Given how implicitly we (mostly) trust those in the medical profession it makes sense that such praise could give way to their intentional negligence. And such is the case with the stories behind Dr. Death, a (now) anthology series that takes its inspiration from the Wonderey podcast that detailed egregious cases of medial malpractice.
The first season centred itself around Christopher Duntsch (portrayed by Joshua Jackson), a surgeon convicted after permanently mutilating his patients, ultimately killing two of them. For this second season, Paolo Macchiarini, a Swiss-Italian surgeon and medical researcher, earns star focus, with Edgar Ramirez utilising his easy charm to believably convey the seductive and sinister nature of his character.
As the series begins with the imagery of bloodied hands and a transplant patient gasping for breath, we know Ashley Michael Hoban‘s created narrative won’t be pleasant, but it’s getting to such a point that naturally proves Dr. Death‘s most interesting aspect, especially as Paolo is so highly regarded in his field, believing to have revolutionized regenerative medicine and organ transplantation by inventing synthetic windpipes.
The series takes place between 2011 and 2014, though it’s 2013 that proves the most relevant in the timeline, as that’s when Paolo meets Benita Alexander (Mandy Moore), a journalist in New York City juggling her career, a young daughter, and her ex-husband’s cancer diagnosis at once. Due to Paolo’s charm – and Ramirez’s intoxicating portrayal – we understand why Benita, who’s poised and professional in her delivery towards him as she interviews him for a segment about his procedures, quite quickly falls for him. There’s an intensity to the chemistry generated between Ramirez and Moore, and so much of the show banks its emotional investment on their love affair – and, thankfully, it pays off.
As the timeline jumps between different years and locations – there’s also a 2012 interlude in Sweden – Dr. Death occasionally loses its footing, especially when giving us scenarios that play out before Paolo and Benita meet. Their connection is the show’s strongest aspect, and it’s halfway through the season that it truly hits its stride, with Benita’s journalistic strengths coming to the forefront as she uncovers Paolo’s plot-hole of a life, as well as a truly heartbreaking revelation regarding one of his patients and her trust in his synthetic windpipes. Whilst the romance angle makes sense, had the earlier episodes not been quite as focused on such, there’d be an even stronger, more unnerving series to show for it.
Though the show balances its real-life drama with narrative exaggerations, Dr. Death never talks the medical profession down – even when it so obviously could; though it certainly does showcase those that were complicit with his actions. Paolo was a charming figure who duped many, and the institutions that equally suffered at his hands adds an emotional weight to proceedings, and combined with Moore’s stern performance as the one woman willing to risk it all against a man who felt his hand of cards was unbeatable, Dr. Death truly tells a tale worth experiencing.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Dr. Death Season 2 is streaming on Peacock in the United States from December 21st, 2023, and on Stan in Australia from December 22nd.
