Hulu’s Original Show, The Act, is Artistically Accurate [REVIEW]

The ACT  

Studio: Universal Content Productions 

Director: Nick Antosca, Michelle Dean 

Main actors:  Patricia Arquette, Joey King, AnnaSophia Robb 

Original Streaming Network: Hulu 

Run time: March 20, 2019 – present (7 released as of April 24) 

Rating : ★★★★☆ 

In June of 2015, Gypsy Rose Blanchard cowered on the bathroom floor covering her ears while Nicholas Godejohn murdered her mother Dee Dee Blanchard in the next room, according to Biography.com. Gypsy Rose wasn’t just a component in her own mother’s murder, but she also played the victim of a mother’s overprotective suppression that led to years of unnecessary surgeries and medical attention that obstructed her development from childhood into adulthood caused by her mother’s false diagnoses. The Act is an artistically adapted account of the Blanchards’ relationship leading up to the murder that plays on deep themes of family, trust and mental health which are artfully personified through the show’s careful casting and production. Released as an eight-episode Hulu original on March 20, 2019, The Act’s celebrity cast features Joey King, AnnaSophia Robb and Patricia Arquette in a dramatic portrayal of the story. The show is a crime tv series with new episodes released every Wednesday and is produced by Universal Content Productions.  

The show is based on real-life events after the arrest of Gypsy Rose following her mother’s death in 2015 sparked a national interest in the case. Despite the disclaimers included at the end of each episode claiming, “while this program is based on real events, some scenes and characters have been dramatized or fictionalized,” producers Nick Antosca and Michelle Dean are receiving heavy criticism for inaccurate representation and appropriation of characters, according to The Vulture. Gypsy Rose is among those who are upset about the show, claiming she did not consent to the production and has not been allowed to see it or judge its full accuracy. However, the show is based on the true account from the trials and past media adaptions of the story and the disclaimers inform audiences that they took artistic liberties with the portrayal. The acting, writing, depiction and production are all executed very cleverly in The Act and help to unveil the complex case of the Blanchard women.  

Unlike other crime dramas that populate contemporary media, The Act steers away from the typically formatted authority-criminal investigation and approaches murder mystery from a more immersive perspective focused on the mother-daughter relationship. The tone is consistently dark and eerily threatening throughout each episode, and the writers don’t dabble in the humorous attempts that other crime shows occasionally implement. In light of the Blanchard case, the decision to leave humor out of the script protects the audience from confusion or distraction and adds to the tone of the show.  

For twenty-three years, Dee Dee Blanchard led Gypsy and everyone else to believe that her daughter was seriously ill and required prescriptions and constant medical attention including surgeries in her eyes and mouth, according to Biography.com. But it wasn’t until much later when Gypsy began to realize that she wasn’t sick, and she was able to recruit a friend over the internet to murder her mother for her. Nick GodeJohn, who claims to suffer from an undiagnosed split personality disorder, met Gypsy over a Christian dating app and agreed to her request, according to Gypsy’s account. Joey King, known for her childhood roles as a young, innocent girl, took on a very different aspect of her typical role as Gypsy in The Act. Her portrayal both in appearance and in adaption was reflective of Gypsy’s strongest features and complexities. Patricia Arquette, who played Dee Dee, presented the delicate influence of mental illness in a gentle, yet toxic, portrayal of Gypsy’s mother. This show is based on an incredibly sensitive case that is still in public controversy and the actors’ depictions of the characters are liberally adjusted but in a respectfully delicate manner. Both King’s and Arquette’s roles are similar to their typical castings, but even in a much darker context, they were able to pull it off well.  There is no malicious language or depictions that are outrageously offensive or inaccurate, but some depictions are dramatized or modified to add extra-contextual plotline.  

Some of the dramatized scenes in controversy are the liberties taken with the introduction of love interests in episode three. In the show, Dee Dee and Gypsy were depicted to have met two men at a science fiction convention, but according to claims of inaccuracy, these men were not specified in any account of the case. The producers took liberties with the design of the script and plotline and made sure to announce that they were doing so in order to meet the appeal from the media. The producers should have taken more cautious measures when writing the show to include accurate depictions and they should have worked to receive Gypsy and all appropriated parties’ consent before portrayal.  

The Act is a dramatic miniseries that, while not as heavily viewed as other original streaming crime-shows like Netflix’s Making a Murderer, is rich in drama and popular appeal. With a recognizable cast and intriguing plot, the show is drawing in a growing number of viewers and as controversy continues with Gypsy’s comments from prison, the show’s future remains a mystery.  

With an overall accurate depiction of real-life events, the artistic liberties taken in The Act’s portrayal of Gypsy and Dee Dee Blanchard were tasteful and supportive of the character’s relationship to the story. With the cohesive implementation of filming, special effects, production, writing and casting, the show receives a positive response from audiences and demonstrates a clever portrayal of a complex case.  

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