Hulu’s “The Act” Is Stranger Than Fiction

“The Act” (streaming on Hulu) is arguably one of the best new shows of 2019. Starring Patricia Arquette as Deedee Blanchard and Joey King as her daughter Gypsy Rose, the series is based on the stranger-than-fiction real lives of Deedee and Gypsy. In 2015, Gypsy and her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, conspired and eventually killed her mother.

What makes this even more interesting is that Gypsy had long been suffering as the victim of her mother’s Munchausen syndrome by proxy (look it up if you’re interested, and try not to get sucked into the WebMD rabbit hole). Interest in this “act” has spawned an HBO documentary and a Lifetime movie as well as a Dr. Phil interview and, most recently the drama series on Hulu.The unique thing about “The Act” is that, although based on true events, some of what happens has been “dramatized or fictionalized.” Obviously, this dramatization is well done; the writing and directing create a sense of foreboding and the pacing of each episode is a painstakingly slow burn, making the end that much more impactful.

Powerhouse performances are given by Arquette and King, even if Arquette’s southern drawl borders on infuriating.My main qualm with the series lies with the “based on a true story” nature of the show.

This can potentially lead to people believing things that are untrue about the real story, like the fact that the whole sugar allergy debacle (a main point in the first episode, and a pivotal moment when Gypsy starts to realize all her maladies have been fabricated) was fictionalized. 

While providing an interesting story arc, it becomes clear that not everything that meets the eye is true (both in the show and comparing the show to reality).

Often true in any “based on a true story” narrative is the reliance on the shocking, especially when it means more viewers. People close to the case, like Gypsy’s father and stepmother, have come out to dispute some of the characterizations and events that happened on the show (specifically the characterization of Gypsy’s friend, Lacey), thus furthering the separation of reality and dramatization.

“The Act” offers up more of a possibility than a true reenactment, something of which can prove confusing for viewers both new to the case and those enamored with the crime.

The way I choose to look at it, “The Act” is a drama series that got its foundation from a real story.

If anything, it may have sparked me (and potentially others) to do some singular research on the occurrences in the Blanchard house.

Just as it seems, the truth is stranger than fiction.

Rating: 8/10 useless wheelchairs.