Reply to The Dropout on Hulu (Elizabeth Holmes story)

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[quote=Anonymous]The Elizabeth/Sunny relationship is so disturbing and they do a great job of portraying it in a way that seems both realistic, and sort of explains what happened at Theranos, but also shows the subtleties of this kind of strange power dynamic.

It's hard for me to call it an abusive relationship because Sunny really does not hold all the cards. He's definitely exploiting her as a source of power, money, and access. But she's exploiting him too. She so clearly wants/needs older men to serve as father figures and not only tell her what to do but also shoulder the responsibility as well. Repeatedly, she's in situations where it seems like she can see that she needs to come clean, or find a way to extract herself. And repeatedly, she leans on Sunny or one of the older men in her orbit to reassure her into staying the course. She is clearly incredibly insecure but derives a ton of validation from having these older men praise her and support her. So to say that Sunny, or any of these guys, is purely exploiting her would be false. She's using them too.

I love how dour and unlikeable they make the Laurie Metcalf character because (1) I think that's pretty true to life, and (2) it really highlights the degree to which Elizabeth's youth and blondness (she's honestly not even that pretty, though of course Amanda Siefried is beautiful) was a huge part of the appeal. Dr. Gardener is what "powerful women in STEM" usually actually means -- middle aged women who have worked hard for decades, sometimes making compromises with regards to family and relationships that may have hardened them or made them more jaded, who are serious and no-nonsense and very, very confident. The men love Elizabeth specifically because she's so unsure of herself, so willing to be guided by them. She's so pliable.

The whole thing is revolting. Look at what all these rich, powerful, men and this one uneducated white girl did! It's just really disgusting to watch unfold. I think this show is really good but there's an element of hate-watch for me because I feel really angry watching it all happen.[/quote]

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