The Act - General Discussion

[bmasters9]

12 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Where's the preview?

On the show page for The Act on Hulu, under "Extras." I'm just guessing, based on what I heard in that promo, that such is the direction the last episodes of the season will take (I hope I'm not wrong).

Edited April 11, 2019 by bmasters9

[Melina22]

44 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

Was there any reason that DeeDee was refusing to take the insulin she needs?

I've read a lot and listened to a podcast and so far haven't heard a word about Dee Dee having significant health problems. So I'm not sure how much of this is for dramatic effect. 

[meatball77]

I figured Dee Dee not dealing with her medical issues was part of her Munchausens.  It gives her something to whine and moan about. 

[mamadrama]

On 4/5/2019 at 10:46 PM, Straycat80 said:

Episode four finally mentioned Gypsy’s father. At least he called to wish her Happy Birthday and ask how she was doing. Dee Dee managed to cut him off by pretending bad phone connection. I wonder if Dee Dee railroaded that relationship or if he really did not care. Maybe a bit of both? 

There's extensive information available about this on the various documentaries out there. From the previews for next week, too, it looks like we might be getting a glimpse into Gypsy's early life, which isn't something we've seen a lot of anywhere. 

[mamadrama]

6 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I watched episode 5 this morning on On Demand, which is why I didn't spoiler tag it. . New episodes come out on On Demand every Wednesday at 6 am. 

Or on Hulu a few minutes after midnight! I work during the nights and I always start early on Tuesday so that I can take an hour off at around 11:30 pm so that I can get ready for either this one or The Handmaid's Tale.

[DangerousMinds]

1 hour ago, mamadrama said:

Or on Hulu a few minutes after midnight! I work during the nights and I always start early on Tuesday so that I can take an hour off at around 11:30 pm so that I can get ready for either this one or The Handmaid's Tale.

Yep! I watch these new episodes at midnight every Tuesday night (Wednesday morning).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I watched episode 5 this morning on On Demand, which is why I didn't spoiler tag it. . New episodes come out on On Demand every Wednesday at 6 am. 

1 hour ago, mamadrama said:

Or on Hulu a few minutes after midnight! I work during the nights and I always start early on Tuesday so that I can take an hour off at around 11:30 pm so that I can get ready for either this one or The Handmaid's Tale.

39 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

Yep! I watch these new episodes at midnight every Tuesday night (Wednesday morning).

Same here (for this show and The Handmaid’s Tale). With THT we were allowed to post about the episode (without spoiler tags) as soon as it was officially available at midnight so I just assumed that was true for this show as well. It’s the same policy for Outlander and Anerican Gods, both of which are available on demand at midnight before the episode officially airs on tv that evening. 

[Guest]

Just to clarify the spoiler policy as it relates to this show: As soon as an episode is available to watch (legally), it is fair game to be discussed in this thread without spoiler tags.

As usual, do not discuss the final outcome of this case until it airs on an episode without the use of spoiler tags.

If anyone has any questions about using spoiler tags, please PM me instead of using this thread to discuss.

Thanks!

[mamadrama]

52 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Same here (for this show and The Handmaid’s Tale). With THT we were allowed to post about the episode (without spoiler tags) as soon as it was officially available at midnight so I just assumed that was true for this show as well. It’s the same policy for Outlander and Anerican Gods, both of which are available on demand at midnight before the episode officially airs on tv that evening. 

That's what I assumed. 

Is it sad that I start refreshing my account starting at 11:59pm?

Edited April 11, 2019 by mamadrama

[Melina22]

20 minutes ago, mamadrama said:

Is it sad that I start refreshing my account starting at 11:59pm?

Only if it's sad that I literally marked the next episode of this show on my calendar. I never do that. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, mamadrama said:

Is it sad that I start refreshing my account starting at 11:59pm?

Ha, not at all! I was the same way with The Handmaid’s Tale every week!

[jackjill89]

As someone mentioned upthread, the real Dee Dee didn't look disheveled like Patricia is portraying her. Her hair was a dyed jet black and she wore some really tacky embellished clothing. Same kind of muumuu wear, but kind of a cartoonish look. I don't recall, in anything I've seen, her looking sickly like Patricia looks. Even earlier in the series, I don't feel like Patricia nailed Dee Dee's larger than life look. 

[Melina22]

17 minutes ago, jackjill89 said:

Even earlier in the series, I don't feel like Patricia nailed Dee Dee's larger than life look. 

