The Act on Hulu

Oops forgot the link.

Looks and sounds a bit too intense for me, OP. Is it about Munchausen by proxy?

Yes, you should Google it and read the story. One of the craziest Munchausen stories ever.

I haven’t watched, but plan to. I’m still fascinated by that case.

DeeDee Blancharde got what was coming to her.

If she'sh doing "The Act," doesh she shing "Shitty Lightsh"?

Shitty Lightsh... thoshe wonderful shitty lightsh...

I'm excited. This story has fascinated me since I first heard about it and Arquette looks so unrecognizable that she seems like she'll easily get an Emmy nom.

I was thinking that too R6.

Liked the first two episodes.

Doesh the Arquette girl shing “Arthur In The Afternoon” with a colored fella like I ushed to? Wash he Schpanish or mulatto? I can’t quite remember. Anyway, I wish her luck. It’s a helluva show! They’ll love it!

Shing out, Patricha!

Shunschweet prune!

I'm watching the first episode right now.

The Act is going to be an anthology true crime series. I think the Elizabeth Holmes/Theranos story would work for a season.

The white trash roles were all well cast.

Patricia Arquette is already predicted to get an Emmy nomination for the Showtime mini-series Escape at Dannemora.

The voice and accent Patricia uses on this show reminds me of someone else. But, I can't pinpoint who it is.

Watch "mommy dead and dearest", HBO doc about them.

R15, Piper Laurie in Carrie?

I’ve never gotten the hype around Patricia Arquette. She’s okay in this, but her acting is still very amateurish for someone so highly acclaimed. I honestly think she won the Oscar for Boyhood because she showed herself getting fat on camera and that wowed superficial Hollywood voters.

[quote] I’ve never gotten the hype around Patricia Arquette.

Quite big tits.

What in the world is the Liza loon babbling on about?

Actually, this looks incredible. And horrible!

Joey King is incredibly good as Munchausen by proxy victim Gypsy Rose Blanchard.

So far I'm loving this.

Wish they’d release all the episodes at once.

And now I want to write "sleepy Baby" on all the prescriptions in my medicine cabinet.

This is horrifying. I was hoping they'd skip over the teeth pulling.

Guess she’s doing okay with no salivary glands, except for the teeth?

r26 isn't she in prison? If I was in prison, I think saliva would be low on my list of problems.

Dry mouth is no picnic.

[quote] Dry mouth is no picnic.

That's what they should have named the series.

Gold Derby experts and editors are predicting Arquette will get a nomination in supporting actress in limited series/movie category for The Act. She is predicted to get nomination for lead actress in limited series/movie for Escape at Dannemora. I think she'll get nominated for both mini-series shows, but she'll lose in both categories.

Arquette's accent is weak in this. I thought her work in Dannemora was way more solid. The actress playing Gypsy is wonderful, as is the supporting cast so far.

But this thing is seriously way more disturbing than any genre horror movie. That it's a true story makes all the body horror and psychological torture almost unbearable. I was mad at myself for watching it late at night so it would still be rattling around in my head as I tried to fall asleep.

I remember seeing some true crime thing about their story, several years ago. The details of their lives leading up to The Act were unfurled and laid out really well and there was a very disturbing interview with Gypsy and footage of her 'bonding' with her father during 'quality time' in a court room. But what stood out most to me was that Dee Dee's father said he was forced to take her cremains and when he got home he flushed them down the toilet. And he and his wife laughed about it in their talking head interview.

The performances are great, but the trend of turning a true crime into a multipart series shouldn't apply here.

Most of us know how this well-publicized story ends, and if you didn't, the murder in the opening scene gives it away.

Unlike "The Staircase," with its myriad legal twists and turns, which was a true whodunit, this case is too straightforward and the killer too obvious to warrant an entire season. The viewer is left simply having to live with the insane mother and daughter, and that's not pleasant.

I like it.

Patricia is predicted to WIN the Emmy (by me) for The Escape miniseries. So far she has won every award she has been nominated for including the SAG beating Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson. Anyone one who thinks the Emmy/Oscar winner is bad is .... how do I put this delicately ? Is probably a Trump voter. You must have brain damage if you saw the Showtime series and still think that.

Since The Act has 6 episodes they could put in the the regular Best Drama Emmy category like True Detective did the first season.

