Performer of the Week: Robson Green
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THE PERFORMER | Robson Green
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THE SHOW | Grantchester
THE EPISODE | “Episode 5” (Aug. 6, 2023)
THE PERFORMANCE | As detective Geordie Keating, a man who has seen it all investigating an inordinate amount of murders in the quaint English countryside, Green has always been able to convey so much with an irritated eyeroll and deadpan delivery. In Season 8’s penultimate hour, however, he reminded us how powerful it is when the man of few words speaks from the heart.
Geordie confronted his partner in crime-solving, vicar Will Davenport (Tom Brittney), about the pills he’d been popping to escape the guilt of killing a man in a motorcycle accident. Green’s change in posture alone during the scene was striking, from Geordie standing tall to physically wrestle the bottle from Will’s jacket pocket to him sitting opposite Will looking nearly as broken and shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Then there was the weariness in his eyes and the changes in his voice.
“Pills are not the answer. I’ve seen what they do to people, and so have you,” Geordie barked. “I thought God was your help,” he continued, shaking his head. “You are gonna have to knock this on the head, son.”
“I’m trying,” Will answered.
“Well, you… try… harder,” Geordie shouted, unable to look at him until the last second. “I mean it,” he added with a tremble that told us this was as much a fearful plea as an angry order. Geordie was asking Will not to jeopardize his marriage the way Geordie, a former WWII POW, had using alcohol to deal with PTSD. He was also begging Will not to make his surrogate father watch him slowly disappear.
As the camera lingered longer on Green’s face than Brittney’s at the end of the scene, we remembered something else: This show centers on him. We’ll miss Brittney, and the effortless banter between he and Green that returned in the final moments of the finale, when he leaves the series next season, but we won’t mourn the loss. Instead, we’ll celebrate Green, who’s already weathered the exit of original costar James Norton, getting the chance to build another relationship from scratch.
Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Dave Annable
You knew this Special Ops: Lioness scene would be a difficult one, given that Neil, a surgeon, had to update his daughter on the aftermath of the car accident she barely survived: Holly, the driver, died, and Kate, as pre-surgery tests revealed, is pregnant — at 14. Dave Annable, though, hit just the right mix of professional guidance and parental disappointment. “Don’t expect good news…,” he calmly said before disclosing Holly’s death. “I wish I could give you more time to process that, but we don’t have that. So are you ready for the next one?” And then Neil dropped the pregnancy bombshell, adding that if the fetus survives the anesthesia of Kate’s surgery, “you’re going to have a very big decision to make.” When Kate expressed disbelief, Annable ratcheted up the inflections of his voice just a skosh as Dad pointedly remarked, “Now at least you can learn consequences of actions while still benefiting from the lesson; Holly won’t get that chance.” Ouch, but true.
HONORABLE MENTION: Joshua Bassett and Sofia Wylie
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series may not have ended with the characters’ graduation (they’ve still got a semester left, albeit one we won’t get to see), but thanks to the emotional damage we suffered courtesy of stars Joshua Bassett and Sofia Wylie, we feel like we experienced our own high school graduation all over again. Times 10. From Ricky’s vulnerable declaration of love, to Gina’s devastating goodbye to her fellow Wildcats, to the couple’s heartbreaking harmonies in that performance of “Love You Forever,” these two were simply on fire. Bassett and Wylie were terrific all season, juggling a wide range of difficult emotions, but when it came to the series finale, we’re not sure who cried more — them or us.
HONORABLE MENTION: Kaniehtiio Horn
Fierce. Subtle. Melancholy. There are so many words that can describe Kaniehtiio Horn‘s layered performance in this week’s Reservation Dogs, which delivered the backstory for its most mysterious character: Deer Lady. In between flashbacks that showed Indigenous children’s horrific abductions and abuse by white religious types, Horn exuded strength and confidence that had us mesmerized. We felt Bear’s fear of her thanks to the actress’s body language, aura and striking eyes. As Deer Lady sought revenge on her former captor, she displayed a softness that sunk our hearts; and when she gave Bear sage advice (“Remember to keep smiling. They can’t stop you from smiling.”), we were privy to her pain, optimism and love. Though a minor member of the show’s large world, Horn exhibited beautiful depth and a full spectrum of emotions, turning in a performance that’s undoubtedly one of the series’ most powerful yet.
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
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