This program is based on real events.
However, certain characters, names, incidents, location, and dialogue
have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.
However, our story is not fiction. We lost our son Riley at...
[sobbing]
...28 years old. He became addicted to OxyContin
from a back injury. Uh...
He tried his hardest to...
get right and get straight again and get sober,
and he just couldn't do it.
He was a wonderful kid, he had the biggest heart you ever saw,
and our lives will never be the same.
I can't.
- [traffic passing by] - [indistinct chatter]
Hello.
First, I want you to know I'm sorry.
I am.
I'm really sorry.
You have to know that I thought I was helping people. At first.
You have to believe that because that's what I believed.
[sobbing] And then I knew I wasn't helping people.
And then I kept doing it.
I still did it.
And I think it's because money fucks with your head.
It fucked with my head,
and I think about if I could go back and if I could do it different...
But I don't... I don't know.
I don't know.
I'm sorry.
I had no idea how weak...
How weak I am.
And I just... I'm done.
I'm done hurting people. I'm done.
Do I look like a psychiatrist?
[sobbing]
This is e-mails, call notes, everything, from day one.
I will do whatever you need.
[dramatic music playing]
[Edie] I didn't care much for that little Shannon Shaeffer,
but she loaded us up.
Gave us the case we needed to present to the DOJ.
We had Purdue by the balls. This was the fucking crown jewels.
What can you tell me about titrating up?
That meant that we wanted the doctors to continuously increase
- the dosage they were giving patients. - [Edie] They told you that?
Felt like the sheriff in an old Western movie.
- Who are we talking about? - Britt told me most of the things to say.
If you wanna make some money, get doctors to prescribe a higher dosage.
- [Edie] Britt what? - [Shannon] Hufford.
There was Mr. Udell.
It's best that you call us.
Their success reflected my success.
Richard wanted us to get them to trust us, to listen to us, to believe us.
- [Pelletier] You've done good work, John. - Team effort.
[Pelletier] When we go after a Mafia, we don't attack the family head on.
That's what we did with Enron. Purdue should be no different.
We start with the lieutenants.
People who know the truth and have a lot to lose.
That's Howard Udell for sure.
Goldenheim and Friedman were there every step of the way too.
Once you pop these guys, it's just another step up the ladder.
Let's get them.
- Hell-fucking-yeah. - [John] I'm in.
[man 1] Hell-fucking-yes.
- [man 2] Amen. - [Edie] Yeah.
- Think we can get him to flip? - [John] We only need one.
Mr. Friedman...
consider this meeting a professional courtesy.
The United States is going to be bringing a case against you.
So now is the time for you to make a choice.
Will you be cooperating with us?
Or will you be making things much more difficult for yourself?
This is our case.
The United States versus you.
- What could you possibly charge me with? - It's a felony to lie about a drug,
and it's a felony to make money off a drug you know you lied about,
and it's a felony to conspire with others to make money off a drug
you all lied about together.
How about this?
Fuck all of you.
[Howard] This is horseshit.
- The DOJ will never support this. - They already have.
In addition to all the above, we're charging you, Mr. Udell...
specifically with lying to Congress.
You're charging me?
You might wanna look through that report.
Why me?
Oh. You're the one who testified to Congress
that the first time you heard OxyContin was being abused
was when the U.S. attorney from Maine sent that letter to all the doctors.
[John] We know that was a lie.
[Edie] I'm sure everybody knew it,
but you're the one who said it, Dr. Goldenheim.
You're twisting my words.
So you're wondering now, "Will Purdue protect me,
or throw me to the wolves to save the company?"
It's a good question.
Do you really believe Richard Sackler gives a fuck about you or your family?
And speaking as a wolf, we're ready for you
and we're gonna put you in jail for a long time, Dr. Goldenheim.
Or you can cooperate.
[all howling]
- What are we supposed to do? - I don't wanna go to jail.
No one is going to jail.
Someone is going to jail, and it's not gonna be me!
[Howard] They are not interested in us. We are small fish.
- Quiet! Quiet! - They want you. They want the family.
Nobody is gonna do a damn thing until we get organized.
- I knew they would come for us. - We just have to lawyer up.
You didn't take them seriously and now these hillbillies are gonna disembowel us.
