Performer Of The Week: Erin Moriarty

THE PERFORMER | Erin Moriarty

THE SHOW | The Boys

THE EPISODE | "Season Four Finale" (July 18, 2024)

THE PERFORMANCE | The Boys' Season 4 finale called for Erin Moriarty to pull double duty as kidnapped Annie and the shapeshifter masquerading as her. Throughout the episode, the actress rose to the challenge time and time again, playing opposite herself in introspective conversations and violent fight sequences. And when you really think about it, Moriarty actually had to deliver three performances: an Annie in physical and emotional turmoil; a shapeshifter channeling Annie; and the shapeshifter speaking and acting as themselves.

Through the cadence in her voice, facial expression shifts and physical mannerisms, Moriarty brought the different versions of "Annie" to life in a way that had us marveling. The switch from the shapeshifter's dead eyes to her fake smile while talking to boyfriend Hughie was chill-inducing. But most impressive were the scenes in which the shapeshifter and Annie faced off. When the shifter poked at Annie's insecurities about her identity issues, the actress emitted quiet vulnerability and fear that her enemy had it right. Meanwhile, Moriarty's performance as the shifter mocked and mimicked a crying "poor Annie January" was delightfully wicked and full of venomous verve.

Annie eventually escaped her captor, painfully wounding her hands to slip free of her handcuffs, and brought the fight to the shapeshifter. Gripping her foe in a headlock, Moriarty delivered a stand-up-and-cheer moment for Annie, who declared, "You're right. I don't know if I'm a hero. I don't know who the f—k I am. But I do know that I'm the bitch beating your ass."

While we were rooting for Annie's victory over the shapeshifter, we're not going to lie: We kind of wish the story had lasted longer just so we could have gotten more of Moriarty's double portrayals.

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

Carmen Maura always thrives in her comedic quips as Julia, but in Episode 5 of Land of Women, she surprised us with a sensitivity we haven't yet seen from the deviant matriarch. Amid a bout of dementia-induced confusion, Maura told her sister about sleeping with Andreu and fixing the infamous bitlles game when they were children. Her delivery was never melodramatic, instead straightforward, like a child confessing to her sins — obviously tapping into the childhood where Julia's mind often travels. And then, in a snap, Maura seamlessly switched over into her character's alert self, wondering aloud what her sister was doing next to her, believably unaware of the conversation that preceded. We have come to know that Maura can reliably make us laugh in the Apple TV+ dramedy, and we now know she can just as easily make us cry. — Claire Franken

Cobra Kai's Tory has always been a badass, and in the Season 6, Part 1 finale, the same could be said of her portrayer Peyton List. The actress delivered drama and heart on all fronts. During a tense conversation with Big Bad John Kreese, List was a formidable presence as Tory returned acid-tongued responses like it was a tennis match. But her series-best work came when — SPOILER ALERT! — Tory found her ill mother dead on the floor. Our hearts broke when the shocked teen repeatedly screamed out for her mom. When she sat grieving and tear-soaked in the hospital, we felt crushed when she told a nurse there was no one else to call. List's laudable performance forced us to empathize with her character, which made the blow of Tory's eventual return to the dark side that much more devastating. — Nick Caruso

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