Original subtitles

‐ Your story shows

that the highest levels of the company

knew exactly how dangerous the drug was.

‐ Okay, I'll testify.

Please, I just need some Oxy.

RANDY: She's relapsing from the stress.

She can't testify.

‐ No! No, Dad, please!

[overlapping shouting] ‐...destroyed our damn family!

‐ Please, Dad! ‐ Get your hands off of me!

[thumps cabinet]

MICHAEL: A shares have a majority

and Richard Sackler is now named

president of Purdue Pharma.

‐ Dr. Finnix, is this yours? You're under arrest.

BILLY: How long you here for?

‐ 90 days.

You think you can get me some pills?

‐ What's your next move? ‐ Go back to the FDA

to make another set of demands

to restrict access to this drug.

‐ Can you think about how what you're doing

might be affecting me?

‐ No, I can't. I'm sorry.

This is how I grew up, Lucas.

Watching my friends die from drugs.

If you continue on this path,

you're going to end up just like them.

[moody music]

♪ ♪

‐ Hughes. Mark Hughes.

Corvelli, Josh.

‐ [exhales]

[camera lenses snapping]

‐ My name is Jay McCloskey.

I am the U.S. Attorney for the State of Maine.

I am here today because rampant drug abuse

has infiltrated our great state.

[knock on door]

MICHAEL: Dr. Richard?

Sorry to disturb you at lunch, but there's an urgent issue.

‐ An 80 mg tablet of OxyContin

sells on the street for $100.

This diversion has created a domino effect of related crime.

As U.S. Attorney, I will be sending letters

to doctors across our state

to alert them to the grave dangers of OxyContin.

Any questions?

‐ It says that OxyContin

is becoming the most serious criminal problem‐‐

‐ Yes, I know how to read.

How many of these letters were sent?

‐ He sent one to every single doctor

in the entire state of Maine.

PATIENT: I remember the day

that I first decided to get clean.

Me and my buddy Josh, we had this drug test coming up, um,

which is not great news for two addicts, you know.

So we ran to our dealer and we're like,

"Hey, man, you know, what can we do?"

And he tells us,

"If you drink bleach on the day of your test,

it cleans your blood."

So, the day of the test comes around,

and we're in the back of the car,

and we got this industrial strength container of bleach,

and we drink.

Except the bleach fucking burns like hell going down,

so immediately I'm gagging, You know, I spit it everywhere.

But Josh, man‐‐fucking Josh, he‐‐he downs it.

[clears throat]

Uh, the day Josh died

is the day I knew I needed to get clean.

Uh, a year ago today, actually.

Um, I've been to rehab three times now, but,

God, I finally feel like

it's starting to make sense, you know?

‐ My third time was when it really started to make sense.

‐ Thanks, Dirk. It takes a lot of guts

to admit that your life has become unmanageable.

And we got your back.

‐ Thank you.

‐ Samuel.

It's your turn.

Would you like to share anything today?

‐ Oh, uh,

no, no.

‐ Maybe tomorrow.

‐ Yeah.

‐ Ian.

We haven't heard from you yet.

‐ Hey. ‐ Hey, man. What's up?

‐ I was thinking about what y'all

were talking about out there.

H‐‐how many times have y'all been to rehab?

‐ This is my, uh, fourth time.

‐ Fifth for me.

‐ All of it here? Same place?

‐ Nah, I've been to three other centers.

I like this one the best.

‐ Mm‐hmm. ‐ Yeah, me too.

‐ I'm just‐‐I'm just worried, you know?

Worried maybe it doesn't work.

‐ Hey, Samuel, this place was amazing for my cousin.

He hasn't had a drink in nine years.

‐ Look, man, it's either here, jail, or the morgue.

‐ Yeah.

Paul: I feel ignored sometimes.

It's, uh, not easy

being with someone who's never

really present with you.

‐ I feel bad. I‐‐

it's just‐‐it's hard for me to

talk about things that are not work‐related.

‐ Yeah, she's obsessed with work.

‐ I'm not obsessed with work. ‐ You are.

‐ I'm just trying to prevent mass deaths from occurring

across the country. ‐ I can't really compete with

mass deaths across the country.

‐ I'm not asking you to compete with that.

I'm just asking you to understand that

I can't just turn that off.

‐ But you may be causing the death of your marriage.

Do you see Paul's point of view?

‐ I don't want that. I‐‐

I'm really trying.

I'm right here. ‐ I'm right here.