What were you thinking? You know?
I wish I knew.
- It's not fucking okay! - Come on, keep it together!
You think you're on some holy fucking crusade?
- Huh? - Get off!
Stop!
You think you're helping people? Fixing something that's broken?
- [whistles] - [dog barking]
[smoke detector beeps]
We'll take care of you. You've been loyal and you've done absolutely nothing...
- Unch, shut the fuck up! - [whimpering]
- Son! Don't talk to the dog... - Dad, shut the fuck up.
[Britt] You don't judge me!
I'm not a bad person.
Fuck is this?
- Snap out of it! Look at me. - I mean it!
Executives at Purdue have declined to cooperate.
Any idea what Purdue is offering them to stay in line?
- They're not taking us seriously. - No.
A case like this hasn't gone to trial since Big Tobacco.
- Exactly. - They fought.
Our case is miles ahead of theirs.
And they ended up paying $260 billion.
We're going to trial, aren't we?
Oh, yeah, we're going to trial.
[Mortimer] It's time to talk settlement, Richie.
We must protect our name.
It stands for culture, the arts, education, science.
Yeah. If not, we are gonna forever be known as the OxyContin family.
- Is that what you want? - I built this. I will defend it.
[Mortimer] We need to cut a deal.
It's important we resolve this right away, son.
If you retreat at all, if you give them an inch,
they will never, ever stop coming after us.
They will come after you
and your money and your galleries and your schools.
They will hunt you down. It might take years.
You might be dead and gone, but they will destroy this family.
They will dismantle everything we've built,
brick by brick.
- That's just not true, Richard. - It is true. It is fucking true.
Mark my words.
If we admit to any wrongdoing, at all, they will make us pay forever.
Do not give them an inch.
[breathing heavily]
[smoke detector beeps]
Well, everybody wants to be the man 'til it's time to be the man.
[smoke detector beeps]
- Yes. - Mm.
What should I do?
Oh, you wanna know what to do?
You want some advice now?
You want me to take the wheel now that the car is about to go off the cliff?
Please, be nice.
Nice? We are far past nice.
We left nice a long time ago.
We left nice in earwax removers.
We are no longer in the realm of nice.
We are good people.
- We're giving people their lives back. - Okay, okay. Where you going?
- I don't know. - Then we don't need to go anywhere yet.
- No? Okay. - Okay, no.
You're a good boy. I need you to be strong.
[smoke detector beeps]
You're okay, that's it. We are gonna go to war.
- Okay. - You're gonna go to war now.
- Yep. - Yep, but war is not nice.
This is real war. It's ugly and it's dirty and it hurts.
Come on, it's okay. No, no, no. Don't go. Okay. Okay. Okay.
- You got this. Okay. Oh, yeah. - [groaning]
[sobbing]
I don't wanna go to war.
Nobody wants to go to war, but war is not a choice.
It's time for you to fight.
- You are strong and smart. - Yeah.
- You will fight and we will win. - Okay.
The Purdue and the Sackler name must survive. Do you hear me?
- Say it with me. They must survive! - They must survive!
- I'll win! - I'll win.
- I'll fight! - I'll fight.
- I will fight! - I will fight!
- And I will win! - I will win!
Yes. Sackler!
- Sackler! - Yeah.
I will fight! I will fight!
[smoke detector beeps]
I will fight.
[Edie] Richard and Purdue went out and bought
the most expensive lawyers money could buy.
My name is Mary Jo White.
I was the first female U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
I led the prosecution against Gambino crime boss John Gotti in 1992.
And the World Trade Center bomber, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, in 1993.
I'm Howard Shapiro.
I was general counsel for the FBI from 1993 to 1997.
Rudolph William Louis Giuliani.
We had 'em, we had 'em, we had 'em.
- [muzak playing over speakers] - [indistinct chatter]
What?
I said congrats. A month, that's legit.
Oh.
Thanks, man.
[woman] Next.
- Morning, Shelby. - Hi, Glen.
- How are you? - Good.
[Shelby] Congrats on 30 days.
- Thank you. Have a good day. - You too.
["Heroin" playing]
Let's get out of here.
- [Tyler] You all good? - I'm all good.
Okay. So, what does methadone taste like?
Uh...
