TVLine's Performer of the Week: Elisabeth Moss

Yahoo

2 days ago

THE PERFORMER | Elisabeth Moss
THE SHOW | The Handmaid's Tale
More from TVLine
Your Friends & Neighbors Finale Reveals Who Killed Paul - Will You Come Back for Season 2?
The Morning Show Sets Season 4 Premiere Date, Confirms Jon Hamm's Return - See First Photos
The Handmaid's Tale Boss Reveals the Character He Almost Killed Off in the Series Finale (But Didn't)
THE EPISODE | 'The Handmaid's Tale' (May 27, 2025)
THE PERFORMANCE | We'll admit: We're not entirely sure how June survived to see the end of The Handmaid's Tale. But praise be that she did, because Elisabeth Moss was utterly magnificent in the series' final episode.
Moss has repeatedly demonstrated how June's inner strength carried her through situations that should have destroyed her. That internal fortitude became second nature to the character, and Moss' direct gaze into the camera — so often employed when all hope seemed lost — became a powerful signal that June would not be broken. But with Gilead's defeat (in Boston, at least), June suddenly found herself on uneven footing. What does the de facto leader of a rebellion do when she's suddenly faced with choices for her future? Or, more startlingly, a future at all?
The emotional armor with which Moss fortified her character was considerable — and even more striking when it fell away, as it did in the scenes with June's baby daughter, Nichole, and her mom, Holly. First, June confessed to her child that she couldn't stay to raise her while Gilead's horrors raged elsewhere, especially with Nichole's sister, Hannah, still in the theocracy's grasp. Moss' whispered monologue gave way to tears as the reality of the situation consumed June, all of her feelings of failure and shame pouring out when she and Holly discussed the future. It was the most vulnerable we'd seen June in a long time, and Moss was absolutely stunning.
We'd be remiss not to highlight the serenity Moss imbued in June as the hour came to a close and her story began anew. Here was a character who'd endured unimaginable suffering but emerged stronger, played by an actress at the top of her craft. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum, indeed.
Scroll down to see who got Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
Paddy Considine's Kevin is one of the few Harrigans who operates on an even keel, which made the character's breakdown in Sunday's MobLand all the more shocking. Another reason? Considine's striking performance as Conrad's son finally confronted the trauma he'd carried for years. The emotional maelstrom began with Kevin calmly marveling at the fact that the man who had repeatedly raped him in juvenile detention didn't even remember his name or face. But the disbelief on Considine's face quickly gave way to pain, his voice wavering as he told the former guard that he had ruined his life. Almost as soon as he pulled his gun, Kevin fell apart — Considine slumping in his chair, folding in on himself as he sobbed. Then, when his rapist had the audacity to mention his children, Considine snapped Kevin back into his sense of duty, pulling an emotional about-face so swiftly we're still reeling. It turns out Kevin is a looser cannon than we'd imagined, and we're eager to see what Considine does with him in this week's season finale. — K.R.
Your Friends & Neighbors threw a bunch of plot twists at us in its freshman season, but one constant was the surprisingly tender relationship between exes Coop and Mel, brought to life by co-stars Jon Hamm and Amanda Peet. Hamm found some of Coop's warmest moments playing against Mel, and Peet refused to turn Mel into a stereotypically vengeful ex-wife. In this week's finale, both actors were hitting on all cylinders as Mel confronted Coop about his upcoming murder trial. Peet let us see how truly worried Mel was about Coop's future, and Hamm unleashed a season's worth of frustrations in a shouting tirade. In the end, Coop was exonerated, and Hamm and Peet showed us a bit of the old spark between Coop and Mel as they slow-danced at a swanky gala. The fancy cars and daring robberies might grab the headlines, but Hamm and Peet's stellar work made sure that Coop and Mel's relationship was the secret heart of it all. — Dave Nemetz
Most sincerely, it boils down to this: If I hadn't known that Archie Panjabi would be appearing on Doctor Who this season, I'm not entirely sure I would have recognized her as the Rani — especially when she fully embodied the character in this week's 'Wish World.' As a new form of the iconic Whoniverse villain, Panjabi adopted a swagger that would humble even Kalinda Sharma, and put an amount of Colman's mustard on her line readings that could have dressed a hundred frankfurters. The Rani is a ruthless, renegade Time Lord, and Panjabi fittingly went all in with her performance, with animated movements that in ways evoked the Wicked Witch of the West. It's Friday night as I write this, so I'm curious to see what the finale holds for Panjabi's high-camp villainess. But it's sure to be one hell of a time. — Matt Webb Mitovich
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!
Best of TVLine
Young Sheldon Easter Eggs: Every Nod to The Big Bang Theory (and Every Future Reveal) Across 7 Seasons
Weirdest TV Crossovers: Always Sunny Meets Abbott, Family Guy vs. Simpsons, Nine-Nine Recruits New Girl and More
ER Turns 30: See the Original County General Crew, Then and Now