Performer of the Week: Jodie Foster
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THE PERFORMER | Jodie Foster
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THE SHOW | True Detective: Night Country
THE EPISODE | “Night Country: Part 6” (Feb. 18, 2024)
THE PERFORMANCE | Foster has been a marvel all season long on HBO’s chilly crime drama, with the two-time Oscar winner crafting an unforgettable portrait of a woman who’s much better at hunting for clues than connecting with other human beings. The season finale finally cracked through police chief Liz Danvers’ tough exterior to show us the pain she’s been privately holding onto for years, and Foster was magnificent as she shared that private pain with us.
As the finale began, Danvers was in crime-solving mode, and Foster was convincingly adept as she meticulously pieced together what happened to Annie K. and the Tsalal scientists. (She also flashed a healthy dose of bitter sarcasm along the way, a Liz Danvers specialty.) But when Danvers and Navarro found themselves trapped inside a freezing lab with no heat or power, Navarro brought up Danvers’ dead son Holden — and Danvers angrily lashed out at her like a wounded animal, with Foster channeling the kind of terrifying rage that only comes from deep hurt. Her lips stiffened and her voice trembled with emotion as Danvers snapped: “You leave my kid out of it! Or I will rip you apart. I am not merciful. You understand? I’ve got no mercy left.” It was the clearest window we’d gotten yet into Danvers’ inner life, and Foster made every moment mesmerizing.
Danvers and Navarro eventually mended their rift after Navarro rescued her from a frigid fall through the ice, and Foster brought a newfound serenity to Danvers following her near-death experience. She later kept an admirable poker face while testifying to her fellow cops about Hank’s disappearance, and we even got to see her smile a bit as she reconciled with her stepdaughter Leah, which was a welcome sight. Liz Danvers was anything but cuddly, but Foster’s artfully layered performance made her incredibly compelling anyway. It’s tough to live up to Season 1’s Rust Cohle, but Foster’s Liz Danvers is the franchise’s most richly realized character since.
Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Sarayu Blue
Sarayu Blue waded through heaps of trauma in Expats‘ finale, all of which came to a head when Hilary visited her ailing father before surgery. After lying to him about being pregnant, she fumed that her child would know all about the philanderer’s physical abuse — including her mother’s fractured jaw and many broken fingers. Blue held a commanding presence, employing a steady, low voice that she wielded like a sword. A single tear escaped her eye as she declared: “I will never forget and I will never forgive you.” Upon returning home, Hilary confessed to her husband that she “killed” her father, as the actress finally let her character’s eloquence drown in tears. The performance felt so vulnerable and raw that by episode’s end, all eyes were focused on Blue. —Nick Caruso
HONORABLE MENTION: Brian Dietzen
A lot has been said this week about NCIS‘ Ducky tribute episode, but all the flashbacks and cameos in the world wouldn’t have meant a thing if you didn’t have Brian Dietzen skillfully communicating the incredibly deep loss felt by Dr. Jimmy Palmer. The instant the first sneak peek was released, of Jimmy lamenting, “I am not sure I ever told him how I really felt about him,” we knew Dietzen would do the script (he co-wrote) justice. “Why do we do that…?” asked Jimmy, Dietzen’s voice laden with emotion. “Why do we hold back on telling people, every day, how much they mean to us?” And as wonderful as it was to be surprised by Tony DiNozzo’s arrival, it was the facial expression, of love and appreciation, that Dietzen dialed up as soon as the words “Autopsy Gremlin” were heard, that underscored the heartfelt significance of the very special visit. — Matt Webb Mitovich
HONORABLE MENTION: Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Aaron Pierre
History has framed Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as diametric linchpins of the Civil Rights movement, but impactful performances from Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. in Genius: MLK/X’s finale illustrated just how parallel their journeys were, especially towards the end of their lives. As X confided to his mother a fear of being murdered (and feeling the immense weight of continuing his revolutionary efforts despite that), Pierre’s vulnerable delivery — “I’m dealing with it, mommy” — illustrated the thought leader’s humanity, which is too often left out of conversations about him. That point was beautifully reinforced in Pierre’s final scene, with his gentle voiceover about the admirable resilience of butterflies contrasting the violent end to X’s life. Similarly, the compassion that wasn’t given to MLK in life was present in the show’s depiction of his last speech and the playful pillow fight that followed. Harrison’s invigorating rendition of the reverend’s famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” sermon brought us back in time to the Mason Temple in 1968. And he so perfectly captured the childlike glee that Andrew Young recalled of MLK just before his assassination that we were still caught off guard when that tragic event occurred seconds later. It’s astounding that more people aren’t shouting about Harrison and Pierre’s performances, because their work wasn’t just noteworthy, it was genius. —Keisha Hatchett
HONORABLE MENTION: Estelle Parsons
It’s hard to believe, but Parsons has never been nominated for an Emmy. While we can’t make up for the Television Academy’s oversight, we can acknowledge the culmination of her 16-season stint across Roseanne and The Conners, on which she’s left an indelible mark as emotional terrorist Beverly Harris. In granting Bev a chance to bury the hatchet with Jackie (played by the equally sublime Laurie Metcalf), the writers afforded Parsons a fleeting opportunity to showcase Bev, now deep in the throes of dementia, as a caring and compassionate mother. In turn, the 96-year-old delivered an exceptional performance that won’t soon fade from memory, as Bev explained to Jackie why she has chosen to say goodbye now. “If I knew for sure I could remember to love you every day, I would never leave you,” she said. Bev couldn’t rewrite their history, but she was able to give her only living daughter the closure she needed, and Parsons’ delivery let you know that guilt-ridden Bev had found some semblance of peace. —Ryan Schwartz
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
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