The Dropout Review: Flower of Life (Season 1 Episode 5)
On The Dropout Season 1, Episode 5, “Flower of Life,” Elizabeth is once again front and center.
My fear for this series has been that we’ll get bored with it. It’s a story that repeats the same plot every episode, and it’s a story that has already given us the ending. So how is it that we’re still entertained by it?
Honestly, I have no idea how. And yet, it’s entirely entertaining!
William H. Macy as Dr. Richard Fuisz is the shining star of the hour. We’ve seen glimpses of him in previous episodes, but now we finally get to see him in action. It’s what we’ve been waiting for.
Undeniably, every episode moves the story along a bit. But it’s gotten slower and slower. It seems the past three episodes have been some version of “How are we going to stop her?” from various characters. It’s a little tired, but again, it’s still entertaining.
The only reason I can think that explains this is the casting.
At the end of this series, no matter how it is written or how each character is resolved (we know that even with real-life stories like this, shows sometimes exercise creative license), I think we’ll all agree the casting could not be better.
Another important role during “Flower of Life” is Stephen Fry as Ian Gibbons. His character’s story ends tragically, but his performance stands out and helps to fuel Elizabeth’s story, especially as we see her reaction to his death.
Every episode I wonder if Elizabeth can get any more heartless. Apparently, the answer is yes. Her refusal to admit defeat at the failure of Theranos has directly contributed to a colleague’s suicide, and her immediate reaction is to be glad he cannot testify against the company.
Elizabeth also introduces a new Theranos slogan: “So no one ever has to say goodbye too soon.” She uses the story of her recently deceased uncle to gain sympathy and drive the story for her employees but shows no actual remorse or feelings at that uncle’s funeral.
Clearly, we’re going to keep seeing this same sort of thing until the end of the series. Elizabeth will continue ruining the lives of those close to her, and people who love her are going to keep defending her. She’s going to be evil, and we’re going to enjoy hating her.
And there will be new episodes coming with more of the same. So why are we still watching?
Because in the end, we get to see a bad rich person go down. It’s the build-up to the ultimate climax for all of us. She will keep getting away with everything, and then, eventually, she won’t.
We just don’t hate Elizabeth enough yet to see her downfall. Sure, we dislike her very much. She’s a fraud, she’s heartless, she’s ruthless, and she has almost no redeeming qualities. But there’s still a hint of sympathy for her.
Bit by bit, that sympathy wanes. There’s only so much we can love about someone like her, after all. At every point where she fails, we hope she uses that opportunity to give up and move on, even though we know she won’t.
In other words, right now, she’s just girl bossing a little too close to the sun. But by the end, she’s going to be the epitome of everything that is wrong with corporate America.
And since we know how her story ends already, we can imagine how much we’re going to enjoy it when it happens.
My conclusion after this episode: Stick with it. When it’s mundane, when it feels like we’ve seen this one before, keep watching. If my predictions are right, we’re all going to be grateful for the payoff.
What did you think of this episode of The Dropout? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Dropout airs Thursdays on Hulu.
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