‐ I want this to work out. ‐ I do too.

‐ Hello, everyone.

I truly appreciate you all meeting with me again.

I, um,

I know our last interaction was less than ideal.

But my therapist says

it's never too late to apologize.

‐ Well, sounds like you have a terrific therapist.

‐ So I have brought numerous articles

from major publications about the dangers of OxyContin

that has put Purdue on the defensive.

Public pressure is building.

‐ I have also seen several articles about DEA overreach.

‐ Yeah, well, those stories were planted by Purdue.

‐ Deputy Director Meyer,

are you aware that there are millions of people

who swear by this medication?

‐ There are just as many lives that are being destroyed by it.

And I'm not just talking about the ones who have died,

but the lives that they touch.

Their friends, their family.

Communities are being ravaged by crime over this drug.

Marriages and friendships have ended

because of a pill that, in some instances,

neither person has ever even taken.

‐ The FDA's position on OxyContin

is that it is safe when used as directed.

But we would take action against it

if the drug was shown to be unsafe when used as prescribed.

‐ But determining the safety of the drug is the FDA's job.

‐ And we have already carried out our job

during the approval process. ‐ Well, what if you were wrong?

‐ Bridget. ‐ It's possible.

‐ The FDA would admit we were wrong,

if that was proven to be the case.

‐ So if I were to prove that OxyContin is dangerous

when taken as prescribed, then the FDA would act?

‐ Absolutely. We don't want anyone to get hurt.

But we need proof that the drug itself is defective

if we are going to take a drastic

and restrictive action against any drug,

especially one that millions of people have come to rely upon.

BRIDGET: How many are dying? Who is dying?

And how are they dying?

This is what I want to know.

‐ I'm sorry, what exactly are you asking for?

‐ I want you to pull together all the data we have

on overdose deaths from OxyContin,

and I want them organized by state and region.

‐ The DEA doesn't have data on overdoses.

‐ What do you mean‐‐you don't? ‐ No.

That information would be spread out

across the country, state‐by‐state,

or even county‐by‐county, patchwork of isolated reports.

It would be incredibly difficult to gather it all.

‐ Well, I'm a very difficult woman.

Let's do it.

‐ Are you joking? ‐ No, I'm not.

I want to do an exhaustive study

on OxyContin overdose deaths, and this is key‐‐

I want to know how many of those deaths

are coming from people who are taking the drug

exactly as prescribed.

Is that something you can ascertain from the autopsy?

‐ Potentially, yes, but,

just to be clear, so you understand

exactly what you're asking for. ‐ Okay.

‐ We're going to have to go through

thousands of autopsies individually,

match autopsies with police reports,

and dig through handwritten notes.

It will take quite a bit of time.

‐ I don't care how much time it takes.

RANDY: Morning, Rick.

Happy anniversary.

We opened the case three years ago.

I was gonna get you rhubarb pie,

but the bakery was out.

RICK: Feels like a long three years.

Still haven't even begun to nail a top executive.

‐ Come on, man.

We were so close to a whistleblower.

And we're gonna find another one.

We're solid on misbranding.

We can show the 1% claim was fraudulent.

So, I mean, there's a lot here for a jury.

‐ I'm not worried about a jury.

I'm‐‐I'm worried about Main Justice,

because you know who's gonna go out and lobby

everyone he knows there, and I just don't want

this case to get brushed under the rug.

But if we start charging individuals with felonies,

we need the kill shot.

‐ What was the name of that U.S. Attorney up in Maine?

‐ Jay McCloskey?

‐ Did he dig into Purdue at all?

RICK: I think he had a few meetings with them,

but nothing significant came from it.

I'll reach out to him.

I think he's in private practice now.

‐ We should look into the doctors again.

See if we missed something.

‐ Like what? ‐ Some sort of kickback scheme.

Or maybe an illegal promotion that we can tie back

to upper management.

‐ If we circle back to the doctors,

we should start with the ones

that we busted for over‐prescription.

Maybe after a few years sitting in jail,

they'd be willing to tell us more.

‐ Oh, yeah.

‐ And I'll reach out to Jay McCloskey.

‐ Sounds good.

I'm gonna get to it.

RICK: Hey.

Happy anniversary.

RANDY: You said it.

‐ Tonight, we celebrate OxyContin

passing $1 billion a year in sales!

[all cheer] Yeah!

MARTIN: Two years ahead of schedule.

