performer | Anna Torv
Width | HBO’s The last of us
the ring | “Injured(January 22, 2023)
the performance | To say that Torv made the most of her short time The last of us It would be totally underrated. In just two episodes, the margin The vet crafted a character so complex and multidimensional that we were heartbroken when Tess was murdered in Sunday’s terrible hour.
Although two decades of miserable living have hardened Tess’ outer shell, Torv has always remained restrained by her humanity’s alter ego. The actress brings this quiet vulnerability to the fore in the final act of Infected when, unbeknownst to viewers, Tess is bitten by one of the cannibals.
From the sweet tone of warmth she flashes to her horrified partner-in-crime Joel as he bandages her injured foot to the frustration she unleashes when he refuses to see the end-of-the-day glass half-full, Torv skillfully transforms Tess’s energy from a badass survivalist to a badass living on lost time.
And when Tess came clean about her final condition, Torv demolished all of her protective personality walls on her own in one fell swoop. Filled with a mixture of despair and pain, Tess begged Joel to see through their Ellie-centric mission and save himself (and thus mankind). “I never ask you for anything,” she exclaimed, “not to feel the way you felt…”. “Here’s your chance. You get her there. You keep her alive. And you put everything right.”
Tess saved the day in the end but Torv was the real hero of the episode.
honorific | earlier this season, Leverage: Redemption She hinted at Sophie’s complicated past with someone who was like a daughter to her. So when icy Interpol inspector Astrid was revealed last week to say she’s a stepdaughter, we were honestly flabbergasted. But this simply paved the way for the end Is that true We moved, as a chain vet Jenna Bellman and guest star Alexandra Park (the Royal familyEach of them let down the walls of his personalities. Park really impressed us when the frigid Astrid had her dodgy stepmother at gunpoint, only to finally lower her weapon as Sophie explained her fading act years ago. After a fun bit of theater in which the duo team up to catch a thief, Bellman in the ladies’ closing scene exudes such gentle motherly warmth, and Sophie and Astrid reflect on a wonderful memory.
honorific | gossip girl Showrunner Josh Safran says the only thing that will keep him up at night is knowing the series has ended with his beloved series — Audrey, Akie, and Max — on the outside. Sure, we understand his frustration with the lack of closure, but keep this trio together Thursday finale would have deprived the public of it Thomas DohertyA devastating performance as the victim of a failed romantic experiment. In contrast to his idiosyncratic bravado, Doherty is at his best when Max allows himself to be vulnerable, and we haven’t seen him this raw since a certain teacher messed with his heart back in season one. From now on, Max in HBO Max is dedicated to Max Wolf.
honorific | One of the toughest roles to be played on TV this week was Ava, a deaf surrogate who appeared in the second episode of the Fox show. Accused An anthology decided to kidnap the child she had given birth to to a couple, upon suspecting that they would not allow their deaf child to grow up in a signature environment. It was replaced at birth alum Stephanie Nogeras I faced the challenge, though. Yes, Ava acted very rudely and criminally. And in Ava’s ongoing conversations with boyfriend K.J., Nogueras reports an alarming degree of impulsiveness. But when Ava took a stand at trial later, Nogueiras imbued her signature with so much passion and honesty that she understood when the couple withdrew their case.
What performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!