Systemic failure and human nature
Five days at Memorial is a limited series with a heavy burden. It aims to dramatize and shed light on the devastating events that took place at Memorial Medical Center in the days following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Oscar winner John Ridley (American crime, Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992) and Emmy winner Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel) adapted journalist Sheri Fink’s nonfiction novel Five days at Memorial: Life and death in a storm-ravaged hospitalthat tells a story steeped in enduring tragedy, a complex mix of blame and blame, and widespread systemic failure in American disaster relief.
Ridley’s ability to examine history through a critical lens and Cuse’s ability to build suspense through the human experience both lend themselves naturally to this project, allowing the duo to craft a highly nerve-wracking story that takes on a number of conflicting points of view. What happened to the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina highlighted the failures of a system where functionality was just a facade, as the measures to help in such an event broke down at every level. The duo is tasked with paying respect to the people who lived through such a tragedy and bringing it to television as a limited drama series in a way that honors those people and engages the audience.
By mixing actual news footage shot at the time, Five days at Memorial plays a bit like a dramatized documentary as we jump between the days immediately following the hurricane, as well as the months and years afterward, as investigators try to figure out what led to the deaths of 45 people in the hospital’s care.
While Five days at Memorial is very much an ensemble series, there are a handful of stand-out performances among the cast. Vera Farmiga delivers an Emmy-worthy performance as Dr. Anna To, effortlessly taking the doctor through the full range of human emotions both during and after the crisis. Arguably the individual at the hospital bearing the bulk of the blame for these deaths, Farmiga’s Pou is as likable as she is reprehensible. Through the first five episodes, Farmiga shows the slow breakdown of the soul that led Pou to make the terrible decision to end the lives of patients the hospital thought could not be evacuated. She also expertly navigates the conflicting emotions of the aftermath of this choice and her personal privilege in the final three episodes.
Cherry Jones knocks it out of the park when she takes on the role of Susan Mulderick, the hospital worker was given the unfortunate mantle of being the incident coordinator during the disaster. Jones’ Mulderick operates from an emergency plan with no workable solutions and absolutely no support from the very systems that are supposed to prevent loss of life in a crisis. While no one but the family members of those lost at Memorial can excuse the actions taken by the hospital staff, Five days at Memorial insisting that the audience examine exactly why Jones and Farmiga’s characters thought that was their only option.
Cuse and Ridley do an excellent job of showing the exasperating circumstances the hospital staff at Memorial found themselves in. From the complete lack of comprehensive disaster protocols, all the way up to the complete failure of the federal government to act quickly enough to save its own. people, the blame for what happened at Memorial is spread over layers upon layers of power and privilege. From the first episode, the viewer can feel a sense of foreboding hanging over both the hospital staff and the citizens of New Orleans, as well as the heartache of realizing that none of these people were remotely prepared for what they were about to face.
The series sets out to explore systemic failure, and it does so through the lens of several concepts that are highly relevant in today’s world. Five days at Memorial is steeped in themes of racial bias, sexism, fatphobia, morality, responsibility, consent, agency and accountability. Each episode is a complicated snapshot of humanity and all the intricacies of the human condition. Moments of desperation and desolation are expertly interspersed with scenes that show the best of humanity. The triumph of saving a life is juxtaposed with the agony of seeing someone suffer, and the quiet intimacy of time spent with a loved one contrasts sharply with the fear and frustration of realizing that no one is coming to save you.
It is undoubtedly in our nature to get wrapped up in your own bubble and convince yourself that your experiences are at least somewhat universal. However, Five days at Memorial is an excellent example of how each person’s experience is uniquely shaped by an endless array of stimuli. When a person is pushed to the limits of their mind and body, the way we react is inherently unpredictable. The series argues that, by and large, most people face such events with the best of intentions, and the discrepancies between one person’s morals and another’s often seem insignificant—until they aren’t.
Five days at Memorial is an important but extremely frustrating watch, I suppose by design. Jumping around to different points of view—while necessary to give each perspective its due weight—creates a dissonance for the viewer, where each person’s story feels somewhat incomplete. With Pou in particular, we don’t spend enough time in her point of view, and her actions are largely affected by other characters, rather than shown directly. Early on, the series sets up some plot points that end up going nowhere. While these details likely reflect reality when portrayed in a narrative, the audience awaits decisions that never happen.
This is not a feel-good series intended to offer a solution to a national tragedy, but rather a grim and glaring light shining on how the complete collapse of the American government and the systems therein did irreparable damage by prioritizing money and public image rather than people. When the external forces that are supposed to provide support and sanctuary during such a crisis have proven day after day that they are not coming to help, how do you decide what is humane based on the knowledge you have? And how are you supposed to survive when every system to help you fails? Where does the blame lie when almost everyone is responsible to varying degrees?
By the end of the series, you will be filled with outright disappointment and anger at the events that took place during Hurricane Katrina. When those who have the power to influence the masses do not use it for good, the individual is forced into the impossible. Five days at Memorial encourages you to put yourself in the shoes of the survivors and victims. And that requires us to examine the systems that will serve us in a crisis, so that something like this never happens again.
Evaluation: B+
Five days at Memorial will air three episodes on August 12, with the rest of the limited series rolling out weekly on Apple TV+.