[all cheer]

Everyone at HQ sends their best wishes,

and they want you all to know that there's no way

they could have done this without you.

‐ That's right.

MARTIN: Hey, we have a hot line to the cab company tonight,

in case, you know, you slip yourself an OxyContin.

‐ [laughter] ‐ So let's get this party

started, all right? DJ!

[upbeat hip‐hop music playing]

DJ: Yeah!

It's about that time to make way

on the dance floor right now.

Hope you got your drinks.

♪ Let's get this party started ♪

DJ: I'ma have a Long Island at the bar.

♪ Let's get this party started, let's go ♪

♪ Okay, okay ♪

‐ Hey, thanks, man.

Can I get another one straight away?

[upbeat hip‐hop music playing]

♪ ♪

Another one?

REP: So when I show up for the first time,

it's 10:00 in the morning,

and there's literally‐‐ it's like a tailgate party.

REP: Are you serious? REP: I shit you not.

They're drinking beers in the parking lot

with a line out the door. ‐ Shit.

‐ It's wild. I literally work one day a month.

‐ You're a fucking asshole.

Working one day a month.

REP: Did you say something, buddy?

REP: Who's this guy? BILLY: Oh, me?

REP: Yeah. ‐ Oh, I said, um,

I said you're a fucking asshole.

Did you not hear? ‐ Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Man, calm down. This fool's just‐‐

‐ No, man, I'm just talking to my new buddy, man.

You got a fucking problem, dude?

‐ Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey.

‐ That's quite a shove. ‐ Sorry, he's totally wasted!

‐ Yeah. You should be careful, though,

'cause I could have spilled it on your suit.

‐ Come on, let's go. ‐ You too.

REP: You should keep your little poodle on a leash.

AMBER: Jesus. We are literally still at work.

What's wrong with you?

‐ I don't know.

AMBER: You're drunk.

Come on, let me take you home and take advantage of you.

‐ Do you even like me, Amber?

Even a little bit?

‐ Sure, I do.

‐ That was very convincing.

BILLY: Excuse me, colleagues.

[rap music continues]

PREACHER: For the Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want.

He maketh me lie down in pastures.

He restoresth my soul.

[parishioners murmuring]

PARISHIONER: The Lord is with us all.

PASTOR: Lord Jesus,

help our dear Betsy

in the struggle against addiction.

PARISHIONER: Yes, Father!

PASTOR: Give her strength to fight this battle.

Hear our cry, oh, Lord!

In the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,

let her be free!

ALL: Let her be free!

PASTOR: Let her be free!

ALL: Let her be free! PASTOR: Let her be free.

‐ Let me be free!

ALL: Let her be free!

‐ Let me be free!

ALL: Let her be free!

‐ Let me be free!

ALL: Let her be free!

‐ Let me be free! PASTOR: Yes.

[door opens]

Betsy, you, uh‐‐you okay?

‐ Pastor, uh...

I'm worried that, uh...

this isn't gonna work for me.

‐ Why is that?

‐ I never believed.

In any of this.

Ever since I was a little girl.

PASTOR: But your‐‐ your folks told me

you been going to church your whole life.

‐ I did it for them.

‐ Well, perhaps part of it was for you too,

without you even knowing it.

You've always been near the Lord.

He's always loved you.

‐ Do you think He can help me now?

‐ Oh, yes. He can.

But you have to accept Him into your heart.

And when you do,

He'll guide you out of this darkness.

He'll cast that devil right out of your soul.

'Cause He loves you, Betsy Mallum,

and deep down inside, you've always loved Him.

‐ Maybe I‐‐maybe I have.

PASTOR: Of course you have.

That's what led you to church every Sunday.

And that love will lead you to the path of recovery.

Would you like to pray with me?

SAMUEL: I'm kind of worried, to be honest with you.

I mean, the recidivism rate is awfully high in these places.

People keep coming back.

What if it just doesn't work?

‐ I've been sober 14 years, seven months,

three weeks, two days.

So many have been saved by this program.

‐ What were you addicted to?

‐ I'm a recovering alcoholic.

‐ Well, I'm on OxyContin. COUNSELOR: Yeah?

And this place‐‐

this place used to be 90% alcohol and cocaine,

and in the past two years, it's 90% OxyContin.

It's all addiction, Samuel. ‐ Yeah.

COUNSELOR: It's all the same fight.

‐ Okay.

‐ I want to talk about the early days,

when you first started prescribing.

Did Purdue give you any kickbacks?

‐ Just the usual stuff.

