Biography[]
Rick Mountcastle is one of the main characters in season one. He is played by Peter Sarsgaard and first appears in the show's first episode, First Bottle. Rick is a U.S. attorney working on a case against Purdue Pharma with his assistant and friend, Randy Ramseyer. He appears to be married with two children, but due to his work, barely has time for them. His office is located in Abingdon, Virginia and he has stated that he picked this job in order to "serve justice."
Throughout the Series[]
Season 1
Rick is first shown in court in 2005, where he is presenting his case against OxyContin with several testimonies. Then, in 2002, it is shown how the case came to be and what drove Rick to pursue it. Him and Randy meet with John Brownlee at their branch office, where they discuss cases to take on. At first, Rick and Randy seem reluctant to bring up OxyContin, but Brownlee sees through them and asks about it. Rick explains that there's a company marketing and pushing their drug on doctors as non-addictive when it really is. Brownlee is interested, but tells them to gather more evidence.
Rick goes home and watches a promotional video about OxyContin, where various people talk about their enlightening experience with the drug. His wife, Stephanie, then calls him for dinner, where he prays and then eats with his kids. He also talks to his wife about the potential big case he might be pursuing.
The next day, Rick and Randy talk about the DEA's investigation on Purdue Pharma and how it led nowhere. They decide to go meet with Bridget Meyer, who was a big part of the investigation, hoping to get some information. Bridget is reluctant to open up about the investigation, but tells them that the FDA label states false information about the drug being non-addictive.
Rick presents the promotional video to Brownlee, pointing out that not once did one of the people in the video actually say OxyContin. Striking up the suspicion that no one was actually on the drug in the video. Randy and him then go talk to Karen Moles, who works for the FDA. She tells them that no studies were conducted about the drug being less addictive. She also mentions that Curtis Wright, a former FDA employee, now works for Purdue Pharma.
