We continue our obsession with both Hulu's The Act and the popcorn recipes from Popcorn.org.
Dave: I’m a sucker for stranger-than-fiction true crime shows, so after watching the Netflix series The Act, I decided to seek out documentaries and books chronicling the life of The Act’s main character, Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Gypsy was raised to believe she had multiple debilitating diseases and ended up helping to kill her mother, Dee Dee. It’s terrifying how much deception and abuse was going on in front of the Blanchard’s well-meaning friends, family, and community - Gypsy was raised living a gigantic lie, about her diseases and her abilities. But that lie helped sustain her family financially, and separated Gypsy’s lived experience from reality in consequential ways. The Act cast channeled the real life people they were portraying, and it’s mind boggling that most of the action in the movie was derived from real life, depicted in the HBO documentary. The documentary edged a bit melodramatic, and didn’t explore the huge part the for-profit healthcare industry played in this tragedy. There were hundreds of medical professionals in Louisiana and Missouri who happily treated Gypsy for diseases she did not have, many of which could have been tested for with lab work or simple observation. I can’t help but think that if they weren’t directly profiting from medical procedures, this whole horrible story could have ended differently. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)
The red chile flakes came through more than anything else in this recipe. If I’d tasted it blind, I might have just called it Kind Of Spicy Popcorn: the spice came and went as you ate. The Parmesan cheese tempered it a bit and luckily didn’t make the popcorn too salty. I didn’t pick up the basil or oregano, but it didn’t stop me from absolutely devouring my half of the bowl (and maybe some of Joe’s half, too). (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Joe: If you've not seen The Act on Hulu, I highly recommend watching it before indulging in this documentary. The shock and awe factor will be more profound if you do so. Everything presented in the Hulu mini-series comes into sharp focus with this astonishing and blunt HBO exposé. Like all well-crafted documentaries, this one operates in shades of gray - and it's incredibly effective. Is Gypsy the aggressor or the aggrieved? Is Dee Dee a product of her environment or a wolf in sheep's clothing? Is Gypsy conning the system? There are no easy answers, and now my insatiable appetite for this case only deepens. Also, Louisiana bayou accents are bewitching. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
My breath will likely reek of garlic for the next three days (sorry, Dave!). This popcorn packs a subtle punch, and the nibblets at the bottom of the bowl were the most pungent - and indulgent. Like most of the recipes we've cribbed from the website, this popcorn is a winner, though I question of the "Italian-ness" of it. Does it have basil and oregano? Yes. Does it taste like some epic Italian dish? No. So. Your mileage may vary, but I liked it. Quite a bit. (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Popcorn recipe from: Popcorn Recipes by Popcorn.org. (The Popcorn Board, 2019).
I enjoy reading your summary but mostly I like the popcorn. Looks great!