Based on Rebecca Jarvis’ podcast by the same name, the Hulu series “The Dropout” follows entrepreneur and Stanford dropout Elizabeth Holmes on her very tumultuous journey to ‘turn something pointless into something perfect’ (her words, not mine). However, she ends up accomplishing the opposite instead and raking up quite the body count along the way.
For the uninitiated, our lead Elizabeth Holmes made headlines as a self-made billionaire when she started her own company, Theranos. She is inspired by her peers such as Steve Jobs, Yoda from “Star Wars” (yes, you heard that right), and Mark Zuckerberg (whom she quotes endlessly). Holmes promises the shareholders in her company an ambitious blood testing machine, the likes of which might even change the face of medical science as we know it. Little do her investors know they’ve all signed up to be part of a downright fraudulent scheme. Holmes has little to no knowledge on building a working machine, let alone a working business.
Characterisation is a High Point of the Series
A major high point of this show, apart from an engaging narrative that never loses steam, is the characterisation. This is particularly true in the manner in which it extracts and contrasts the various toxic traits/motivations of the real-life individuals featured in it. Wether this be seeing Holmes gullibly feeling inspired by a mindless yacht owner who’s in the midst of a midlife crisis, or Holmes indirectly influencing one of her sincere hardworking employees to become a mindless profit whore much like herself.
“The Dropout” also acts as an interesting character study that exposes the duality of Holmes. I was initially worried for her mental state due to the insurmountable stress she was under as a young entrepreneur. However, I was unable to shake off the fact she could have entirely avoided her circumstances had she not been dismissive of experts in her field. In fact, in some cases she dismissed people in the same age bracket. This includes Ana Arriola (played by non binary actor Nicky Andres), an incredibly accomplished product design head at Apple. Ana initially roots for Holmes due to her own shared struggles as an outsider in a male-dominated field and an admiration for her unique concept. Ana is joined by the skeptical but seasoned software engineer Avie Tevanian. The latter raises his own concerns regarding the non-existent tech Holmes is insistent on peddling.
The Fall of A Good Idea
Holmes’ character arc too is well defined. She starts out as a slightly bumbling go-getter with a voracious appetite to make it big but. However, not before long, her true colours finally emerge. Holmes is revealed to be a money-hungry excuse for a CEO, who squanders her potential, her privilege, and her platform. To me, the final nail in the coffin regarding her character regression was the scene where she is depicted as someone so devoid of empathy that she even regurgitates the hurried apology of a Genius bar employee, passing it off as her own to a board full of concerned shareholders. The scene brought to mind the countless copy-paste apologies of once-admired but now fallen YouTubers).
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This, as well as Holmes’ interactions with love interest and business partner Sunny Balwani and with her peers/co-workers, also elevates this show from a biopic to a jarring character study. It is one that conveys the message that even the most impassioned individual can be susceptible to corruption and greed. Viewers will also find themselves feeling a recurring sense of unease and frustration throughout the show. They’ll often gnash their teeth watching Holmes lie and work her employees to the bone as if they’re lab rats.
At the same time, she shuts herself off from constructive criticism. However she shows no qualms about handing over the reigns to the incompetent and manipulative Sunny. She creates a toxic work environment (reminiscent of rigid workplace settings in shows such as “Severance”) for her employees. Many do not hail from the same wealthy, privileged background as their inexperienced CEO. In fact, they genuinely wished to create a quality, fully functioning product. However, this seems the furthest things from Homes’ mind.
Good Acting and a Talented Cast Propel ‘The Dropout’
“The Dropout” touches upon issues in the tech industry such as sexism, rivalry beyond the professional setting. By patronising senior male investors, there is no room for virtue signaling by skirting around the equally problematic behaviours of the lead pair of Balwani and Holmes. There’re moments where Holmes takes advantage of her status by playing the victim in order to downplay her atrocious acts.
