Performer of the Week: Ramón Rodríguez

Ryan Schwartz
·4 min read
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THE PERFORMER | Ramón Rodríguez

THE SHOW | Will Trent

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THE EPISODE | “Why Is Jack’s Arm Bleeding?” (May 7, 2024)

THE PERFORMANCE | Rodríguez, a previous honoree for his turn in Will Trent’s Season 1 finale, reached new heights this week as Will dug deep and unlocked a childhood trauma. As he recalled his hand in a violent episode that culminated in his foster mother’s death, years of pent-up guilt came pouring out of him, and we as an audience were as riveted as we were devastated by the emotional breakdown that played out before us.

This trauma had been eating at Will all year. Throughout Season 2, we’ve watched as Special Agent Trent was haunted by visions of his 12-year-old self. We’ve known it had something to do with an abusive foster father, nicknamed “Sleeveless Jack,” but we had no idea why Young Will had blood on his hands. Rodríguez grew increasingly manic in his portrayal as Will paced back and forth in his living room, pulling at his hair as he connected the puzzle pieces in his mind. He’d hidden Jack’s gun to protect Anna, the only foster parent who ever gave a damn about him. But when Jack became belligerent one night and put Will’s foster placement at risk, Will loaded Jack’s gun and shot him, hoping that would keep this vicious animal from hurting anyone else.

“I wanted to kill him,” Will told his Uncle Antonio, as Rodríguez’s tone became almost rabid. Alas, Will didn’t kill Jack; he merely goaded him. In turn, Young Will suffered a brutal beating. Just when Jack was about to shoot him dead, Anna intervened and fought Jack, who turned the gun on his wife and pulled the trigger.

“She’s dead because of me! Because of me!” Will wailed. “I was a stupid kid! I should have never grabbed that gun!” He was a fellow abuse victim plagued by survivor’s remorse. He couldn’t see that he was a hero in this retelling of an unspeakable tragedy.

With his face scrunched in anguish and tears streaming down his face, Rodríguez had, in essence, transformed Will into that 12-year-old kid again, who kneeled before Anna’s lifeless body and pleaded for her forgiveness. It was a truly remarkable feat.

Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…

HONORABLE MENTION: Giancarlo Esposito

HONORABLE MENTION: Giancarlo Esposito
HONORABLE MENTION: Giancarlo Esposito

Anger, grief, pain. Giancarlo Esposito ran the gamut on Parish, but it was Sunday’s season finale that teed up his best work. After Gray tracked his son’s killer to a support group meeting, the actor delivered an emotional monologue about loss that tore us to pieces. But after he found out that Anton played a significant role in covering up the crime, that’s when he absolutely unleashed. Parish abducted the man responsible at gunpoint and screamed a thousand screams, eyes flooding with tears that refused to fall. When it came time to settle things with Anton, the exhausted Parish gave him a verbal walloping for stealing his family’s chance at justice before letting him die in a car explosion. The actor’s steady glare in that climax spoke volumes, but it was the entire hour that served as yet another triumph for the consistently impressive Esposito. — Nick Caruso

HONORABLE MENTION: Jinkx Monsoon

HONORABLE MENTION: Jinkx Monsoon
HONORABLE MENTION: Jinkx Monsoon

We said it ourselves to Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies: Could anyone in the world have played the Maestro but Jinkx Monsoon? Theatricality is the first word that comes to mind when describing the elements that made Monsoon’s performance in the new season’s second episode so distinct, effective and instantly iconic. Half Pennywise/half Dame Edna, Maestro absolutely filled the screen and dominated each scene with a palpably frightful vibe. Monsoon used her physicality and a triumphant stride to give Maestro an intimidating presence, and at times put a Harvey Fierstein-like rasp on her voice to send chills up your spine with the villain’s more guttural bellows. And when Maestro abruptly grew unnerved by the song within Ruby Sunday? The way Monsoon flinched and cowered made us all quite afraid about what ominous reveal lies ahead…. —Matt Webb Mitovich

HONORABLE MENTION: Kaitlin Olson

HONORABLE MENTION: Kaitlin Olson
HONORABLE MENTION: Kaitlin Olson

In Hacks’ third episode, Kaitlin Olson served up vulnerability and laughs in one fell swoop as Deborah Vance’s damaged daughter DJ. The actress put her expressive eyes to work both when DJ asked Deb to attend her recovery meeting and later when she blew up in anger after her mom turned the event into one of her sets. All of this deftly showcased Olson’s chops, but her best bits came later when DJ performed at Deborah’s roast. We were nervous as the shaky progeny took the stage, but the actress sold her character’s nerves with her body language, elevating her energy level and facial expressions as her material began to kill. While it was a productive episode for the mother/daughter relationship, it also solidified Olson’s ability to stand out in a show that’s insanely crowded with talent. — N.C.

Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!

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