The Dropout Feature Scores
Explore all 71 feature scores for The Dropout, organized into pros and cons.
Scores by Feature
Summary
71 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.021 (30%)
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Positive 3.5-4.425 (35%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.419 (27%)
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Negative 1.5-2.46 (8%)
Pros
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The performances are the most dependable attraction, led by Seyfried and a deep supporting ensemble. A few dissenting views find the lead mannered or miscast.
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Seyfried’s awkward gestures, changing voice and flashes of vulnerability usually make Holmes compelling. The chief dissent is that the performance never quite supplies her real-world charisma.
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The extensive ensemble brings dry comedy, menace and heartbreak to scientists, lawyers and investors. Even accounts disappointed by the storytelling regularly praise the supporting work.
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Most accounts find the series absorbing, often compulsively so. Familiarity with the scandal, sluggish setup and discomfort with its sympathetic framing can reduce the appeal.
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Failed demonstrations, escalating lies and the whistleblower investigation generate powerful tension. The slow setup and extended episode count sometimes dilute that pressure.
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The underlying fraud remains fascinating, and its accumulating lies frequently make gripping television. Uneven focus and familiar procedural stretches sometimes weaken the whole.
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Ambition, greed and the institutions that protect charismatic founders give the story substance. A minority find these ideas familiar or insufficiently developed.
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The private uncertainty behind Holmes’s public persona gives the series its strongest psychological interest. Some find that exploration superficial, overly sympathetic or less engaging than the institutional story.
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Holmes’s transformation from ambitious student to calculating executive is often compelling and layered. Critics disagree over whether the personal explanations reveal enough or become repetitive caricature.
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The damage to employees and patients creates unease, frustration and genuine heartbreak. Gibbons’s story and the whistleblowers’ dilemmas are especially affecting.
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The pressures facing a woman in Silicon Valley add meaningful context. The strongest praise is for exploring misogyny without treating gender as an excuse for fraud.
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The balance of corporate farce, psychological drama and tragedy can be deftly controlled. Early silliness, failed comic detours and abrupt shifts make that balance uneven for other viewers.
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The gradual construction of Holmes’s voice often helps reveal the persona underneath the fraud. Most praise the evocation or accuracy, while one prominent dissent finds the depth and consistency inadequate.
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The script connects personal ambition with a wider system of willing enablers. Sharp characterization and moral complexity compete with blunt symbolism, repetitive points and occasional overexplanation.
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Many appreciate that explaining Holmes does not mean forgiving her. Others feel the sympathetic early framing and limited downfall soften the responsibility of Holmes and her enablers.
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The largely linear episodes are often welcomed as clear and satisfying. Their framing lets the story develop without constant timeline scrambling.
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Corporate ambition, investor anxiety and failed safeguards are among the most revealing strands. The workplace story connects Holmes’s choices to the culture that enabled them.
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The tension between understanding a person and excusing harm drives the strongest disagreements. Some value the balance of context and consequence; others find the humanization troubling.
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Dry supporting turns and awkward dancing can be very funny. The broader comedy sometimes feels too silly, fails to land or clashes with the tragedy.
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Seyfried’s embodiment and the restrained dramatization often feel authentic. Concerns center on selective or softened depictions of people around Theranos.
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The mainly chronological account makes a complicated rise and collapse accessible. Its deposition framing and explanatory distance work better for some viewers than others.
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The series is praised for sleek craft and first-rate production. The polished presentation supports an enthralling account of the fraud.
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Seyfried and the expansive ensemble are widely considered inspired choices. The main reservation concerns whether she convincingly passes for a college freshman.
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The combination of pathos, absurdity and corporate scam drama is a particular strength. Comedy can expose the fraud’s ridiculousness without erasing its damage.
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The direction finds both pathos and corporate farce in the fraud. Its best stretches give the subject complexity while keeping the human cost visible.
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Some accounts value the way patient encounters expose the real stakes. Another finds the series understates how many people were affected.
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Several accounts praise the assault storyline for adding context without absolution. Another questions the fairness of how different allegations are framed.
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Seyfried’s scenes with Fry offer warmth and emotional investment. Her dynamic with Andrews helps make the central relationship believable.
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The synth-based score adds energy and reinforces the technological setting. Its uneasy textures suit the story’s darkly comic descent.
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The fraud supplies suspense and a compelling moral transformation. Blunt presentation and tonal uncertainty can limit the force of the human drama.
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Much of the retelling is praised as restrained and accurate, including the college years. A more critical account questions flattering portrayals and omitted context.
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The unfolding deception is described as addictively engrossing from beginning to end, making continued viewing especially tempting.
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The series satisfies the desire for a scam drama with both a complex central figure and a convincing sense of escalating deception.
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Pop songs often sharpen the period setting and Holmes’s manufactured persona. Their obvious lyrics and repeated cues can also feel clunky or forced.
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The contrast between the young whistleblowers makes privilege tangible. Wealth and family connections change how freely each can challenge Theranos.