Expensive dinners, tickets to football games.

I went to a few of their weekend seminars in Orlando.

‐ Anything specific about those weekends that you recall?

‐ Pretty girls.

Stuffed animals.

They made a great case for why the drug was so safe.

‐ What did they say?

‐ That it was basically non‐addictive

because of its time‐release system.

The FDA label was a big part of it.

And the blood charts.

‐ Blood charts. So these‐‐

these are the ones that showed that the drug

plateaued in the bloodstream instead of spiked.

‐ Yeah, those.

‐ Explain those to me, would you?

'Cause I‐‐like, I don't always get the science.

‐ Charts show that the drug remained smooth and even

in the blood because of the timed release,

versus the drug spiking up and down in the blood

of an immediate‐release pill, like Vicodin.

‐ Mm. PARKER: This made the drug

less prone to abuse,

'cause it didn't give the user a feeling of euphoria.

‐ And you found that these charts swayed you

on the drug's safety.

‐ Oh, definitely.

It was the phrase they used.

‐ Fewer peaks and valleys.

‐ I hadn't heard that before, and it felt safe.

‐ But the drug is not safer.

Then...

wouldn't the charts...

be false?

‐ [chuckles] Yeah.

You might be right.

‐ Oh, this chart is absolutely deceptive.

See, right here.

The Y‐axis is on the logarithmic scale,

not a linear one, like most normal charts.

So the top number is 100 mg.

Now, on a normal linear scale,

this number halfway down would be 50.

But see what Purdue did?

They dramatically compressed the scale.

See here, from 10 to 50,

and then from 50 to 100.

‐ What does that mean?

‐ It's been manipulated.

The Purdue chart hides the fact that OxyContin's blood levels

actually drop precipitously in the first few hours.

If we look at the non‐manipulated chart,

we see how it should look.

Even intervals all the way up the axis,

that shows spikes and drops, like all opioids have.

‐ So you're telling us that these OxyContin blood charts,

they deliberately created a false impression.

CHEMIST: 100%.

This is a false plateau.

And unless you're a trained data scientist,

you wouldn't catch it.

What's really strange to me is why the FDA approved it.

‐ This would require FDA approval?

CHEMIST: They approve all these charts.

And there's no way they'd miss the log scale manipulation.

The only way this chart makes it through

the FDA approval process is if they turned a blind eye.

ASA: There is a deep connection

between drugs and terrorism.

It's history,

but it also reflects today's reality.

And no one knows this more than our guest of honor,

Time Magazine's Man of the Year

for his leadership in the wake of 9/11,

and my good friend,

Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

[applause]

RUDY GIULIANI: Thank you, Asa. Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

I'd like to thank those

whose generosity made this exhibit possible

at the DEA Museum.

Drug trafficking funds terrorism.

But beyond that, they are both intended

to break the spirit of this great country.

But that won't happen.

Not with the hard work of the DEA.

Deputy Director Meyer, correct?

‐ Yes, sir. I'm sorry. I'm just‐‐

it's such an honor to meet you.

What you have done for this country was unbelievable.

‐ So important for all of us. RUDY: Thank you.

‐ I lost two friends in the South Tower.

‐ I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry. ‐ Thank you.

‐ But I have to say the honor is mine.

You are the highest‐ranking woman in the DEA, correct?

‐ Yes, sir.

‐ I've heard really great things about you,

and I'd love to chat.

‐ I would be honored. Any time.

‐ How about right now?

‐ Uh, sure.

RUDY: Great.

You may not know this, but I'm a cancer survivor.

BRIDGET: I did know. And I am so sorry.

RUDY: Thank you so much.

I got through it, and because of my experience,

I truly understand the pain and distress

that accompany illness.

I just started a new firm, and I had to really think hard

about what kinds of cases I would take on.

And after what I went through,

I felt like I was in a unique position

to represent Purdue Pharma.

I'd love for you to come to my office

sometime in the next week and see a presentation

that I put together on OxyContin.

I think Purdue has

a wonderful drug.

And they're doing all that they can

to keep it out of the wrong hands.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

‐ How much do you think

Giuliani raised for the DEA Museum?

10 grand? 20?

‐ Whatever it is, it's not good.

BRIDGET: Yeah. ‐ And it's not good

for your investigation. This guy is a national hero.

He's friends with the president.

[knocking on door]

‐ We finally heard from Jay McCloskey,

the U.S. Attorney in Maine. ‐ I know who he is.

