THE ARTIST | Ramon Rodriguez
THE SHOW | ABC Will Trent
THE EPISODE | “It Was the 80s” (May 2, 2023)
THE PERFORMANCE | You don’t deliver a first season that gets a rare average grade of “A+” without having something truly special. And for Will Trentthat extra punch came from a stellar cast led by Rodríguez.
Coming off an episode that saw Will barely begin to realize that Amanda (Sonja Sohn) had known his late mother, Rodríguez in the season finale took that bombshell and ran with it, exploring a variety of emotions all from the recontextualization of Will. abandoned as a newborn.
Rodríguez’s remarkable work began early in the hour, as Will fondly considered “the first photo I’ve ever seen of my mother”. Yet when Amanda tried to accompany the visual with trivia, Will barked, “No, we’re not doing that now!” — he was so hurt that it took Amanda 15 years to come up with the name Lucy Morales.
Indeed, Rodríguez for most of the finale showed us that Will frankly didn’t know what to make of this new information. Take this punch from a time when, learning that Lucy had died in childbirth, Will suggested, “So technically I killed her. Or when he angrily grilled the lead detective on Lucy’s murder decades ago, for being “sloppy, lazy, stupid, or guilty!” Such intensity.
But then, in a much quieter and unexpected scene, Will while poring over Lucy’s file feltand U.S saw, the tender presence of his mother. “I have so many questions…” he began. “Where were you from? What did you smell like? Do you have a name for me? …I hope I made you proud.
The powerful hour then ended with two fantastic, but tonally disparate sequences.
You had Will informing James Ulster that he was under arrest for the murders of a long list of people, namely “my mother, Lucy Morales. But when James nearly killed himself with poison? “That’s not how it ends!” Will roared as he launched into CPR. “BreatheAsshole!”
This was followed by Evelyn (LisaGay Hamilton) informing Will that it was Amanda who found him in a dumpster after he was born and hoped, but was legally unable, to make him her own son. This scene was all about Rodríguez’s reactions and facial expressions, as he came to see Amanda of Steel in a new light – then pointed her to the coffee machine to deliver the the heaviest “THANKS.”
Scroll down to see who scored honorable mentions this week…
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HONORABLE MENTION: Alex Borstein
Image Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video
Five seasons and two Emmys later, Alex Borstein still has a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to his portrayal of The Marvelous Mrs. MaiselSusie Myerson, rude and extremely loyal manager. Case in point: In this week’s incredibly inventive, incredibly funny, and deeply poignant episode, much of which centered around Susie being the reluctant guest of honor at a Friars Club roast circa 1990, Borstein was tasked with playing Susie for several decades amid extreme experience. emotional ups and downs. And there was not a false note in his work. The actress’s subtle and brilliantly restrained reaction shots as her alter ego valiantly resisted roast after blow was comedic gold. The outburst of anger that Borstein-as-Susie unleashed on Midge during their synagogue confrontation was steeped in perfectly modulated despair and regret. And, in the final moments of the episode, the look of tearful relief on Borstein’s face when Midge extended Susie that olive branch spoke volumes about the deep love she had for her best friend.
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HONORABLE MENTION: Anthony Carrigan
Image credit: Courtesy of HBO
Hoo boy… it’s been a tough week barry, with Sally and Gene dealing with painful life crises. But no one has been tested more than our beloved idiot NoHo Hank, and Anthony Carrigan has expertly stripped the silly facade of the Chechen mobster to expose the cold calculations at its core. Hank murdered his new allies to realign himself with the Chechens, and Carrigan was horribly accurate when Hank explained to Cristobal exactly why their deaths were necessary. (Hank told Cristobal that when he talked about going legit, “you sound naive,” and a shiver ran down our spines.) But Carrigan let Hank’s emotions come out when Cristobal left him, Hank le begging to stay and then breaking into jagged sobs when he refused and Hank’s men had to pull him out. It was devastating to see Hank go to the dark side like that, but Carrigan absolutely impressed us with his ability to turn a court jester into a malevolent prince.
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HONORABLE MENTION: J. Smith-Cameron
Image credit: Courtesy of HBO
“I’m good at my job.” It was just six simple words, but J. Smith-Cameron instilled such hurt pride and defiance in them this week that they took our breath away. As SuccessionGerri’s buttoned-up lawyer, Smith-Cameron is usually the level-headed voice of reason, doing her best to stop the Roys from shooting themselves in the foot, and she was fierce as Gerri painstakingly explained to Roman why he was firing the studio director Joy was a bad idea. A flustered Roman, however, decided he could fire Gerri as well, and when he told her she wasn’t good at her job, that’s when Gerri quietly replied with those six words, lip of Smith-Cameron trembling with raw emotion. (The turbulent history between Gerri and Roman also loomed large on this nasty spat.) Gerri is too professional to have a complete meltdown at work, but with just that little lip quiver, Smith-Cameron revealed the deep well of feelings that hide below. its polished exterior.
Which performance(s) hit your socks this week? Tell us in the comments!