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The off-the-record relationship is explored through dependence, cruelty and uneasy intimacy. This account finds that dynamic more revealing than a simple puppet-master explanation.
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For a viewer who knew the outcome but few details, the series does a strong job explaining how astonishing the scandal became.
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Covering nearly two decades without hour-plus episodes earns praise for discipline. The individual running times help keep the large story manageable.
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Recognizable actors taking smaller parts add pleasure beyond the central performance. The extensive guest casting is a welcome attraction.
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Seyfried’s deliberately stiff, awkward dance is funny because the discomfort feels so precisely performed.
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The mounting lies form a precarious narrative structure. Turns in the story create tension as personal and professional deceptions intersect.
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The series was widely loved on its initial release, suggesting broad appeal beyond its later resurgence in interest.
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The series drew a warmly favorable critical reception on release, adding to the enthusiasm around its central performance.
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The performances provide enough promise to keep watching despite reservations about the early treatment of Holmes.
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The Gibbons storyline is praised for closely reflecting the tragic events. Its emotional weight comes from the person and consequences rather than sensational spectacle.
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The story can be easy to digest despite its complicated fraud. Jarring time jumps in the premiere make it harder to follow for another viewer.
Cons
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The visual shorthand and repeated ambition cues can be distracting. These accounts find the symbolism too obvious to deepen the drama.
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The opening can be painfully slow, while some later sequences rush. Another early assessment finds the progression effective.
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Metcalf is a highlight whenever she appears, making her long absence through the middle episodes disappointing.
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Repeating the same points across the early episodes makes the story drag. The late investigative energy arrives too slowly to compensate in this account.
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Sexual material and swearing keep this from being an easy family recommendation, even though one account considers it milder than some other adult series.
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The content-focused account explicitly disapproves of religious profanity. That objection concerns the language’s appropriateness rather than a quality reward for its frequency.
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The weekly rollout frustrates a viewer who wants to watch the whole story at once. This judgment concerns the release experience described at the time.
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One account finds the focus on personal motivation sidelines systemic failures. Another wants a clearer sense of how enormous Holmes’s public profile became.
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The Shultz family conflict is criticized for leaving out substantial context and resolution. That omission limits the portrayal of the damaged relationship.
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One account finds the investor-facing test deception insufficiently explained. The missing detail leaves the mechanics of the fraud less clear.
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The early-2000s setting relies on clunky period cues in this account. Musical choices can call attention to the era without making it feel more convincing.
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The straightforward treatment gives the story weight, but this account wants more levity as its absurdities mount.
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The show relies more on its lead and extraordinary source story than a distinctive visual identity in this assessment.
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Momentum divides opinion: the escalating fraud can be gripping, yet the early biography often drags. Some later passages also feel rushed.
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Eight episodes give the story space, but several accounts find the run stretched. Others want more attention to the collapse and trials rather than simply more buildup.
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Memorable speeches and verbal exchanges stand out. Other passages overstate Holmes’s ambition instead of allowing it to emerge naturally.
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Some find fresh psychological and cultural insight in a heavily covered case. Others regard the format as formulaic or the retelling as redundant.
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The opening introduces Holmes’s personal history and gives Metcalf a standout scene. Age credibility, slow setup and awkward transitions make its effectiveness divisive.
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The ending draws both strong praise and frustration. Its psychological revelation works for one account, while others want more collapse, consequence and trial coverage.
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The finale’s focus on Holmes fleeing accountability can make a strong character statement. Viewers seeking a fuller downfall may find it incomplete.
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The conclusion favors a revealing final portrait over comprehensive legal closure. That choice feels incisive to some and unsatisfying to others.
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The private Holmes–Balwani relationship can add tension and psychological insight. Its more conventional romantic framing also risks making the pair too sympathetic.
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Supporters find that dramatization adds a distinct perspective and substantive ideas. Detractors see too much repetition of readily available reporting and an incomplete ending.
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One account celebrates the efficient coverage of many years. Others notice abrupt cuts, disjointed transitions and editing choices that disturb the flow.
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The broad cast can illuminate employees, victims and corporate partners. Its shifting focus sometimes feels episodic or interrupts the central story.
Use Cases
Best for
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The series suits viewers curious about the personality behind the headlines. Its strongest appeal is as a character study rather than a complete historical account.
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The limited run is recommended as a punchy viewing commitment. Another viewer specifically wants the whole story available to binge rather than released weekly.
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Viewers unfamiliar with the details can gain an engaging introduction to Holmes and the scandal. The backstory helps explain how the public persona developed.
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Fans of scam stories get an absorbing mix of psychological portraiture and unraveling fraud. Enjoyment is more conditional if the sympathetic emphasis makes rooting interests uncomfortable.
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The performances make the show worth continuing even when its moral framing raises reservations. Seyfried and the guest cast are the clearest draw for an acting-led watch.
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The show is most effective here when it stays close to Holmes within an investigative crime drama. Broader detours can interrupt that rhythm.
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An interesting, relatively unchallenging approach makes this approachable casual viewing. The tradeoff is a less distinctive artistic experience.
