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THE PERFORMERS | Kaley Cuoco and Sharon Stone
THE SHOW | The Flight Attendant
THE EPISODE | “Brothers & Sisters” (May 12, 2022)
THE PERFORMANCE | Whereas last week’s episode was heartbreaking, given Cassie’s fall(s) off of the wagon, this week’s trip back home was devastating, as Cassie and her estranged mother endured a very unexpected, contentious reunion.
Ahead of said reunion, Cuoco had already delivered a raw, sorrowful reading of Cassie’s letter to her and Davey’s not-so-dearly departed dad — so we were already in her corner, hoping that any sort of “win” was coming. But when Lisa greeted her kids with a growled, “Jesus, Davey. You mighta given me a heads-up,” we knew another emotional ride was upon us.
Cassie did her best to set a genial tone, but all Lisa could talk about was how her daughter and her friends used to throw house parties and steal from her. “Now that we’re all caught up,” Lisa snarked, “what are we gonna talk about on our Christmas phone call?”
But much more catching-up was to be done, as mom and kids relocated to the kitchen and Cassie overheard Lisa bemoaning her presence. This is where Cuoco and Stone dove hard into the material at hand, poking at old, unhealed wounds and blurting out tough words.
“I am sorry for being a s—ty daughter, especially after dad died. I was a dysfunctional, alcoholic teenager,” Cassie admitted. When that sparked zero reaction, she added that “taking responsibility for my life and my actions is a big part of my journey now,” and apologized again for not being “kinder” as a kid.
And mom just…. did not… care.
“Is that it? Because if that is it, I don’t think we are addressing the issue here,” Lisa said, as Stone crossed over to stand beside T.R. Knight’s Davey, giving the sense of an intervention. “Nobody’s mad at you for what you did when you were little” in the wake of the father’s drunk-driving demise. “It’s what you do as an adult that matters,” Lisa asserted, before rattling off instances of Cassie’s crappy, grown-up antics. “You think an apology is just going to wax it all away!”
Throughout this dialogue, Stone made clear that Lisa was armed for bear and had years of stuff to get off her chest. Cuoco in turn depicted Cassie as confused and wounded, someone who truly thought an “I’m sorry” would sanitize a sordid past.
Things got especially hairy as Lisa confirmed that her daughter was still no stranger to drink. Cassie contended that “it’s hard to turn it off,” and then tried to turn the tables and ask why it is that Davey, who actually moved away from home, got a free pass? “You’re supposed to grow and learn and move on,” Lisa shot back.
Cassie acknowledged that “Dad made me feel special and not f–ked up” and that her time spent with him “disappointed” Mom. “Thats horrible, and I’m sorry,” she again offered. When Cassie then asked what she has to do to prove she is getting better…. well, that set up Stone and Cuoco’s biggest gut-punch of a moment. Lisa cupped her sobbing daughter’s face to say, “Cassie, honey, I love you. I do. But I don’t like you. At all.” And with a sweet pat on Cassie’s cheek that segued into a harsh (and unscripted) slap, Lisa excused herself to “go to work,” leaving behind an apoplectic Cassie and capping a difficult-to-watch, yet gripping, nine-minute sequence.
HONORABLE MENTION | Jessica Biel‘s powerful and layered performance as the titular character in Hulu’s Candy was convincing in spite of her Mrs. Roper wig and oversized glasses, not because of them. It was through these glasses that we saw The Sinner alum’s smiley mien morph with her homicidal character’s moods to reveal lust, guilt, deception and eventually, blood-soaked volcanic rage. The latter came to fore in the finale when Biel’s Candy used violence and primal groans to unleash a world of fury that didn’t match Betty’s supposed slight. Why was Candy so angry? Was she splenetic because of restrictive societal mores, her husband’s sexism and neglect, or had Betty really tried to kill her? Sadly, when it comes to the real case, we will never know. Thanks to the portrayer’s turn as an attention starved, suburban alpha mom, who wielded an axe to brutally murder her friend and free herself, Biel’s iteration of Candy is the most frightening fictional one to date.
HONORABLE MENTION | In Episode 2 of Hacks‘ sophomore season, Ava Daniels walked on eggshells, tormented by the guilt she felt about her duplicitous deed. Hannah Einbinder exhibited a tornado of sentiments, vacillating between being an over-compensating “Yes Woman” and continuing her spiral of shame. When she finally came clean, the actress made us feel her character’s remorse with mournful eyes and body language — especially as her boss forced her to read the email out loud, word for excruciating word. In the final moments, Einbinder continued driving us through the emotional whiplash, as Deborah seemingly let her off the hook. But that sweet relief was merely a temporary balm: She then learned Deborah was suing her for breach of contract. While Ava certainly deserves whatever’s coming to her, it was Einbinder’s finesse that made it all so effective.
HONORABLE MENTION | We need only three words to describe our reaction to Grey Damon‘s visceral performance in Thursday’s Station 19: We. Were. Gutted. The tour de force deserves more than three, however. Way more. After the episode started with him channeling Jack’s nervous excitement at the prospect of meeting the brother he’d never known he had, the actor conveyed in small gestures and tics his character’s disbelief and unspeakable hurt at learning that he had even more siblings, all of whom had been kept and raised by Mom and Dad. Later, Damon all but opened a vein as Jack unleashed his anguish at having been “passed from predator to predator” in foster care, all because his parents… “They didn’t want me,” he sobbed. Stunning work — raw, real and admirably vulnerable.
