon tells Dr. Cooper that a 15-year-old girl is to blame for her addiction, not the drug or its prescribers. Edie counters this narrative in her dialogue with attorneys, mentioning how Purdue supporters quickly vilified addicts in the media.
She also meets Dr. Fitzgibbons, who reveals that Purdue misrepresented data to suggest only 1% of opioid users become addicted. Dr. Jick, the original source of this data, confirms that his information was twisted to promote sales. Furthermore, Edie learns that a single FDA officer, Dr. Curtis Wright, approved OxyContin without his own research.
An unsettling incident occurs when Dr. Cooper attempts to make unwanted advances toward Shannon. Meanwhile, Richard urges his senior team to testify in court against a lawsuit from Maine's District Attorney, Jay P. McCloskey, who accuses Purdue of knowingly marketing an addictive drug.
Glen's life spirals further out of control. His son Tyler moves out, blaming him for his addiction. Unable to cope, Glen even resorts to snorting the drug.
Before a critical hearing, Udall confesses to Richard that his child was assaulted due to his ties with Purdue. Undeterred, Richard focuses on defending the company during the hearing, denying any prior knowledge of OxyContin's addictiveness.
Watching from her Virginia office, Edie tells Brownlee that they’ve found the crime: Purdue’s lie under oath. Armed with this new evidence, they prepare to take down Purdue.
This episode is an unsettling watch. From Glen's descent into addiction to the exploitation of vulnerable homeless individuals, the hypocrisy of blaming addicts while profiting from their suffering is strikingly evident.
Dr. Fitzgibbons' revelations offer a glimmer of hope for Edie's cause. With this knowledge, the time has come to hold Purdue accountable for its devastating impact on countless lives.
Painkiller is now streaming on Netflix.
