THE PERFORMER | 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’ve honored a number of different actors for this week’s spectacular heartbreak of an episode, with Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin and Alan Ruck all submitting some of their finest work of the series. But when we think 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 fought through wildly mixed emotions in the wake of her dad’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 an abrupt shock in the middle of Connor’s wedding day, and when Kendall broke the news to Shiv, Snook cycled from blissful unawareness to concern to confusion. Her face broke into sobs as Shiv cried out, “No… I can’t have that!” Watching Shiv go from giving her dying dad upbeat words of encouragement over the phone to suddenly snapping, “Is he f—king dead?” was absolutely agonizing, but Snook masterfully conveyed how bewildering and surreal the initial moments of a loved one’s death can be. Then as Shiv said her final words to Logan, she went from showering him with love (“Don’t go, please, not now”) to cursing him out and back again, with Snook giving a voice to Shiv’s complicated relationship with her father. As the tragedy started to settle in, Shiv lashed out at her brothers for not telling her earlier and then even wondered if they should keep Logan’s plane circling in a painful illustration of how grief makes us say and do things we wouldn’t normally dream of saying or doing.
When it came time to announce the news, Shiv summoned her strength and took the lead, with Snook putting on a brave face as a watery-eyed Shiv delivered the family’s statement to the press. It was an impossible task, but she did it, and an emotionally spent Shiv then took refuge in hugs from her estranged husband Tom and her brothers. We felt emotionally spent, too, after that hour of television, but we also knew that we witnessed something very special, thanks in large part to Snook’s delicately crafted portrait of a child saying goodbye to a parent too soon.
Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
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HONORABLE MENTION: Ambreen Razia
Image Credit: Courtesy of Apple TV+ Keeley’s BFF-turned-employee from hell Shandy went out in a scorched Earth-triggered blaze of infamy in this week’s action-packed Ted Lasso, and her portrayer, Ambreen Razia, was a revelation throughout the unhinged and uproarious meltdown. The actress’ comedy master class began with an explosive burst of anger, as the rejection-averse Shandy stormed out of Keeley’s office post-firing like a spiked metal wrecking ball on steroids. “Alright, listen up sheep,” the self-professed marketing innovator announced to her stunned, speechless colleagues, Razia emphasizing each booming syllable with hilariously over-the-top hand and arm choreography. “I’m starting my own PR firm to take this place down.” When her cocky, “Who’s coming with me?” failed to yield any takers (despite multiple tries and an increasingly sweetened perk package), Razia amped up her character’s fury from a 5 to an 8 before dropping it back to a wounded, whimpering 1 before taking it back up — this time all the way to a bird-flipping, expletive-spouting 10. Coincidentally, that mirrors the perfect score we’re giving Razia for this balls-to-the-wall, brilliantly whiplash-inducing performance.
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HONORABLE MENTION: Katee Sackhoff
Image Credit: Disney+ screenshot In The Mandalorian Season 3’s penultimate episode, we came to understand the burden Bo-Katan has carried since the Great Purge, as Katee Sackhoff delivered her very best performance to date. Confronted about her decisions at that pivotal time, Bo made clear to newfound Mandalore survivors, “I did surrender” to Moff Gideon and his Imperial forces, under terms which “we were to be spared…. And then he betrayed me.” As Bo recounted that tragic twist of fate, Sackhoff imbued every word with still-tender feelings of regret, and loss. A beat later, Bo lamented to the landing party of rival tribes, “Our people have suffered time and again, from squabbling factions…. It is always our own division that destroys us.” Later, when Bo gazed out across Mandalore’s bombed-out landscape, she sighed to Din, “I was selfish. And this is what it wrought.” 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 achieved in this week’s BEEF finale. When mortal enemies Amy and Danny were stranded in the desert, their messy feud didn’t pause for even a second. The actors operated like a yinyang of destruction, flexing serious comedic chops as they shrieked at each other from miles away and attempted to off one another. But after poisoning themselves 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 profound and relatable sadness. By the time — SPOILER ALERT! — Danny was shot and fighting for his life, Amy climbing onto his hospital bed felt so real and right, a testament to two performances that proved that any burned bridge is worth rebuilding.
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in Comments!
