Senior Trisha Dasgupta discusses the fifth episode of Hulu’s The Dropout in her blog, The Dropout Diaries.
The Circle of Life: episode five
The Theranos scandal has become a running joke- while there’s a general consensus that it was a serious series of crimes, the absurdity of it all sometimes overshadows the genuine harm done by Elizabeth Holmes’ continuous lying. This week’s episode of The Dropout (titled, The Circle of Life) was haunting and very well done, all of the storylines working in conjunction with each other to start to show the more egregious wrongs that took place within the Theranos headquarters.
Real people-workers and then later patients- were exploited and treated like collateral damage, all in the name of facilitating this mirage of success that Holmes was peddling to investors. Throughout the fifth episode the main character is neither Sunny Balwani or Holmes- rather former Theranos chemist Ian Gibbons.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Ian Gibbons’ story for weeks after I first heard about it in the eponymous podcast the show is based off of. All he had ever wanted to do was to help people, and yet here was, mistreated by a company who he himself had believed in. Stephen Fry (Gibbons) and Kate Burton (Rochelle Gibbons) did an excellent job of portraying this devastating story on the television screen, adding emotional nuance to an already complex portrayal.
While this episode was a little more all over the place than the last few episodes (which were more focused on specific chunks of time) the handling of Gibbons’ story and the incredible monologues delivered by Amanda Seyfriend (Holmes) and William H. Macy (Richard Fuisz) makes up for any shortcomings.
A particular scene that stood out to me was the final deposition of Fuisz towards the end of the episode, where Macy delivers an angry rant about the investors who are encouraging Theranos’s crimes. It offered an interesting perspective in the episode, especially as it just followed the scene where news of Gibbon’s death broke.
The show is ramping up now- we are about halfway through the nine episodes that will be released. This week we ended with a familiar face from the pilot, one promising that action is coming soon. So far the show has been a really fun watch and I’m curious to see Dylan Minnette’s performance as Tyler Shultz in the upcoming episodes, as well as the direction Seyfried is going to take her portrayal of Holmes.
Fallon Buckner
Drawing her whole life, senior Fallon Buckner hope to become an art teacher. “I want to become certified to be a first grade teacher as well as an art teacher,” Buckner said. “I believe you need a lot of creativity to engage children and teach them things so they will want to learn.”
Grade: 12th
Future College: University of North Texas
Future Job: Elementary school teacher
Wingspan: How long have you been sketching?
Buckner: “I’ve been drawing my whole life. I love drawing and I don’t really know when I started. I just know that it’s always been something I’ve done.”
Wingspan: How did you get into sketching?
Buckner: “I used to see cartoons and draw them, and it sparked me to want to draw my own cartoons and characters.”
Wingspan: What types of sketches do you usually do/ like to do?
Buckner: “I usually like to do more cartoon based sketches or sketches based on black culture. I do realistic art sometimes but not all the time.”
Wingspan: Is it something you taught yourself or came naturally to you?
Buckner: “It kind of came naturally. I never really taught myself, it just progressively got better but I think I still have a lot to learn.”
Wingspan: What other types of art forms do you like to do?
Buckner: “I like to paint and sew. I love creating whole bodies of work on wood or odd things to paint on like jeans.”
Wingspan: Do you have to have a certain type of vibe or mood to sketch?
Buckner: “Not really sometimes the best art I make is when I sketch in a notebook during class. Sitting and creating full blown artwork takes time and patience but sometimes simple doodles are the prettiest.”
Wingspan: How do you express yourself through art?
Buckner: “I believe I express my own features and personality through my artwork. I love creating characters with flaws because I love natural flaws that make art unique and make people unique and I believe showcasing that is important.”
Wingspan: Have you considered implementing sketching and drawing into your future career?
Buckner: “Yes, I am majoring in primary education because I want to become certified to be a first grade teacher as well as an art teacher. I believe you need a lot of creativity to engage children and teach them things so they will want to learn.”
Wingspan: What inspires your art?
Buckner: “African American culture really inspires my work especially hairstyles and facial features that predominantly people of color have. I believe it has been taught to us that western beauty standards are normal but I choose to focus on the beauty of those who are different as well as western culture. Highlighting the beauty of women and men of color to imposter them motivates most of my artwork.”