‘Dead Ringers’ Creator Explores Its Finale, Beverly’s ‘White Savior’ Reckoning and the Show’s Take on American Maternal Healthcare
variety.comBreAnna Bell There were big shoes to fill when Alice Birch decided to recreate “Dead Ringers” as a limited series for Amazon Prime Video.
But she didn’t set out to tell the same story as David Cronenberg’s 1988 thriller. Instead, she opted to use the close and often times dark relationship between her twin protagonists Beverly and Elliot (both played by Rachel Weisz) as a foundation to take a deeper look at the American healthcare system and the ways it potentially fails mothers.
It’s an incredibly complex system to investigate. But as Birch, a native Brit, explores topics in “Dead Ringers” like the American maternal mortality rate, the history of obstetrics studies and postpartum depression through the lens of the country’s fictitious most-prized and talented OB-GYNs, a central theme of inequality becomes clear.
On the show, a Black mother dies shortly after giving birth because doctors refused to validate her concerns, another Black mother deals with a case of postpartum depression so severe that it leaves her wanting to give away her baby.
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