January 24-30
“We Interrupt This Program” | WandaVision
Teyonah Parris
Teyonah Parris was an effortless scene stealer as the mysterious Geraldine the last two weeks, but stepping up as herself, Monica Rambeau brought forth some excellent performances on screen.
WandaVision continues to be the gift that keeps on giving with surprising twists and turns that leave us astonished–the little show that could and the incredible cast who could. Parris was enamoring this week as the audience lived through a whirlwind of emotions right alongside her. From the moment she returned after the blip to learning her mother has passed, all the way to her curiosity and poise upon discovering Westview, watching her was a mesmerizing joy.
When Dr. Highland told her that her mother had passed away, Parris managed to make Monica look so small–broken and defeated, without for a moment overdoing the reaction but mastering the utter shock and perplexity exceptionally. She looked like a child, she looked terrified, and every moment from that scene Parris showed us that Monica would never be the same–something in her died, too and she would put it all in her work. That’s why when she walked into S.W.O.R.D. with the poise cobbled through her sadness, it was easy to feel for her. It was easy to be entranced. It was easy to see the shift and understand the determination.
It was easy to then feel her empathy towards Wanda. Monica Rambeau is good and kind and Parris mastered layering the character wonderfully amidst even the act of playing Geraldine too. When she was at S.W.O.R.D. with all her mother’s old colleagues, she touched on a confidence that was thus reflective of so much more than her skillsets. This a woman with a lot to offer and this is a woman with a tremendous amount of trauma behind her–the exploration of this character and thus Parris’ performances through it are incredible to watch.
Thus having been given the opportunity to see both characters is allowing us to be given glimpses into the actress’ abilities–she is already becoming a fan favorite and to think that this is merely the beginning of what we’ll see is a gift in and of itself. We can’t wait for more.
Who was the most noteworthy performer you watched this week?