Hulu’s “The Act”: Actor-Driven and Stranger than Fiction

Long story short Dee Dee Blanchard was a conwoman who convinced everyone she met that her daughter suffered from a myriad of serious conditions including but not limited to ear infections sleep apnea chronic seizures and muscular dystrophy amp160She had Gypsyamp8217s saliva glands extracted shaved her head to mimic the look of cancer patients had her constantly use a wheelchair instead of walking even though her legs worked just fine and fed her all her meals through a tube because realism I guess amp160She even had Gypsy convinced she was at least a couple of years younger than she actually was all so that they could live off of the charity provided by their neighbors and other wellintentioned benefactors including organizations like Habitat for HumanityEventually Gypsy Rose got hip to all this trickery and decided that sheamp8217d prefer a life out from underneath her motheramp8217s abusive thumb amp160This did not end well for Dee DeeAs crazy as Gypsy and Dee Deeamp8217s story is believe it or not finding out what happens next isnamp8217t the real selling point of the show amp160What actually puts this series over the top in the best way are the performances by Arquette King and Chloamp235 Sevigny who plays the Blanchardsamp8217 rightfully suspicious neighbor Mel amp160Arquette delivers a perfectly duplicitous Dee Dee a woman who convincingly comes off as equal parts sincere and sinisteramp160 Dee Dee attentively waits on Gypsy hand and foot painting a clear picture of an ailmentridden daughter and her guardian angel caretakermother but behind the scenes she is controlling and manipulativeThen thereamp8217s King who as far Iamp8217m concerned knocks her portrayal of Gypsy Rose clear out of the park amp160Her desire to be like the other girls in her neighborhood is damn near palpable as is her everincreasing level of disillusionment with the realities of her life amp160Kingamp8217s eyes are absolutely magnetic and her expressive face allows her the ability to convey everything thatamp8217s going on below the surface without ever having to say a wordSevignyamp8217s character Mel feels like the vieweramp8217s entry point into the situation amp160Yes itamp8217s technically her daughter Lacey AnnaSophia Robb that first befriends Gypsy Rose but itamp8217s Mel who gets the inkling that somethingamp8217s off with the Blanchards amp160Nothing is more telling than that death stare only women seem to know how to give and no one can cut their eyes at you better than SevignyLater in the series we meet Nick Godejohn whoamp8217s played by the remarkably talented Calum Worthy amp160Younger viewers or their parents may remember Worthyamp160from Disney Channelamp8217s Austin and Aly but in this show heamp8217s nothing like the silly ginger goof he used to play amp160Godejohn the man who Gypsy Rose eventually talks into murdering her mother is on the autism spectrum something that ended up being pivotal in his legal defense amp160The level of commitment by both Worthy and King is more than apparent as evidenced by scenes that I feel are better watched than described remember itamp8217s about the journey and all that amp160The connection that they shared the way that Gypsy saw him as her escape the way that he saw himself as her rescuer all paint a very genuine and humanizing picture of these two amp160Itamp8217s very conflicting because one could only imagine suffering all those years of mental and physical abuse but at the same time murder is obviously still a big nonoThe Act was an interesting watch for me because as with other true crime shows how the story plays out is already common knowledge amp160It almost makes this series spoilerproof because how could one ruin something so easily Googleableamp160 The journey is what kept me coming back episode after episode amp8211 and the stellar performancesIamp8217m looking forward to seeing what real crime ends up being the focus of this new Hulu franchise39s second seasonamp160 It likely wonamp8217t have anything to do with this one which is fine amp160Iamp8217m on board for whatever sensational headline The Act decides to dig into nextClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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Hulu’s “The Act”: Actor-Driven and Stranger than Fiction

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Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Hulu’s “The Act”: Actor-Driven and Stranger than Fiction

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Ainsley Andrade

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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