WAS 'DOCTOR DEATH' INCOMPETENT OR A PSYCHOPATH?

The Dr. Death story is one of the most complex and monstrous cases of narcissism I've ever seen. It follows Dr. Christopher Duntsch through his medical career from college to conviction. Though the timeline jumps around to almost confusing proportions, one thing is abundantly clear. Everyone he encounters (and whose life he ruins) becomes desperate to understand what goes through his mind as he maims his patients. What motivates him to keep operating even in the face of extreme failure? Why is he so compelling?

The nation is so intrigued by this "doctor" that he has been covered time and again by all forms of media including Dr. Phil and Crime Watch Daily. Now, Peacock covers him with the eight-part miniseries "Dr. Death" based on a true story and fashioned after the Wonderly Podcast of the same name.

What is it about this man that has the world so captivated?

It's the question that burns us. The question addressed in the series, the podcast, and Dr. Phil. The question that lingers in the minds of every person involved in this case. According to an ET Canada interviewwith Joshua Jackson, not even the actor who plays him could get his mind around the real Christopher Duntsch.

Was this man incompetent or malicious in his surgeries? This is what makes him so interesting. We must know what was going through his mind during his train-wreck surgeries. If you can call them surgeries, or as Dr. Kirby puts it, splatter painting.

The real question should be, what isn't wrong with him?

Peacock's Dr. Death does a brilliant job in balancing every issue in Duntsch's mind, and Joshua Jackson's portrayal of his arrogant narcissism is nothing short of perfect. Most of the people, especially his fellow surgeons, developed hard, honest opinions of him after a single meeting, and it's not difficult to see why. The arrogance on the man is enough to shoot up a red flag to even the most obtuse people.

Leaving behind such an obscene number of burned bridges made an easy and thorough case for the prosecution in his criminal trial. I'll give Duntsch one thing. He certainly went down in the history books, just not in the way he imagined. He is the first (and only?) doctor to be such a failure at surgery that he could be tried in criminal court. That's a special level of evil and incompetence. There is no other doctor like him. In fact, he is a disgrace to the honorable title.

It's what makes it imperative for the heroes of this story, Dr. Randall Kirby and Dr. Robert Henderson, to ensure justice is served and make sure Duntsch never entered an operating room again. It's the only reasonable response to the carnage left behind by that butcher, messes they both must clean up after him. Why then is it so difficult to take that sad excuse for a doctor off the board? Why is the system rigged against patients and only protects the doctors?

This is perhaps a question for another day. However, an extremely corrupt system doesn't stop this unusual duo from their due diligence. All they want is justice for the lives taken or ruined by the scalpel of Christopher Duntsch, even when the victims are so broken and out of hope to help themselves.

Henderson and Kirby are two very different men. Kirby is passionate and dramatic, while Henderson is thorough and collected. Despite their opposing personalities, they have one thing in common. They are extremely skilled surgeons. Their reputations earn them their positions in Dallas. Imagine their disgust when a talentless, narcissistic hack comes along to play in their field. (Trust me, I know the feeling.)

In this case, however, the two opposing personalities are exactly what Texas needs to take on this out-of-control wannabe doctor. Each plays its strength. It's Kirby's passion that gets the attention of the DA's office, which gets them the court date they desire. The courtroom is where Henderson shines. His calm, factual account of Duntsch's botched surgeries is what may turn the case in their favor. He not only sways the jury but also Duntsch himself. It is near impossible to convince a narcissist to look inward, rarely heard of. Somehow, Henderson does it. Not just in the series, but in real life. Duntsch's expression during the testimony says it all.

Up until that moment, we must wonder what was going through his head. The eye rolls and exaggerated sighs certainly indicate a complete lack of remorse on his part. If he's delusional enough to believe in his innocence, then what is Duntsch's view of the trial? For that, we look at his motivation in life and throughout his career. Simply put, he craves his father's approval. So much so that is willing to compete with his more successful brother by playing football in college. Copy him, more like. However, his profound incompetence gets him booted off the team and out of school.

Then, he switches schools and shifts his focus to compete with his father, Donald Duntsch, who excels in the medical field. Interestingly, Donald is also a devout Christian missionary. Christopher also takes that career to a disturbing level by claiming he is himself a god while studying to be a doctor. He simply seeks to upstage his father and take advantage of his connections. Meanwhile, his own original idea (stem cell research) falls by the sideline. He loses focus on his purpose, the one thing in which he could excel time and again.

His research might have been ground-breaking if he had just focused on that. But no. He wanted the money and stigma of neurosurgery, even though he lacks the mental capacity to operate. He ruined more lives than he "fixed", leaving their bodies worse off than before. The results are horrific to watch. Yet, he keeps going. That compulsion to please his father becomes stronger than his need to be original. In the end, it backfires in epic proportion.

His father takes a front-row seat to his criminal trial, every mistake and failure on display. For the first time, Duntsch cannot explain away or avoid his failures. He finally faces the reality of harming and killing his patients. All in front of the man he is so desperate to impress. It's a perk that comes with the justice of his guilty verdict. He will live in prison with the shame of knowing he loses any semblance of his father's respect and approval.

So much could have been avoided if he had simply focused on his research. Thanks to his greed, 33 victims and their families will never be the same. The ones who survived Duntsch's knife will live with excruciating pain for the rest of their lives. No one can give them their old selves back. No one (even the best surgeons in Dallas) can reserve the damage. This story is an absolute tragedy.

"Dr. Death" is an exploration of extreme narcissism. While the prosecutor and doctor try desperately to teach narcissism to the jury, this show must also inform the world of the truly horrific effects of narcissism. They do it beautifully. There is so much to unpack in these eight episodes, it would take dozens of reviews to unpack all of it. I can just encourage my readers to see the show for themselves. It's a beautiful depiction of a narcissist's mind and the catastrophic effects they leave in their victims' lives whether it be physical, psychological, or emotional.