Dr. Death: Which Character Are You, Based On Your Zodiac Sign?
Dr. Death is the type of television series designed to evoke horror in its audience, with its story of a surgeon whose inept approach to surgery led to the death of two people and significant harm to several others. Though the story is what drives the show, the characters are just as compelling, based as they are on real people with all of their complexity and contradiction.
Examining them through the lens of the zodiac allows for a more nuanced understanding of who they are, what their motivations are, and how the audience is supposed to respond to them.
Christopher Duntsch’s father, Don, is a powerful influence in his life, and though he doesn’t always agree with his son’s actions, he is nevertheless always there for him.
Like most other Aries, he has a bit of a stubborn and proud streak, which may help to explain why he’s willing to stick by Christopher through both the good times and the bad, and why he’s so willing to speak the truth to him when few others will.
The Taurus is known for being one of the most stubborn and inflexible signs in the zodiac, and those are two traits that are apparent in Christopher Duntsch, who emerges as one of Joshua Jackson's best performances.
Despite the fact that he is clearly an inept surgeon (at best), he continues to pursue a career operating on people. His Taurean sense of self-confidence is so unshakeable that it literally takes a criminal conviction to take the scalpel out of his hand.
There are many people who were accomplices to Duntsch’s atrocities, but few bear as much blame as Kim Morgan, who was his assistant in many of his surgeries. However, the show doesn’t depict her as a simple villain.
But, instead, gives her complexity, showing how she has two sides, the one that turns a blind eye to Duntsch’s obvious failings as a surgeon and the other side that holds him to account later on. Like many Geminis, she has two different faces that she presents to the world.
Christopher’s girlfriend Wendy is another of the series’ best characters, and though her decision to move in with Duntsch might not be wise, she clearly has a lot of sympathy for him.
As a Cancer, she has a lot of compassion, even for those who don’t actually deserve it, which helps to explain why she continues to offer Christopher the support that he hasn’t earned.
Though he shows many signs of a Taurus, Christopher also demonstrates that he has the sort of hubris and self-centeredness that are key traits of the Leo.
He has something of a god complex, so that everything he does--no matter how inept, no matter how obviously it hurts others--is in service to his own vanity and sense of entitlement. And, as is often the case with Leos, when reality finally sets in, he finds that he cannot handle his world collapsing.
Virgos are known for their logic, their persistence, and their determination to right a wrong, and these are all traits that Michelle Shughart, the district attorney in charge of prosecuting Duntsch, exhibits. She’s tireless in her efforts to make sure that Duntsch’s victims get the justice that they deserve.
As determined as she is, however, she also has a bit of a soft side, which allows her to emotionally connect with his victims.
Being a defense attorney, to some degree, requires a sense of justice and an ability to see both sides of an issue, and Robbie McClung, who defends Christopher in court, clearly exhibits these qualities.
Though she might not agree with what he’s done, she knows that her job is to secure an acquittal, and she does everything in her power--sometimes in opposition to her client’s own wishes--to help him.
There’s a murkiness to Dr. Skadden that makes him a fascinating character, especially since he doesn’t get to appear in the series that much. It’s clear, however, that he turned a blind eye to Christopher’s inability as a surgeon, focusing instead on his pupil’s research abilities.
Like many Scorpios, Skadden is a very ambitious type, which helps to explain why he always seems more interested in Duntsch’s cancer research than in his skills as a surgeon.
No one can play a zany character quite like Christian Slater, and he brings all of his nervous energy to the character of Dr. Kirby, one of a pair of surgeons that set out to stop Duntsch before he can hurt others.
Like many Sagittariuses, Kirby has a bit of a wild side, and he’s not afraid to take risks in his efforts to get Duntsch’s surgical privileges revoked. He definitely ranks as one of the actor's best roles.
If Kirby is the zany one, Alec Baldwin’s Dr. Henderson is the level-headed one, and he is one of Baldwin's best creations. In true Capricorn fashion, he plays by the rules, taking the appropriate channels--such as going to the Texas State Medical Board--in his anti-Duntsch efforts.
He’s a very reasonable sort of person, always willing to look at all of the evidence before making a decision.
Though he is in many ways a Sagittarius, Dr. Kirby also shows some signs of fitting in with the Aquarius. This sign is known for its rather distant personality and for hiding a part of themselves from the world.
Throughout the series, Dr. Kirby seems to be doing the same thing. In some ways, he seems to live in a world all of his own, which makes him an interesting companion to Henderson, who is much more grounded.
Of all of Duntsch’s victims, it’s in some ways easiest to feel sorry for Jerry. From the beginning, Jerry supported his friend, even against all evidence to the contrary.
As a Pisces, loyalty to his friend meant more than anything else, and it wasn’t until Duntsch botched his surgery and left him paralyzed that he started to rethink his relationship with the other man. Even then, though, he showed a Piscean unwillingness to change his course of action.