‐ Dr. Richard,

you've become very curt with me,

and it's disrespectful.

And frankly, it's getting upsetting.

‐ Jay McCloskey?

‐ Yes.

He's going to chair a law enforcement conference

on how to best deal with the OxyContin issue.

‐ That's good.

‐ I agree.

We need to keep this a law enforcement issue

and not a medical issue.

He's‐‐he's invited us to attend.

And I think we should send a small delegation

to make clear we want to help in any way we can.

‐ Absolutely.

We need him to understand abusers

are compromising life‐saving medications.

We need to keep hammering the abusers.

‐ You know,

I actually think you shouldn't attend.

‐ Why not?

‐ You have really passionate feelings on addiction,

and we need to be as politic as possible right now,

something that you, at times,

are not very good at.

‐ Hm.

Fine.

Just be sure to hammer the abusers.

SAMUEL: I haven't shared very much or spoken

about anything in here, like‐‐

like all‐‐all you guys did.

So I want to‐‐ I want to apologize for that.

I don't know if all of you know this‐‐

some of you might know‐‐ but I was a‐‐

I was a physician

who prescribed OxyContin

to some of my patients.

Some of these people, I considered my friends.

Some of them became addicted.

Some of them died.

Sometimes I think I'm the one who should have died.

These are just good, decent people

who thought they could trust me,

and I feel like I betrayed them,

and I feel like I let them down.

I'm just gonna have to live with that.

I don't even know if I'm ready

to go out into the world, but...

Well, there you go.

Guess I'll give it a shot.

I don't know, I feel, uh,

like I'm still addicted, you know?

Like‐‐like I still need it.

COUNSELOR: Well, these feelings don't magically go away.

It's gonna feel overwhelming at times.

But it is important to live one day at a time.

You know? ‐ Yeah.

‐ Wake up each morning,

recommit to the process.

‐ Okay. Well...

‐ You have someone picking you up?

‐ Yeah. ‐ Good.

‐ Yeah, I'll just wait here. I do.

‐ Hey.

We're here if you need us.

‐ Okay, thank you.

‐ All right.

SINGER: ♪ There ain't nothing that can't be done ♪

♪ By me and God ♪

♪ Ain't nobody gonna come between ♪

♪ Me and God ♪

♪ One day, we'll live together ♪

♪ Where the angels trod ♪

♪ Me and God ♪

BETSY: Dear Lord, thank you for this glorious meal.

For my health, my‐‐my recovery.

But most of all,

I want to thank you for my wonderful parents,

who have stuck with me through the most horrible of times.

I'm so lucky to have them.

And to have you in my life, dear Lord.

I know I wouldn't make it without you all here

to protect me.

Amen.

‐ Amen. ‐ Amen.

Bets, if you come away from this

with a greater love of the Lord,

I promise you it'll be worth it.

‐ I think so too. ‐ [chuckles]

SINGER: ♪ He's my father ♪

♪ He's my friend ♪

♪ The beginning and the end ♪

♪ He rules the world ♪

♪ With a staff and rod ♪

♪ We're a team, me and God ♪

LEAH: Dr. Finnix?

[knocking on door continues]

LEAH: Dr. Finnix.

[knocking]

Dr. Finnix!

[knocking]

Dr. Finnix?

‐ One second.

SAMUEL: Hey.

Hey, how you doing?

‐ Are you joking? You called me last night

and said you were gonna kill yourself.

‐ I did?

No, that's‐‐

I wasn't serious.

‐ Are you gonna invite me in?

SAMUEL: Yeah, please, come in.

‐ I was on the night shift, so I couldn't leave.

I was worried sick about you.

‐ Sit. Come on, sit down.

How you doing? How you doing?

You want some coffee or something?

‐ No. Thank you.

‐ You want some juice?

‐ You're using again, aren't you?

‐ Yeah.

You know, rehab didn't work.

I mean, you know,

people over there just keeps coming in and out,

going back and forth.

They come in, they go out, they come in.

‐ A doctor at the hospital told me the same thing.

He said those places work better for alcohol.

That recovery is a lot harder for opiates.

‐ It's damn near impossible.

‐ Have you thought about methadone?

He said it might work.

‐ Just get addicted, like, trade one for the other one,

'cause those guys‐‐ those Vietnam guys‐‐

the vets I used to work with,

they just called it liquid handcuffs,

'cause you just‐‐ you know, just‐‐same thing.

LEAH: Well, you gotta try something.