I've been traveling and haven't had a chance to watch it yet, although I'll check out the first episode eventually. I'm just not sure if this story needed a dramatic presentation. The longform Buzzfeed article and Mommy Dead and Dearest really told you most of what you need to know.

I also felt MDaD was way too pro-Gypsy, and I'm sure this will be more of the same. Like, I intellectually get why she did it, and in a certain sense, I guess I can see how she thought this was her only way of escaping. But I also saw her being fairly manipulative--there's one scene in MDaD where she appears to sob when she's talking about the actual murder, but there are no tears in her eyes. She also had the habit of turning the baby voice up to 11 when she wanted extra sympathy. There's no way she wasn't a lot more involved than everyone wants to think. I don't think she deserved the death penalty (I don't think anyone does), and I don't really think she deserves life in prison, but I still feel like she should have gotten a longer sentence.

Cunts!

R35 I agree with you on Gypsy. I understand how she became what she is but many of her ardent supporters portray her as essentially what her mother presented her as :a helpless disabled little girl with the mind of a child. Gypsy is a victim but I think she is also incredibly cunning . The gist of Gypsys story, that she was callously abused by her sick mother, is accurate . But I think Gypsy is an unreliable narrator and has not told the entire truth. When she is released, I think authorities should keep a close eye on her, particularly around vulnerable people.

Why didn’t little Gypsy Rose simply say “Turn it off, Mother!”? It worked for me.

[quote]But I think Gypsy is an unreliable narrator and has not told the entire truth.

There are plenty of things that don't quite make sense in Gypsy's story. Dee Dee wouldn't let go of her hand in public because if Gypsy was starting to say too much about what her life really was, she would squeeze her hand to remind her not to go there. But somehow she went to the movies--without her wheelchair--and had an opportunity to sneak off and have sex in a bathroom.

R39 Yes, exactly. She was far more proactive and capable than many seem to realize. I think by the time she had reached young adulthood she was less a straightforward victim than a co dependent to her sicko mother. Which is not to say there weren't mitigating factors, however the dynamics were probably more complicated than they might appear. The line that Deedee supposedly told Gypsy before she went to bed, "Don't hurt me " is very telling. If true, it suggests that Deedee realized towards the end that she had created another sociopath.

The biggest mystery of all is how Dee Dee landed, even temporarily, someone as hot as Gypsy's father.

I mean, I know she trapped him by getting pregnant, but she managed to get him in the sack in the first pace.

[quote]When she is released, I think authorities should keep a close eye on her, particularly around vulnerable people.

I agree. I do have sympathy for her because all those medical procedures and other things DeeDee did fucked her up. But, she really learned how to manipulate people quite well and I can see her continuing to play on people after she gets released.

I have noticed that many people don't really call her out on the manipulation of the boyfriend. Her story reminds me quite a bit of that case in the 80s or 90s where a young woman had her boyfriend kill her wealthy abusive mother and she avoided prison time. There was a TV movie about the case and Victoria Principal played the abusive mother and Henry Thomas played the girl's boyfriend. The names were changed around for the TV movie, but I can't think the real people's names. From what I recall in the real life case, the boyfriend's family and friends were pissed off at the legal system because the young woman got off scott free.

There are pictures of DeeDee when she was young and skinny she was pretty somewhat.

Lol the whole thing is gross. And Chloe as a white trash neighbor.

Chloe was well cast as the white trash neighbor. I loved the scene of her seeing them stealing from the jewelry rack at the mall. I also like the black neighbor who hangs out with Chloe's character. There are the perfect trashy neighborhood Greek chorus for this story.

[quote]I loved the scene of her seeing them stealing from the jewelry rack at the mall.

That was literally the least believable scene in the show so far. So far-fetched.

Did that happen in real life, R46?

R47 The scene may have been made up for the show. But, DeeDee Blanchard had a history shoplifting and writing bad checks on her record.

Yeah, I think Gypsy is a sociopath too, sadly :( The violent act she planned all on her own basically and her *coldly* dumping of the mentally challenged bf she got to do it for her (and her talking about him sooo coldly in documentary interviews) creeps me out.

I hate that she was abused so much and the system *did* completely fail her (government, medical, family, etc.) but I did think that Gypsy was one of those people who “turned evil” as a result of long term abuse, rather than like a damaged PTSD victim that just needs help only.

It also bothered me that she doesn’t seem to be getting any therapy in prison.