True. In pictures Dee Dee appears to be a large woman with a very chubby face. Obviously Patricia doesn't look like this, so they've settled for making her very frumpy and sickly, with a fat suit. She's doing an amazing job as an actress, but somehow I feel she isn't capturing Dee Dee's real essence. I keep reading how everybody liked Dee Dee, (until they really knew her) which isn't true of Patricia's version. Then again, I can't recall seeing any video of Dee Dee, so I'm just speculating. 

Edited April 11, 2019 by Melina22

[mamadrama]

21 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Ha, not at all! I was the same way with The Handmaid’s Tale every week!

Oh, I hear you. I'm already preparing for my midnight Handmaid premier party. 

10 hours ago, Melina22 said:

True. In pictures Dee Dee appears to be a large woman with a very chubby face. Obviously Patricia doesn't look like this, so they've settled for making her very frumpy and sickly, with a fat suit. She's doing an amazing job as an actress, but somehow I feel she isn't capturing Dee Dee's real essence. I keep reading how everybody liked Dee Dee, (until they really knew her) which isn't true of Patricia's version. Then again, I can't recall seeing any video of Dee Dee, so I'm just speculating. 

I agree. I've seen a few videos of Dee and she comes across as almost goofy and energetic (yet fake) whereas Patricia is playing her a lot more slowed down. She's doing a good job of capturing a character, but I'm not so sure that it's Dee's character that she's capturing. 

[Melina22]

38 minutes ago, mamadrama said:

She's doing a good job of capturing a character, but I'm not so sure that it's Dee's character that she's capturing. 

Well put! That's how I feel. 

[The Mighty Peanut]

The real Dee Dee wore clothes that looked, if not expensive, bedazzled, loud, and impeccable. Her hair was always done and she always had make up on.

For the show, my guess is leaving Gypsy to tale care of her lest she die is another way to tie adult Gypsy to her. It's part of the sick "I'll be there" BS. Also if Dee Dee looks tired it broadcasts what hard work she's doing all by herself. She's just horrible.

Spoiler

She fed her dying mom weed killer, FFS.

Some piece of work.

[KeeperOfTheIce]

On 3/28/2019 at 12:30 PM, Melina22 said:

Her voice is strange. She probably always had a high pitched voice, but then I assume she was encouraged to sound as small and infantile as possible, and it just gradually became her voice. 

  Hide contents

Oddly, a high pitched baby voice in a small, attractive girl can be quite powerful when used on certain men. You see it her initial police interviews how she uses it to seem young and clueless. 

I remember in one of my psych classes in nursing school  (please don’t quote me - not an expert 🙂 ) that the high pitched child voice can be a sign of trauma/abuse - it’s like your body is stunted and forever in that state - which makes total sense in this case - all the abuse/manipulation that happened started at a young age. 

[Melina22]

1 minute ago, KeeperOfTheIce said:

It’s like your body is stunted and forever in that state - which makes total sense in this case - all the abuse/manipulation that happened started at a young age. 

I've heard that too! So appropriate in gypsy's case. 

[Whimsy]

I don't know if this has ever been addressed anywhere, but I wonder if Gypsy was ever sexually abused by anyone (I don't think Dee Dee, but someone else).  The only reason I'm asking this is the level at which she became interested in sex just makes me think of past abuse for some reason.  It is 100% normal for any growing teen/young adult to be interested in sex, but she is just over the top.  I mean, she was practically having an orgasm just watching the kid mowing the lawn.  I am not judging in any way.  And, I'm also not saying that there's anything inherently wrong with the sexual interests that she had, but I think that maybe people usually build to that as they experience sex, etc, and learn what they like and dislike.  She went from zero to 60 in like five seconds, it seems like.  I am obviously not an expert, but it still seems so extreme to me. 

[mamadrama]

26 minutes ago, Whimsy said:

I don't know if this has ever been addressed anywhere, but I wonder if Gypsy was ever sexually abused by anyone (I don't think Dee Dee, but someone else).  The only reason I'm asking this is the level at which she became interested in sex just makes me think of past abuse for some reason.  It is 100% normal for any growing teen/young adult to be interested in sex, but she is just over the top.  I mean, she was practically having an orgasm just watching the kid mowing the lawn.  I am not judging in any way.  And, I'm also not saying that there's anything inherently wrong with the sexual interests that she had, but I think that maybe people usually build to that as they experience sex, etc, and learn what they like and dislike.  She went from zero to 60 in like five seconds, it seems like.  I am obviously not an expert, but it still seems so extreme to me. 