A little bit of cat piss and a lot of cough syrup.
- Yeah, but does it work? - It works. It's gonna work.
I know my word means nothing right now, but it will.
- Let's get a fucking burger. - Hell yeah.
Hey.
None of this was your fault.
You understand?
- I love you. - I love you too.
What do you say we clean this pigsty up?
You got it, chief.
[Glen] I'll be needing my best employee back at work.
- [Tyler] That depends. - Maybe a little more than weekends.
I'm listening. We can discuss the terms of renegotiation.
- Are we negotiating? Maybe... - We are. I'm forming a union.
Good luck.
- Are you working for free now, Mom? - You couldn't afford me.
- I can't afford you? - No, you can't.
[Glen] Let's get you another cucumber, right?
Okay.
Oh, no. This is very serious right here.
You got a screw loose here.
You know what that means, I gotta double, triple check every screw
in every drawer throughout the house, just to safeguard it.
That's a potential disaster if I don't. I'll have to stay the night.
- Glen... - What?
- You gotta go. - Go where?
Where am I going?
[door closes]
Don't do this.
We made a deal.
Okay.
I miss you.
I miss being here.
I miss...
whatever that thing is.
I miss Kaylee.
May I sleep beside you tonight?
You gotta go.
Okay.
♪ 'Cause it makes me feel Like I'm a man... ♪
Loud and clear.
♪ When I put a spike into my vein ♪
♪ And I'll tell ya Things aren't quite the same... ♪
Give me a kiss.
♪ And I feel just like Jesus' son... ♪
- I love you. - Me too.
♪ And I guess that I just don't know ♪
♪ And I guess... ♪
- Good night, Ty. - [Tyler] Good night!
♪ I ♪
♪ Have made ♪
♪ The big decision ♪
[chuckles]
♪ I'm ♪
♪ Gonna try ♪
♪ To nullify my life ♪
♪ 'Cause when the blood begins to flow ♪
♪ When it shoots up the dropper's neck ♪
♪ When I'm closing in on death ♪
[Edie] The countless hours, the moments of hopelessness,
were about to pay off.
[crowd shouting]
Purdue was caught lying to Congress.
We were going after Friedman, Udell, and Goldenheim.
They were facing significant jail time.
There would be no settlement.
Thousands of people...
[woman] Rot in jail, you killers!
[Edie] These fools would be our first conviction.
And the next one is Dr. Richard Sackler.
[pensive music playing]
[smoke detector beeps]
[indistinct chatter]
Brownlee!
You lie, you hurt people,
you let greed dominate you, you go down and you get what you deserve.
Justice.
[bailiff] All rise.
A settlement has been reached.
[tense music playing]
[mouthing words]
Purdue has agreed to plead guilty
to one count of fraudulently misbranding OxyContin.
[woman] That's bullshit!
[man] Are you kidding me?
[spectators shouting]
- [Edie] Raymond and Mortimer called Rudy. - [phone rings]
This is Rudy.
Mm-hm.
[Edie] Rudy called Congress.
Congress called the White House.
The White House called the DOJ.
- The DOJ called... Brownlee. - [cell phone ringing]
Brownlee.
[spectators murmuring]
Okay.
Yeah.
[Edie] Brownlee essentially had to cut a deal.
Michael Friedman, Howard Udell, and Paul Goldenheim
have agreed to plead guilty
to one count each of misdemeanor misbranding.
[dramatic music playing]
And that's how the fucking game is played.
Half a million people die,
and guys like Richard Sackler make a phone call in the middle of the night
and absolutely nothing changes.
Brownlee, what is going on?
You guys can't even look me in the eye. Look at me, goddamn it!
Except for Purdue's bank account, which only gets bigger
and bigger and bigger and bigger.
We believe that this afternoon, justice was served.
- Julie Hall! - [crowd] Julie Hall!
- [man] Tim Webber! - [crowd] Tim Webber!
[man] Ginger Parker!
Today is a good day for patients suffering from pain.
- [man] Tim Webber! - [crowd] Tim Webber!
And for the physicians to provide their care.
- [man] Ginger Parker! - [crowd] Ginger Parker!
- [man] Julie Hall! - [crowd] Julie Hall!
- [man] Tim Webber! - [crowd] Tim Webber!