Her entire life was bizarre and abusive almost from birth; it’s a disservice to both her and society to not be getting Gypsy *serious* mental/emotional and therapeutic help while she’s on the inside.

She seems both damaged *and* dangerous to me...

This story outcome reminds me of some of the themes explored in that HBO limited series with Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson, “Sharp Objects”

*****MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW*****

Turns out the mother of the story has Munchausen by Proxy but was never found out because she’s extremely manipulative and very wealthy. She has 3 daughters that she poisons throughout their lives. The girls don’t know they’re being poisoned (at first).

One sister dies very young from the poisoning, one (Amy Adams) is traumatizes by it all, rebels against the mother, and ends up turning the violence on herself with cutting (self-harm) and alcoholism—though she does move away and become a reporter, but the youngest daughter, (who is a teenager) at some point realizes she is being poisoned by her mother and somehow her body adapts to the poison and she survives, but she takes out all the internal rage out on society and violently kills multiple girls (former “friends”) in her town that she has conflict with or becomes jealous of.

She lets her mom go to jail in the end for her murders and kills another girl in her new town after going to live with the other older sister (Amy Adams).

The youngest daughter basically became a murderous sociopath like the mother, but just expresses it all in the different way.

*******END OF SPOILERS********

I’m genuinely concerned that Gypsy is like the youngest daughter in that story at this point. Like the mother, but just in a different way. I don’t know if she can change or if she actually has empathy for others....

I *do* hope she is at least analyzed and treated by top psych doctors in some way.

I read the story and have seen a doc. I really would NOT enjoy watching several hours more about this horrible story filled with cruelty and insanity and society just turning a blind ignorant eye to child abuse. Is there anything at all ENTERTAINING about the series' treatment of this shit storm?

I wonder if Hulu (and HBO) paid Gypsy Rose for her story? Is she getting rich off of this?

r31 you are talking about the HBO movie of it 'Mommy Dead and Dearest'

How did Gypsy get online to meet men if DeeDee was closely monitoring her?

I'm still trying to figure out what Liza has to do with this...

R55

Here ya go, Georgia!

Shucha a fantashtic idea to include Gypshy songs in thish too. Shounds jusht shenshational! You go, girlsh!

Whenever she left or slept is when Gypsy used the computer.

Gypsy gave an Oscar worthy performance when she acts shocked her mother is dead after she had posted on the internet the bitch was dead.

I meant to say in the documentary.

R42 Yeah,often times a young woman with sociopathic traits will get a man to do her dirty work for her. I think people sometimes overlook female involvement in certain cases. I think Dede was a monster and Gypsy was a horny young psychopath. While the male libido is usually stronger I think people underestimate what young women will do if they are sexually hooked. Americans stereotype every teenage girl as chaste little angels , particularly if they have daughters themselves. There was a case in Virginia a couple years back where some neo Nazi freak killed his teenage girlfriends parents because they didn't want them dating. The parents became concerned when their daughter started spouting off lines like "the Jews were to blame for the Holocaust ". The official story was the young woman had no involvement but I still wonder if that was the truth. I'm not fully convinced the girlfriend had no knowledge. The girl and her two brothers survived in that case, I bet the brothers must hate the little skank.

R54 I think she exaggerated how much her crazy mother was monitoring her. She had enough freedom to post BDSM pictures of herself and fuck men in movie theater bathrooms.

Gypsy got dat D!

Are they only releasing 2 episodes a week ?

R63 It's one episode per week after this.

Which is usually Hulu's MO.

Hulu dropped all eight episodes of PEN15 at once. What a cockblock!

Lifetime released a movie based on this case a couple of months back. The names were changed and Marcia Gay Harden played the mother. It was an ok TV movie. But, The Act is already a lot better than the Lifetime movie.

Did they make this while getting permission/paying Gypsy? Because that makes me less likely to check it out.

I mean, you name your daughter Gypsy Rose and we'll immediately know you're a self-absorbed, smothering, evil bitch just like Mama Rose Hovick.

I saw most of the documentary and I think there is something wrong with Dedees parents as well. The laughter about flushing the remains down the toilet felt off. They seem like 3 generations of sociopaths. Gypsy is a sly woman, she probably picked up some of her psycho mothers tricks. I wouldn't turn my back on her.

OK, who the fuck did Marcia Gay Harden piss off? She nosedived from the shortlist & prestige pix & Oscar nominations to Hallmark movies shot on a tracphone. What happened there?

