THE ARTIST | Bella Ramsey
THE SHOW | HBO The last of us
THE EPISODE | “Seek the Light” (March 12)
THE PERFORMANCE | After the penultimate episode of the HBO drama, many of you were very upset that we didn’t single out Ramsey’s performance as Ellie exacts revenge on predatory pastor David. And we get it! Ramsey, who uses “they” pronouns, was amazing in both David’s death and Ellie’s shocking aftermath. But we had also had the chance to see the series finale, so we chose to keep our accolades for their mind-blowing work at the end of the season.
And now you can see why. Although Ramsey was excellent throughout the episode, we would like to focus on two key scenes. First, Ellie’s conversation with Joel after their encounter with the giraffe. After letting Bella’s long-buried childish delight shine through while feeding the animals, Ramsey responded to Joel’s suggestion that they abandon their trip with patient resolve. “It can’t all be for nothing,” Bella said, memories of the couple’s shared labors – as well as the people they had killed – very clearly behind Ramsey’s facial expressions. We still don’t know how they made Bella look sore, youthful serious and wise beyond her years, but we felt lucky to have witnessed it.
Then later, as Joel fought back tears while admitting he had tried to kill himself, Ramsey’s reactions seemed so genuine and perfect for a) a teenager and b) This teenager. Ramsey instructed Ellie to only make brief eye contact as her surrogate dad was as close to saying “I love you” as he could get. They filled in the most indescribable lines (“I’m glad…it didn’t work out”) with all the “I love you too” Ellie couldn’t express. And then they seemed obviously relieved when Joel ended the touching, but emotionally awkward exchange, by asking to hear “shitty puns” – what a perfect cap on a season of excellence from one of the young presences. the most dynamic on television.
Scroll down to see who scored honorable mentions this week…
-
HONORABLE MENTION: Delroy Lindo
Image Credit: Courtesy of Hulu
There’s charm and swagger at Delroy Lindo Not imprisoned character, Edwin, who was recently released after 17 years behind bars. He wastes no time flirting with women and telling his daughter the things she doesn’t want but needs to hear about her love life. But in the sixth episode of the Hulu series, the tables turned to shed light on Edwin’s own trauma when he visited his childhood home, where his mother was arrested and beaten. As Edwin told his grandson of the hope Martin Luther King Jr.’s words evoked, and how his death “fucked up a lot of people” (him included), Lindo’s face s is filled with heavy pain. Then, when bureaucracy prevented Edwin from getting his birth certificate, Lindo finally released all of Edwin’s frustration and pent up childhood tears, revealing the broken little boy inside the man.
-
HONORABLE MENTION: Riley Keough
Image Credit: Prime Video screenshot
As tension between lead singers Daisy and Billy escalated in Daisy Jones and the SixThe eighth episode just like the magnetism of Riley Keough’s fiery performance as the titular singer. From raging at Billy over his lies to spiraling into drug addiction onstage, Daisy de Keough was a gripping mix of flamboyant passion and tragic insecurities. What made the actress’ performance even more impressive was that she packed those complicated emotions into several song numbers in which Daisy’s state of mind crumbled a little more with each stop. of the band’s tour. When a tall Daisy intoned an acoustic version of “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)” as an “Eff you!” at Billy, Keough mesmerized us the same way Daisy mesmerized the concert crowd.
-
HONORABLE MENTION: Adam Scott
Image Credit: Screenshot by Starz
In a cast as incredibly talented as To party‘s, it takes a lot to stand out among your peers. But that’s exactly what Adam Scott did when the catering team ingested piles of mushrooms while working a Malibu Luau. Whether it’s hustling his work behind the bar (“it’s like a bird on fire,” Henry said of one of his cocktails) or being absolutely blown away by a bush “with style unique to him,” Scott’s hyper-relaxed movements, wide eyes, and so many laughs totally sold the cold, drugged vibes of the episode. But after thinking one of his co-workers had drowned, the actor went from semi-fugue state to panic mode, as Henry hilariously mistook John Krasinski for Unabomber Ted Kaczynski. Scott’s best performance this season gave us hope that this To party never ends.
-
HONORABLE MENTION: Michelle Forbes
Image credit: Courtesy of Paramount+
Star Trek: Picard delivered a jaw-dropping blast from the past this week as Michelle Forbes picked it up The next generation role of Ro Laren, now a Starfleet investigator. Forbes was terrific in an intense scene with Patrick Stewart, Ro and Jean-Luc working through the still-tender emotional wounds left by Ro’s sudden departure from the Business Thirty years ago. Forbes was frosty and analytical at first, Ro questioning Jean-Luc with questions, but eventually let us see the decades of pain buried deep within Ro, her voice picking up emotion as Ro told Jean-Luc how he had broken his heart. Ro then put his life on the line to preserve Jean-Luc’s mission, adding a final bittersweet note to a surprise appearance that was to be extremely satisfying for the The next generation faithful.
Which performance(s) hit your socks this week? Tell us in the comments!
