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THE PERFORMER | Paul Bettany
THE SHOW | Disney + WandaVision
THE EPISODE | “Episode 2” (January 15, 2021)
THE PERFORMANCE | Across the first two episodes of the Disney + Marvel series, there isn’t a single actor who does not have impressed us with their commitment to the style of the retro sitcom. Elizabeth Olsen is great because this alternate universe Wanda, Kathryn Hahn, and Teyonah Parris, among others, make great additions to the Marvel Realm.
But with her fearless physical comedy and top-notch “drunk” performance, it was Bettany that caught our attention the most in WandaVisionsecond episode. The configuration was simple: in the Nice to meet you-when coming out of a sitcom, Vision accidentally swallowed a piece of Big Red gum, causing his internal synthezoid gears to be completely wobbly. The result, perhaps in the funniest scene of WandaVisionThe two-episode first episode was Vision acting like he’s just had a fifth of alcohol, while he and Wanda tried to perform an act of magic on the neighborhood talent show.
The iteration of Vision’s Bettany sitcom is already so different from the Marvel movie character we’ve come to know, goofy and animated as he is in this weird world of television. But Gum-intoxicated Vision was an even bigger start, and Bettany leaned into it at every opportunity. It’s hard to decide which aspect of the performance tickled us the most: a silly vision stumbling across the stage (“I’m so sorry, excuse me, ”he said to a banister after crashing into it); his hysterical frustration at not being able to find the playing card his friend had chosen in the game; or the way Vision unintelligible insulted, “The Cabinet of Mysteries!” while presenting his last act and that of Wanda.
Considering the baffling nature of Wanda and Vision’s sitcom life, there’s no doubt that more dramatic material is coming for Bettany and Olsen. But in the meantime, Bettany’s enthusiastic comedic performance was an absolute delight, bringing an old-fashioned, nostalgic charm that we never quite expected from a Marvel series.
HONORABLE MENTION | We’ll never hear “Take me to the ball game” the same way after this week again. Zoey’s Extraordinary Reading List, which used the air as the soundtrack for the first time together of Max and Zoey. Skylar Astin’s bewildered hilarious performance escalated the absurdity of the moment as Max realized he had unwittingly switched from classic baseball song to Boyz II Men’s mellow sounds “I’ll Make Love to You.” Astin flew effortlessly between the two madly different musical numbers, while expressing the frustration of his character at his difficult situation with a comedic outbreak that put us in difficulty. Then Astin brought a soft, vulnerable quality to Max’s worries about Zoey’s powers, which led to the couple playing a swoon-worthy duet of “A Moment Like This”. It’s three song numbers, countless laughs and a moving confession, all impressively delivered by Astin during a seven-minute set. Extraordinary, indeed.
HONORABLE MENTION | No one – repeat, no one – likes to see “Party Marty” feel defeated. But we make enjoy the performance a shy Deeks pulls NCIS: Los Angeles“Eric Christian Olsen. After a tough day at FLETC, where the “gramps” felt his age every moment among the young interns, a squeaky Deeks jumped on the phone with Kensi. “I’m not gonna lie, baby – I’m actually fighting,” he reported, as Olsen exploited the quiet side of his rarely seen alter ego. Summarizing the multi-pronged reality test that has been put to him this season, he said grimly, “It’s like that bus coming out of nowhere and hitting you and taking your energy, your youth, your job, your bar and … manhood. “Kensi barely knew what to say, hearing hubs like that, but her reminder that” there is no crying in FLETC “restored Deeks’ sunny smile, if not only for a moment.
HONORABLE MENTION | Law and Order: SVUThe “#BroadwayOnSVU” mission, with New York stage actors unemployed by the pandemic, this week saw two Tony nominees – Eva Noblezada (Hadestown) and Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice) – exploring the plight of a cam girl whose “lovely” role-playing game has taken a dark turn. Zoe de Noblezada was playing the role of “Kendra Dream” when Gabe from Brightman, a longtime fan, invaded her apartment and raped her. Caught by Benson & Co., Gabe insisted that he and Zoe had had a genuine “relationship” – and worse, he was able to act as his own lawyer – paving the way for some nerve-racking clashes where Noblezada has us. makes Zoe’s repeated sense of violation feel, as Brightman swings between a cunning paralegal and a disillusioned moron. When Zoe, during the cross, refused to reread a declaration of “love” that Kendra had made, Noblezada made us applaud her courage, while the Brightman explosion that followed still makes us tremble.
What performance (s) did your socks drop this week? Tell us in the comments!
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