Dr. Death - Diplos

The first episode of Dr. Death, the Peacock mini-series based on true events, introduces us to neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch (Joshua Jackson). As the episode opens, the supremely confident doctor's infamous behavior comes to light leaving patients far worse off than when they were placed on his operating table. As to not give away the mindset of the character too early, Jackson is in stoic asshole mode throughout the scenes leaving it up the audience to decide whether the doctor is knowingly mutilating his patients or simply unaware of the debris he leaves in his wake while blaming anyone else (a nurse, an anesthesiologist, an x-ray tech) for his patients' issues.

The best parts of the episode feature the pairing of Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater as two doctors attempting to make sense of the evidence before them and try to make sense of what they may begin to suspect could be actions of a sociopath. We also get glimpses into Duntsch's troubled personal life by way of exchanges with his father (Fredric Lehne) and former colleague (Grace Gummer) who left once she became aware what kind of man she was dealing with. But Duntsch, at least one episode in, remains a bit of an enigma. There's plenty of evidence of his wrongdoing but the reasoning (or even awareness) of it remains to be explored.