I wasn’t too familiar with the story of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes. Sure, I have heard a thing or two about some scandals, but we live in such media heavy age, and many important stories get lost. And with social media, there is a consistent news cycle where it’s easier than ever to get very selective with what kind of news you consume. But that’s beside the point; this is a very long-winded way for me to say I have vaguely heard of this but didn’t know the details. And this show (based on the podcast by the same name) is full of the juiciest of details; some feel unbelievable. And that is my only criticism.

I have always liked Amanda Seyfried, and deep down, I knew she could be a star if given the opportunity. And now, over almost a decade, she is finally showcasing what I presumed. If you thought her ceiling would be an Oscar nomination for Mank (2020, my review here), you would be wrong, as The Dropout stands on her and her alone. Amanda comes across as charismatic, charming and down to earth in most interviews, and she decided to play somebody on the complete opposite spectre. The most unbelievable part is, if you search for videos and see the real Elizabeth Holmes, how she talks and behaves, you have to give it to Amanda for absolutely nailing that performance. She deservedly won an Emmy and Golden Globe for her performance (halfway through to get that EGOT status!); every time she is on screen, you can’t help but be intrigued by this story, this complex web of lies she is weaving.

I liked how the show explored her creepy relationship with her then-partner, Sunny Balwani (portrayed by Naveen Andrews). And even though there was pretty much everything wrong with it from the start, the show is quite clear that Elizabeth wasn’t anyone’s puppet. You see these types of stories many times, only to discover that people were manipulated to do many awful things by people they trusted. But not in this case; Elizabeth is that type of dedicated liar who forgot that the “fake it until you make it” comes with a condition of actually making it! I also liked the progression of her character, how she didn’t want to cheat until she had, and then she could never stop. Her fascination with Steve Jobs, her obsessive character… had she had something, had she just decided to divert that energy towards something feasible, we would have had one of the most powerful women on the planet on our hands. Funny how that works.

The only reason I can’t give this show the “full” 5/5 rating is that the second half of this show felt a bit “samey”. Dare I say this show might have had one episode too many? Now when I think about it, I think we could have cut down on some stuff and improved the flow of the second half by only having seven episodes instead of eight. But even that wasn’t a big issue to deduct more “points” from this show, as I loved Amanda’s performance so much.

What I also struggle with (and here more than usual) is how much actually happened. I understand the people behind this show have to make this story more “cinematic”, and they must take some liberties with the actual story, but in a story as crazy as this, where this one woman somehow managed to lie and bluff her way through some influential people for 15 years… I wanted to know as much as possible. And sometimes, the situations in this show felt too “dramatic” for them to have happened in reality; too “scripted” is the best word that comes to mind. And again, I understand The Dropout isn’t the exemption rather than the rule, as all biopics or “based on real-life” stories must be dramatized for us to enjoy them. But mainly in the second half, some of these scenes felt like there was no way this happened. Yet, you never know; with some crazy people involved, you get into crazy situations.

Overall, The Dropout is a near-excellent show worth seeing, mainly for Amanda’s performance. I am happy to see her career is on an upward trajectory and hope she won’t stop there and will give us a few more roles like these, going out of her comfort zone. This show succeeded in showing us that there is no victimless crime, as the last couple of lines point out (women CEOs have been told to dye their hair, so they don’t resemble Holmes and are less trusted because of her actions). For me, the only problem was the pacing of the second half, where I started to wonder whether we needed eight episodes. But every time I began to wonder, Amanda nailed another line reading or mannerism, and I was back in. The Dropout is worth watching.

That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!

Until next time,

Luke