Mary Kills People (2017–2019): The Politics and Ethics of Dying
One of my most surprising recent discoveries is the Canadian produced dramatic black comedy Mary Kills People, first aired in the US on Lifetime and now streaming on Hulu. The series is guided by the principle, haunting question — do people have the right to die? Fronted by a gritty, emotionally vexing performance from Caroline Dhavernas, the series follows Dr. Mary Harris, a physician moonlighting as an “end of life counselor.” In reality, what that entails is that she kills people by providing euthanasia services (in the form of a lethal cocktail). What could’ve easily devolved into a series that traffics in stories about death for the sake of sentimentality, as is Lifetime’s signature, the series sets out to explore complex ethical questions that I have rarely seen tackled on television, let alone on a Lifetime series! That Is, who has the right to die, and who can grant these life ending wishes?
In season one, the series’ approach to those questions is relatively straightforward. Mary and Desmond (Richard Short) play a pair of “death counselors” who offer to kill people to the tune of $10k a pop. Their patients are mostly terminally/chronically ill (cancer, degenerative diseases, etc.) with little hope of recovery. In short, they’re ready to let go spiritually, even if their bodies aren’t. In a subplot that precedes diegetic time…
