Performer of the Week: Jamie Lee Curtis
THE PERFORMER | Jamie Lee Curtis
More from TVLine
The Weeknd Celebrates The Idol's Finale, Alludes to 'Bumpy Journey'
The Idol Finale Recap: Did Jocelyn Break Tedros' Spell? Plus, Grade the Season
THE SHOW | The Bear
THE EPISODE | “Fishes” (June 22, 2023)
THE PERFORMANCE | Every once in a while, we’re lucky enough to see a TV performance that instantly makes us say with absolute confidence, “That’s going to win an Emmy.” Newly minted Oscar winner Curtis delivered one of those performances in the Hulu culinary dramedy’s pivotal Christmas episode, introducing us to a frantically frazzled, hysterically self-pitying mother from hell whose wildly erratic behavior explains a lot about why Carmy is the way he is.
The episode was stacked with A-list guest stars, from Sarah Paulson to Bob Odenkirk, but Curtis blew them all away with her portrayal of Donna, Carmy’s mother who anchored herself in the kitchen all episode long, juggling a dozen different dishes while gulping down wine and complaining to anyone within earshot. Curtis fit right in with The Bear‘s rapid-fire overlapping style of dialogue and played the martyr role to perfection, with Donna whining that no one was helping her cook and then screaming obscenities at anyone who dared to set foot in her kitchen. It was a chaotic whirlwind of high-strung emotions; Curtis weaved in a few sincere expressions of love, only to snap back into attack mode when Donna felt threatened. (It was such a whirlwind, in fact, that we felt exhausted just watching it from afar.) As dinner approached, Donna became increasingly unhinged, with Curtis’ face tightening into a hardened mask of grievance. She dissolved into sobs, and Curtis adopted an eerie calm as Donna explained the source of her sadness to Carmy: “I make things beautiful for them, and no one makes things beautiful for me.”
When Carmy tried to help her, though, she revealed a terrifying rage: “Why are you treating me like a child? Do we have a problem?” The whole family tiptoed on eggshells around Donna, and we saw why when Natalie made the mistake of asking her if she was OK at dinner. Curtis uncorked a volcano of anger deep within Donna, verbally abusing everyone at the table before smashing plates — and eventually driving her car through a wall of the house (!). It was a jaw-dropping display of extreme family dysfunction, but Curtis masterfully kept the whole thing grounded in authentic emotion throughout, crafting an unforgettable character in just a few scenes and adding yet another top-tier performance to her already legendary career.
Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Misha Collins and Olivia Rose Keegan
Know what stung nearly as much as Gotham Knights‘ cancellation? The fact that the finale’s scenes between Harvey, Duela and “the other guy” had to come to an end — because they were wonderfully entertaining, due to best-of-season performances by Misha Collins and Olivia Rose Keegan. In the first half, you had an incredibly sweet father-daughter talk, where Harvey suggested that if he had been in Duela’s life all along, things might have gone differently. Here, Collins was warm, Keegan vulnerable. And then when Harvey brought “the other guy” out — to save Duela from an explosive situation — Collins flipped a switch and slipped right into his other role, all cocksure and crafty, while an animated Keegan met him quip for pointed quip. (Duela’s “Hopefully, I didn’t inherit the need to be somebody’s bitch“? Simply bat-tastic.) Capping the night was Collins as full-on Two-Face, giving Jane (and us) a brilliant scare.
HONORABLE MENTION: Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Something is rotten in the state of Tedros, yet thus far The Idol‘s Destiny is among a precious few who see it. And this week, Da’Vine Joy Randolph — with every judgy tilt down of her glasses and each barely stifled, eye-bulging double take — made that clear, as Destiny got the 411 on client Joss’ new beau/Svengali. To be clear, Joss’ manager isn’t all menace; when listening to Chloe’s songs, and about the 17 18-year-old’s troubled past, Randolph communicated a sincere compassion for this “pure heart” among Tedros’ flock. But when Destiny later sat for a heart-to-heart with Joss herself, Randolph often had us howling as the pop star’s cool-like-the-other side of the pillow sounding board took in every tawdry Tedros tale accompanied by Joss’ naive rationalization of each. Hell, Randolph’s line reading of “And then?” alone merits her an honorable mention.
HONORABLE MENTION: Drew Tarver
We said goodbye to Max’s showbiz satire The Other Two this week, which gave us one last chance to savor Drew Tarver‘s inspired work as horribly selfish actor Cary. Tarver was in fine comedic form as a deranged Cary blitzed his agent with needy messages, trying to force his dream of winning an Oscar into becoming a reality. Cary was stunned, though, when he learned his agent was busy caring for her ill mother, and Tarver showed a surprising tenderness as Cary burst into tears and then humbly tried to mend fences with his former friend Curtis. Cary ended up unplugging from his acting career and spending time with himself instead, and Tarver looked lighter and brighter in the final scenes, unburdened by Cary’s massive ambitions. All in all, Tarver put a beautiful bow on a stellar comedic turn, making us laugh while also finding unexpected depths in the shallowest of Hollywood wannabes.
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in Comments!
Best of TVLine
People's Choice Awards: This Is Us, Grey's Anatomy and More TV Winners
Billboard Music Awards: Post Malone, Kanye West and More 2020 Winners
The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More
Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
