TVLine's Performer Of The Week: Pedro Pascal

THE PERFORMER | Pedro Pascal

THE SHOW | The Last of Us

THE EPISODE | "The Price" (May 18, 2025)

THE PERFORMANCE | In The Last of Us Part II video game, players don't arrive at the porch-conversation flashback until the end of the story. HBO's adaptation, however, chose to deliver the seminal Joel-Ellie moment in Sunday's episode — and thank goodness, because it meant we got another dose of Pedro Pascal's excellence that much sooner.

Pascal has only been out of the action for a few episodes, but we've missed him! From the start of Joel and Ellie's confrontation on the porch, Pascal let us know that Joel knew he'd messed up with that outburst at the dance, choosing to have Joel stare out into the night rather than look directly at Ellie as she ripped into him. (Ramsey, also excellent in the scene, already nabbed a Performer of the Week this season and therefore was ineligible here.) His voice low, his tone conciliatory, Pascal continued the interaction as a chastened man who just didn't want to do any more damage.

Uh, A+ for effort, dude. We could practically feel the tightness in Pascal's throat as Joel fought tears, nodding weakly while Ellie finally asked him the questions she'd carried for years. Owning up to the violence he committed and the choice he made on Ellie's behalf was not cathartic. On the contrary, Pascal's crumbling expression and hitching breath showed us a Joel whose confession seemed to drain the very life out of him.

But catharsis did come in the moment where Joel explained why he'd committed those acts. Pascal's tears flowed freely as Joel finally looked at Ellie and told her he loved her. His voice was high, hurt and halting, and his posture was braced for attack. But Pascal led with his character's deeper-than-reason affection for his surrogate daughter, giving the entire interaction a heft we're still feeling days later — fantastic on every level.

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

Simply said, A.J. Cook was every bit as good as you knew she would be, playing out the aftermath of JJ's husband Will's sudden death on Criminal Minds: Evolution. For 18 years JJ and Will were together, and Cook, for starters, made us feel the heavy weight of that devastating loss hit her character. JJ like her peers is typically indefatigable, but Cook here made clear that JJ was shattered, dazed, off her game. Opposite the late Linda Lavin as Will's emotionally wounded mom, Cook played a wife led to think she could have done more. In scenes with real-life sons Mekhai and Phoenix as Henry and Michael, Cook was a mom left to worry for her suddenly fatherless boys. And with the arrival of Matthew Gray Gubler's Spencer, Cook conveyed the warmth of longtime friends reunited by tragedy. Just typing about JJ's eulogy... man, the eyes water up yet again. Cook was just brilliant. — Matt Webb Mitovich

In The Studio's season finale, Bryan Cranston gave a masterclass in physical comedy, as the very drugged up Continental CEO Griffin Mill pratfalled his way throughout Vegas, thanks to Matt's "old school Hollywood buffet." With a company-saving presentation on the line, Griffin's staff attempted to "Weekend at Bernie's" him, propping him up like a puppet so the man could show face at CinemaCon. And he kinda, sorta did, but not before Cranston absolutely unleashed, performing a sex act on a water fountain, continuously face-planting on the floor and later exploding with energy after being dosed with cocaine. Watching Griffin attempt to walk and talk like a normal functioning human led to some outrageous laughs, putting yet another feather in the Breaking Bad star's cap... and we can't wait to see the punch ol' Griffin will pack come Season 2. — Nick Caruso

You didn't think we'd let Jean Smart go unacknowledged this season, did you? In Hacks' penultimate episode, Bob Lipka gave Deborah an ultimatum: Fire Ava for leaking company info or the late-night show was done. Smart infused what became the comedian's final monologue with so much heart and heartbreak as her character explained to her audience why she was walking away. At the top of the speech, Smart's comedic timing was as sharp as ever. But when she finally dropped the hammer, the actress so naturally pivoted, taking a solemn tone and choking back tears as Deborah said goodbye to the dream she worked so hard to achieve. Deborah Vance's future may be unknown, but four seasons in, we still can't wait to see what Smart delivers next. — N.C.

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