by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Modern medicine is not an industry immune to people looking to take advantage it in the name of fame or greed. Several professions have this issue, from politicians to athletes to wealthy business owners, but something about a medical professional falling under this trap feels extra wrong. The first principle of medicine is do no harm, so when a doctor is criminally charged with hurting patients, the gravity of the crime increases.
It also makes the podcast and now anthology series, Dr. Death, so fascinating to watch.
Anthology series are all the rage right now, and we’ve seen plenty of crime-related anthology series, like True Detective, American Crime Story, or Fargo, but Dr. Death is distinct. It follows a different doctor each season, detailing their subsequent rise through the medical field, where they position themselves in a place of trust and expertise. But then we see the subsequent investigations that will ultimately bring them down. At times, there’s a cynical lens that paints the series, because those with money and power have been getting away with exploiting people for ages. Dr. Death tell the story of the victims and patients, in addition to shedding light on the ongoing issues plaguing the healthcare industry.
Season Two’s story follows Paolo Macchiarini (Edgar Ramirez), a thoracic surgeon who comes up with a revolutionary synthetic trachea that uses stem cells to help the body accept the foreign material coming in. It was a medical marvel that helped propel Macchiarini to celebrity doctor status. Nefarious plots ensue, and a group of journalists and whistleblower doctors look to expose him as a fraud, a liar, and a killer.
When I first read the premise for this season of Dr. Death, I was a little worried that it wouldn’t capture my attention the same way that Season One did. That season was so unbelievable that it made each episode so interesting to watch. Season Two’s story is slightly smaller in terms of crime, but the scale also feels bigger. Macchiarini had a more global reach with this treatment, and though he indirectly killed far fewer people, the suffering some of the patients went through cannot be undersold.
Most of the patients who petitioned for the synthetic trachea gained approval to do this procedure through compassionate use. Think of this like a hail Mary of medicine. Nothing else that’s approved by a government agency works but this procedure. Although not 100% approved, there is awareness and studies that show significant promise that it can be used if there are no other options. The series doesn’t let Macchiarini off the hook, because he says that using the tracheas was like playing with house money. Patients undergoing this procedure already had a shortened lifespan due to ailments like throat cancer or an injury too severe to repair.
Ramirez is as fantastic as Macchiarini because he has a charm that makes him an easily likable doctor. He would put on a show for reporters and fellow doctors, oozing charisma and convincing investors and boards of directors that his treatment works. The way Ramirez sells his treatment could convince anyone of its life-saving abilities. His larger-than-life persona, coupled with an altruistic sense of purpose, helped convince so many people around the world that he had everything figured out. Due to the dearth of fact-checking or investigating, this procedure almost feels too good to be true, and a lot of people line up to be part of this machine that helps Macchiarini get away with his crimes.
The group of people working to expose Macchiarini come from two main fronts: other doctors, who work directly with the treatment, and a journalist named Benita (Mandy Moore), who writes a puff piece on him. Everyone (sans a few savvy people) buys Macchiarini’s treatment as a miracle the world has been waiting for. Neither of these groups work directly together, but both use their industry’s guardrails to help put an end to Macchiarini’s terror. Three medical professionals, Dr. Nathan Gamelli (Luke Kirby), Dr. Anders Svensson (Gustaf Hammarsten), and Dr. Ana Lasbrey (Ashley Madekwe), all team up, having seen Macchiarini’s treacheries from different perspectives. Dr. Gamelli looks at it from a surgeon’s perspective, seeing the effects on the patients directly. Being one of the higher-ranking individuals within Macchiarini’s orbit, Dr. Lasbrey sees what happens on the administrative side. From a research and data perspective, Dr. Svensson sees that the research is corrupted and the procedure doesn’t follow sound science. Not a single one of them would have been able to expose Maccharini on their own. They need one another’s perspectives and talents to ensure they can have a whole picture of what is being done. Sounds an awful lot like how modern medicine should, work minus greedy people who ruin it for others.
Benita’s story is a little more complicated than that. She has intimate interactions with Macchiarini, as their relationship is depicted throughout the first half of the show. Once Benita figures out what’s happening, she unfortunately is in a risky position, both personally and professionally. The three doctors are putting their reputations on the line professionally but don’t have a lot of issues with blowback personally. It’s what makes Benita’s story so interesting. She feels for him, in multiple ways, and then has to choose what is the best way to expose him: completely throw herself on the bus, or try to make something work. It’s a tough call for a journalist to be put in, but it also shows how all industries are plagued with ambitious individuals who make mistakes in the name of success.
We don’t see a lot of interactions with patients, but one patient (and episode) stands out way more than the others. Episode Five is entitled “191.” It follows a patient named Yesim (Alisha Erozer), who visits Maccharini’s clinic in search of a new trachea following a diving accident. What proceeded from there were complications from the trachea which increased in severity and resulted in an additional 191 surgeries to correct issues as they came up. This episode, in addition to being one of the best and most heartbreaking moments in the entire series, is some of the best work that Dr. Death can provide for viewers. I was on the edge of my seat, and my heart broke for Yesim, so much so that I looked up her fate after the series was over.
Season Two of Dr. Death doesn’t have the same punch as the original as a whole, but that is what makes it so compelling. Without it, I think I could have heard about this on the news and been super confused about what was going on. The performances are incredible, the story is harrowing, and it has one of my favorite episodes in 2023.
Rating: Liked It
Dr. Death is currently streaming on Peacock
You can read more from Mike Hilty, and follow him on Instagram, Letterboxd, and Serializd