Parents' Guide to

The Act

By Jenny Nixon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Dark, toxic mother-daughter tale is based on a true story.

TV Hulu Drama 2019
The Act Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 17+

Based on 7 parent reviews

Carlos Q
Carlos Q Adult
December 7, 2020
age 15+

Excellent

Some cringeworthy scenes

This title has:

Too much sex
jquintana
jquintana Adult
May 11, 2020
age 18+

very hard

there are scenes with masturbation, some dialogues about necrophilia and lot of sex scenes.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE ACT's Gypsy Rose Blanchard (Joey King) is, at first glance, a seriously ill teenage girl suffering from a litany of ailments, from muscular dystrophy and epilepsy to overactive salivary glands. Her ultra-attentive mother, Dee Dee (Patricia Arquette), has devoted her life to caring for her disabled daughter, who has "the mind of a 7-year-old" and will presumably require help for the rest of her days. The true story, however, is much more sinister: Dee Dee has been making Gypsy sick all along, plying her with unnecessary medications and forcing invasive surgeries on her, attention-seeking behaviors that are a hallmark of the psychological disorder known as Munchausen by proxy. The series delves into the years of torment Gypsy suffered at the hands of her mother -- examining who may have known what was going on and what was done about it -- and how the twisted dance the pair was locked into eventually led to Dee Dee's death by murder.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7):
Kids say (30):

Was this series truly needed, given how ubiquitous the Blanchards' story has been in the media landscape of late? Maybe not, but standout performances by the always-solid Patricia Arquette as Dee Dee, and a mesmerizing Joey King as Gypsy make it a compulsively watchable guilty pleasure. The Act might not have a whole lot to say about the case that hasn't already been covered in the (multiple) documentaries or articles, but what it lacks in analytic substance, it makes up for in emotional truth.

Arquette's Dee Dee is a pathetic, deeply disturbed woman desperate to hold on to her daughter by any means necessary -- both because of the pity and adulation it brings her and the sense of security Gypsy's "condition" gives her. It's in her best interest for Gypsy to remain ill, as this ensures an ongoing influx of cash donations and compliments, and the contrast between Dee Dee's public persona as a self-sacrificing caregiver and the emotionally manipulative sicko she is behind closed doors is truly discomfiting. King's helium-voiced performance, however, is the biggest surprise here. The former teen star is shockingly great at showing the stages Gypsy goes through, from vulnerable naïf trapped under her mom's oppressive, abusive thumb to vengeful internet flirt using whatever connections she can to get out of a truly impossible situation. It's an acutely odd story, and one that will keep you absorbed despite already knowing how things wrap up.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why true-crime dramas are so popular. What is the appeal in watching a fictionalized account of a horrible event like someone's murder? What does taking a narrative approach add to a story like The Act?

  • Families can talk about Munchausen by proxy syndrome. Why do you think the people around Gypsy and Dee Dee didn't pick up on what was really going on? Do you think the doctors and neighbors could have done more to help Gypsy?

  • Talk about the choices Gypsy made when trying to escape from her mother's control. Do you agree with her assertion that she had no other recourse aside from murder? What steps did Dee Dee take to ensure nobody would believe Gypsy's claims?

TV Details

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