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The series is recommended to fans of The Social Network who want a technology-founder story driven by a spectacular fraud.
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Dialogue and exposition help the story retain some impact during chores. Its accessible format is reasonably forgiving of divided attention.
Conditional or not ideal for
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Returning fan viewingPeople who already know the reporting, book or documentaries may find the familiar setup dull. The retelling offers less discovery for well-informed viewers.
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Family viewingA shared watch with children is a poor fit because of sexual material and strong language. The supplied viewing assessment explicitly cautions against treating it as a family show.
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Weekly episodic viewingThe weekly format is a poor match for a viewer eager to binge. Waiting between installments interrupts the preferred experience.
Cast & Creators
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Elizabeth HolmesSeyfried is repeatedly praised for a transformative, layered performance that captures Holmes’s awkwardness and constructed persona. A minority find her mannered, insufficiently charismatic or unconvincing as a teenager.
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Phyllis GardnerMetcalf’s dry, stern delivery makes her monologues and dismissals standout scenes. Her limited presence leaves some wanting considerably more of her.
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Ian GibbonsFry gives the story warmth and devastating emotional weight. His gentle, tragic presence is one of the ensemble’s most consistent strengths.
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Sunny BalwaniAndrews brings menace, coldness and a persuasive attraction to Sunny. His chemistry with Seyfried helps make the uneasy relationship credible.
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CreatorMeriwether’s tonal control and layered writing draw substantial praise. Some criticism targets the early decision to explain Holmes so sympathetically rather than emphasize why the fraud was enabled.
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Jay RosanRuck brings welcome comic enthusiasm and reliable supporting work. His overeager corporate presence is frequently singled out as enjoyable.
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ActorMarvel is repeatedly a highlight, mixing opportunism with tense, tender moments. Her work adds useful context to Holmes’s family relationships.
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Richard FuiszMacy is often a vivid, entertaining standout with an effective physical transformation. His broad approach can also feel cartoonish or like excessive scenery chewing.
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ActorLiao supplies sympathetic energy and quiet heartbreak. His work helps make the moral discomfort within the company tangible.
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ActorAmbudkar brings sympathetic energy to the workplace story and dependable supporting work within the ensemble.
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ActorSmith’s formidable, chilling work gives the legal team a threatening presence. His smaller role is a welcome part of the guest ensemble.
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DirectorShowalter’s direction brings out the corporate farce while finding pathos in the story. The handling is praised for adding depth and balancing absurdity with consequence.
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ActorWatkins is part of the dependable supporting strength, with an especially chilling contribution to the legal side of the story.
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ActorMinnette is included among the strong supporting and guest performances. His contribution benefits from an ensemble that consistently makes smaller parts count.
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George P. SchultzWaterston shines within an expansive ensemble and helps give the institutional story convincing human form.
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ActorHamilton is convincing in her role and singled out within the strong supporting cast.
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KevinSommer gives an effective, sympathetic supporting performance. He also contributes to the particularly strong Walgreens ensemble.
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Channing RobertsonIrwin’s smaller part is a welcome addition to the strong ensemble. The cast’s ability to make limited scenes count is part of the appeal.
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RolandLeeds contributes to the exceptional Walgreens ensemble, which brings the company’s failed scrutiny to life.
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ComposerNikitin’s crackling synth score reinforces the technological setting with distinctive flourishes and dramatic energy.
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ActorSalahuddin contributes much-needed sympathetic energy to the people working inside the company.
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DirectorWatson shares praise for direction that deepens the portrayal of a controversial woman within a male-dominated industry.
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DirectorGregorini shares praise for direction that gives Holmes’s story greater depth and human complexity.
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Wade MiqueltonPais is one of the exceptional, reliable actors who make the Walgreens stretch a strong part of the series.
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ActorSussman is singled out among an ensemble described as consistently excellent, contributing to the successful balance around the central portrait.
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Don LucasIronside is singled out as a shining supporting presence among the men drawn into Holmes’s promises.
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Story EditorYu’s story editing is praised for preserving coherence as the writing moves through different phases and moods.
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ActorKim is credited as part of the solid ensemble that makes the most of its scenes. The supporting work holds its own around the central performance.
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WriterLeFranc is included in praise for a writing team that gives the changing phases of the story a useful range of tones.
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John CarreyrouMoss-Bachrach gives a convincing performance in the investigative strand, helping the late reporting story feel credible.
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WriterBettis shares praise for writing that varies the mood across the different phases of Holmes’s life.
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ActorBurton is included among the solid supporting actors who make their limited scenes effective.
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WriterHannah contributes to a writing team whose tonal range helps distinguish successive stages of the story.
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WriterThe variety in the writing, including Heldens’s contribution, helps the story move through different moods as Holmes’s life changes.
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ActorRajskub is included in the praise for solid supporting actors who make the most of their scenes.
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ActorGill is praised within an ensemble whose actors make their scenes count. His contribution supports the family side of the story.
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WriterLevitsky-Weitz shares in the praise for a screenplay that brings different moods to the progression of Holmes’s life.