Performer of the Week: AJ Buckley, Seal Team
Raise your hand if you thought Sonny was going to die this week…. As we thought – pretty much everyone. A big part of that sense of dread was AJ Buckley’s excellent performance, especially in the episode’s finale.
Bravo Team escapes a mission in North Korea by boarding a Navy submarine via a torpedo tube. When a power surge jams the lock, trapping Sonny inside the tube, practical and tactical issues prevent the hatch from being cut open. Buckley keeps things light at first, as Sonny laughs at his bad jokes, and even likens his situation to the trash compactor in Star Wars, reporting that the tube is now full of water. But soon, the dire situation catches up to the gruff agent.
“I’d love to see a shark right now. That means I’m outta here,” he quipped, before losing his cool. “I need you to get me out of here, because I can’t breathe!” he roared. “Get me out of here!” Get me out of here!!”
As the water level neared the top of the torpedo tube, and we and Sonny accepted that “his time was up,” Buckley—in a highly unpleasant work environment, Hollywood gimmick or not—won this week’s Performer of the Week award by giving each member of the crew an emotional farewell, between gasps and gulps of water.
“Jason, I would have died years ago if it weren’t for you. Working with you was the greatest honor of my life,” he told Bravo 1. Of Ray, he said, “You and Naima have always treated me like family…. That means a lot to me.” And of course there’s a final tease for Clay, “Blonde Jesus,” followed by a message to Lisa, who we know is very special to him.
Before he sinks into the water, Sonny declares, “That’s it, boys. I love you. Time to shine. Hoo-ya!” Water poured down the submarine when he was released seconds later, and thankfully revived, much to our tears. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Nathaniel found himself starring in his own short romantic comedy this week, and Scott Michael Foster was both hilarious and heartbreaking as the macho lawyer let himself get caught up in the romantic comedy madness around him. Foster showed a newfound vulnerability in Nathaniel when he suddenly woke up as a bespectacled nerd, only to (of course) transform himself into a cool guy in an effort to win Rebecca back. (He even sang a karaoke duet… about romantic comedy karaoke duets.) But back in the real world, Rebecca was still with Greg, and Foster made our hearts flutter as Nathaniel gently put his feelings aside so she could be happy. Nathaniel may not have been Rebecca’s happily ever after, but Foster’s unexpectedly touching performance this week made us root for him.
On Sunday’s Outlander, Richard Rankin slowly, emotionally brought Roger MacKenzie to a devastating realization: that one should always look out for oneself above all else. Then he gave a hard-to-put-down performance as the self-sacrificing Roger struggling mightily to live up to what he had learned. We especially loved Rankin’s portrayal of the moments after Roger escapes from the shack, when the character’s anguish is etched on the actor’s placid face: Will he run for freedom, or will he end Father Alexander’s suffering? Rankin rages. He cries. He argues. He screams. And when Roger finally surrenders to his better nature, against his better judgment, it’s one of Rankin’s finest moments on the series so far.
Jennifer Robertson hits her stride on Wednesday’s Schitt’s Creek. At first, she makes us feel bad for laughing when Jocelyn, exhausted from too many sleepless nights with Roland Jr., hides behind a forced smile as she grows increasingly upset with her friends. Not only do they order lunch without her—“because I’m seven minutes late”—but they also reschedule her role in the Jazzagals’ Nine Inch Nails medley. But we can’t help but laugh when, after she finds a (pet) sitter for rehearsal, she learns that the rehearsal has been rescheduled—to accommodate everyone else! As Jocelyn vents her frustrations at her unsupportive friends, Robertson is magically like an erupting volcano, though it veers hilariously between mean and crazy.
