Yahoo Lifestyle Performer of the Week: Domhnall Gleeson
THE PERFORMER | Domhnall Gleeson
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THE SHOW | Alice & Jack
THE EPISODE | “Episode 3” (March 31, 2024)
THE PERFORMANCE | “You’ve been many things,” Jack told Alice after learning — by way of an invitation, sent to him of all people! — that she was getting married. “But you’ve never been ugly.”
Starting with that prickly, early scene in the six-episode drama’s third hour, Gleeson really got to dig into some knottier feelings for Jack, who time and again (and again) has given Alice the benefit of a doubt. And as terrific as it was to hear Jack call out his on-and-off-again lover, Gleeson imbued every thought with well-earned, heartbreaking pathos.
“Is this the way you want to leave it?” asked Alice, as Jack walked away from the above confrontation. With the perfect amount of deep-seated resignation in Gleeson’s voice, Jack shrugged, “This is everything I have.”
Gleeson had comparatively lighter moments to play this week, mind you, such as when Jack asked Alice not to get “too expansive” when noting her fiancé’s good qualities, or when he insisted, “I’ll never hate you; I’ll just try to pretend you’re dead.”
His work during the extemporaneous “man of honor” speech, meanwhile, hit a sweet spot of earnest and wistful.
To those whose lives Alice was about to enter (well, in theory), “Be ready for nothing to make sense, and yet for everything to make sense,” Jack said. “It’s not normal. It is wildly better than normal. It’s wonderful.”
After leaving her groom at the altar (and ghosting Jack yet again) — and following another major time jump — Alice aimed to make amends for her pattern of callous behavior by tipping Jack to a life-changing investment opportunity. But he thankfully saw the olive branch for what it was (while, yes, forking over his life savings).
“I did everything at that wedding you asked of me, and more — and you repaid me with silence,” Jack asserted, with Gleeson putting just the right amount of mustard on the line reading. “I’m out of fresh starts.”
Hopefully, he is. But with another three episodes and several years to go in this love story, we’re skeptical.
Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Sonja Sohn
When TVLine interviewed Sohn, she spoke of what it’s like to play the boss on a network procedural — to have only “so much real estate” in each episode, and how much of that character’s life must be lived off screen. But in this week’s Will Trent, which brought Capt. Duke Wagner’s daughter to the forefront and revealed that she was nearly raped at a traffic stop 30 years ago, Sohn did an exceptional job showcasing her character’s enduring pain and suffering. She sold us on the magnitude of Amanda’s moral quandary as she rationalized to Will why it was easier to implicate her attacker in a crime he did not commit than it was for her to come forward and speak her truth. She also sold us on Amanda’s fear of ever feeling as powerless as she felt the night she was attacked — a fear that crept back up when S.W.A.T. had her pinned to the ground. In that moment, Sohn didn’t have to say a word. The panic she communicated in Amanda’s eyes spoke volumes. — Ryan Schwartz
HONORABLE MENTION: Jaina Lee Ortiz
Dunno about the rest of Station 19’s audience, but after seeing Jaina Lee Ortiz viscerally embody newly minted Captain Herrera’s stress in Thursday’s harrowing episode, we needed a session with Diane! The OG leading lady did a beautiful, brutal job of putting us in Andy’s boots as she dealt with everything from a reprimand from Chief Ross to the threat of imminent budget cuts to the aftermath of a horrific streetcar derailment. Even if you’d tuned in with the sound turned down, Ortiz’s expressions eloquently conveyed her character’s feelings — of anger, of helplessness, of desperation. When finally the pressure cooker exploded and Andy railed at her team for losing, of all things, the jaws of life, Ortiz let loose a rage that was fueled as much by fear as frustration. It was heartbreakingly hard to watch, but far too urgent and compelling to look away from. — Charlie Mason
HONORABLE MENTION: Alan Tudyk
Not even an impending doomsday scenario could shake Resident Alien‘s unflappable Harry Vanderspeigle, nor his portrayer, the consistently excellent Alan Tudyk. As Harry sought to reclaim his bomb in an attempt to blow up the Greys’ spaceship and thwart their hellacious plan, the extraterrestrial kept spirits light, cracking jokes about D’arcy’s love of vodka and the loopholes of alien health care. The Season 3 finale offered Tudyk plenty of moments to shine, and he knocked it out of the park throughout, amplifying the character’s quirky diction and physicality, along with his sheer idiocy in the face of danger. While the show does boast a charming ensemble, Tudyk once again proved to be the sturdy foundation that keeps the town of Patience afloat. — Nick Caruso
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
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