mandy moore

2018 Best of the Year Reviews: 10 Performers

There’s nothing I appreciate more every year than performances that make me want to ramble and scream about over rooftops. Performances that are so well done, words suddenly become nonexistent. And this year especially, the top performers were so fascinating, I couldn’t even choose as easily as I often do. I almost added more than I could write for because there were a far more than 10 of them I wanted to talk about. 

For more end of the year reviews, check out our Top 10 Characters, 10 Relationships and 10 Episodes.

The Actors

  1. Matthew Rhys
    The Americans

The Emmy winning performance of the year. (It gives me unbelievable pride and joy to say that, as if I know Rhys myself and he is some distant uncle of mine.) But truly. There’s been nothing quite like this year’s most intensely gripping performance that I’ve yet to find the words for. Phillip caught a bit of a break from the spy life this season, but that meant a lot more work for Rhys in order to show us sides of him that we’d not known in the last five years. And while Phillip was seemingly calmer, Rhys was actually showing us a more frantic angle, especially when it came down no longer understanding his wife or being able to converse with her. It was during the simplest, most quiet moments that Rhys was reminding us of just how much is at stake and just how fleeting this new life of his would be. But then the final few moments of the series happened and just when you think Rhys has probably outdone himself, the confrontation we’ve all been waiting for takes place, and the greatest mic drop in TV history occurs. The Americans excels in a number of ways, but its strongest suit has been the carefully nuanced performances, and although this was the scene we’ve long waited for, I don’t think any of us could’ve imagined the vulnerability it would’ve been filled with. Vulnerability we should’ve probably been prepared for, but at the end of the day, we could never — or rather, at least I couldn’t have. The sheer pain and utter shame Rhys projected while they “confessed” everything to Stan was nothing short of brilliant. The faint break as he states “I finally got caught” or the most sincere reveal throughout the confrontation, “You were my only friend in my, in my whole shitty life” shattered me. Finales in the espionage genre often have their actors go out with a bang, but with The Americans, the bang surprisingly doesn’t involve a gunshot, instead, “Start” concluded with a man and a woman on a bridge, in a country they can no longer call theirs, trying to remain hopeful. And hope is an emotion The Americans has had a special way of revealing. Rhys’ tensed jawline, the palpable dejection in his eyes, and the damaged, hollowed spirit that stood before us was the very paradigm of greatness. Matthew Rhys (And Keri Russell) have always spoken far more in silence than they have with words, and such robust silence can only be described with so few words, it demands to be felt. And it was. 

Continue reading →

This is Us 2×14 “Super Bowl Sunday” and 2×15 “The Car”

To Jack Pearson | Part II and III

jackkk

Jack Pearson is a superhero — and sometimes, the superhero dies in the end, and though he is gone, the superhero’s story lives on, the superhero’s legacy paves the road for what’ll lie ahead. The people the superhero leaves behind learn of the fact that in being themselves, they played a vast role in giving him the powers he’s had. And that’s not to undermine the superhero, but rather, it’s intended to highlight a kind of greatness, which showcases that all-consuming, immaculate adoration has great power to inspire human beings to be the very best versions of themselves. Jack Pearson is in all of them — because they are him. They are the reason he’s chosen to lead the kind of heroic life, where unbeknownst to him, to everyone, he’s consistently done everything in his power to protect those whose love tirelessly fueled him. Therefore, when a hero like that leaves this world, all that remains is strength, perseverance, and profoundly comforting wistfulness.

Continue reading →

This is Us 2×02 “A Manny-Splendored Thing”

Big Three Moments of the Week

As human beings, the one thing we need to embed in ourselves is the fact that we’ll never be perfect — none of us. No matter how faultless a person seems to be, there’s darkness in them that neither of us can imagine. We are only ever capable of knowing our own best. And in “A Manny-Splendored Thing”, we finally brought light to the darkness within Jack — for the kids at least. There’s no picking sides on this show, and there shouldn’t be, for there isn’t a single character that’s capable of reaching some sort of unimaginable perfection. There’s no character who’s capable of fighting off darkness and negativity entirely, but these are human being that clearly try, so where credit is due, it should be given. And this episode’s means of dealing with the tainted relationships verses the seemingly perfect ones was enamoring. Who would’ve imagined that Kevin returning to The Manny would result in an incredibly emotional rollercoaster.

Continue reading →

This is Us 2×01 “A Father’s Advice”

Big Three Moments of the Week

Welcome back, darlings — I hope you’ve had a lovely Summer/Winter. As far as season premieres go, This is Us has just set the bar ridiculously high. Did anyone else have penultimate episode vibes? This show. This show, friends. It’s too good. And I’m waiting for the season two curse to hit, but something tells me that’s not going to happen with This is Us. “A Father’s Advice” was the gorgeous showcase of how flawed these characters are, but mostly how influential paternal advice can be — both from fathers and mothers.

Continue reading →

This is Us 1×18 “Moonshadow”

Big Three Moments of the Week

I’m pleasantly surprised with the fact that the finale was nothing as I’d expected. And although it didn’t end in the happily ever after I would have preferred, from beginning to end, it did a remarkable job of leaving me mesmerized. This is a series about unity. It’s a series that focuses on raw, complex emotions without glossing over them. It forces us to feel beyond what we can understand. And whether the emotions are positive or negative, its success comes from the profoundly layered characters that tirelessly tug on our heartstrings.

I was under the impression that this separation was meant to leave us heartbroken, but instead, I was left with melancholic hope. A feeling that may not exactly be ideal, but it’s real. And I’m okay with it.

Continue reading →

This is Us 1×12 “The Big Day”

Big Three Moments of the Week

Spoilers Ahead

Welcome welcome welcome to our very first This is Us dedicated segment, “The Big Three Moments of the Week”! If you aren’t already watching the critically acclaimed network drama, stop what you’re doing, grab some tissues, and watch. You’ll be hooked from the very first episode — so far, every person I’ve suggested it to has caught up and is now obsessed. Do it. And what better way to begin these reviews then after the episode that was essentially a different version of the exquisite Pilot. “The Big Day” took what we already knew about the initial big day and made it even more special, raw and complex showcasing sides of the story we never even imagined.

Sometimes these moments will feature a favorite scene based on each of the kids, sometimes it’ll be about one, sometimes it’ll be about the parents, sometimes it’ll be about the flashbacks. Three is a sacred number in this show and that’s why I’ve chosen to honor it.

Continue reading →