I don't know. I was obsessed with sex until I actually had it and the novelty wore off. 

[DangerousMinds]

29 minutes ago, Whimsy said:

I don't know if this has ever been addressed anywhere, but I wonder if Gypsy was ever sexually abused by anyone (I don't think Dee Dee, but someone else).  The only reason I'm asking this is the level at which she became interested in sex just makes me think of past abuse for some reason.  It is 100% normal for any growing teen/young adult to be interested in sex, but she is just over the top.  I mean, she was practically having an orgasm just watching the kid mowing the lawn.  I am not judging in any way.  And, I'm also not saying that there's anything inherently wrong with the sexual interests that she had, but I think that maybe people usually build to that as they experience sex, etc, and learn what they like and dislike.  She went from zero to 60 in like five seconds, it seems like.  I am obviously not an expert, but it still seems so extreme to me. 

Her interest doesn’t seem extreme to me. She was already late teens by the time we see her lusting after the guy mowing the lawn. How many boys look out the window lusting after girls in bathing suits at much younger ages?

[Melina22]

Also, she spent her life watching Disney princesses finding their princes. Between that and her bizarre home life she had no basis for comparison for what was "normal". 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Whimsy said:

She went from zero to 60 in like five seconds, it seems like.  I am obviously not an expert, but it still seems so extreme to me. 

Totally agree. There’s something off about the narrative here. I suppose it’s because it’s based on the stories Gypsy’s recounted to various press over the years but, while I’m not on board completely with her having been sexually abused, there are big gaps here we are not privy to. And Gypsy should be considered an unreliable narrator of her own life. 

[mamadrama]

4 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

Totally agree. There’s something off about the narrative here. I suppose it’s because it’s based on the stories Gypsy’s recounted to various press over the years but, while I’m not on board completely with her having been sexually abused, there are big gaps here we are not privy to. And Gypsy should be considered an unreliable narrator of her own life. 

I hate that it jumped basically from her meeting him online to her doing cosplay BDSM. Two years passed between the episodes and I feel like we missed something. But "real life" information doesn't fill in the blanks either. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Gypsy is engaged! (obviously some real life spoilers in the article) - details under the cut. There are two more current pictures of Gypsy in the article. 

Spoiler

The 27-year-old accepted a proposal from a man she met through her prison's pen pal program, a family-friend and representative for Blanchard tells E! News.

"I mean it's something that she's been keeping under wraps for a little bit," Fancy Macelli shared. "It's very exciting for her, she's very excited."

...

Macelli says that Blanchard's and her future husband are going to wait until her release from prison to wed.

That is just one item on Gypsy's to-do list once she leaves prison, including a shopping trip to buy a real engagement ring to replace her temporary one. Fancy explains, "Another inmate was getting divorced and gave her that for her to just have, so that she could feel good about it."

"They'll go together and pick out rings, obviously later, at a time when she's out and they could do that and have their own intimate moment."

Chemistry between Gypsy and her fiancé first sparked when Macelli says he saw a documentary about her story and decided to reach out with some words of encouragement.

"That turned into a relationship through email," she shares, "and then he went and visited her... That was the beginning of this friendship, which turned into something more than a friendship. At the beginning of this year they decided to get engaged."

Meanwhile, Macelli describes Blanchard as "happy," adding that she's "flourishing" while focusing on completing her GED as well as her passion for photography and cosmetology. Additionally, it's been revealed that she's made several close friends while in prison and was even asked to serve as the godmother of a fellow inmate's daughter. 

[Scarlett45]

17 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

Her interest doesn’t seem extreme to me. She was already late teens by the time we see her lusting after the guy mowing the lawn. How many boys look out the window lusting after girls in bathing suits at much younger ages?

I agree with you. Also she wasn’t allowed any contact with peers AT ALL. No chance to have friends or date in a normal “teenage” way. All she was allowed to do was fantasize and day dream. Duh she was going to think about sex a lot. Those teenage hormones can be STRONG (which I think our culture forgets applies to girls too). Kids in college will hook up all the time whenever they get the chance /see someone they are attracted to (not every kid obviously but a lot). Chronologically that’s where Gypsy was. 