However, a majority of the blame for Theranos not working out rests on the unstable shoulders of Holmes and Balwani. This is due to their continued refusal to learn from errors and even repeat them. And this is of course, combined with their egotistical mindsets. The duo isn’t given leeway, and what we get is a straightforward guide how not to act like a jerk. This is a point wittily driven across when Holmes is ‘gifted’ a paperback copy of “The No Asshole Rule” by Bob Sutton by her former design team upon their collective resignation.
The show also boasts of a wonderfully-talented cast of big names such as Amanda Seyfried, Stephen Fry, William H. Macy, and more who enrich the strong writing with their nuanced performances. As Holmes, Seyfried seems to have done her homework in embodying the disgraced entrepreneur’s most prominently featured and vile traits, such as her menacing, manipulative and monotonous nature without reducing her to a caricature. Seyfried is easily at her best in the harrowing scenes such as Holmes ‘spiralling’ in front of her bathroom mirror when she is unsure of how to process her feelings after a big argument with Sunny. She instead channels her emotions into an impassioned speech, resulting in her inventing a whole new stage persona entirely. Brownie points to Seyfried for also bringing in that much needed forced “Theresa May” energy to Holmes’ impromptu and awkward song and dance routines.
Supporting Characters Add Meat to an Engaging Series
Stephen Fry plays Dr. Ian Gibbons, the head chemist at Theranos who mistakenly places his faith into Holmes. Fry turns in a noteworthy performance that genuinely pulled at my heartstrings. Fry and Seyfried share an arresting charming camraderie in their scenes together. This results in some short-lived moments between their characters. It compiles viewers to become emotionally-invested and moved by the manner in which Gibbons briefly brings out the heartless Holmes’ long repressed human and empathetic side (alas, it was all for naught!).
Naveen Andrews shines as Holmes’ accomplice and love interest Sunny Balwani. He portrays the calm façade of this character, as well as his abusive and manipulative side with conviction. Rich Sommer turns in an effective, supporting performance as Kevin. He’s the only person I could empathize with during his attempts to navigate a hot mess of a situation. Alan Rusk also seems to have had a ball channeling his inner “Ferris Bueller” for the role of Dr. Jay, a senior representative at Walgreens and Katy Perry aficionado. He is like a kid let loose in a candy store when it comes to striking even the most problematic deals, despite his peers strongly suggesting against it.
Detailing Theranos’ Untimely Fall
Joining them, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Bashir Salahuddin, and James Hiroyuki Liao bring in a much-needed sympathetic energy to their respective roles of Rakesh, Edmond, and Brendan. They are a close-knit trio who are merely cogs in the ill-fated machine known as Theranos. Additionally, veterans Kurtwood Smith and Laurie Metcalf turn in formidable performances in their respective roles as Holmes’ lawyer David Boies and Dr. Phyllis Gardner. The latter is an academic who is skeptical of Holmes’ lack of a practical approach and thus, of her concept actually working in the real world. Dylan Minnette and Camryn Mi-young Kim play two young and bright individuals from differing socioeconomic backgrounds who fight tooth and nail against Theranos’ unfair practices.
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LisaGay Hamilton and Ebon Moss Bachrach are also convincing in their roles. They play two determined investigative journalists who begin to unravel the truth behind Theranos. However, they often find themselves up against legal barriers set by Holmes and Balwani in the show’s final few episodes.
A Character Study of a ‘Girlboss Gone Wrong’
“The Dropout’s” background score and song choices fit with the uneasy and occasionally darkly-comedic tones of this show. They are are befitting of Ms. Holmes’ and Theranos’ eventual downfall. Viewers are introduced to an ambitious Holmes hyping herself up as the next female Steve Jobs in her room while “I’m in a Hurry” by Alabama blasts from her stereo system. And in a later episode, she will sullenly prepare for the metaphorical funeral of Theranos in her backyard as “My Way” by Frank Sinatra plays in the distance. My only minor complaint is that the editing felt a tad abrupt, almost disjointed in a few scenes.
Overall, “The Dropout” hits all the right notes in its disturbing and well-dramatised take on a real-life train-wreck. I’d recommend viewing it more as a character study of a ‘girlboss gone wrong’ rather than as a true biopic.
“The Dropout” is available to stream on Hulu.
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