Performer of the Week: Jay Hayden
THE PERFORMER | Jay Hayden
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THE SHOW | Station 19
THE EPISODE | “True Colors” (March 28, 2024)
THE PERFORMANCE | Throughout Station 19’s run, Hayden has established himself as an actor who is every bit as reliable as Travis Montgomery is a firefighter. Whether ABC’s egregiously cancelled first-responders drama has thrown at him light comedy or heavy drama, do-or-die action or hot-and-heavy romance, the MVP has responded with performances that have been, as the kids might say, fire.
In Thursday’s fraught “True Colors,” Hayden brought his widowed character to a major crossroads, along the way showcasing a sampler platter of his skills. Early on, he reminded us that Travis is an unusually young curmudgeon when he groused that Seattle’s “Fabruary” parade was one Pride celebration too many. “We’re here, we’re queer, we don’t need to look like a box of Lucky Charms year-round to prove that,” he scoffed.
At the event, as Travis introduced boyfriend Eli to his father and his boyfriend, Hayden displayed an enviable mastery of passive-aggressiveness, seizing the first opportunity to throw in a subtle dig about how Dad had cheated on Mom. And his response to the revelation that the couple was practicing “ethical monogamy” was nothing short of [Chef’s kiss]. “If you have to put ‘ethical’ in front of it… ” he cracked — and look at that expression (below).
As Hayden wound Travis ever more tightly, the two-timer impulsively blurted out to Eli that he’d slept with his ex. Twice. At that point, Hayden teed up a stunning reminder of how big a role reacting plays in acting. All around Travis, Eli detonated one truth bomb after another, in so doing allowing Hayden to demonstrate their impact using nothing but his stricken expression.
Finally, when Travis’ dad shared his regret at “pushing my hang-ups on you,” Hayden brought to the surface all of the pain and resentment and shame that his alter ego had carried for most of his life. Tears welled in his eyes. He shook his head and looked away, as if the honesty was too great to bear. Then at last, he exhaled in a moment of relief that was so profound, words failed him.
Not us, though. We have two words for Hayden’s feat: Well done.
Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Aisling Bea
Even if you’re rooting for the titular twosome of Masterpiece on PBS’ Alice & Jack, you had to feel for Jack’s wife Lynn this week, in large part due to how Aisling Bea poured so much into her performance. Starting with the flashbacks to the onset of their “backwards” union, Bea (previously of the UK comedy This Way Up) perfectly conveyed Lynn’s hesitation — about abortion, and to wed Jack just because they’re pregnant — yet she also sold us on Lynn buying Jack’s argument, to not let “perfect be the enemy of good.” Ohhhh but later, the instant Lynn laid eyes on Jack with Alice at the funeral, Bea made a meal of the meatier material, first as Lynn grilled her husband about how many of their days together he has thought about his ex (answer: all!), followed by a veritable eruption when she smelled Alice’s perfume on baby Celia. Ouch. —Matt Webb Mitovich
HONORABLE MENTION: Carla Gugino
For The Girls on the Bus‘ Grace, the balance between work and motherhood is heavily tipped toward the former (“Any a—hole can procreate,” per the Pulitzer-winning journalist). During this week’s episode, Grace’s daughter confronted her mother about her inadequacies, but Grace didn’t back down. Her portrayer Carla Gugino took what was already a challenging scene and added another layer of complexity and richness to it, particularly when Grace sharply declared (even whilst tearing up), “The work is the first line of my obituary. You, my dear, are the last. And whether or not you understand it right now, that is a gift. Your life belongs to you.” Not many performers can walk the tightrope of delivering such tricky emotions and dialogue, but Gugino had us empathizing with Grace’s point of view. —Vlada Gelman
HONORABLE MENTION: Pollyanna McIntosh
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’s Jadis might not have been granted her wish to die an artist, but her estimable portrayer certainly left the franchise as one. Ahead of the villain’s demise in Sunday’s penultimate episode, McIntosh brought her character full circle, offering glimpses of the gentler Anne that she could’ve been (in secret rendezvouses with Gabriel) even as she also shined an unforgiving spotlight on the fierce CRM loyalist that she’d become (in her pursuit of Rick and Michonne). The real marvel of McIntosh’s performance, though, was the way that she played Jadis’ convictions as willful rather than heartfelt. She was committed to the cause, her portrayer made clear with her tone, her expressions, her body language, but only because she lacked the bravery to be true to herself. —Charlie Mason
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
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