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Hulu's True Crime Series Explores the Tragic Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard- The Act Review





I am a sucker for Crime Series and after reading the true story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, I knew I had to see the Hulu show. It stars Oscar winning actress Patricia Arquette and Joey King as a murder-daughter duo who have a very questionable relationship. The Act follows Gypsy Rose Blanchard (King), a teenager who is trying to escape the toxic relationship she has with her "Manchausen Syndrome by Proxy" mother Dee Dee (Arquette).
   Mini Series are my new favorite things and everything about The Act was perfect. Patricia Arquette is an amazing actress and I had no doubts that she was going to do a great job with this role. She literally owned the role and her chemistry with Joey King was stellar. King has really grown from her days of playing Selena Gomez' sister in "Ramona and Beezus" and she did a fantastic job playing Gypsy Rose. She really surprised me with her portrayal of this character and I'm looking forward to seeing her take on major roles in the future. She got the actual voice of the real Gypsy Rose and even went as far as shaving her head to look more like the character.

HBO's "Sharp Objects" was the first time I heard about Manchausen Syndrome by Proxy and I really understood it better on The Act with Arquette's portrayal of Dee Dee Blanchard. Gypsy was manipulated for years by her mother into thinking she was much younger than she was, that she couldn't walk and that she had a long list of illnesses when she was in fact a very healthy girl. After Gypsy found out that she was years older than what her mother told her, she started questioning a lot of things. She eventually gets a laptop, registers on a christian dating site and befriends Nick Godejohn who she's able to convince to be her Knight in Shining Armour by rescuing her from this prison she was by killing her mother. Nick thinks he's her savior and the Clyde to her Bonnie. Gypsy was medically and emotionally abused by her mother for over a decade and she was ready to do anything to be free. Calum Worthy was one of my favorite things about this show. His acting especially in the moments before he murders Dee Dee was really intense. It was obvious how nervous he was but he was ready to do anything for Gypsy.

The finale was quite dark with flashbacks to the moment Dee Dee was murdered by Nick. Gypsy and Nick were amateurs who thought murdering Dee Dee and fleeing to another city would solve their problems. It seemed like they lived in a bubble and it took them getting arrested to actually understand that their fairy tale ending was wiped away the moment they thought about stabbing Dee Dee. Gyspy was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison while Nick was sentenced to Life without Parole.
This story is very twisted and dark. Its really hard to fathom the fact that it was based on real events. A lot of people believe Gypsy was failed by the system and I agree. Its crazy to think all the doctors she came in contact with since she was a child never deduced the fact that she was actually a very healthy girl who didn't need a wheelchair. A few believe she should be in a mental facility instead of a prison. I think both Nick and Gypsy should be in mental facilities. The Act was well put together and it had the perfect pacing and cast with a really haunting soundtrack. The directing, the cinematography and the attention to detailing was phenomenal. The house in the show looked exactly like where the crime was commited. After watching videos, interviews and the court sessions involving Gypsy and Nick, I really have to applaud the creators of this show and I really hope they get nominated for an Emmy. Currently, the real Gypsy Rose is serving a ten year sentence for second-degree murder.
All 8 episodes of The Act are available for streaming on Hulu.

The real Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Gypsy and Dee Dee Blanchard

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