I'm not loving Patricia as Dee Dee, but Joey King is phenomenal as Gypsy.

The actor playing Wolverine was pretty hot.

I wonder if Joey King went nuts having to do that voice.

The guy who played the Hot Wolverine is dating that fug singer Sara Bareillis .

Episode 3 is pathetic, bathetic, harrowing, campy, sad and hilarious all in one hour. And Joey King is indeed great.

Wolverine ish in thish too?! I love Hugh Jackman! He musht be senshational in dear Gower’s role. Ya gotta shay, Patrisha better clear her mantle for the Tony! The role of a lifetime. Jusht schpectaxular. Go girl!

I thought the guy who became Gypsy's boyfriend was closer to her in age?

Gypsy had two "boyfriends" (that we know of). Before meeting the guy who killed Mama (close to her in age), she hooked up with some creepy 35 year old guy she met at a comic-con (as seen in ep 3). This was no torrid affair but once Gypsy was able to sneak out her house to visit the sad sack. Then Mama got wind of it and immediately put the kibosh on things.

Really enjoy this show. Joey King is great and it's well directed (great use of music too).

R60 said :”Yeah,often times a young woman with sociopathic traits will get a man to do her dirty work for her. I think people sometimes overlook female involvement in certain cases.”

Like Chris Watts’s mistress.

Gypsy scares the shit out of me. Her ability to manipulate has been her survival skill. It’s pretty well-honed.

Oh ffs frau at r80, Watt's mistress did not help him plan or slaughter his family. I know you think he's hot, though he's short and fattish, but he did it all by himself. And if given the choice I am sure Gypsy would have much preferred to grow up with a normal mom. Jesus, she did what she had to do to escape that cunt.

I didn't know that Joey King was such a great actress. Patricia is amazing too, although the real Dee Dee was a " great big fat person" and Arquette not so much.

In the documentary visiting Gypsy in jail her father acts like he is scared of her.

R83 He should be. She's a damaged abuse victim, but also very diabolical.

r81 Totally agree.. it was an insane reaction in her insane world

Gypsy isn't completely innocent, which is why she was found guilty and sent to prison.

Of course she was a victim of abuse and was raised to be manipulative but obviously the court found her not to be innocent of crime. It's almost unimaginable what she went through growing up but her mother's death wasn't some crime of passion.

Which is such bullshit r86, that fucking preacher's wife who murdered him cause he made her wear wigs and hooker shoes got off completely.

What are you talking about r87 ? Preacher’s Wife ? Who is this ‘him’ you are referring to ? This thread is about murdered DeeDee.

Darling, the character’sh name is Michelle Craig. I should know shince they wrote the role for me!

No shit r88, try reading for context. I'm saying it's bullshit Gypsy got prison time after being raised by a fucking pyscho when this bitch got no time and her biggest reason for killing her hubby is that he made her wear wigs and hooker shoes.

Joey will always be Ramona for me, want to see this but don't feel like paying for Hulu

The second and third episodes are on YouTube.

Thanks r92

[quote]Joey will always be Ramona for me, want to see this but don't feel like paying for Hulu'

If you have a Spotify premium account they are including Hulu in package deal for 9.99 a month. The offer ends in June.

I think the Tall Hot Blonde murder case could be good subject matter for season 2. A Lifetime movie was made about that case several years ago and documentary was made before that. The case is sort of similar to Dee Dee and Gypsy in that a couple of people used each other and harmed family members as a result.

I was surprised at how much Joey King looks like the real Gypsy. In the first scene of MDAD when they're at the child of the year ceremony, it was a really striking resemblance.

Someone said the eps are on youtube too r94.

Gypsy's family is threatening legal action against Hulu and the producers. The article mentions that a screenwriter is working with the Blanchards to develop a show about the case and the screenwriter is also in contact with the family of the guy who killed Dee Dee.

I watched the HBO documentary and I want Gypsy’s daddy to fuck me hard, he is pretty hot!!!

I don’t get the hate for Pat in this, she is great as usual.

I’m a big fan of Patricia but I feel like her performance isn’t quite working.

I think Pat is great in this. Has she always been good? I only know her work from BOYHOOD and ED WOOD.

I thought Patricia gave a better performance in Escape at Dannemora. She won the SAG, Critic's Choice and Golden Globes for that part. I think she'll win the Emmy.

