The Dropout Episode 8 Season Finale Recap – During its eight-episode run on Hulu, The Dropout is exploring the narrative of Theranos, with only one episode remaining to tie everything together. We witnessed Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried) and Sunny Balwani (Naveen Andrews) scrambling to deal with The Wall Street Journal’s investigation into their company in The Dropout Episode 7. Unfortunately, things don’t appear to be going well for them as the season comes to a close.
One last dance party for ole Lizzy. #TheDropout finale is now streaming on @hulu. pic.twitter.com/rYv67YYTiy
— The Dropout on Hulu 🩸 (@TheDropoutHulu) April 7, 2022
Written By: Elizabeth Meriwether and Sofya Levitsky-Weitz
Directed By: Erica Watson
With the 8th episode, ‘The Dropout‘ hits its climax, with Elizabeth Holmes and her startup, Theranos, hitting rock bottom. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) probes Theranos‘ labs in this episode, and their findings are a big setback for the company. In the meantime, Elizabeth and Sunny’s personal and professional relationship deteriorates as Elizabeth makes an unexpected decision.
In the end, Theranos’ survival is in jeopardy, and Elizabeth is up against formidable odds to salvage her company. Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of ‘The Dropout’ episode 8 if you’re curious about Elizabeth and Theranos’ fates!
Must Read: The Dropout Episode 7 Recap and Ending Explained
The Dropout Episode 8 ‘Lizzy’ [Season Finale] Recap
‘Lizzy’ is the title of the eighth and final episode of ‘The Dropout.’ It begins shortly after John Carreyrou’s exposé of Theranos went viral in the media and among the general public. Elizabeth enters damage control mode and consults with her whole board of directors.
She alleges Carreyrou’s story is full of lies and accuses him of being a sexist reporter. Sunny Balwani, on the other hand, tries to prevent Walgreens from cancelling their arrangement with Theranos.
Carreyrou is angered by the fact that no members of Theranos’ board of directors have resigned and continue to back Elizabeth. Carreyrou’s editor, Judith Baker, encourages him to keep writing about Theranos. In addition, she suggests he try to persuade Tyler Shultz to speak out against Theranos on the record.
Meanwhile, Erika Cheung and Tyler reported Theranos’ lab irregularities to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Tyler later communicates with George Shultz, his grandfather, and asks him to speak out against Elizabeth and Theranos.
Tyler, on the other hand, leaves after George asks him to, leaving their relationship in shambles. Gary Yamamoto, a CMS employee, arrives to inspect the Theranos labs. Sunny tries to talk to Gary and manipulate the situation in favour of Theranos, but Gary finishes his report.
The report has been released, and the Theranos facilities have been shut down. Elizabeth tries to blame Sunny for the failure and asks him to resign as COO. Sunny, on the other hand, advises that they recreate Theranos with a new product and get the firm to breakeven.
Despite this, Elizabeth goes behind Sunny’s back and informs the board of directors that he is resigning. Sunny and Elizabeth eventually break up. In a conversation with Carreyrou, George admits that he was mistaken in his assessment of Elizabeth. He requests that Carreyrou issue a statement regarding Tyler’s honesty. While Elizabeth’s personal life takes a new turn, Theranos faces an unclear future.
‘The Dropout’ Season Finale: Is Theranos Going to Shut Down?
The CMS report is released near the end of the episode, and Elizabeth attempts to mitigate the damage by giving a lengthy media interview. However, Elizabeth’s efforts are in vain, and the CMS shuts down one of her laboratories. Nevertheless, there is yet hope because Elizabeth wants to re-establish the corporation under new management.
During a 2017 deposition, she mentions the same thing. Despite this, Theranos’ days are numbered, and the company is on the verge of going bankrupt. We observe Elizabeth in an empty Theranos office in the final minutes of the show, hinting that the business has ceased operations.
In truth, Theranos was shut down in 2018, a few years after we last saw Elizabeth on the show. Theranos was on the verge of bankruptcy by December 2017, and was only preserved for a short time thanks to a loan from Softbank Group. Most of the company’s employees were laid off in April 2018, and the company’s operations were officially halted on September 4, 2018, after no new investors expressed interest in buying it.
Therranos’ demise remains a sombre reminder of the startup culture’s challenges and disillusionment, and is viewed as a cautionary story in Silicon Valley.
What Happened to Elizabeth Holmes in ‘The Dropout’ Episode 8?
The final act of the show reveals that Elizabeth Holmes is dating Billy Evans. She, on the other hand, has resigned as CEO of Theranos and is being investigated for fraud. Elizabeth, on the other hand, is content with her life and does not believe she has done anything wrong. In actuality, Elizabeth faced identical allegations in a lawsuit brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States (SEC).
Elizabeth paid a $500,000 fine and forfeited 19 million shares of company stock as part of the settlement. She is also prohibited from holding a leadership position in any publicly traded corporation for the next ten years. During Elizabeth’s final conversation with her old lawyer, Linda Tanner, in the show, the same is alluded to.
Linda warns Elizabeth that if proven guilty of the allegations against her, she may face up to 20 years in jail in this episode, which foreshadows Elizabeth’s federal trial. Elizabeth’s trial, in reality, began in August 2021 and ended in January 2022. Four counts of deceiving investors, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud were found against her.
Her sentence is set for September 2022, and she might face up to 20 years in prison, as stated on the show. Despite this, Elizabeth Holmes continues to live with Billy Evans, and the couple is said to have married in 2019. They are also parents to a son and live in San Francisco.
Stream ‘The Dropout’ Episode 8, season finale on Hulu.