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in Comments!
Jack on Station 19 broke my heart. He literally was crumbling a bit more and more as each word from his brother was spoken.
That sequence in The Flight Attendant between Cassie and her mom was a master class in acting from both parties. Obviously Kaley already has another nomination in the bag (at least I hope so!), but with that scene, Sharon Stone secured her Best Guest Actress nod.
I saw in an interview with Kaley Cuoco that the slap wasn’t in the script. I hope they used that take and that her reaction was somewhat real and somewhat in character. That was a great scene.
Kaley was on Jimmy Kimmel & confirmed it was indeed unscripted. They did two more takes & she got slapped two more times. She somehow convinced herself it wouldn’t happen the last two times & she was very, very wrong. 😂
Indeed! –Mgmt.
https://tvline.com/2022/04/14/kaley-cuoco-slapped-by-sharon-stone-video-the-flight-attendant-season-2/
Here’s the issue. Flight Attendant competes in the comedy category at award shows. So as amazing as the scene was, it won’t help either one secure a nomination.
It is definitely not a comedy! Have no idea why it competes in that category.
It is super comedic. This one has much more drama, but it is usually super funny
Station 19…Jack! I was sobbing! I felt so bad with every second that went by as he listened to his brother. His agony was so apparent, and I couldn’t imagine why his parents would do that to him. I hated them simply because of the reality of this in our world. I’d give Grey Damon an Emmy for sure.
The flight attendant has been really good this season! It’s become one of my favorite shows right now.
I felt really bad for jack in station 19. However his acting wasn’t perfect but it was good enough for the scene.
I need both Jessica Biel and Kaley Cuoco to win Emmys this year. Outstanding work.
Had a feeling Kaley and Sharon would’ve taken the crown this week. Easily the best episode of the season. Both performances were so captivating and raw… They made the tension so believable and I sincerely hope the Academy recognizes their work.
That scene was so intense. It was so well written and acted.
Good choices all. Next week, may I nominate Titus Welliver for that heart rending episode six scene in the car after he realizes Maddie is safe and wasn’t the young cop shot in the line of duty? The way he barely hung on to his customary laidback control then began to sob THEN choked it all back down? Ugh. He’s so good at his job.
I agree wholeheartedly. I was on the edge of my seat the entire episode – really grateful for the unexpected cameo at the end for some positive energy ending!
Ot was a really good job and hard to watch as it all came full circle for him
Episodes five and six has cemented Kaley Cuoco into a class A actress. These performances were the best of her career and if she does not win any awards this season it will be a disgraceful mistake
I am calling it next week’s POTW is going to be This is Us related
Where is Mandy Moore and where is her Emmy?!?!?
1) Mandy Moore portraying a mother in the later stages of dementia (as well as a young married woman) on This is Us
2) Matt Czuchry as a doctor trying desperately to save a colleague who was a whisteblower shot by the mob; his wife died from a car accident earlier this season, on The Resident
Both have already been recognized this TV season. –Mgmt.
Do those also preclude them from being honorable mentions, or just the main, titular performer of the week?
Thank you for recognizing Grey Damon’s amazing performance. Personally I feel he was the performer of the week not an honorable mention
To stand out from the crowd it needs an actress of Kaley Cuoco’s talent in these times when there are so many epic espionage films and TV shows screening. There’s The Ipcress File with newcomer Joe Cole, Mick Herron’s Slow Horses from the Slough House stables, The Courier about Greville Wynne played by Benedict Cumberbatch who looks astonishingly just like Wynne did in real life, Colin Firth in Operation Mincemeat, Olen Steinhauer’s All the Old Knives and let’s not forget Kaley Cuoco in the Flight Attendant.
Indeed, ignoring the fact based Courier, there’s almost too much fictional espionage on the menu to cope with so why not try reading instead. If you liked Deighton, Herron or Wynne, we suggest a noir fact based espionage masterpiece could do the trick. Three compelling thrillers spring to mind. They are all down to earth, often curious real life Cold War novels you’ll never put down.
Try Bill Browder’s Red Notice, Bill Fairclough’s Beyond Enkription in The Burlington Files series and Ben Macintyre’s The Spy and the Traitor about KGB Colonel Oleg Gordievsky.
Talking of Col Oleg, he knew MI6’s Col Mac (aka Col Alan Pemberton in real life) who was Edward Burlington’s handler in The Burlington Files. Bill Fairclough (aka Edward Burlington) came across John le Carré (aka David Cornwell) long after the latter’s MI6 career ended thanks to Kim Philby. The novelist Graham Greene used to work in MI6 reporting to Philby and Bill Fairclough actually stayed in Hôtel Oloffson during a covert op in Haiti which was at the heart of Graham Greene’s spy novel The Comedians.
Although the now cancelled Dynasty tended to go for the camp, light-hearted and comedically ridiculous, I have to give props to Rafael de la Fuente in this week’s episode. Sam(my Joe) for the most part has been a shallow, sometimes selfish and flighty character, but the scenes with his father Daniel were heartbreaking. Rafeal brought some real gravitas and emotion to Sam while sharing is father’s last moments.
I agree Grey Damon was amazing! I was crying, I felt so bad for him as his “brother” kept going on and on!!! So many times Jack comes across as a whinny baby – to me. But this performance was gut wrenching like you said. He showed what he’s made of!!! Great job!!!