Performer Of The Week: Damson Idris

THE PERFORMER | Damson Idris

THE SHOW | Snowfall

THE EPISODE | "The Struggle" (April 19, 2023)

THE PERFORMANCE | Idris has always impressed as Snowfall's complex protagonist Franklin Saint, but his raw and deeply unsettling final turn in Wednesday's series finale left us utterly devastated. And singing his praises.

"The Struggle" found Franklin grappling with the terrifying reality that the money he so desperately craved, and had even killed for, was truly gone. We weren't expecting a happy ending for the drug kingpin — he built his empire on cocaine and murder, after all — but we were wholly unprepared for how agonized Idris would make us feel watching the grown Saint unravel until he was a shell of his former self.

The actor spent six seasons living with this character and it really showed as Franklin spiraled throughout the tense hour. You could feel that rabid hunger for money in Idris' dangerous eyes and near-shaky voice as Franklin pleaded with his mother for help, as well as the acidic burn of anguished fury in his shouting when it was evident she wouldn't.

Later, as Franklin realized that all of his options had been exhausted and there was nowhere else to turn, Idris masterfully conveyed the final thread of Franklin's sanity unraveling with a defeated slide down the wall that felt like a kick to the gut. It was clear in that moment that he had finally given up — something he said he would never do.

A time jump revealed that the ex-dealer fell into seclusion and squalor as bills went unpaid. While his face remained roughly the same, Franklin was barely recognizable in the show's final moments, and that's a testament to Idris' searing portrayal of a broken man at the end of his stunning yet inevitable downfall.

"I'm free," Franklin said. Idris' hollow smile, though, let us know that was only feigned contentment. It was also a bitter reminder of broken promises, especially as we were left with the depressing final image of the former crime boss now destitute and aimlessly wandering the neighborhood he once ruled. In the end, Franklin deserved his sad fate, just as Idris deserves to be recognized loudly for his moving and truly outstanding work bringing this gripping coming-of-age story to a close.

Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week...

The last time we honored Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham, she went big. Like, "sing Rick Astley at your father's funeral" big. This time around, the actress who brings our favorite #BossAssBitch to life caught our eye because of just how effortlessly charming she was throughout Rebecca's dreamy, romantic interlude in Amsterdam. We'd never seen Rebecca this relaxed... this carefree... this unburdened by the world around her. Take, for instance, when she first broke out into song. Waddingham imbued each and every Kenny Rogers lyric with a sense of unbridled joy. Rebecca wasn't worried about what her mystery man thought of her singing. For the first time in a long time, she was just having fun — and Waddingham made you feel that. Our absolute favorite moment, though, came the morning after, when Rebecca got back on the bus. The way she sank into her seat and kicked her feet up on the table (wearing sneakers, no less!) told us all we needed to know. Her breezy, soulful rendition of "Three Little Birds" was the cherry on top of an already sublime showcase. 

The Grey's Anatomy storyline in which Bailey was doxed by pro-lifers came to a horrifying head in Thursday's "Gunpowder and Lead" (recapped here). After a protester got into Grey Sloan under the pretense of being a patient and threatened the doctor's family to her face, she had had it. And in a beyond well-earned moment of release for Miranda, Chandra Wilson let loose her character's incredulity and righteous anger. "You would hurt a 4-year-old girl in the name of life?" she marveled to Addison (standing in for the protester). "As if you give two craps about life!" The actress beautifully, painfully channeled Bailey's outrage and disbelief, in the process giving us a clear window into the emotions that have been roiling inside the former chief.

Things can get pretty grim on Barry, so thank goodness Henry Winkler is there to lighten the mood. The veteran actor stepped into the spotlight (quite literally) this week, as Gene shared his story with a Vanity Fair writer the only way he knew how: by taking the stage and putting on an elaborate one-man show for an audience of one. Winkler was hilariously earnest as Gene acted out the saga of his relationship with his killer student Barry, putting on a ridiculous lunkhead voice to play Barry that didn't sound anything like him. (The shot of a sweaty and exhausted Gene sipping water with a towel around his neck after the performance was priceless.) We love Barry's willingness to get dark, but we also love its lighter moments, and Winkler delivered a welcome jolt of laughs, reminding us that some actors will do just about anything to hear a little applause.

Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in Comments!