By: Ava Rogha
The Act (2019) tells the true story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard (Joey King), who convinced a stranger she met online to murder her horrendous mother, Dee Dee Blanchard (Patricia Arquette). You may already point fingers at Gypsy for killing her mother, but her life is far from normal!
"The stars are angels and the angels protect us."
For 19 years, Gypsy has been tricked by her mother into thinking she is ill just so she could be used as a charity case and a way for her mother to earn money. Gypsy was told she is epileptic, paraplegic, allergic to sugar and with heart murmurs. She was also told she is unable to walk, which explains why she is sitting in a wheelchair throughout the show. Gypsy is more than grateful for everything her mother does for her, and even refers to Dee Dee as her best friend. Little did she know that even your own mother can betray you!
It’s not until Gypsy and Dee Dee move into a new neighborhood that people start to slowly suspect Dee Dee’s overprotectiveness over Gypsy. During a gathering with the neighbors, Dee Dee’s overprotective side is exposed to others when Gypsy eats the frosting off a cupcake that is served at the party. Dee Dee immediately injects her daughter and rushes her to the emergency room.
Later in the same episode, the audience becomes more familiar with how Gypsy truly feels about her mother’s nags and overprotectiveness, when the woman rants about how she could have lost Gypsy that night. As Gypsy’s just been examined by a doctor, it turns out she is not allergic to sugar. The adrenaline and excitement hits Gypsy when she hears the news and she rushes to the fridge to have some more frosting. Yes, rushes. Without her wheelchair. It turns out, her mother has been lying to her all along. Gypsy is not allergic to sugar and she most certainly can walk!
"Sometimes I feel like it's my job to keep people happy."
Joey King makes the perfect Gypsy Rose, and her similarities with the real-life Gypsy Rose are undeniably strong. King’s character is extremely challenging, but she pulls it off well enough for us to empathize with her throughout the show.
Further on in the show, as Gypsy is being examined by other doctors, more people start to suspect her medical records and her doctor, Dr. Lakshmi Chandra is convinced they are false.
As Dr. Lakshmi Chandra is making phone calls to check Gypsy’s suspicious medical records, she also reports Gypsy’s situation to Child Protective Services. We can only wonder why no one else has done that before! Gypsy may be 19 years old, but her mother has tricked her and people into thinking she is a minor. That way Dee Dee can have power over her daughter.
Just when we thought Gypsy was about to be rescued from her crazy mother, Dee Dee drugs Gypsy so she is unable to function properly during her interview with CPS.
"I'm mad because I could have lost you."
Everything leading up to this moment has given Gypsy enough reasons to save herself from her mother, but as overprotective as Dee Dee is, it is nearly impossible to do so. However, Dee Dee does have diabetes and once she is weak and ill enough for Gypsy to sneak out, the girl buys her own computer to interact with the “outside world”.
Even though we expected Gypsy to contact CPS or the police, she rather signs up for a Christian dating website and meets sketchy young boy, Nick Godejohn, who has a “dark” side. It’s interesting to see Gypsy exploring her sexuality after 19 years of hell and the couple even meet in real life, behind Dee Dee’s back, just to have a sexual intercourse.
We empathize with Gypsy and it is understandable that she finally feels wanted, even if it's by a crazy person. Nick is definitely not happy with sneaking around and all hell breaks loose when the boy tells Dee Dee how he feels about her daughter. Let me tell you, he does not get the reaction he was hoping for!
"We're supposed to do everything together, like Cinderella and Prince Charming."
As you probably can tell by now, this was the last straw that triggered Dee Dee’s death. Gypsy gets a fishing knife and asks her Romeo to murder her mother. The show has been anticipating this moment: Dee Dee’s murder. Cold bloodedly, Nick stabs Dee Dee to death with Gypsy hiding in the bathroom. I don’t want to spoil this horrific scene, but the murder can’t compare to anything you have seen before!
The fear and sorrow are evident in Gypsy’s eyes as her mother’s being stabbed by “the love of her life”. We can only imagine that Gypsy regretted what she asked for in that dreadful moment. But as clueless as Gypsy is, she can't wait to start a new chapter with Nick! It's not until she gets caught that she realizes the severity of the situation.
"I have always loved my mom."
Gypsy was trapped in a home and suffered years of abuse and lies from her own mother. And after 19 years of being stuck with her prisoner, it seems like she didn’t know any better than to kill her mother. Nothing can justify a murder, but it was definitely an act of self-defense rather than malicious intentions.
This eight-episode long show is definitely not enough for the audience to understand really why and how all of this happened.
But if you get hooked to the plot like I did, you can always dig up for answers on YouTube and Dr. Phil to meet the real Gypsy Blanchard and compare the scenes of the show with real-life surveillance footage from after the murder!
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