‐ Yeah.

‐ I asked around, and there's a good clinic in Knoxville.

It's worth a shot, Dr. Finnix.

‐ I'm not a doctor anymore.

‐ I don't care what you are.

I just don't want you dead.

Can't you at least try it?

RICHARD: I'm sorry, we have to postpone St. Moritz.

‐ But the kids are really looking forward to it.

I mean, David won't shut up about those new skis.

It's‐‐it's only two weekdays.

‐ It's a very serious situation.

A U.S. Attorney in Maine

is causing some real problems for us.

‐ What are you so afraid of?

You're president.

The drug is making a billion a year.

Why can't you just enjoy it?

‐ Maybe I'm not capable of joy.

‐ Then the kids and I will go without you.

‐ Okay.

RANDY: Well, thanks for meeting with us.

I know the FDA must be pretty overwhelmed

with approvals and such.

‐ We are. How can I help you?

‐ We want to know how the approval process works

for scientific charts.

‐ Well, any data that a company wants to use

in marketing and promotions

has to be approved by us, to ensure accuracy.

‐ So if Purdue Pharma used specific language in charts,

then the FDA approved it?

‐ That's correct.

‐ We'd like to ask you

about this blood chart that sales reps at Purdue

showed doctors to demonstrate that the drug

didn't have the same peaks and valleys as other opiates.

MATT: Would you guys give us the room for a minute?

WOMAN: Sure. MATT: Thank you.

Where did you get this? ‐ In discovery, at Purdue.

‐ And you're sure that

this is a chart that Purdue reps actually showed doctors?

‐ Mm‐hmm. A version of it.

There are others that are similar.

‐ It was used in seminars and for promotional purposes.

‐ [quietly] God damn it.

‐ Is that a problem? ‐ Yes, that's a problem.

That's a big problem.

This chart has been manipulated

to give a false impression of the data.

The scale in this column has been deceptively numbered.

Their drug actually spikes like any opioid,

not this bullshit plateau that the graph claims.

‐ Why'd the FDA approve it?

‐ We didn't.

We specifically told Purdue

they could not make these claims.

I can give you the letter we sent them years ago.

And we rejected the use of the term

"fewer peaks and valleys,"

as that is clearly not accurate.

‐ Are you aware that sales reps at Purdue used this term

as a major marketing tool?

‐ Not until this conversation.

Those fucking assholes do this all the time!

They just do whatever the hell they want.

And this division has been pushing back on them for years.

‐ And would you be willing to testify to this

before a grand jury?

‐ Oh, gladly.

MICHAEL: U.S. Attorney McCloskey,

esteemed participants, thank you for including us

in this important conversation and for bringing this

concerning topic to our attention.

‐ This is more than just a concerning topic.

It's a crisis in our state

that stems directly from your drug.

I was reluctant to include representatives

from Purdue here today, but we need all hands on deck,

as this problem continues to escalate.

‐ And we want to do what's right,

so we've come up with some solutions

we believe will be very effective.

‐ Like what?

‐ Doctor?

DOCTOR: Yes, at Purdue Pharma,

we'll immediately commit to hiring a team of expert

independent consultants to develop a strategy

to educate physicians on the ways to identify

addicts and abusers.

‐ This is Rick Mountcastle calling for Jay McCloskey.

I have tried several times, and as a former U.S. Attorney,

I'd expect that he'd at least call me back.

ASSISTANT: Mr. McCloskey apologizes.

He's been very busy.

He'll return your call as soon as possible.

‐ Thank you so much.

‐ What will these experts accomplish?

‐ Phase one of their strategy

will be to have our sales team members

conclude all of their doctor's visits

with a clear reminder:

opioid‐based painkillers are common targets

for both drug abusers and drug addicts.

‐ Mm.

‐ Maybe he's having personal problems.

‐ Mm.

Or maybe he's an asshole.

‐ Easy on the language.

‐ Hey, guys.

You don't need to call him anymore.

I literally just found out why McCloskey's

‐ not returning your calls. RANDY: Why's that?

MICHAEL: Mr. McCloskey,

this is a law enforcement issue.

And the last thing Purdue wants is for addicts and abusers

to cause millions of pain patients

to lose access to the only thing

that provides them with pain relief.

‐ After he went into private practice,

take a wild guess who he took on as a client.

‐ No. GREGG: Yep.

The former U.S. Attorney is now representing Purdue Pharma.

‐ I'll take it under consideration.

