Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Afflicted’ On Netflix, A Docuseries On Unusual Illnesses That Are Hard To Treat

There are so many diseases and disorders that are unexplained, that keep doctors guessing and are impervious to traditional treatments. People who have those conditions are the subject of Afflicted, a new Netflix docuseries. Will you learn something new by watching?

AFFLICTED: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A montage of the seven people that the series profiles, all of whom have crippling, debilitating illnesses that are so unusual, they’re hard to diagnose and even harder to get treatment for.

The Gist: The first episode of this docuseries introduces us to three of the participants, each of whom are in desperate, dire straits:

Carmen, who lives in Virginia, suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). If you think the depiction of Chuck McGill’s EHS on Better Call Saul was over the top, you’ll be shocked to see how sensitive Carmen is to electromagnetic waves. It gives her pain, rashes, and all sorts of energy-draining discomfort, depending on what device she’s near.

Her house has no wifi, no one’s allowed to bring in a cell phone, and she dashes in and out of the supermarket so the fluorescent lights don’t cripple her. Even the cameras, microphones and lights bother her. Her husband has been sympathetic, but isn’t sure whether this is in her head or not. She wants to move to Green Bank, WV, a National Radio Quiet Zone because it’s the location of a hypersensitive telescope.

Jamison is a young Californian who hasn’t left his room in two years because he suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), otherwise known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Seven years ago he became too tired to engage in everyday functions, but for the last two years he’s gotten so sore from even the most minute muscular movements, that he more or less is confined to bed all day. Specialists in ME won’t make housecalls, so he has to figure out a way to get well enough to go outside.

Bekah and her boyfriend are living in the California desert because she has developed an extreme sensitivity to mold. Even the smallest amount will make her nose bleed, inflict pain, or make her cough uncontrollably. She’s exhausted all traditional medical treatments and is now going for unproven holistic treatments. For reasons unknown, her boyfriend will be leaving her side in a month. She’s seriously thinking of “opting out”, i.e. killing herself, because she’s suffering so much.

Our Take: Dan Partland, a producer for Intervention, The Sixties, and American Race, knows how to take people’s suffering and make high drama out of it. That skill is abundantly apparent on Afflicted. The only issue we have with the show is that we’re not quite sure what perspective Partland and his writers and producers are taking. Not that a documentary filmmaker isn’t inclined to make sure both sides of an issue get a voice, but you can usually see their inclination in where they find the drama.

We think that Partland wants to take the afflictions of these people seriously. But there are cases, especially with Carmen, where the portrayal is less than sympathetic. There are people who think that EHS is more of a psychosomatic disorder than a physical one, and showing Carmen dashing in and out of the supermarket, busily unplugging everything in her house, and chiding the film crew for having too many devices on makes it seem like the filmmakers think it’s all in her head. Giving her doubtful husband a voice, and not making him out to be an unsympathetic asshole, also makes us wonder.

Jamison and Bekah don’t get that treatment, or at least the treatment isn’t as severe. There is one case (see “Most Pilot-y Moment” below) where it seems that Jamison is being shown as a drama queen. But for the most part, his portrayal is largely sympathetic. The only scene that casts doubt on what Bekah is going through is when a doctor dismisses a treatment that infuses ozone into her blood.

Sleeper Star: We like Bekah and her boyfriend Jesse because they’re modern-day hippies, with matching face tattoos and a van that’s been custom painted by the two of them (it was stripped to the metal because Bekah couldn’t deal with the insulation). The color of their sky is definitely different than ours.

Most Pilot-y Moment: There’s uber-dramatic music in the background as Jamison tries to get out of bed and stand up for the first time in a long time. Every move gives him a lot of pain. We see it on his face. Why do we need the music?

Our Call: Stream It, though if you’re already thinking that these people are all bonkers, you might want to stay away. Because, even though we don’t know if these are physical or emotional disorders, their suffering is all too real, and it’s nothing to poke fun at.

Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, VanityFair.com, Playboy.com, Fast Company’s Co.Create and elsewhere.

Stream Afflicted on Netflix