Ep 3. Microphallus

In House of Lies season 1 episode 3, titled "Microphallus," Marty and his team are hired by a pharmaceutical company to help launch a new drug that treats male genitalia issues. The drug, called Uprima, is meant to compete with Viagra, and the company is hoping to make billions of dollars from it.

Marty's team is tasked with coming up with a marketing strategy that will make Uprima stand out from Viagra, which is already a well-known and established drug. They begin by conducting research to understand what factors motivate men to seek treatment for erectile dysfunction. They quickly realize that there are many men out there who suffer from this problem but are too embarrassed to seek help.

Marty decides to take a different approach to marketing Uprima. He suggests that they target women instead of men, since women are often the ones who persuade their partners to seek treatment for sexual issues. He comes up with the idea to create a campaign that emphasizes the emotional connection between partners and how this can be affected by sexual problems. The campaign features couples holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes, with the tagline "Uprima: Bringing couples closer."

Marty's team creates a series of commercials that feature real couples sharing their stories about how Uprima has helped their relationships. They also create a social media campaign that encourages women to talk openly about sexual problems and urge their partners to seek treatment. The campaign is a huge success, and Uprima becomes a best-seller.

However, things get complicated when Marty discovers that the company has been hiding a major side effect of Uprima. The drug can cause a condition called microphallus, which causes men to develop abnormally small penises. Marty is horrified by this discovery and realizes that he has been promoting a drug that can cause serious harm to men.

Marty confronts the company's CEO about the side effect, but he is brushed off and told that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks. Marty refuses to accept this and decides to go public with the information. He and his team launch a new campaign that exposes the dangers of Uprima and urges men to seek alternative treatments.

The episode ends with Marty facing the consequences of his actions. He is sued by the pharmaceutical company for breach of contract and faces a potential lawsuit from men who have been affected by Uprima. He also faces criticism from his team and struggles with his conscience about whether he did the right thing.

Overall, House of Lies season 1 episode 3 is a thought-provoking installment that explores the ethics of marketing pharmaceuticals and the consequences of putting profits above people.