Oprah’s new HBO series isn’t really about science
The show: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks The moment: The real story Henrietta Lacks (Renée Elise Goldsberry, in flashbacks) died of cancer, but her cells live on; they have a remarkable capacity to reproduce infinitely in labs and have been central to every significant scientific breakthrough since her death. You think this telefilm is going to be that story, told by reporter Rebecca Skloot (Rose Byrne), with the help of Henrietta’s daughter Deborah (Oprah Winfrey). Instead, three scenes smack at the midpoint tell a different tale:
Skloot meets with the older, white doctor (Reed Birney) who studied Henrietta’s children.
“I suspect there was no effort to explain anything to them in great detail,” he says haughtily. “It’s not like those people would have understood anyway.”
Skloot tells Deborah about that conversation. “They see me coming, they lock the door,” Deborah says. “They see you, it’s ‘Rebecca, come on in.’ So go on, gal, keep on being white.”
Skloot meets with her older, white editor (John Benjamin Hickey). “We’ve got a problem,” he says. “The family.” Over Skloot’s objections, he rhymes off, “The mentally damaged daughter, the indigent ex-con brother, the manic-depressive daughter.” Skloot sputters, “The story of Henrietta is about legacies: cultural, personal, racial.” But he talks over her: “Eliminate the family.”
Under the rigorous eye of executive producer Winfrey (she’s the poster image), the science story is pushed to the margins, and the focus is the family, their cultural, personal and racial legacies the heart of the matter. Again, not the story we (establishment TV critics and HBO geeks) thought it would be. That’s the point. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks airs April 22 at 8 p.m. HBO Canada. Johanna Schneller is a media connoisseur who zeroes in on pop-culture moments. She usually appears Monday through Thursday.