Performer of the Week: Natasha Rothwell

Dave Nemetz
·3-min read
Performer of the Week: Natasha Rothwell
Performer of the Week: Natasha Rothwell

THE PERFORMER | Natasha Rothwell

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THE SHOW | How to Die Alone

THE EPISODE | “Stop Living” (Sept. 13, 2024)

THE PERFORMANCE | Rothwell has been charming us for years now in supporting roles on shows like Insecure and The White Lotus. But by creating her own new Hulu series, How to Die Alone, she has given herself a chance to shine in the spotlight for once. And shine she does, with Rothwell’s Mel instantly establishing herself as a hilariously flawed lead character who’s earnestly searching for some meaning in her life.

In the early scenes of the premiere, Rothwell’s enthusiasm was contagious as Mel strutted into work at the airport and happily offered advice to passengers while driving them to their gates. But Mel was just putting on a brave face: It’s her birthday, and she’s deeply disappointed with her life — and oh yeah, her ex just sent her an invite to his wedding. (Mel’s mournful “sad twerking” is destined to become a meme.) Rothwell was endearingly flustered as Mel stammered her way through congratulating the ex, and she was vulnerable, too, with Mel confessing to a friend how stuck and aimless she feels at age 35. A near-death experience, though, inspired Mel to reevaluate her life — tragically, she is her own emergency contact — and Rothwell mixed laughs with pathos during Mel’s soul-searching conversation with an elderly hospital patient.

Mel emerged with a fresh zest for life, and Rothwell’s eyes brightened as Mel tentatively embraced her new “carpe diem” outlook, determined to actually do the things she’d been putting off for years. How to Die Alone does get mired in silly slapstick at times, and the supporting characters don’t make as much of an impression as Mel does. But even through the shaky spots, Rothwell’s range and talent jump off the screen. She is a star — and now she’s giving us all a chance to see it.

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

HONORABLE MENTION: Mike O’Malley

HONORABLE MENTION: Mike O’Malley
HONORABLE MENTION: Mike O’Malley

It’s been dark times during Snowpiercer‘s final revolution, what with the deaths, kidnappings and all. Heading into the last two episodes, who better to lift spirits than Roche? As the former brakeman shared his silo escape story with the New Eden gang, series vet Mike O’Malley infused the yarn with such zeal, you felt like it was an old friend standing before you. Facing “five of the baddest commandoes you’ve ever seen… I [took a bat and] showed these clowns what three years of JV baseball can do!” he boasted. Roche then found his way outside, where he found “staring back at me, with its cold black eyes… Bigfoot!” All kidding aside, Roche ended with a pep talk that clearly put his beleaguered friends back on track: “The fact that I’m standing here right now is proof positive that [we] are ready for any fight, against man, beast… or train!” — Matt Webb Mitovich

HONORABLE MENTION: Jodie Turner-Smith

HONORABLE MENTION: Jodie Turner-Smith
HONORABLE MENTION: Jodie Turner-Smith

Jodie Turner-Smith has been absolutely mesmerizing as the Bahamian voodoo priestess known as the Dragon Queen on Apple TV+’s shaggy-dog detective tale Bad Monkey… but we definitely wouldn’t want to get on her bad side. This week, Turner-Smith just about chilled our blood as the Dragon Queen negotiated with Nick and Eve for the rights to a prime slice of beachfront property, shrugging off their weak attempt at conning her and commanding their attention with a powerful death stare. She efficiently cut them down to size with a few choice words, whipping around a folding fan for extra dramatic effect and telling them that while business isn’t personal, “disrespect is always personal.” Consider us spellbound. — D.N.

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

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