Performers of the Week: Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke
THE PERFORMERS | Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke
THE SHOW | House of the Dragon
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THE EPISODE | “The Queen Who Ever Was” (Aug. 4, 2024)
THE PERFORMANCES | House of the Dragon Season 2 found many of its characters in geographic and/or emotional isolation — thank The Seven, then, that we got two Rhaenyra/Alicent scenes during the show’s sophomore run. The queens’ late-night exchange in the season finale, in particular, was a gorgeously wrought piece of television buoyed by stellar performances from Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy.
Look, no one is getting out of the Dance of Dragons easy, a point the actresses handily brought home during their riveting back-and-forth at Dragonstone. Over the course of the nearly nine-minute scene, they reminded us that Alicent and Rhaenyra were, at the heart of everything, best friends whose hurt feelings now underpinned a national war.
Cooke’s tentative hopefulness as Alicent lays out her plan. D’Arcy’s stiff refusal, tinged with mocking. The way both actors shed layers of formality, emotional scar tissue and self-preserving distance to tap into what their characters actually thought of the other. And don’t get us started on how what’s playing out on D’Arcy’s and Cooke’s faces throughout the scene is a master class unto itself. (Seriously: When you have time, go back and watch them watching each other. Perfection.)
Alicent/Rhaeynra is House of the Dragon’s truly tragic, heartbreaking love story. What a treat to watch the latest chapter play out via D’Arcy and Cooke’s excellent interpretation.
Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Judy Ongg
Judy Ongg has been a delight as cheerfully disapproving mother-in-law Noriko on Apple TV+’s sci-fi comedy Sunny, needling Rashida Jones’ Suzie with vicious insults while wearing a placid smile. Her grief over her missing son caught up with her this week, though, and Ongg was mesmerizing as Noriko acted out in outrageous fashion by shoplifting in plain sight at a local market. Ongg leveled an intense stare at the shopkeeper as Noriko brazenly stole a sweet treat, gobbling it down and practically daring him to call the cops. Later, she seemed utterly unfazed to be behind bars, only asking Suzie to bring her a board game to play with her cellmates. “I’d keep an eye on me if I were you,” Noriko warned the shopkeeper. In Ongg’s case? We’re more than happy to. — Dave Nemetz
HONORABLE MENTION: Andrea Martin
For seasons, we have delighted in the ferocity that Andrea Martin brings to Evil’s Sister Andrea. There are very few cracks in the diminutive nun’s holy armor, but when they do show up — as they did in a big way in this week’s episode — Martin plays them with a poignancy that makes the character as relatable as she is admirable. Because Martin so often provides the show’s comedic relief, her portrayal of her character’s deep grief and regret in the confessional scene stood out even more starkly: Martin sobbed over the idea that the nun could’ve played even a small part in someone’s eternal damnation, her questioning tone so at odds with the character’s normally unshakable faith. How we’ll miss Martin — and her demon-vanquishing alter ego — when the show wraps for good later this month. — K.R.
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
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