“The Dropout” tries to create a compelling take on disgraced Theranos ex-CEO Elizabeth Holmes, (Amanda Seyfried) and her boyfriend, Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani (Naveen Andrews). However, it falls flat with one-dimensional characters, cheesy comedy and events that do not play an important role in the overall narrative.
The biopic series started March 3 and aired 50-minute segments every Thursday on Hulu. Directed by Michael Showalter, Francesca Gregorini and Erica Watson, it released a total of eight episodes.
Holmes made her billion-dollar fortune from a fraudulent biomedical company that developed devices for rapid at-home blood testing. They claimed their machine required only a few drops of blood, but failed to mention this was impossible given current technological restrictions.
At the time of her downfall, Holmes was lauded for being one of the world’s first self-made female CEOs. Following her company’s closure, many were concerned she was a bad role model for women in business.
The series starts by depicting Holmes’ privileged upbringing in Houston, where she often vocalized her dream of becoming a billionaire. While this made sense in the context of her story, I did not understand why there was so much emphasis on other things like Mandarin camp and wanting to lose her virginity before college. These ideas might have served to make her seem relatable, but they dragged on for too long and would have served better as flashbacks, only highlighting important moments.
Luckily, as the show moved past her childhood, its pace quickened. I still feel that the most important part of the narrative — which involved her scamming — came far too late in the mini series.
When Holmes finally donned her iconic black turtleneck, there was a disconnect between her on-screen adaptation and real-life persona. Although a talented actress, Seyfried’s acting and the team’s writing do not sell Holmes’ persona as much as they should. Her faux deep voice no doubt took time and effort to develop, but, to me, it does not really sound like the real woman, especially from interviews. However, Seyfried nailed her mannerisms — especially the intense stare.
Her character sometimes came off as incompetent and childish for the sake of a comedic tone, but it does not makes sense for the narrative. While fraudulent, Holmes was a powerhouse who managed to scam wealthy people out of billions of dollars. Even in the public eye, she presented herself as well-spoken, composed and knowledgeable.
In addition, many of the characters — although meant to mimic real people — were not properly fleshed out. Most notably, there was Holmes’ childhood neighbor, Richard Fuisz (William H. Macy). In the context of this series, there are no subtleties when it comes to his thought pattern. Without hesitation, he admitted to screwing Holmes over because she did not come to him for advice when starting Theranos. Vengeful and immature, he was boring to watch when there was no guessing what his motives were.
While a lack of subtleties and pacing in the writing caused issues, this series was still entertaining throughout. As someone who loves biopics, reading into Holmes’ psyche — even if possibly fictionalized — was amazing.
She was treated as a somewhat sympathetic character, which is interesting given her previous media coverage. While viewers will never know the truth, having this version of the story might help them understand why she lied to those around her.
Even though “The Dropout” took awhile to get interesting, I would still recommend watching for anyone interested in the Theranos scandal. Despite sometimes-cheesy writing and one-dimensional characters, it was worthwhile to see this take on one of the world’s most polarizing ex-CEOS.
Edited by Lucy Valeski, lvaleski@themaneater.com
