But Wait, There’s Talk Of A Sequel?
Please tell me you’ve been keeping up with Hulu’s latest original series, The Act! In the first season, we are taken back to the 2015 murder of Dee Dee Blanchard. On the surface, Dee Dee appeared to be a wholesome, humble mother and caretaker of her mentally handicapped, wheelchair ridden, violently ill daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard. But, there’s a twist! In a shocking turn of events, Dee Dee was not only a horrible person, but a liar. She convinced the media, public officials, relatives, and even Gypsy herself that her daughter had every condition imaginable to live a short, strained life, leading to one of the most public cases of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Dee Dee fooled everyone on the face of the planet, perhaps even herself, and scammed money into her pockets from those who wished to help a sick child and struggling, single mother. Finally coming to her senses, Gypsy planned to runaway from Dee Dee with a young man she met online. But, instead of being whisked away to freedom and calling out her mother all around: Gypsy’s online boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, killed Dee Dee. Godejohn will serve life in prison for the murder while Gypsy is eligible for parole in 2024. What an insane story, right?!
The story of the Blanchard murder has spawned many straight to television adaptions of their wicked story. I mean, how could it not? Gypsy was a prisoner in her own home and wanted nothing to be but a normal girl. The Hulu series highlights this throughout it’s five-episode run. Gypsy knew she walk. She’d bounce around her home at night snacking on junk food and browsing the internet, but would remain bound to her wheelchair during the day for her mother to showcase her alleged sickness. It’s hard to feel sympathy for Dee Dee when you know the extent she went to protect her secrets and betrayal, including tying up her daughter, obvious physical and emotional abuse, and lying to doctors and public officials who would raise an eyebrow to her act.
The Hulu series only makes you feel sympathy for Dee Dee because she’s portrayed brilliantly by Patricia Arquette, who can turn stone into gold. Her manic anxieties of wanting a forever daughter are humanized to a point where you slowly start to think of Dee Dee as your childhood puppy. Did you ever want good ole’ Cinnamon to turn from a clumsy puppy into the German Shepard who would be taller than the island in your kitchen? Maybe not!
Joey King stars as Gypsy and boy, I had no idea who this girl was until this series and cannot wait to see her progress. She nails all, from the innocent-naïve-near braindead voice which Gypsy is widely known for and the hope of being a princess who wanted to escape the walls of her parent’s home. I know Gypsy is a killer, but even in real life I hold more sympathy towards her than her mother. King performs Gypsy as a normal teenage girl, who wanted to talk to boys and be all about sex. I get it, girl, I grew up around the same time she did. Of course, there are also standout recurring characters such as the ever iconic Chloe Sevigny, who plays a no nonsense neighbor, and AnnaSophia Robb as Gypsy’s only friend, a flirty neighborhood girl with a big heart.
According to Esquire, The Act’s writer, Michelle Dean, is discussing the possibilities for a sequel. Uhh, what? Like, we all know the story: Dee Dee is murdered and Gypsy goes to jail. The whole act is revealed to the world and we’re left stunned only to constantly watch every YouTube video of the pair ever. Because, listen obsessive fans of True Crime as I am, The Act isn’t just a one-off. It’s going to be part of an anthology series! Ahh! Well, it’s not picked just yet, but please, with the rave reviews of this current season we’re definitely going to get another on board. Yes! Dean tells:
“There’s no Season Two right now, in the sense that Hulu has not picked it up. We’re still in post-production, so I think we’re focused on getting this story out to the public, and we’ll think about it. The Act was designed as an anthology: obviously the title refers to a couple things. Obviously the act of the crime, but also the act that Dee Dee and Gypsy were putting on for the public, so yeah. If there were a Season Two, those are the stories that we would be interested in telling.”
In the meantime, like after you’ve watched the Hulu series, you’ll know how addicting the true story is and want MORE. So, you’ve got to check out HBO’s documentary about the Blanchards, Mommy Dead And Dearest, where you can dive into all the zaniness including interrogation interviews and exclusive interviews. I did the digging for you, don’t forget to check it out below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM51NteUeFo
Writer’s Note: This is the opinion of one Instinct Magazine contributor and does not reflect the views of Instinct Magazine itself or fellow contributors.
H/T: Esquire
