Netflix’s Painkiller charts the birth of the opioid crisis in the US through the story of pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma, who created the drug OxyContin.
Created by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, the miniseries follows the origins and impact of OxyContin across the US, a painkiller drug which was widely marketed without any concerns for its side effects and addictive qualities.
A synopsis describes the show as “an examination of crime, accountability, and the systems that have repeatedly failed hundreds of thousands of Americans”.
The show stars Uzo Aduba as Edie Flowers, an investigator pursuing Purdue Pharma over its marketing, alongside Matthew Broderick as the company’s president Richard Sackler. Other cast members include Sam Anderson, Taylor Kitsch and Carolina Bartczak.
What happens to Richard Sackler at the end of Painkiller?
Just as a trial against Purdue Pharma gets underway, the judge announces the company has settled the matter out of court, with Purdue agreeing to “plead guilty to one count of fraudulently misbranding OxyContin”. In the terms of the settlement however, the company is still allowed to keep making OxyContin.
After the verdict, the show jumps ahead to 2019 with the announcement that Purdue Pharma has filed for bankruptcy as a result of multiple lawsuits. In a text card on screen, it’s noted that the Sacklers agreed to pay a settlement of $6billion.
We’re then shown a scene of Richard Sackler returning home to the ghost of his uncle Arthur, who proceeds to repeatedly punch Richard for “ruining the family business”. During this scene, we’re shown further text cards highlighting how final approval for Purdue’s bankruptcy is still pending as of March 2023, and that no member of the Sackler family has ever been criminally charged over the marketing of OxyContin or any overdose deaths involving the drug.
The final shot shows Richard, after imagining his dead uncle beating him up, walking upstairs as he hears the sound of a smoke detector. The name ‘Sackler’ is then shown on screen, before it crumbles away.
What happened to Edie and Greg at the end?
After being dissatisfied with the settlement reached in her case against Purdue Pharma, Edie Flowers leaves her job behind as an investigator for the US Attorney’s Office. She decides instead to focus on reconciling with her family.
In the final shot, Edie is seen returning home where she’s greeted by her brother Shawn, who has since been released from prison.
Greg, meanwhile, has the most heartbreaking conclusion. After appearing to have a breakthrough in his addiction recovery, the final episode sees Glen relapse and overdose on OxyContin pills.
We last see him unconscious in a parked car outside of a convenience store, where passersby attempt to help but he doesn’t wake. As we never see Glen again in the series, it’s assumed he has died from the overdose.
Painkiller is available to stream on Netflix.
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