8.3

Dopesick•Season 1•Episode 3

The 5th Vital Sign

8.3/10 · 2,152 votesOct 13, 202157 min

Ranked #6 of 8 in Season 1•−0.1 vs season avg

Discussion

Doctor Finnix begins to taper Betsy off OxyContin, Bridget sees the toll the drug is taking on communities, Rick and Randy investigate the world of “pain societies”, and with sales climbing, Richard Sackler makes bigger plans for his new drug.

Directed byMichael Cuesta

Written byDanny Strong, Beth Macy

Previous episodeE2 · Breakthrough Pain Next episodeE4 · Pseudo-Addiction

Seasons1

All 1

Season 1 Episodes8

First Bottle

Breakthrough Pain

The 5th Vital Sign

Pseudo-Addiction

The Whistleblower

Hammer the Abusers

Black Box Warning

The People vs. Purdue Pharma

Cast10

Michael Keaton

Samuel Finnix

Peter Sarsgaard

Rick Mountcastle

Michael Stuhlbarg

Richard Sackler

Will Poulter

Billy Cutler

John Hoogenakker

Randy Ramseyer

Kaitlyn Dever

Betsy Mallum

Rosario Dawson

Bridget Meyer

Will Chase

Michael Friedman

Cleopatra Coleman

Grace Pell

Parker Sack

Dirk

Crew4

Danny Strong

Writer

Beth Macy

Writer

Michael Cuesta

Director

Chi-Yoon Chung

Editor

Discussion

0 comments

Join the conversation

Share your take and reply to other fans.

No comments yet

Be the first to share your thoughts on this episode.

Episode Summary

"The 5th Vital Sign" is episode 3 of Dopesick season 1. It scored 8.3/10 from 2,152 votes, ranking #6 of 8 episodes this season (season average 8.4). Directed by Michael Cuesta and written by Danny Strong, Beth Macy, it aired on October 13, 2021.

Next: E4 · Pseudo-Addiction Best of Season 1