THE ARTIST | Sarah Snook
THE SHOW | Succession
THE EPISODE | “Connor’s Wedding” (April 9, 2023)
THE PERFORMANCE | Before we get started, let’s be clear: we could have honored a number of different actors for spectacular heartbreak in an episode this week, with Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, and Alan Ruck all submitting some of their best work from the show. But when we look back on Logan Roy’s death (as we will for years to come), Shiv’s stricken face will haunt us the most, we think. Logan’s daughter went through extremely mixed emotions in the wake of her father’s sudden passing, and Snook wowed us with a powerfully vulnerable turn that captured the whirlwind of grief with devastating clarity.
Logan’s death came as a brutal shock in the middle of Connor’s wedding day, and when Kendall broke the news to Shiv, Snook went from blissful obliviousness to concern to confusion. Her face burst into tears as Shiv cried, “No…I can’t have that!” Watching Shiv go from upbeat words of encouragement to his dying father on the phone to suddenly snapping, “Is he f—king dead?” was absolutely nerve-wracking, but Snook masterfully conveyed how confusing and surreal the first moments of a loved one’s death can be. Then, as Shiv said his last words to Logan, she went from showering him with love (“Don’t go, please, not now”) to cursing him over and over, with Snook giving a voice to Shiv’s complicated relationship with his father. . As tragedy began to set in, Shiv lashed out at his brothers for not telling him sooner and even wondered if they should spin Logan’s plane into a painful illustration of the how grief makes us say and do things we wouldn’t normally dream of. say or do.
As the news broke, Shiv gathered his strength and took the lead, Snook putting on a brave face as a teary-eyed Shiv delivered the family’s statement to the press. It was an impossible task, but she did it, and an emotionally drained Shiv then took refuge in the hugs of her ex-husband Tom and his brothers. We also felt emotionally drained after that hour of television, but we also knew we had witnessed something very special, thanks in large part to Snook’s delicately crafted portrayal of a child saying goodbye to a parent too early.
Scroll down to see who scored honorable mentions this week…
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HONORABLE MENTION: Ambreen Razia
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV+
Keeley’s best friend-turned-employee-from-hell Shandy came out in a blaze of infamy sparked by the Scorched Earth in this week’s action-packed action Ted Lasso, and its portrayer, Ambreen Razia, was a revelation throughout the messy and tumultuous collapse. The actress’ comedy masterclass began with an explosive outburst of anger, as Shandy, averse to rejection, stormed out of Keeley’s office after the dismissal like a spiked metal wrecking ball on steroids. “GOOD, listen sheep,” the self-proclaimed marketing innovator announced to her stunned and speechless colleagues, Razia underscoring each soaring syllable with a hilarious choreography of hands and arms. “I’m starting my own public relations company to take This place down.” When his cocky, “Who’s coming with me?” failed to yield any takers (despite several tries and an increasingly sweet perk set), Razia amped up her character’s fury from a 5 to an 8 before dropping it to a wounded, moaning 1 before taking it back up to – this time up to a 10 that knocks down birds and spouts swear words. Coincidentally, this reflects the perfect score we give Razia for this overwhelming, brilliantly whiplash-inducing performance.
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HONORABLE MENTION: Katee Sackhoff
Image credit: Disney+ screenshot
In The Mandalorian As the penultimate episode of Season 3, we understood the burden Bo-Katan has carried since the Great Purge, as Katee Sackhoff delivered her best performance yet. Faced with her decisions at this pivotal moment, Bo made it clear to the new survivors of Mandalore: “I did surrender” to Moff Gideon and his Imperial forces, in terms that “we were be spared… And then he betrayed me. As Bo recounted this tragic twist of fate, Sackhoff imbued every word with ever-tender feelings of regret and loss. A moment later, Bo lamented before the landing party of rival tribes: “Our people have suffered time and time again from bickering factions…. It is always our own division that destroys us. Later, when Bo gazed at the bombed-out landscape of Mandalore, she sighed to Din, “I was self-centered. And that’s what it did. Here, Sackhoff used no words, but the expression on her face, to show how moved Bo was by Din’s supportive response.
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HONORABLE MENTION: Ali Wong and Steven Yeun
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
It Takes Monumental Acting To Pull Off What Ali Wong And Steven Yeun Did This Week BEEF final. When mortal enemies Amy and Danny got stranded in the desert, their messy feud didn’t stop for a second. The actors acted like a yinyang of destruction, flexing some serious comedic chops as they yelled at each other from miles away and tried to get away from each other. But after poisoning each other and nearly dying, the characters were finally able to connect and see each other’s struggles. Yeun was vulnerable and open, while Wong elicited a deep and relatable sadness. By the time – SPOILER ALERT! – Danny was shot and fought for his life, Amy climbing onto his hospital bed felt so real and right, a testament to two performances that proved any burnt bridge was worth rebuilding.
Which performance(s) hit your socks this week? Tell us in the comments!