[shouting]
I believe that as a result of this settlement...
[crowd shouting]
...Purdue will now be marketing and promoting its products
in an honest and responsible manner.
[Edie] Richard Sackler, you did a good job making all that money.
[sighs]
I was so fucking stupid.
Calling it a slap on the wrist would be an exaggeration.
Purdue was making $30 million a week.
[clears throat] And the worst part...
the very worst part of it all is that Purdue didn't have to stop.
They got to keep making OxyContin.
[Arthur] You just don't get it. What happened to going to war?
This game you're playing, the fact that you're playing it at all,
major mistake. Fight! Big mistake.
You hammered one too many abusers, one too many children died,
now you're lawyering up with the lowest, filthiest krill specimen on earth.
Rudy Giuliani is a swamp creature.
You will be permanently covered in a very specific flavor of shit
that will never wash off.
Settling is a huge mistake.
I don't care.
You'll be kicked out of the tribe.
- What tribe? - The only tribe that matters.
New York, London, Paris. The tribe.
Fuck your tribe.
I don't care about museums or King Tut's coffin or Fabergé eggs.
Arthur, most people have awful taste.
You evidently have impeccable taste.
I have no taste. Zero.
I care about making money and winning. That's it.
I win, period.
By any means necessary.
Fuck your tribe.
[Edie] After the settlement,
Richard doubled down and the floodgates opened.
They gave Purdue a "get out of jail free" card,
and they took full advantage,
recording record profits.
And everything we worked for,
all of our evidence, and here's the fucking killer...
part of striking the deal with Purdue meant that we had to bury it all.
It was all sealed.
All because of a phone call in the middle of the night.
Brownlee was part of the system.
I gave him more credit than he was due.
Yeah, that was it for me because that was my, uh...
"this is how life really works" moment.
Good guys don't win.
I was done playing the game, so I got out.
I was out.
What do you want?
I came to talk to you.
- Didn't think I'd see you again. - I know.
I don't know that if I have anything to say to...
Shawn. Can you please just sit down?
All right.
I was so angry with you.
I held judgment against you.
I never gave you the chance to, um...
become somebody else besides that...
pissed off 19-year-old boy.
What do you want me to say?
You said it all.
You told me that you got your GED.
And that you know how to cook now.
[sobbing] And that you didn't get parole, with no explanation.
And you told me over and over in letter after letter and...
you told me all of that, that'd you'd become a man.
I didn't have anyone else to tell.
I'm so sorry I wasn't listening.
You're my brother and you are my only family.
I am sorry for...
letting you stay here by yourself.
I thought you were bad.
It turned out I didn't know what bad was.
I know now.
And it's not you.
And I really want you to know me too, okay?
I want you to know me.
[rock music playing in distance]
[groans]
Shut up!
[groans]
Holy shit.
Fucking...
Hey!
Fuck.
Ma'am.
- Hey. - [music stops]
[cartoons playing on TV]
Ma'am. Hey.
Tell me you're good.
Wake the fuck up, guys.
Hey, wake up.
What the fuck?
[tense music playing]
[sighs]
- [Lily] Hello? - [Glen] Hey, babe.
- Hi. - I just...
I'm... I'm just calling to see if you want me to pick up...
anything for dinner tonight.
Give you a night off.
No, it's okay, you don't have to do that.
No, I... I want to.
Okay, if you want to.
I'll pick it up from... From Tony's.
Can you get me some of that stuff that I like?
- Grilled calamari coming up. - Yeah, the calamari.
- Can you get extra horseradish? - Okay.
Okay, yeah, let's... Let's do that.
Are you okay? You sound tired.
No, no, it's just these...
These neighbors have been just up all night, so...
You didn't get into a fight, did you?
Honey, I'm good.
You know I adore you, right?
I adore you.
Okay. I'll see you soon.
Okay.
Bye.
[phone beeps]
[snorting]
[tense music playing]
[Lily, distorted] You okay? You sound tired. You sound tired.
You didn't get into a fight, did you?
[clears throat]
That's it.
That's, uh...
all I got.
I hope that helps.
You know everything now that I know.
Thank you, Ms. Flowers.
I'm sure it will.
You've been a great help.
I sincerely wish you guys luck.
