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Review of "show" 3/15/19 by Suzanne
airs Wednesdays on HULU

This is a great series, but it's somewhat hard to watch at times because of the horrible things that happen. It reminds me a little bit of the 1970's miniseries "Sybil." However, once it grabs you, you won't want to stop watching. Patricia Arquette, who's like TV's Meryl Streep, stars as Dee Dee Blanchard, a single mother who is raising her disabled child, Gypsy Rose (the superb Joey King).  At least, that's what it seems like, at first. We quickly find that Dee Dee is keeping Gypsy as an invalid and forcing her to pretend to be disabled. It's a bit gross because Dee Dee forces her to eat via a tube in her stomach.  It's a horrific form of child abuse, except that Rose learns that she's not a child any more. She learns by accident because her mother lies to her about her true birth date. She wants to keep Rose a child as long as possible, and dependent on her.

Tragedy occurs because of this woman's mental illness and the abuse she's perpetuated on her daughter (not to mention all of the fraud and lies).  What's very sad is that this is based on a true story.  They tell us up front what happens to Dee Dee, and the rest is in flashbacks. It's a shame because then all that's left is to find out how she ends up dead.  Somehow, though, they still make it riveting to watch. Chloë Sevigny plays Mel, the next-door neighbor, and AnnaSophia Robb plays her daughter, Lacey.

MORE INFORMATION:

The Act is a seasonal anthology series that tells startling, stranger-than-fiction true crime stories. The first season follows Gypsy Blanchard, a girl trying to escape the toxic relationship she has with her overprotective mother. Her quest for independence opens a Pandora’s box of secrets, one that ultimately leads to murder.

Hulu’s upcoming original limited series The Act, will debut Wednesday, March 20 with two episodes, and subsequent episodes released every Wednesday on Hulu.  The Act  is a seasonal anthology series that tells startling, stranger-than-fiction true crime stories. The first season follows Gypsy Blanchard, a girl trying to escape the toxic relationship she has with her overprotective mother. Her quest for independence opens a Pandora’s box of secrets, one that ultimately leads to murder.

The Act stars Patricia Arquette, Joey King, Chloë Sevigny, AnnaSophia Robb and Calum Worthy.

Based on the article “Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter To Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom To Be Murdered” by Michelle Dean, the series is written and executive produced by Dean and Nick Antosca alongside Greg Shephard and Britton Rizzio who also serve as executive producers.

Teaser: https://youtu.be/eoXVu1ddDns

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