‐ They are buying off everybody

who's supposed to be regulating them.

[tense music]

♪ ♪

‐ You know, Randy, I owe you an apology.

RANDY: For what?

‐ Jay McCloskey really is an asshole.

DAVID: 41‐year‐old male.

Died in his sleep. No respiratory arrest.

No suicide note or history of suicidal ideation.

BRIDGET: So this one is a confirmed OxyContin death.

‐ It is. But to be honest,

we're running into some serious issues.

We threw out about a third of the reports

right off the bat, because they're missing key info

or are actually unrelated deaths,

like gunshot wounds or cancer.

‐ Right, we expected that.

‐ Right.

But we didn't expect the biggest hurdle.

Nearly all the reports show multiple drugs

in the deceased's system,

which we excluded from the study,

since we're trying to pin down deaths from Oxy as prescribed.

‐ So where does that leave us?

What number are we at?

‐ It's not what you're looking for.

So far, we've only found

a dozen overdoses with just oxycodone.

‐ Just a dozen.

‐ At this point, we were expecting about 150.

I'm happy to keep going, but it's not promising.

We could do this for months

and barely triple these numbers.

‐ No, no, that's fine.

We can stop.

Thank you for all the hard work.

PAUL: Honey.

I TiVoed 24. Should we watch it?

Bridget.

‐ Oh, um, yeah, sure.

PAUL: You okay?

‐ You don't want to hear about it.

‐ Honey, I do.

Hey, talk to me.

Honey.

‐ I met a kid a few years ago,

in Kentucky.

‐ Uh‐huh.

‐ And interviewing him

was the moment I realized

that there was something unique about the drug.

He just died from an overdose.

I could have done more.

I could have worked harder...

PAUL: Come on, Bridget. ‐ And smarter.

PAUL: This is not your fault.

‐ And I could have saved him.

‐ You did not make this drug.

You did not sell this drug.

‐ I could have worked harder. ‐ Honey.

‐ And I could have done more. ‐ Honey.

This is not on you.

‐ This is gonna sound strange.

But I keep having this fantasy

that I have Richard Sackler

handcuffed to a chair.

And I force him to watch a video of all of the victims

who have died from OxyContin.

Make him face all of his victims.

All the lives cut short for profit.

All the tragedy that he brought to families.

All the communities destroyed

for his family's greed.

I just want him to see it all with his own two eyes

exactly what it is that he has done.

‐ But do you think he'd even care?

‐ No, he wouldn't, would he?

Anyone who would do this in the first place

probably wouldn't at all.

Wouldn't care.

[line ringing]

[phone rings]

‐ Hello?

‐ Hi, Vivian.

It's Richard.

‐ Hey, babe, I'll take this in the other room.

It's a friend.

Hi, Richard.

It's been a long time.

At least 20 years?

‐ Too long.

How's your family?

‐ They're good.

Yours?

‐ The company is doing very well.

‐ I heard. Congratulations.

‐ Thank you.

[exhales]

‐ And your wife.

How's she doing?

‐ She's good.

‐ Well, I'm sure your parents are pleased.

I know they were never fond of me.

‐ I called to see if maybe

we could get lunch sometime.

‐ Um...

No, I don't‐‐ ‐ Yes, of course.

Of course.

Well, I‐‐I have to go.

‐ Are you sure? We can keep talking‐‐

‐ Take care of yourself. ‐ Okay‐‐

[knock on door]

‐ You okay, sir?

‐ Tell me about Maine.

‐ Um, it went very well.

I think we were able to make clear to McCloskey

this is a law enforcement issue,

and I didn't get the sense

he's going to push to regulate the medication.

‐ [exhales]

‐ He said he wants to keep in open communication with us.

‐ I think we definitely should.

‐ Um, even so,

with the U.S. Attorney sniffing around,

we might need to be extra careful with

what people are putting in writing.

We've begun the process of creating an email system

in which specified emails instantly delete

as soon as they've been read.

‐ That's an excellent idea.

[gentle music]

♪ ♪

‐ [breathing heavily]

Dear Lord, help me defeat the Devil.

Give me the strength to shun his evil ways.

I need You to help me with temptation, dear Lord.

Protect me from harm.

Keep me on the path of the righteous.

Guide me with Your wisdom and Your love.

I promise...

I promise I will worship You for all of eternity.

WALT: Little Bets.

Hey, girl.

‐ Hey, Walt. ‐ How you doing?