[newyawk]

I have one episode left to watch and I have been trying to save it, because I love "event" TV, which is what this was. I'm wondering what the next big miniseries will be!

[AllyB]

On 4/10/2019 at 9:10 PM, The Mighty Peanut said:

The Disney is so, so weird. Weirder than the BDSM. I can't imagine being so warped that at 18 you WANT to dress in bad Cinderella cosplay to meet a boy for the first time.

Gypsy wasn't 18 at this point. She was a few weeks off 24. Her mother was keeping a very adult woman stunted, isolated and, to all intents and purposes, imprisoned.

[QuinnInND]

So I'm in the middle of getting ready to move, and moving. With 3 small children. So much to do and so little time. I watch Hulu before bed. I saw this as a suggested show. I'm totally addicted. I don't remember hearing or reading anything about either Dee Dee or Gypsy before, so I have no frame of reference for anything as far as the actors and their respective real life counterparts. Just when I think I had the most fucked up childhood in history, I see something like this.  Just unreal.  How can someone do stuff like this to their child?  Was it ever discussed why Gypsys dad never saw her?   

And having sex on the bathroom floor in a theater. Yuck. And being as she was a virgin (as far as we know) there would have been evidence of the encounter on the dress. Which Dee Dee would have seen. 

The end of the last episode was chilling. "I'm here."  

[Melina22]

1 hour ago, QuinnInND said:

Was it ever discussed why Gypsys dad never saw her?   

So far it hasn't been discussed in this series. They'll hopefully address it in later episodes. If you get to the end of the series without an answer, you can find out why by googling the info. It's highly interesting. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

S1.E6: A Whole New World

Quote

While Gypsy and Nick are on the run, flashbacks to a much younger Dee Dee reveal how trauma with her own mother set her up for conflict with Gypsy.

Original air date: 4/17/19

[newyawk]

I finished this series a few days ago. I liked it, it was pretty good watching and I liked the last scene. But I can't comment on it until everything else has aired.

[Melina22]

I'm so impatient for the next episode to air tomorrow. That's so unusual for me. 

It was funny. Yesterday I was trying to tell some friends about the show and how riveting the story was (none of them knew anything about it) and I could tell by their faces that they thought the story was horrifying. One of them actually shuddered and said she couldn't watch it. So I didn't exactly drum up any fans. 😁

[bmasters9]

1 hour ago, newyawk said:

I finished this series a few days ago. I liked it, it was pretty good watching and I liked the last scene. But I can't comment on it until everything else has aired.

Did you see it through the leaks on YouTube?

[DangerousMinds]

22 minutes ago, bmasters9 said:

Did you see it through the leaks on YouTube?

I tried to find the other episodes but could not.

[Melina22]

Ack! It's 830 Wednesday morning. I'm here with my coffee all ready to watch the next episode on On Demand, and there isn't one! What in the what? Grrrr. 

I think I'm a little too invested in this show. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On the one hand, A+ for casting Margo Martindale as Dee Dee's mother. On the other hand, yeah, that is a fucked up family. Not that I'm excusing Dee Dee's behavior AT ALL, for the record.

[Mrs. DuRona]

Vicious cycle of crazy abuse.  That was a really good episode.  I am curious though... why did DeeDee name her child after a stripper?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

15 minutes ago, Mrs. DuRona said:

Vicious cycle of crazy abuse.  That was a really good episode.  I am curious though... why did DeeDee name her child after a stripper?

Coincidentally, Gypsy Rose Lee's mother had multiple birth certificates for both Gypsy and her sister June (some made them older so she could circumvent the child labor laws and some made them younger so she could get free train fares for them). Gypsy and June didn't know how old they really were until later in life.

[Melina22]

Who was June? Dee Dee's sister? 

ETA I just realized you're talking about the stripper Gypsy Rose. Sorry. 

Edited April 17, 2019 by Melina22

[PinkRibbons]

2 hours ago, Mrs. DuRona said:

Vicious cycle of crazy abuse.  That was a really good episode.  I am curious though... why did DeeDee name her child after a stripper?

I read an article somewhere saying that Didi just liked the name Gypsy, and Gypsy's father chose her second name as a tribute to Guns N' Roses.

Gypsy Rose Lee's real name was in fact Louise Hovick, IIRC,

[DangerousMinds]

7 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Ack! It's 830 Wednesday morning. I'm here with my coffee all ready to watch the next episode on On Demand, and there isn't one! What in the what? Grrrr. 

