the performer , Natasha Lyonne
Display , Peacock poker face
case , ‘The Hook’ (March 9, 2023)
Display , Watching amateur detective Charlie Cale use his lie-detection skills to solve murders has been a distinct pleasure all season long on Peacock’s Anagrams Mystery, thanks to Leon’s hilariously raspy lead performance. But she tops herself in this week’s season finale as Charlie drops his poker face for a bit, giving us a better idea of what that’s really like.
The finale gives us plenty of chances for Lyon to laugh, with Charlie tagging along as well as a wild bachelor party to endure Cliff’s dead-serious spoken-word recitation of Blues Traveler’s “Hook.” (He really is the worst.) But Leon also shows a steely intensity when Charlie confronts Cliff, his eyes filled with emotion as he contemplates shooting the man, and later the intimidating casino owner Sterling. stood toe-to-toe with Frost Sr. ., don’t give even an inch. The episode gave us our first good look at Charlie’s backstory, introduced us to her sister Emily, played by Clea Duvall, and Leon put Charlie’s emotional wounds on full display as the two sisters settle old family feuds. Did. The stress of living on the lam for a year came out in Lyon’s voice when Charlie asked his sister, “You think I like living like this?” (The poker face The writers are still keeping their cards close to their chest regarding Charlie’s past, but Leon manages to surprisingly fill in the blanks with just a few words and a look.)
In the end, Charlie nabs the bad guy, of course — using an, um, unusual ring to subdue Cliff — and goes back on the run, this time with a different casino boss trying to track him down. swore off. (And we can’t wait to see Leone tangle with Rhea Perlman in Season 2.) But for now, let’s enjoy what Leone has given us this season: an instantly memorable TV character with a sassy one- There’s an endless supply of liners and anything else. The hidden depths are yet to be explored.
Scroll down to see who got an Honorable Mention shout out this week…
Honorable Mention: Whitney Cummings
Image credit: Courtesy Fox
If you had told us… well, Sometimes… that comedian Whitney Cummings would deliver one of the most dramatically compelling performances of any week, we’d raise an eyebrow. But in the latest installment of the Fox anthology accusedCummings kept us hooked from start to finish. In “Brenda’s Story,” Cummings played a stand-up comic (with a style quite different from her own, mind you) who was raped by a successful co-worker/past hook-up. In the aftermath, a bewildered Brenda struggles with what to do next, a cynical DA, a compromising comedy club owner (played by Rhea Perlman), a longtime friend (played by…grace and frankieBaron von) and a new acquaintance (24of Mary Lynn Rajskub). Adding layers to Cummings’ heartbreaking performance was the fact that Brenda is, frankly, a mess, an admitted alcoholic with a reputation for self-sabotage. All told, Cummings’ dramatic turn was no joke, but it struck in an unexpected way nonetheless.
Honorable Mention: JB Smoove and Nick Kroll
Image credit: Courtesy of Hulu
History of the World, Part IIHulu’s four-“night” follow-up to Mel Brooks’ 1981 film comedy was poor in quality, to be sure. Several singles and doubles, some home runs. But in the series of sketches “Curb Your Judaism,” JB Smoove and Nick Kroll, as apostles Luke and Judas, served a meal of laughter that was far more satisfying than the Last Supper they had just attended. (As Judas scoffed, “More like a last snack, right?”) curb Your Enthusiasm (which Smoove knows all too well), the two have a lot of fun with observational humor about Jesus’ obsession with washing feet, a one-man show at St. Peter’s (no comp tickets, really?) , With excitement nonkosher food that Jesus later scoffed at (“As a Jew, I am jaundiced, I am going plots!”) and, relatedly, the cringe process involved in growing one’s foreskin back. As noted in the TV question, one orders curb your Judaism Now for the series.
Honorable Mention: Jessica Williams
Image credit: Apple TV+ Screenshot
The worst came out for her ex-husband Nico at an art show shrinkGabby is but the best in her portrayer Jessica Williams. The actress channeled Gabi’s unease through the therapist’s usually calm and collected exterior under the scrutiny of Nico’s friends. After Gabi and her ex had a heart-to-heart at the end, Williams’ expressions ranged from nostalgia for the past, then anger at how well Nico was doing without her. Williams capped her performance with a comedic tour de force moment when Gabi said so loudly and with determination that a nude painting of Nico’s current girlfriend was actually her that she had to be dragged away by her friend. If Williams is this hilarious and entertaining during a slump, Gabe should be losing it more often.
which performance(s) knocked Yours Knock socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
