Performer of the Week: Brie Larson
THE PERFORMER | Brie Larson
THE SHOW | Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry
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THE EPISODE | “Introduction to Chemistry” (Nov. 22, 2023)
THE PERFORMANCE | The Lessons in Chemistry finale birthed a new version of Elizabeth Zott. After a season of grief and struggle, Larson carefully and authentically ushered Elizabeth into her new iteration — reminding us why she is an Academy Award-winning actress.
In Episode 8, Elizabeth made a stunning move in securing her own sponsorship for her final show at Supper at Six: Tampax. She announced the importance of the product and explained to male audience members just how menstruation works. In retrospect, the reveal could have felt obvious, but Larson’s execution of the monologue was full of delightful twists — beginning a sentence one way before dryly delivering its conclusion — making us feel like we’ve never even heard about this thing called menstruation before now.
Though the scene could very well have inspired a dramatic over-the-top display in lesser actors, Larson made sure her character wasn’t too proud of herself and never oversold it. She mastered the moment with a smug tilt of the head after thanking the “vile” Swift and Crisp brand for dropping the show; with a subtle, wry smile upon revealing a tampon would be their new sponsor; and with just a whisper of comedy by launching right into her closing line, “And with that, let’s discuss glazed ham.” She never stopped to bask in the mic-drop moment she just delivered.
We were thrilled to see Elizabeth again, three years later, and Larson’s energy continued to build. In her final scene, she successfully integrated the best parts of Elizabeth’s sterile, science-oriented side with her warmer, Supper at Six side. After a season of depicting the stifling nature of sexism, her character could finally breathe, and Larson executed the end of a believable evolution with a satisfying appreciation for life, love and, of course, abiogenesis.
Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Noah J. Ricketts
We must applaud Fellow Travelers’ Noah J. Ricketts, because even when his character Frankie is being emotionally vulnerable, Ricketts’ performance still bristles with strength and conviction. In this week’s episode, Frankie’s lover, Marcus, essentially told him that he can’t be with him for fear of being outed. When the reality of the situation hit Frankie, he remarked on the clear nail polish he had a busboy apply to his nails ahead of his meeting wit Marcus. “I should have let him paint them red. That’s what I really wanted,” Frankie tearfully remarked before walking off. In that short exchange, the underlying power beneath Ricketts’ devastated delivery had us convinced that Frankie would never tone himself down again for someone else.
HONORABLE MENTION: Mari Yamamoto
In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, a caretaker at one point sobs over the body of a slain, hulking rancor. (“Everybody loves somebody,” Roger Ebert noted in his review.) That unexpected bit of mourning came to mind in this week’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, when Keiko, Bill and Lee realized that the Army aimed to not just bait a titan (Godzilla) with uranium, but destroy it. When said titan appeared on the horizon and a beachfront countdown began, Mari Yamamoto‘s Keiko could not let the opportunity for greater scientific study be squandered, so she made a mad dash to stop the detonation signal — but a pragmatic Lee held her back. Yamamoto so effectively portrayed Keiko’s anguish, her professional sense of loss, that if you were not already fretting over Godzilla’s fate (psst, don’t worry, he’s OK!), Keiko’s wails certainly put tears in your eyes.
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
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