She's submitting in supporting actress for mini-series/movie for The Act. I think she'll lose to Patricia Clarkson in that category.

Is Gypsy the lead ? If so she may give Patricia serious competition. I hope The Act will be in the regular Best Drama category. If Big Little Lies 2 is any point Amy Adams might not even be nominated.

That's ridiculous. Arquette is 100% the lead in The Act

8 episodes is probably considered too many to be limited.

I’m watching latest episode. Joey continues to amaze while Patricia who I always like doesn’t. She plays DeeDee as an over protective motherwhile she was in fact an evil monster. Her southern accent doesn’t work while King looks like Gypsy Patricia doesn’t. Did DeeDee at least comb her hair ?

[quote]8 episodes is probably considered too many to be limited.

ACS: People vs OJ had 10 episodes and ACS: Versace had 9 episodes and both shows were placed in the limited series categories.

[quote]Is Gypsy the lead ? If so she may give Patricia serious competition. I hope The Act will be in the regular Best Drama category. If Big Little Lies 2 is any point Amy Adams might not even be nominated.

Gold Derby is the site that has Patricia predicted in the supporting category for The Act. I guess that's what category she's planning to submit in. It's possible Joey King is submitting in lead. I think Patricia knows she has the lead actress nomination locked for Escape at Dannemora.

[quote]If Big Little Lies 2 is any point Amy Adams might not even be nominated.

When does does it premiere?

I think Patricia is going to die soon. At least 2 episodes will be about Gypsy’s legal problems. I’m very curious how they will handle DeeDee’s murder. I think it is up to zproducers what category the show will be in.

Wow! Recent episode blew me away. Gypsy in bondage ! Gypsy masturbating ! The found laptop was right out of Mommie Dearest and was a turning point for. Now I love the show and can’t wait til the next episode.

Big Little Lies new season ia on in June I wonder if it will be directly after GOT is over.

BLL isn't eligible for the 2019 Emmys.

BLL will have to wait for next year’s Emmys. May 31 is cut off date. Looks like Nicole’s wig is even worse.

I have the feeling BLL season 2 will be a flop like True Detective season 2 was.

Patricia is ok in this, but I do with there was someone more in the Piper Laurie vein playing the character. Someone who's a bit more intimidating and scary. I'm feeling more sad for Dede than anything else. She's clearly very misguided and a monster, but she's not truly threatening. I think this could use a little more threat.

Then again, I don't think we really have many actors like that anymore who aren't scared to go full on evil. Everyone always waxes on about how "no one is ever really evil. They're just misunderstood" and all that jazz.

# of episodes doesn't matter for limited series, just that it doesn't continue into another season (unless you're BLL and you defraud the Academy).

Things like AHS and Fargo like to play fast and loose with the rules because they do totally different stories and new casts/characters so they think they're limited but they aren't.

[quote]R15 The voice and accent Patricia uses on this show reminds me of someone else. But, I can't pinpoint who it is.

Her voice sounds exactly like Jessica Lange’s when she did STREETCAR...

She actually sounds like the villain on the Simpsons spin-off show where Principal Skinner and Chief Wiggum teamed up to fight crime.

R106 Joey is much cuter than Gypsy. But...that's Hollywood

Gypsy saved a lot of money but her long wig looked very real and very expensive.

Did DeeDee ever collect SSI for Gypsy?

You are missing the most important piece of information about this show; Who is playing Gypsy's dad?

I couldn’t find a credit on IMDb I don’t remember him being on the show. Maybe he is planning his own version.

None of you bitches mentioned that Katherine from "Silence of the Lambs" played the mall lawyer.

R124, don't you make me hurt yer dog!

Ha, every time I see her in anything I burst out 'She's an American girl'.

I was really hoping that the show would go into the background quite a bit. I am really interested in how it started, when she was a child (Gypsy).

Is this worth seeing if you've seen the HBO documentary and know the full story? I mean, I obviously knew the OJ story, but The People Vs. OJ Simpson was still fascinating because of HOW they told the story. Just as OJ: Made In America was equally fascinating because that documentary series told the OJ story with a much deeper historical and societal context.

I think the documentary was better but the movie has little details like the feeding tube and what happens when Gypsy wants pizza. If HBO covered first boyfriend I forgot.

I loved the found laptop episode and I hope the rest will be more of the same. The background characters are better written than Gypsy and DeeDee.