‐ Uh, listen.

You got any Oxy? ‐ Yeah, no, no.

I ain't had no Oxy in months.

But, um, I got something better.

Get out of here. Don't touch me!

Get your hands off me!

I'm sorry about that. You all right?

‐ I'm in real bad shape. ‐ Yeah.

Well, I ain't got no OCs, but I got some H.

It's way cheaper,

‐ and it's way better. ‐ Uh...

‐ There ain't nothing to be scared about.

It's me.

You know?

Want to try it?

‐ Okay.

‐ Huh? Yeah, well, come on in.

‐ All right. ‐ I'm sorry it's a mess.

Come on. Yeah, come on in here.

Make yourself comfortable.

‐ Okay, okay. ‐ Good.

Yeah, warm up.

Hey, you're gonna like it, I promise.

Take your jacket off.

[dark, moody music]

♪ ♪

OFFICER: Sign in, please.

NURSE: Samuel.

Other side, please.

‐ Hello, Samuel. SAMUEL: Hi.

‐ The doctor's gonna start you on 35 mg.

You'll get used to it.

Now drink the water.

Okay, have a seat.

We need you to hang out for an hour,

just to make sure you don't have a negative reaction.

And after that, I will see you here every day,

bright and early, seven days a week.

‐ Okay.

‐ Hey. Hard part's over.

You're on the road to recovery now.

‐ Yeah.

[toy cranking]

DAVID: Hello? BRIDGET: Hey.

Hey, sorry to, uh, bother you so late.

‐ No, no, I'm just catching up on my non‐Oxy work.

‐ Um, sorry about that.

DAVID: Don't be. What's up?

‐ Um, I know a lot of other drugs are commonly prescribed

along with OxyContin, like Xanax and antidepressants.

Would it be possible to separate out

other non‐lethal prescription drugs

with Oxy in their systems?

‐ Because those drug combinations most likely

would have been taken as approved by the FDA.

‐ Exactly, if we separate out non‐lethal combos,

then we end up with a more accurate number

of Oxy‐related overdoses, right?

Can you make that distinction?

‐ Absolutely.

Okay, we're likely missing quite a few deaths

that are just too difficult to uncover.

But even so, with the changes to our methodology,

the results are frankly shocking.

When combined with non‐lethal medications,

we found far more deaths linked to OxyContin

than had previously been estimated.

464.

‐ 464.

‐ Yeah, but that's not the biggest thing.

Only 12 of those are the result of

chewing, snorting, or injecting,

which means 98% of those deaths

were the result of people taking the pills orally,

as directed.

Our findings suggest it's most probably

not the abuser who's dying from OxyContin consumption.

‐ It's pain patients,

who are taking the drug exactly as prescribed.

‐ Correct.

They're the ones dying from overdoses,

based on these autopsies.

My latest theory, from all this new data,

is that actual abusers

are switching to cheaper drugs like heroin.

‐ This is exactly what you needed to prove

to the FDA, isn't it?

[tense music]

♪ ♪

‐ Could you excuse me for a moment?

[breathing heavily]

[quietly] I got you.

I got you. I fucking got you. I got you.

I fucking got you.

I fucking got you, lying motherfuckers!

[Rage Against The Machine's Sleep Now in the Fire]

♪ ♪

SINGER: ♪ The world is my expense ♪

♪ The cost of my desire ♪

♪ Jesus blessed me with its future ♪

♪ And I protect it with fire ♪

♪ So raise your fists and march around ♪

♪ Just don't take what you need ♪

♪ I'll jail and bury those committed ♪

♪ And smother the rest in greed ♪

♪ Crawl with me into tomorrow ♪

♪ Or I'll drag you to your grave ♪

♪ I'm deep inside your children ♪

♪ They'll betray you in my name ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Hey, hey ♪

♪ Sleep now in the fire ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Hey, hey ♪

♪ Sleep now in the fire ♪

♪ The lie is my expense ♪

♪ The scope of my desire ♪

♪ The party blessed me with its future ♪

♪ And I protect it with fire ♪

♪ I am the Niña, the Pinta, the Santa Maria ♪

♪ The noose and the rapist, the fields overseer ♪

♪ The agents of orange, the priests of Hiroshima ♪

♪ The cost of my desire ♪

♪ Sleep now in the fire ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Hey, hey ♪

♪ Sleep now in the fire ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Hey, hey ♪

♪ Sleep now in the fire ♪

[rooster crows]

[fanfare]