[ominous music playing]
[snorting]
[Glen, distorted] OxyContin...
[Dr. Hartman] It is as safe as any other opioid.
[Glen] OxyContin gave me my life back.
Thank you, Purdue Pharma.
[pensive music playing]
[echoing] Hey.
None of this was your fault.
Understand?
I love you.
Here. Look at this.
I'm at an 11 right now!
Write the fucking script!
[heartbeat racing]
[heartbeat slowing]
Hey, bud. You all right?
Hey. Come on, bud. Let's go. Get up.
Ah, jeez.
Hey, man, you all right? Hey, buddy, you good?
- Hey, come on, man, wake up. - Is he dead?
- He ain't breathing. - I'm gonna call 911, okay?
[man] Yeah, just watch him for a second, I'm gonna be right back.
[dispatcher] Yeah, we got a 10-55 here.
A 42-year-old male, suspected overdose.
7-Eleven on Waters and Main. Send the coroners.
- [police sirens wailing] - ["Kettering" playing]
♪ I wish that I had known In that first minute we met ♪
♪ The unpayable debt that I owed you ♪
♪ 'Cause you'd been abused By the bone that refused you ♪
♪ And you hired me to make up for that ♪
Mm. Yummy.
♪ Walking in that room When you had tubes in your arms ♪
♪ Those singing morphine alarms Out of tune... ♪
[Shawn] Ah. There she is.
Thanks.
- So? How painful was it? - Mm.
- Well... - Well, I'm very proud of you.
Well, thanks for making me go.
- Wanna go eat? I got you. - Yeah.
- You know how much I love you. - Yes, I do. [laughs] I do.
[anchor 1] The owners of Purdue Pharma, accused of fueling the opioid epidemic,
may give up ownership of the company...
Multi-billion dollar plan to settle lawsuits against Purdue Pharma.
[anchor 2] The Sackler family will forfeit ownership of Purdue Pharma,
turn over 30 million documents, and pay $4.5 billion.
[door opens]
Congratulations, Richard.
You have successfully initiated the destruction of the Sackler brand.
You don't have to be so dramatic about it.
A deal was reached.
You and my idiot brothers destroyed the company
and now you owe $4.5 billion.
Yes, but it's paid out over a decade,
which means we can probably cover it with investment returns and interest.
It will likely cost us nothing.
And we admit to no wrongdoing.
Who cares?
What?
- Who cares? - What do you mean, who cares?
This deal gives us full immunity. They can never go after us again.
Look at me. Look at me.
You were weak.
[sighs]
You conceded.
I don't give a fuck about immunity!
You let them tear down the name that I fucking built!
I built it!
Fuck you! Apologize to me.
- I won't. No, I won't. - Apologize to me!
I won't apologize.
You destroyed the name!
You destroyed the legacy!
Goddamn you!
[tense music playing]
You failed!
Damn you!
My legacy!
[Rosie] Dr. Richard, I didn't hear you come in.
Can I get you anything, sir?
No, thank you, Rosie. I'm fine.
[smoke detector beeps]
["The Sound of Silence" playing]
♪ Hello darkness, my old friend ♪
[beeping continues]
♪ I've come to talk with you again ♪
♪ Because a vision softly creeping ♪
♪ Left its seeds while I was sleeping ♪
♪ And the vision That was planted in my brain ♪
♪ Still remains ♪
♪ Within the sound of silence ♪
♪ In restless dreams I walked alone ♪
♪ Narrow streets of cobblestone ♪
♪ 'Neath the halo of a street lamp ♪
♪ I turned my collar To the cold and damp ♪
♪ When my eyes were stabbed By the flash of a neon light ♪
♪ That split the night ♪
♪ And touched the sound of silence ♪
♪ And in the naked light I saw ♪
♪ Ten thousand people, maybe more ♪
♪ People talking without speaking ♪
♪ People hearing without listening ♪
♪ People writing songs That voices never share ♪
♪ No one dared ♪
♪ Disturb the sound of silence ♪
♪ And the people bowed and prayed ♪
♪ To the neon god they made ♪
♪ And the sign said "The words of the prophets ♪
♪ Are written on the subway walls ♪
♪ And tenement halls ♪
♪ And whispered ♪
♪ In the sounds of silence" ♪