Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup
The world has been captivated by Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s story. If you are not aware, she was a victim of Munchausen by proxy and suffered abuse inflicted by her mother. Munchausen by proxy Syndrome is a fictitious disorder imposed on another; in many cases it can be a parent or care taker making up illnesses in a vulnerable person, usually a child, in their care. The caregiver can falsify information, tamper with evidence and are known to lie, all of this to gain attention and sympathy. This is severe mental illness and unfortunately this was the only life Gypsy had known.
Gypsy’s mom, Dee Dee, told everyone Gypsy had leukemia, asthma, vision & hearing impairment, muscular dystrophy, and seizures. She had the world convinced that she Gypsy a sickly child and had her undergo many surgeries and procedures she did not in fact medically need. This is considered medical child abuse. Gypsy had rotted teeth from the medications her mom gave her and had to have many teeth pulled as well as her salivary glands removed, which are responsible for producing saliva in the mouth. She had feeding tubes with no actual need for them, she was forced to be in a wheel chair and her mom kept her head shaved.
The system failed Gypsy in so many ways.
A quick google search and you can see the way her mom dressed her and wheeled her around in her wheelchair. They participated in things like Make a Wish, had a home built by Habitat for Humanity with a wheelchair ramp, and had a full vacation to Disney World. All because of the sympathy and attention gained from this poor, sickly child who in reality was a prisoner in her own body.
Isolated, lonely and clearly mentally distraught, Gypsy began a secret relationship with a guy she started chatting with online in a Christian dating site named Nick Godejohn. She and Nick plot to murder Dee Dee in order to free Gypsy from her control and live a normal life she’s always dreamed of. So Nick travels down to see Gypsy and execute the plan.
In June of 2015, Gypsy gives Nick access to her home and he comes over late at night after Dee Dee goes to bed. Gypsy provided him a map so he would know the layout of the house. The plan was for Gypsy to be in the bathroom and turn the shower on in order to drown out the screams, while Nick would go into Dee Dee’s bedroom and stab her to death while she sleeps.
Days after the murder, it isnt hard to pin the crime to Gypsy and Nick, as IP addresses from social media posts and sending the murder weapon through USPS to Nick’s house gave it away.
Episode One Recap
Flash forward to the first episode set in December 2023, we see Gypsy in her prison uniform just hours before her release. We are introduced to her biological dad, her step mom, half sister and Gypsy’s husband Ryan, who she married in prison. Upon first impressions everyone seems nice enough but you should keep in mind Gypsy has never experienced Ryan, let alone her own family, in real life. From being under the control of her mother, Gypsy went straight to prison so she really has not experienced the outside world. They may know each other but it truly is something different when you are existing physically around someone or living with them. We really dont know what Gypsy and Ryan’s relationship will be. We also don’t know how her relationship with her family will be as she is adjusting to the real world for the first time.
Ryan was told to pick up Gypsy for her release at 3:15am. Once Gypsy left the prison, they drove back to the hotel. Watching this scene made me uneasy as Gypsy looks visibly uncomfortable herself once they made it back to the room. She even mentioned that she wants time to just be and process her being released from prison. Meanwhile Ryan has been touching on her and being overly flirty, mentioning how hot she is and how he cant wait to love on her.
I understand at this point this is their first time alone together as a married couple, however my thoughts are if he really cared about her he would read the room or maybe consider how overwhelming this moment is for Gypsy. Maybe its exactly what she wanted and what they planned for in their talks, who knows. This is how I read the moment based on her words, body language and overall situation.
A big focal point is the attention Gypsy starts to get when she is out in public. She stops at a shoe store to get a pair of shoes that fit her and they are being recorded by paparazzi for the first time. I personally would feel in danger and very uncomfortable if a herd of strangers come up to me with their phones in my face saying my name as if they knew me. Gypsy is starting to get a taste of what’s in store for her.
