Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife review: An intriguing and detailed docuseries

Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife details the malpractices of Paolo Macchiarini, a renowned surgeon, and the efforts of various people who tried to expose his wrongdoings. The docuseries is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

Paolo Macchiarini is a super surgeon who is world-famous for creating the world’s first plastic organ. Macchiarini is respected by the scientific community for accomplishing this remarkable feat. 

He is approached by a journalist, Benita Alexander, who wishes to do a story about his work, and Macchiarini agrees. While filming, the two of them fall in love and go on to get engaged.

Macchiarini tells Benita that he is the personal doctor of several important people, like Barack Obama and the Pope. Benita has no reason not to believe Macchiarini, who flies around the world and performs surgeries that no one else can.

However, right before Macchiarini and Benita’s wedding day, Benita starts doubting a lot of things that Macchiarini has told her, and she is not the only one suspecting her fiancé. 

There are other surgeons and journalists who are questioning Macchiarini’s research. Are Macchiarini’s experimental surgeries as successful as he claims they are? More importantly, are they ethical? 

The docuseries answers these questions and more. It features interviews with Benita, the families of Macchiarini’s patients, and the doctors and journalists who were brave enough to bring him to justice. 

Positives

The docuseries covers Macchiarini’s personal as well as professional life. As an investigative docuseries, it succeeds in exposing his wrongdoings. It gives all the important information needed to make the audience understand his work and lies without unnecessarily dragging out the account.

It is no secret that Macchiarini is not the kind of surgeon that he seems to be. Although the revelations in the docuseries are expected, they are still astounding. It sounds bizarre that he could mislead so many people, but it becomes believable when one watches the series.

The docuseries keeps the audience’s attention right to the very end. With good editing, it is able to build suspense. One keeps wondering how shocking the next revelation is going to be.

The series does not fail to move the audience. The interviews with the families of Macchiarini’s victims emphasize his immorality and their suffering. If giving false hope was not enough, he abandoned his patients when they were in immense pain because of him.   

Macchiarini is described as a man who tries to become a god. The docuseries ensures that Macchiarini is never depicted as anything but a deceiving man. On the other hand, the surgeons who risk their jobs to expose him are seen as heroes.

Negatives

The focus of the series keeps shifting between the personal and professional life of Macchiarini, but this shift is not always smooth. There are times when the change in subject feels too abrupt.

Furthermore, there are some tiny bits that the series could have done without. For instance, two of the women who are interviewed describe their experiences of falling in love with Macchiarini. The descriptions are a bit dramatic and unnecessary. 

Verdict

Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife is a docuseries that makes revelations in a manner that engages the audience’s attention. Additionally, the audience is made aware of all the necessary details needed for a thorough understanding of Macchiarini’s malpractices.

---

Also Read: Replacing Chef Chico review: Heartfelt Pinoy drama is a good time