Looks like ‘Katherine’ has lost weight and had some work done. I remember reading Michelle Pheiffer recommend her for the role. I love the scene after she is rescued she is clutching the poodle like they will never be separated.

My name is Precious r128!

The last episode felt mostly like filler plus two important plot points.

Gypsy, can you get me my sleepy baby pills? *kisses guinea pig*

Not liking this week’s episode. Gypsy’s sex life is a little too sleazy and a drastic change in Patricia’s makeup and hair that makes her look like a harden 60 year old Little Orphan Annie. Good casting o. The boyfriend who truly looks like a killer.

I find myself laughing at tonight’s episode still when DeeDee ties up Gypsy was kind of interesting. This makes me appreciate Faye in Mommie Dearest even more. The actor who plays the boyfriend is really good.

Patricia Arquette must be the best actress on TV nowadays. She really is extraordinary.

This show has worn out its welcome. Arquette gets worse every week. If she's the best actress on TV, we're in a shit heap of trouble.

I’m beginning to think it will not get any Emmy nominations.

It's crazy that they are trying to shoehorn Arquette into supporting.

Best Actress on television, you say? Well, that is about to change.

If she doesn’t appear in couple of episodes supporting doesn’t seem so wrong. Last episode was terrible might only get Joey nominated.

The mini-series that might edge The Act for Emmy nods is Chernobyl.

AHS and Sinner will be in regular series category for some reason Why not The Act ?

AHS has competed in limited series categories since it started.

To me, this could benefit from a bit more sleaze or camp. It's all so tasteful and beige. Someone mentioned Faye Dunaway earlier. Could you imagine what she could have done with a role like Dede? Terrifying!

[quote]R129 My name is Precious [R128]!

Dear, IMDb has reported next Emmys AHS will compete in the regular drama category.

I suspect Patricia doesn’t have an evil bone in her body. To overcome miscasting this show needs great writing and direction.

I think this might be the same reason why Julianne Moore came across as such a lightweight in that Carrie remake. There's this school of acting these days that says you have to make even the most awful villains semi-likable or at least relatable. I'm sorry, but I don't want my villains to be "understood." I want them to scare me. not depress me.

Fay Dunaway, Piper Laurie , Precious ‘ mother and Sybil ‘s mother all brilliant performances. DeeDee had to be evil but Patricia plays her like she thought she best for her daughter.

Patty Cakes ought to give back her Oscar for this piss poor performance.

I think PA is always good so to me her Oscar winning performance wasn’t a big deal. They should have waited a while before they filmed The Act because her best work in Escape doesn’t compare to this show.

[quote]AHS and Sinner will be in regular series category for some reason Why not The Act ?

I'm guessing the reason The Act won't be in the regular series category is because Hulu is trying to make The Act into their version of American Crime Story with a true crime story every season. If The Act gets a second season, I wonder if Hulu will film it after the Elizabeth Holmes mini-series.

[quote]I’m beginning to think it will not get any Emmy nominations.

I think Patricia will get a nomination in the supporting actress category. Hard to tell if Joey King would get nominated in the lead category. She's not too well known and several movie actresses who did limited series like Emma Stone, Michelle Williams, and Amy Adams will probably take up nomination spots. This article on indiewire has Joey listed as possible spoiler nominee in the lead category.

Joey King is actually the one who's surprising me the most in this. She's pretty terrific. I'd just seen her in a few really bad teen horror movies, so I had no idea she could do this.

I haven’t watched it all but I think the recent one is the best. Margo Martindale was great.

So why did the mother who was on the surface religious and conservative name her daughter after a stripper?

Gypsy Rose was a striptease and a first class one.

Also weird how much Dede and Gypsy Rose's relationship mirrors Gypsy Rose Lee's relationship with her own mother who was incredibly overbearing, manipulative, and (if sources are to be believed) murderous. I'd like to see a good Hulu or Netflix series about that. Of course, it'd be nice to have an actual decent film version of the musical first, but...

I’m just going to say it, the murdering boyfriend is hot!

She's a great actress, but they were very generous to Gypsy by casting a cutie like Joey King

Last episode wasn’t good. I’m losing interest will watch til end. Isn’t getting much interest here either.

I know I keep saying this, but Arquette gets worse every fucking week. She's terrible.

I’m watching it despite steady disappointment. Such a compelling story wasted.

