THE ACT REVIEW — Hulu’s Latest is a Top-Notch True-Crime Thriller

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The Act ReviewHulu’s latest offering is based on the ice cold killing of the world’s most famous Munchausen-by-proxy moms.

THE ACT ReviewThe Act is a Hulu Original miniseries, the first in a “seasonal anthology series that tells startling, stranger-than-fiction true crime stories.”

This season tells the tale behind the ice-cold killing of the world’s most famous Munchausen-by-proxy mom, Dee Dee Blanchard (Patricia Arquette), who died at the behest of her daughter, Gypsy (Joey King). Hulu gave us a sneak peek at the first few episodes of the series, which makes its debut on March 20, 2019.

In the beginning, we see how 13-year-old (or is she?) Gypsy starts to question whether she really is as sick as her doting mother says she is. The wheelchair-bound, tube-fed, heavily medicated child, in spite of her strange and sheltered life, loves meeting new people and quickly becomes friends with the neighbors across the street: another single-mom, Mel (Chloë Sevigny), and her teenage daughter, Lacey (AnnaSophia Robb).

This is where Dee Dee’s fictions begin to unravel, and we see that while she is a caring mom, she’s also a deeply disturbed con-artist. Perhaps their pretty, pink palace built by Habitat for Humanity is only a house of cards that’s about to come crashing down.

Patricia Arquette and Joey King as The Blanchards

I can’t heap enough glowing praise on the actors. The Act is, of course, based on a true story and so is inherently believable, but by casting players who possess such gravitas and who are so clearly committed to showing the nuance and depth of their characters, the tawdry tale truly comes to life. It would be easy to play up the more cartoony aspects of Dee Dee and Gypsy, but that’s not done here; the two women are always grounded by their respective motivations.

There are some slow spots in the first two episodes, but that’s only because co-creators and writers Nick Antosca and Michelle Dean are spinning their spider’s web, coaxing the viewer deeper toward the sticky center. As Gypsy’s quest for independence opens a Pandora’s box of secrets of revelations which each new episode, one that ultimately leads to mayhem, you’ll be well-and-truly obsessed.

Does this The Act review push your binge-buttons? Watch it only on Hulu.

The Act Review

Hulu comes up with the sweetest promotions for it’s new shows! Those pill bottles contain candy, of course!

The Act ReviewHulu’s latest offering is based on the ice cold killing of the world’s most famous Munchausen-by-proxy moms.

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Staci Layne Wilson

Staci Layne Wilson is an accomplished writer / director / producer / film critic and the author the bestseller So L.A. - A Hollywood Memoir. Find her on StaciLayneWilson.com

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