Though this element frames the Netflix series, Painkiller never explains the meaning of Richard Sackler’s fire alarm going off. The fictionalized show follows the rise and fall of Purdue Pharma, pointing to OxyContin as one of the major causes of the opioid crisis. The show uses the composite character Glen Kryger to show the damaging impacts of opioid use disorder on the individual as well as on families. Moreover, Painkiller asserts that the Sackler family had a major hand in the opioid crisis. They’re shown as taking an active role in the damaging practices of the company. In real life, the Sacklers were labeled “the worst drug dealers in history.”
While the Sackler family is looked down upon as a whole in Painkiller, Richard Sackler is the clear villain of the series. He’s the one responsible for Purdue’s deceptive marketing practices and manipulative tactics. He also is the character who told the company to blame the people with opioid use disorder for their illness, rather than taking any accountability for downplaying the danger of OxyContin. While most of Edie Flowers’s narration clearly explains most of Richard Sackler’s story, Painkiller fails to explain the fire alarm at the beginning and end of this story. Despite this, the story element is an important part of the series.
Related: Painkiller Ending Explained – What Happened To Purdue Pharma After The Lawsuit
The Fire Alarm Represents Richard’s Conscience In Painkiller
At the beginning and end of Painkiller, Richard Sackler’s fire alarm begins chirping, growing in frequency and volume. Richard is unable to tune the sound out. In the show, the fire alarm represents his conscience. Considering he doesn’t show any remorse, Richard’s hostile reaction toward the sound makes sense. He doesn’t want a reminder of the bad things he did, and they’re keeping him awake at night. As such, he starts throwing things at the fire alarm and trying to hit it with a broom handle.
After his employee breaks the fire alarm so that it will stop chirping, Richard asks him to go check the rest. This detail is significant because Richard Sackler wasn’t responsible for just a single death. His conscience must contend with the hundreds of thousands of deaths he had a hand in. In keeping with the metaphor, another fire alarm starts chirping at the end of the series, presumably a separate alarm since Richard’s employee broke the first one. This shows that he cannot escape the guilt he’s burying deep inside.
Related: Is OxyContin Still Prescribed Today? What Happened To Purdue’s Drug After Painkiller’s Ending In Real Life
Painkiller’s Fire Alarm Is Inspired By Edgar Allan Poe
The fire alarm plot device used in Painkiller is an allusion to the short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. In the story, the narrator is haunted by the sound of a beating heart from the man he murdered. He also relays the calculated way that he committed the murder. This matches up with Richard Sackler in Painkiller. Richard is bothered by a fire alarm that he can’t escape. He becomes hostile and paranoid as the sound gets more intense. Additionally, the series shows Richard’s methodical way of selling OxyContin, knowing it could kill people. Ultimately, it’s clear that Painkiller took inspiration from Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
