Yahoo Lifestyle TVLine’s Performers of the Week: Kathy Bates and Skye P. Marshall
THE PERFORMERS | Kathy Bates and Skye P. Marshall
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THE SHOW | CBS’ Matlock
THE EPISODE | “I Was That, Too” (Apr. 10, 2025)
THE PERFORMANCES | Here’s the thing about that memorable scene from a very early Matlock episode, where Matty and Olympia celebrated a $9 million verdict with a private dance party: joyful as it was, it also got you dreading the day that the truth about Madeline Kingston would come out, and the ladies’ friendship would implode.
Well, that exposé, that reckoning, arrived this Thursday, and with it both Kathy Bates and Skye P. Marshall dug in and made the fallout every bit as moving and powerful as we figured it would be.
Having uncovered Matty’s elaborate deception, Olympia was rightly irate (and also quite hurt, though she buried that emotion to start). Marshall in turn imbued her character with a level of red-hot intensity we’d never seen before. Olympia was curt and detached, treating “Matty” every bit like the con woman she appeared to be. She refused to hear one more word about her associate’s allegedly dead daughter, and patted her down like a street tough pinned against a squad car.
Bates, as the suddenly compromised Madeline, had a fine line of her own to walk. Yes, Matty was devastated at the thought of exploding her unexpected friendship with Olympia, but she also was first and foremost a woman on a mission. So as much as Olympia might call Matty out for this lie or the other, Bates was sure to surface her character’s own righteous indignation, about Jacobson Moore’s crimes, as well as register her broken heart. (It was also wild to hear her use her Madeline voice with Olympia!)
Amid the more heightened exchanges between the two, there were quieter moments where both Bates and Marshall brilliantly played with micro-expressions — namely, as Olympia overheard Edwin, on speakerphone, speak unprompted of his wife’s affection for her boss. Marshall allowed us to see those words crack Olympia’s steely facade if only for an instant, while Bates, as Matty affirmed Edwin’s sentiment, bathed her words with the perfect amount of added feeling.
With an urgent case interrupting this “interrogation,” Olympia saw a need to tag Matty back in to the team, and as Matty did her part to facilitate another big win, inroads were ostensibly made in mending the women’s busted bond. The jury is out on where exactly they go from here — how they go from here — but the wonderful, season-long performances by Bates and Marshall have us deeply invested in the outcome.
Scroll down to see who got Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Brian Tyree Henry
Brian Tyree Henry has been sensational all season long as hustler Ray on Apple TV+’s Dope Thief, and he hit new heights this week as a delirious Ray fought to keep his wits about him. Reeling from a fresh gunshot wound, Ray moaned and lurched about like a wild animal, with Henry practically frothing at the mouth. Then when Son Pham’s mom gave him a shot of morphine, Ray got giggly, and Henry flashed the comedic touch that served him so well on Atlanta as Ray scoffed at an old mix CD that led off with Ashlee Simpson’s “Pieces of Me.” (A timeless classic!) On the ride to the hospital, though, Ray got serious, unloading decades’ worth of resentment on his ex-con dad. Exhausting and exhilarating, it was like a triathlon of acting — and Henry ran right up and snatched that gold medal. — Dave Nemetz
HONORABLE MENTION: Julia Schlaepfer
If we can’t have a 1923 spinoff centered on Spencer and Alex, at least we got the gift of Julia Schlaepfer’s beautiful performance in the Yellowstone prequel’s final episode. We were wowed by her work when Alex and Spencer had their long-awaited reunion in the snow; Schlaepfer heaved huge, relieved sobs as Alex fell into her husband’s arms, communicating the character’s intense surrender after a season full of tragedy, turmoil and terror. But even that was surpassed when we got to witness the grace and elegance with which she handled Alex’s decision to forego surgery in order focus on her newborn baby. As Alex’s body started to fail, Schlaepfer crystallized everything we love about the character — her wit, her grit, her profound and unwavering devotion — as she denied the doctors’ requests, speaking quietly but resolutely as she held her tiny son to her chest. We were absolutely not on board with Alex’s choices, selfless though they were, but we loved every choice Schlaepfer made in her stirring final performance. — Kimberly Roots
HONORABLE MENTION: Aimee Lou Wood
We couldn’t check out of The White Lotus without singing the praises of Aimee Lou Wood, who managed to stand out among a very talented ensemble with her sparkling work as Rick’s love-struck girlfriend Chelsea. The eternally sunny Chelsea always saw Rick through rose-colored glasses, and Wood was practically glowing in this week’s finale as Chelsea reunited with her beloved man — and she nearly levitated with happiness when Rick told Chelsea he planned to spend the rest of their lives together. Alas, the rest of their lives wasn’t very long, and Wood let us see Chelsea’s desperation as she begged Rick not to seek revenge against Jim… and then let us see Chelsea’s heartbreak as she took a fatal bullet in the crossfire. Chelsea may have had a tragic ending, but we’re comforted by the thought that Wood’s time on our TV screens is just beginning. — D.N.
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
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