Kathy Bates circa Misery would have been perfect in the role of DeeDee

The real Gyspy isn't ugly - the wonky eye there's things off though.

All the Arquettes seem a bit mentally ill

I do wish they'd cast someone other than Arquette as Dede. She seems too...sweet? I don't know. How was Marcia Gay Harden in the TV movie version that came out a little while back on Lifetime? She seems like she'd give Dede a little more bite.

Arquette is great, you're out of your mind.

Patricia plays warm wonderful mothers even the not very nice person she played so well in Escape was a concerned mother . Hell she won an Oscar for playing one. Her DeeDee is playied like she is doing what she thinks is best instead of the monster she probably was and doing it with a not convincing accent. Joey King is probably giving a star making performance but the storyline with the lovers on the run isn’t very interesting.

I wonder if this will be Patricia’s Norbit People Will think maybe she is not that good and hurt her Emmy chances for Escape.

Dede Lynn was an abusive hole

Juliette Lewis was great and I loved the obligatory scene of fraus leaving candles and teddy bears at the murder site.

Should I be watching this? I love crime dramas, mysteries, horror, etc.

The only horror is how fucking awful Arquette is.

I'm really not buying Arquette in this role at all. She's too calm and sedate for someone like Dede. This needed a Misery-era Kathy Bates. It could have been a great, surprising role for someone like Melissa McCarthy. I'm not sure if she'd be capable of it, but she'd probably bring a bit more life to Dede.

She was only in this episode for a few seconds. It was her best work on the show.

Next week is the last episode? This week was just plain awful. Even Joey King, who has done excellent work thus far, was shrill and annoying and I could barely make it through the hour.

I haven’t even watched it but it is not even close as being as good as ACS.

It's been stretched out too long. There isn't enough material for eight episodes.

They could easily have ended it at five or six episodes and it'd have been a much more effective and tighter storyline. I mean, we just had half an episode of two people hiding in a wardrobe. We all already know what happens to them so there was no tension to it.

Another odd decision was calling this episode Bonnie & Clyde but last week's episode featured the song Bonnie & Clyde prominently when they were actually on the run (like Bonnie & Clyde).

R173 Melissa McCarthy is more than capable of this. She was fantastic in the recent “Can you ever forgive me?” with Richard E. Grant. In fact, this is beneath her seeing her in that.

The last episode shouldn't have existed. It was just boring filler from start to finish.

The actor who played the crazy bf did a great job. And he has a NOICE arse.

AnnaSophia Robb was the weakest of the bunch.

Dee Dee & Gyp-seh Roooooose's joint Facebook account (the frau comments under the infamous last post are a hoot!):

r180 great find, reading now

Guess that DeeDee & Gypsy Rose prayer FB group didn't work.

I turned it off 15 minutes into the final episode. Dreck.

It is a struggle to watch. It needed much better writers.

Not liking Gypsy`s scene with father. She should be happy anyone is visiting her at prison.

I do like the scene between Joey and Chloe ( who is good )

Looks like they are going to show murder in last episode. I thought they were being classy to not show murder instead just the opposite. The Walk , Welcome To Mureen and now The Act all failed at making movies out of great documentaries. Is Welcome to my Neighborhood next ?

Gypsy bought the killer the knife , opened the door and gave directions to her mother's bedroom. She is just as bad as the killer.

Creepy killer actually is good.

Lotta fat typers in this thread.

[quote]So why did the mother who was on the surface religious and conservative name her daughter after a stripper?

She wasn't named after Gypsy Rose Lee. The mother liked the name "Gypsy" and the father liked Guns n Roses.

So she could have been called Gypsy Guns!

Lol R180 so much frau-ness. And naturally several comments of "grab your guns and check the house"

I felt bad for the boyfriend getting life in jail, Gypsy learned how to manipulate from Mama. It took me a bit to realize that Nick was played by the same actor who played Dez in Austin and Ally on Disney Channel, used to watch that with my nieces.

Just discovered this series. I really enjoyed it, some great performances. Joey King and Calum Worthy really killed it. I can see the first half was stronger the second half though.

The series took a much more sympathetic look on Nick than they needed to, in real life he suggested raping Dee Dee before killing her. It was interesting they left that detail out.

[Quote]I felt bad for the boyfriend getting life in jail

Nick went to trial instead of taking a plea deal, you get tougher sentences when you don't plea Mike the justice system wants.

