THE ARTIST | Paula Newsome and Regina Taylor
THE SHOW | Expert: Vegas
THE EPISODE | “The Promise” (March 30, 2023)
THE PERFORMANCE | We were promised the most moving Expert: Vegas episode so far. And that was it.
As Maxine’s team worked to identify the remains of a young girl found in a barrel at the bottom of Lake Mead, a woman named Raquel Williams came forward to give “Jane Doe” a real face – that of her daughter Phoebe, who was murdered 41 years before. And for the next 45 minutes, Newsome and Taylor thrilled us.
Raquel, at first, had no faith in the crime lab’s investigation planning for a shutdown. After all, right after Phoebe was shot ‘in cold blood, in the middle of the street’, ‘the police wrote their fucking report with a dull pencil on a cocktail napkin. The phone Never rang,” she told Maxine, Taylor’s voice reflecting so much long-standing resentment. “‘Sorry for your loss,’ my ass!”
Newsome in turn gave us a Maxine full of determination to a degree we had never seen before. “‘They’ is me now,” she told Raquel, begging for her cooperation. “Phoebe is on My show. And My the watch does not need winding.
Raquel finally warmed up to Maxine and recounted what exactly happened that night in 1982, tears streaming down Taylor’s cheeks while Newsome’s face made it clear that Maxine was absorbing all the tragic details. Raquel then revealed where a second missing bullet landed. “I have it,” she said, showing a scar on her chest. “Phoebe died trying to save my life.” Maxine asked Raquel if she would undergo surgery to recover the bullet, so she could tell her “story” and possibly identify the shooter. Raquel responded by rhetorically asking Maxine if she would risk her life for her possess child. “I think we both know the answer to that,” the IC agreed.
Newsome and Taylor’s finest work came at Raquel’s hospital bedside, where the episode’s title – “The Promise” – came to light. “I need something from you…”, Raquel said to her new ally. “If anything should happen [during surgery], bury my child in his rightful state. “I promiseMaxine assured him warmly. Later, in what would be the last words she would ever say, a post-op Raquel handed the ball to Maxine and whispered, “Go get the man.” Maxine did, and that promise was kept.
Scroll down to see who scored honorable mentions this week…
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HONORABLE MENTION: Daniel Ezra
Image Credit: Courtesy of The CW
Although it was an extremely difficult loss to handle, the death of Billy Baker the all american allowed the cast to do the best job on the show as Billy’s loved ones mourn him. This week, Spencer’s grief was in the spotlight, and Daniel Ezra was astounding as he finally released his character’s long-suppressed pain. Much of Spencer’s emotion was unleashed in a moving scene late in the hour as he wept to his therapist over the many losses he suffered in his young life. And yet, it’s the way Spencer’s anger boiled over with Coop earlier in the day that has stuck with us. With only three words (“Leave me alone!“) Screamed at full volume, Ezra not only showed us his considerable acting range, but revealed how deep Spencer’s heartache has been since Billy’s death. Is it too late to participate in this group hug at the James residence?
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HONORABLE MENTION: Hong Chau
Image Credit: Screenshot from Netflix
to go, The Night OfficerDiane Farr was a force to be reckoned with. Infused with vim (often vicious) by Hong Chau, the White House Chief of Staff was someone you wanted in your corner – whether at one point you thought you could Really believe it. Hot and that dynamite wig stole every scene she was in, but it was Episode 9 of the Netflix hit where she explored the widest range of material. In an opening flashback, Chau showed us the conflict Diane felt when she was given a sordid task, only to give in to protect her POTUS. In the middle of the hour we had a delicious face to face between Diane and the Vice President, as she once again held Redfield’s feet to the fire. Then, when confronted at home by Peter, Chau surprisingly made us feel for Diane, who had been blindsided by the veep’s real agenda. Season 2 is coming, and we hope The Night Officer gives Chau another call.
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HONORABLE MENTION: Angela Lewis
Image Credit: Hulu Screenshot
Say what you will about Louie’s stock on Snowfall, but there’s no denying that doorwoman Angela Lewis delivered a captivating emotional journey in this week’s episode. Reeling from Jerome’s surprising death last week, Wednesday’s episode found Lewis navigating complex emotions as the grieving widow prepared to lay her husband to rest. Louie’s anguish as she refused to part with Jerome’s corpse was heartbreaking, her zombie state while talking with Cissy was frightening, and the venomous rage seething beneath her calm voice as she called Franklin the devil was downright disturbing. With only a few episodes left, we’re invested to see where this heartbreak takes her next.
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HONORABLE MENTION: Juliette Mills
Image credit: ABC screenshot
HONORABLE MENTION | May you remember Juliet Mills fondly from Nanny and the teacher Or Passionsyou had to have been tickled to see her appear as Jules Max’s roommate on Thursday’s show Grey’s Anatomy. The surprise guest appearance not only felt like reuniting with an old friend – Martimmies all around! – but the veteran actress gave an utterly delightful performance as Max, who had only come to Gray Sloan to have a girlfriend checked out, discovered they had both caught gonorrhea from the same loverboy runner from petticoats! To top it off, Mills beautifully delivered a bittersweet monologue about the benefit of a woman becoming invisible after a certain age. Ironically, at that time, we could have sworn we had never seen her more clearly.
Which performance(s) hit your socks this week? Tell us in the comments!
