After the Season Finale of The Act: Why Nicholas Godejohn Was Also a Victim

Joey King and Calum Worthy play Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Nicholas Godejohn in The Act. Photo taken from http://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-166933/photos/detail/?cmediafile=21612288

Joey King and Calum Worthy starred in the last episode of The Act on Hulu on Wednesday, May 1st. The series depicted the real, true crime story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who was medically abused by her mother Dee Dee Blanchard, and was drove to the ultimate "act" of killing her. This was all with the help of her then online boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn. For years Dee Dee, who suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, depicted Gypsy as terminally sick when she was perfectly healthy.

Blanchard was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to her mother's murder while Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole.

Since the premiere of the show, both King and Worthy have come out in talking about their preparation for the roles. During an interview with Bustle, King stated "I would sometimes fall asleep listening to her interviews...so that I could get her voice really ingrained in my brain" while Worthy told TV Insider that "The key to that (playing a character with autism) is empathy and really feeling love and compassion for the character you play, no matter what they've done."

We hear a lot about Gypsy's story in the media, especially after the release of the hit show, but what about Nick?

Calum Worthy in The Act depicts Godejohn as someone we can sympathize with, and feel bad for, even after killing Gypsy's mom. The question at the end of the show is: why exactly do we feel this way?

We see the love Nick has for Gypsy, even towards the end, but he did in fact commit murder. We shouldn't feel for a "convicted killer"- but we do. And maybe Worthy is just that good.

Before Godejohn's sentence, there was talk amongst prosecutors and the defense team of Godejohn that mental health could affect whether he would be found for first degree murder. "What is an issue is figuring out if Godejohn knew what he was doing when he is accusing of killing Blanchard, and whether his mental capacity was diminished because of his past problems with Asperger's syndrome," said Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson at the time Godejohn was tried. The determining of the sentence was only after Godejohn was sentenced. There was no evidence found that could be admissible in front of a jury of mental illness, and thus his fate was decided in front of a judge.

And what if Godejohn's case had been tried in front of a jury? What if there had been more detailed mental evaluations?

Did Nick even understand the repercussions of what he did?

According to a website called The Truth About Aspergers, "People with Asperger's syndrome do no possess "Theory of Mind" abilities, which means they're aren't able to recognize and understand the thoughts, beliefs, desires, and intentions of other people in order to make sense of their own behavior." "Autism impacts normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. The disorder makes it hard for us to communicate with others and relate to the social world," states DisabledWorld.com. 

In a recent article, I wrote that the legal system had failed Gypsy Rose Blanchard. In a matter of self defense, Gypsy enlisted the help of her then boyfriend Nick to finally be free of the tortures of her mother. And this is where Nick should be brought in. Because the legal system has indeed, failed Nick too.

"Nick was so in love with her and so obsessed with her, that he would anything," said his lawyer, "Dewayne Perry during his closing arguments. And Gypsy knew that."

Asperger's is not diagnosed among many people throughout the United States, and it heavily affects many people throughout the country. As reported by Very Well Health, Asperger Syndrome is no longer an official diagnostic category in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)."

With the legal system having the option of treatment with a reduced sentence, Nick is likely  suffering with an undiagnosed mental disorder for the rest of his life as he sits in jail.

The last scene of the show shows Gypsy sitting in jail with her head on her now deceased mother's shoulder, as a depiction that although she is alone, Gypsy still relies on the comfort of pretending that her mother is still there. This is also showing how mentally and emotionally manipulated she is on relying on the care of her mother. Concluding that Gypsy also needs the help to learn how to function on her own.

The show leaves us upset, unsettled, questioning, and angry after the result of both trials. This story is    an example of a false depiction of the accused and convicted in the media, as well as the failure to rightfully sentence true criminals.

Calum Worthy had our hearts breaking and indignant for Nick, especially as he sat across the table from Gypsy hearing the news of a separate trial.

While Joey King left us truly haunted with the story of Gypsy Rose.

In the end, The Act tells us Gypsy and Nick were human too.