I guess it’s not even worth finishing? i gave up after the sex in the movie theatee bathroom episode. joey King’s acting is really overated , the baby talk got annoying.

[Quote]joey King’s acting is really overated , the baby talk got annoying.

...that's how Gypsy Rose talked.

She does it so well I thought really talked that way.

Years ago, worked with Joey on a horror movie, and there was a scene where she sees something in a dark corner- when the take was finished, the whole crew had goosebumps. She's such a good actress.

[quote]I’m just going to say it, the murdering boyfriend is hot!

Yeah, Calum has a cute ass.

[quote]There's this school of acting these days that says you have to make even the most awful villains semi-likable or at least relatable. I'm sorry, but I don't want my villains to be "understood." I want them to scare me. not depress me.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I don't get this at all. Really you are expressing this same desire that the world should be some Disney movie. Even people who do monstrous things are still real people that are going to have something about them anyone can relate to, not black and white caricatures of a human being.

Hulu has said they gained subscribers because of this show. It's likely a season 2 will happen and they are exploring other true crime stories for season 2.

R191, here is a sign that the Illuminati are involved.

Tammy Blanchard played Gypsy Rose Lee in the Bette Midler "Gypsy," which is the story of an overbearing mother.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard killed her overbearing mother.

That cannot be just a coincidence.

Assuming Arquette and King get some awards nominations r201, that will bring even more attention to it.

Interesting Arquette interview on Fresh Air. Absolutely no mention of Alexis though when talking about siblings, and like River Phoenix’s family they lived in a cult for some time, and not Scientology!

I remember reading Patricia was upset that Alexis wasn’t included in the Oscars deaths.

I thought Joey King was amazing, but the usually fantastic Patricia Arquette...shrug

Arquette did well, but I agree the stand out performance was King, not her.

R202, Tammy Blanchard played Gypsy Rose Lee in Bernadette Peters’ GYPSY on Broadway. Cynthia Gibb played Gypsy in Bette Midler’s GYPSY.

I watched it recently; found Arquette to be okay in some scenes, but pretty single-note to be honest. Chloë Sevigny was also blah in it. Joey King was the clear standout here.

I had no clue Calum Worthy (the murdering boyfriend) was a natural redhead. He's actually kind of hot.

R206 she was also blah this was blah overall terrible writing

Joey King was excellent. Arquette was weirdly bland. This is the kind of role most actresses would kill for and she seemed to scared to let go and really be an intimidating presence. I felt like the character needed someone a little larger than life in the role. If it had been played more like the mom in the original Carrie, it would have been brilliant and terrifying.

I’m a big Patricia Arquette fan but unlike Escape Escape her DeeDee wasn’t nailed. Maybe they were filmed too close together but the bad writing in The Act fails it. I thought she was a sure Emmy winner for Escape ( I still miss watching her Sunday night ) but suddenly she has tough completion with that cross dressing HBO show if considered limited and Emily Watson a much loved actress.

Also Michelle Williams. I’m beginning to think there will be no more room for Amy Adams.

I'm looking at the recent Gold Derby expert predictions and there are some weird ones in the miniseries categories like Connie Britton for Dirty John, Katherine Hahn for The Romanoffs, and Marisa Tomei for the live All in the Family reading. I thought Britton was average in Dirty John and Tomei was a bit annoying in that reading.

Joey King is starting to get on prediction lists for The Act.

Yes Tomei is not worthy but wasn’t the show aired past the deadline ?

It doesn't matter who is nominated in this category--Michelle Williams will win.

Have you seen Escape ? I haven't seen ME in her limited series. Or are you a member of The Patrica Arquette is a horrible Oscar/ Emmy winning actress Club ?

Michelle Williams will be winning the Emmy for Best Actress. The Academy has already decided.

Hmm. Didn’t answer my question did you ?

[quote]Yes Tomei is not worthy but wasn’t the show aired past the deadline ?

No it aired before the deadline. I doubt Tomei will be nominated and same with Connie Britton.

Loved Arquette in Escape at Dannemora. She definitely toned it down for this role. But maybe DeeDee was low key, if she was full out crazy she wouldn't have gotten away with it that long.

Chloe Sevigny was fantastic.

This was the best show of the year, for my money.

[quote]r155 So why did the mother who was on the surface religious and conservative name her daughter after a stripper?

She probably liked the song