I think I'm a little too invested in this show. 

I was able to access it on Hulu just after midnight.

[Melina22]

Crisis averted! It finally showed up and I'm watching it right now. 

I love how now they can digitally make people look way younger, like they do here with Patricia. It's so much better than when they used to hire young actors who looked good in the young scenes then added terrible makeup to age them. Now if only I could find someone to digitally de-age me in my regular life. 😁

I thought Dee Dee was married when Gypsy was born. I'm not clear on why Gypsy's father was virtually erased from this series. I could understand if he was creepy or nasty, but in the documentary he comes across as a really nice person. Quite charismatic, but not in a bad way. And his wife seemed nice too. There must be a reason they aren't showing him at all. 

I'm finding the whole part with the grandmother sort of vague and confusing. It was my understanding that Dee Dee started claiming Gypsy had apnea episodes when she was almost newborn. I also thought I heard Dee Dee's mother had treated Dee Dee like she was sickly when she wasn't, and that Dee Dee's father was close with her, and she was really spoiled. So, nothing remotely like what we're seeing here. I'm confused as to what is and isn't true. 

Edited April 17, 2019 by Melina22

[bmasters9]

Just finished #6, and I personally believe that Margo Martindale's character of Emma (Dee Dee's mother) took far better care of Gypsy than Dee Dee ever did!

[Melina22]

7 minutes ago, bmasters9 said:

Martindale's character of Emma (Dee Dee's mother) took far better care of Gypsy than Dee Dee ever did!

It's true in the episode. My question is, was it true in real life? 

[bmasters9]

5 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

It's true in the episode. My question is, was it true in real life? 

Probably not-- maybe it was part of what was fictionalized for the show.

Even so, this 6th episode showed the seeds of what Dee Dee was toward Gypsy, and did it well.

The best part, however, was Gypsy going crazy from the sound of that insistent child at the vending machine, and not being able to get back in the hotel room because Nick locked her out (apparently for modesty purposes). She really took him to task!

[mamadrama]

5 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Crisis averted! It finally showed up and I'm watching it right now. 

I love how now they can digitally make people look way younger, like they do here with Patricia. It's so much better than when they used to hire young actors who looked good in the young scenes then added terrible makeup to age them. Now if only I could find someone to digitally de-age me in my regular life. 😁

I thought Dee Dee was married when Gypsy was born. I'm not clear on why Gypsy's father was virtually erased from this series. I could understand if he was creepy or nasty, but in the documentary he comes across as a really nice person. Quite charismatic, but not in a bad way. And his wife seemed nice too. There must be a reason they aren't showing him at all. 

I'm finding the whole part with the grandmother sort of vague and confusing. It was my understanding that Dee Dee started claiming Gypsy had apnea episodes when she was almost newborn. I also thought I heard Dee Dee's mother had treated Dee Dee like she was sickly when she wasn't, and that Dee Dee's father was close with her, and she was really spoiled. So, nothing remotely like what we're seeing here. I'm confused as to what is and isn't true. 

I don't get the purpose of leaving out Gypsy's hot dad, either, unless they did it for legal purposes. I actually feel like them ignoring him is perpetuating the myth that he didn't care about his daughter. 

I can't believe how both sorry and repulsed I felt about Dee in this episode. 

[peachmangosteen]

Can someone give me a rundown on Gypsy's father (in spoiler tags obviously)? The show is being weird about him, showing that he sent checks and called but seems to have never thought to check on her which makes no sense to me.

[Melina22]

14 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Can someone give me a rundown on Gypsy's father (in spoiler tags obviously)? The show is being weird about him, showing that he sent checks and called but seems to have never thought to check on her which makes no sense to me.

Spoiler

He was actually quite involved in her life at times, to the extent that Dee Dee would allow. On a few occasions Gypsy was allowed to visit him and his wife and her half siblings. He always sent cmoney every month, even after she turned 18. But Dee Dee always made it clear that only she, as a former nurse, was capable of caring for such a handicapped child, and he believed her. Plus she always made sure to live far away from him. 

[EdnasEdibles]

Refinery29 is doing a good job of covering the show and breaking down what happened in real life vs what is fictionalized for the episode. This week they take a look at whether Dee Dee spent time in jail in real life. If you're curious about the real story, check it out.