Performer of the Week: Anna Sawai
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
THE PERFORMER | Anna Sawai
More from TVLine
Shōgun Serves Up a Big Betrayal and an Even Bigger Death - Read Recap
TWD: The Ones Who Live's Danai Gurira Ponders Another Spinoff to Address 'Issue With the Mothership'
THE SHOW | FX/Hulu’s Shōgun
THE EPISODE | “Broken to the Fist” (March 19, 2024)
THE PERFORMANCE | You needed an eightfold fence made out of iron to contain all that Lady Mariko was feeling this week on Shōgun.
Just as Mariko’s connection with hatamoto John Blackthorne had reached a new depth, who emerged from the horizon but Buntaro, her heinous husband presumed dead during Lord Toranaga’s escape from Osaka. Adding to that considerable unease, Buntaro was told to share a roof with his wife and the Anjin, setting the stage for one of TV history’s great dinners.
As Blackthorne and Buntaro attempted to hurl barbs at each other, it fell on Mariko as translator to keep a peace between the men in her life, and Sawai showed the wheels turn-turn-turning with every clever turning of phrase. (“He says the sound you make while eating reveals the depth of your pleasure,” heh.)
But bigger cups of sake coupled with bigger taunts steered the evening in a decidedly darker direction. First, a blind-drunk Buntaro insisted on proving his bowmanship by firing two arrows within an eyelash of his wife’s face, to hit a target outside. Here, Sawai broke your heart by showing us Mariko’s resignation to being demeaned. When an aghast Blackthorne called out that antic, Buntaro commanded his wife to detail for the barbarian the “disgusting, filthy line” she hails from. Sawai had us rapt as Mariko, her voice laden with emotion, recounted the vast losses her family endured — as well as her inability to ever attempt any vengeance, all because “my husband orders me to live.”
Adding to Sawai’s incredible showcase this week, you had a cowered Mariko shrieking at Blackthorne to leave her be, when he found her beaten by Buntaro… Mariko later telling the Anjin how she will give her husband “nothing, not even my hatred, because that is what he merits”… and then their conversation just before the earthquake, where Mariko explained that while the pheasant may have “meant nothing” to Blackthorne, “your words gave it meaning” to others, when he suggested that to move it meant death — in this case, the gardener Uejiro’s.
Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Renée Elise Goldsberry
We were thrilled to hear that Netflix picked up Girls5eva for a third season because that meant we’d get to spend more time in the royal presence of supremely self-involved diva Wickie, played magnificently by Renée Elise Goldsberry. We’re happy to report that Wickie remained a walking quote machine throughout Season 3, but Goldsberry shined brightest in the third episode when Wickie returned to her childhood home and was embarrassed to admit that her parents were actually… wealthy and supportive of her dreams. Goldsberry expertly rattled off a list of hilarious excuses for why Wickie lied about her supposedly tough upbringing, and then she legitimately tugged on our heartstrings as Wickie had a rare moment of self-doubt, falling into a serious shame spiral in her childhood bedroom. And did we mention she can sing? As good as Wickie thinks she is, Goldsberry is even better. —Dave Nemetz
HONORABLE MENTION: Andrew Lincoln
Sunday’s Danai Gurira-penned episode of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live afforded her leading man a golden opportunity to empty the entirety of his actor’s toolbox, and boy, did he ever seize it. The franchise OG gave a searing performance as Rick desperately tried to convey to Michonne the hopelessness of his situation with the CRM. Lincoln dug deep, unearthing a palpable pain, as his embattled character explained how he’d learned to be both dead and alive. He even got to play a little comedy as the Bickersons fought off walkers. (Right, Commando?) But his most resonant moment could only be the one in which “Richonne” made love. They’d scarcely begun to kiss when Lincoln broke down in Gurira’s arms, beautifully conveying both the depth of the traumas he’d suffered and his profound shock at getting to once again experience their connection. —Charlie Mason
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
Best of TVLine
The Best Streaming Services in 2024: Disney+, Hulu, Max and More
What's New on Netflix in January — Plus: Disney+, Hulu, Amazon and Others
Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
