Dr. Death (2021)

Watchseries; Compulsively watched all 8 episodes over the weekend. One of the most chilling biopics ever. Think three times now before consenting to go under the knife.

The most frightening aspect is of course the systemic corruption in the medical system that allowed the situation of this surgeon to exist at all.

Interesting subtext too about the role of parenting in shaping personality. The endless Bible quoting of an unsupportive father in the boy's early years and youth comes across as at least a questionable way to raise children. No wonder a child may develop into a sociopath when constantly told how he never measures up to anything. By the time the father seems to become supportive it's too late and "seems" is the key word here. What parent tells an adult offspring that jail's the best place for them after all? Not a whisper about the possibility of failed parenting but more harping on hardwood floors and furniture...see it to find out what this means!

The three actors in the centre of the story are brilliant. The ever brilliant Slater just keeps getting better and better with age. And Baldwin casts off his loudmouth bad boy reputation to turn in an incredibly low key but nuanced performance. He's a real surprise here.

But kudos and heaps of credit must go to Joshua Jackson for accepting the role of Dr Death: ugly, unglamorous, unsexy, sociopathic, narcissistic, downright a garbage heap of a human being. Only a brave brave actor would throw themselves into such a role with the commitment Jackson has done. Especially in the last couple of episodes when he's physically transformed and all the bravado has vanished from his behaviour, Jackson is a screen presence to behold. He makes the most of the "Kubrick eyes" (look it up if you don't know) facial expression to communicate the depths into which his existence has sunk. We watch a loathsome character totally mesmerised by Jackson's acting. Superb. Just superb.

Watch it for the urgent theme that's at the core of the series, but above all watch it to relish these three central performances. Just superb.

Compulsively watched all 8 episodes over the weekend. One of the most chilling biopics ever. Think three times now before consenting to go under the knife.

The most frightening aspect is of course the systemic corruption in the medical system that allowed the situation of this surgeon to exist at all.

Interesting subtext too about the role of parenting in shaping personality. The endless Bible quoting of an unsupportive father in the boy's early years and youth comes across as at least a questionable way to raise children. No wonder a child may develop into a sociopath when constantly told how he never measures up to anything. By the time the father seems to become supportive it's too late and "seems" is the key word here. What parent tells an adult offspring that jail's the best place for them after all? Not a whisper about the possibility of failed parenting but more harping on hardwood floors and furniture...see it to find out what this means!

The three actors in the centre of the story are brilliant. The ever brilliant Slater just keeps getting better and better with age. And Baldwin casts off his loudmouth bad boy reputation to turn in an incredibly low key but nuanced performance. He's a real surprise here.

But kudos and heaps of credit must go to Joshua Jackson for accepting the role of Dr Death: ugly, unglamorous, unsexy, sociopathic, narcissistic, downright a garbage heap of a human being. Only a brave brave actor would throw themselves into such a role with the commitment Jackson has done. Especially in the last couple of episodes when he's physically transformed and all the bravado has vanished from his behaviour, Jackson is a screen presence to behold. He makes the most of the "Kubrick eyes" (look it up if you don't know) facial expression to communicate the depths into which his existence has sunk. We watch a loathsome character totally mesmerised by Jackson's acting. Superb. Just superb.

Watch it for the urgent theme that's at the core of the series, but above all watch it to relish these three central performances. Just superb.

Dr. Death watchseries. I think this show is realistically a 7 out of 10, carried mostly by the acting. I gave it a 10/10 though just to help balance out all the people who gave it 1/10 "Because Alec Baldwin is a liberal." Which has nothing to do with the show or his performance (which is great.)

The time jumps are okay... Not as muddling as some reviews would have you believe, but definitely somewhat excessive and unnecessary.

A mesmerizing thriller about ego and big medicine delivered through a masterful script and consummate performances from (seriously) everyone in the cast. This is high quality television in rarefied air. Bravo!

Slater and Baldwin are excellent and Point-Du Jour is an actor I hope to see more of... All I can say is "watch the pilot" then you decide.

This is a series that is hard to stop watching, even though it is supremely disturbing. What makes it even more tragic is that it is a true story. Anyone who has ever had a medical procedure done will feel affected by this series. Having lost my mother only hours after surgery for heart bypasses (which was supposed to improve her life, not take it) I felt particularly disturbed. This series is as much about the inhumane way that corporations (hospitals in this case) care more about their bottom line than they do the people they are supposed to help, as it does about the one doctor who is at the center of this whole story. My only quibble with the series is that it bounces from time period to time period like a tennis ball in play. Why oh why, are so many films being made in such a way, rather than giving us a linear telling of the story? Outside of this, I found the whole thing so fascinating, I ended up watching all of the episodes in a single day, something I very rarely do. I highly recommend the series, but be prepared to get really mad, really sad, and really frustrated more than once. P. S. Acting, all around is top notch too.

Extremely interesting story, fabulous acting and fairly good pace.

Classically too long (always an issue with streaming nowadays - 8 episodes that could have been 6 Max. They always stretch them too long).

It was binge worthy for sure but the time period jumping almost ruined the whole thing.... There were about 4-5 timelines going at once overlapping each other. Adding in dream sequences and what if sequences made for extremely confused story telling. I was often lost as to where we were at even though they tried to keep it on track by showing years and place names in the changes... didn't help.

Came accross as someone trying to 'too clever' so I gave this a 7 where it would have been a 9.