This week gave us no shortage of memorable performances, from heartbreaking vulnerability and unwavering resilience to commanding, scene-stealing power.
Yes, we have our list of Characters of the Week, ranging from The Vampire Lestat to Little House on the Prairie (the range gives you whiplash, doesn’t it?).
Whether they made us emotional, inspired us, or left us speechless, these are the characters who owned the week and earned a spot on our list.
Lestat de Lioncourt – The Vampire Lestat
Lestat was an easy pick for me after The Vampire Lestat Season 1 Episode 5, “New York,” because we got to see a much softer and more vulnerable side of him.
We didn’t get the chaotic rock star surrounded by groupies this time. We got a Lestat who was emotional, grieving, and clearly dealing with a lot of pain.
His reaction to seeing the Claudia look-alike was heartbreaking. You could see the hurt all over his face, and the song he composed afterward made it even clearer that Claudia’s loss still haunts him.
We also continue to see how much love he still has for Louis, even with all the messiness between them.
That’s what made him stand out this week. Lestat is flawed, dramatic, and often his own worst enemy, but this episode showed the “human” side of him.
It’s a reminder that beneath all the chaos, he really does have the capacity to care and love deeply. – Tarcia Bush
Laura Ingalls – Little House on the Prairie
Netflix’s Little House on the Prairie featured many noteworthy characters, but the new Laura Ingalls anchored the series.
Played by Alice Halsey, Laura was fierce, feisty, and loyal.
She loved her family and would have protected them to the ends of the earth, whether it meant leaving a trail for Jack to find them, standing up to the Osage in her house, or searching for Mr. Edwards.
She may not have been a stereotypical ladylike little girl, but she believed most people were good and deserved a chance. She had a fierce heart and an adventurous spirit like her father.
Laura had a much meatier storyline on this adaptation, especially when it came to caring for her family and getting help when the rest of the Ingalls had the fever. It was impressive watching her and Jack go for help alone.
The other most noteworthy scene was her speech about Independence. Laura didn’t care much about school, but she cared about that town and what it taught her.
Hollis Shaw – The Five-Star Weekend
Hollis Shaw is the type of character that we can all relate to. While The Five-Star Weekend wasn’t a murder mystery series, it’s the ideal beachy series women need.
Almost everyone has lost someone, struggled with grief, and tried to maintain their perfect life until they crumble.
That’s Hollis Shaw, and Jennifer Garner, whom I adore, played each emotional nuance perfectly.
My heart broke when she thought her blackberry tart had to be perfect, and instead of joining her friends, she remade it. It was her way of coping.
She kept up those habits, whether it was avoiding talking about grief and dancing frantically instead or pretending her marriage was fine.
It wasn’t until she confronted the issues in her marriage and her friendships that Hollis began to heal.
Her most emotional scene was when she confronted Gigi about the truth. It showed Hollis’s strength and that she wouldn’t break. – Laura Nowak
Queen Akasha -The Vampire Lestat
Lestat de Lioncourt isn’t one for sharing the spotlight, but for the true Queen, Akasha, he’d surely make an exception.
There were so many reasons to enjoy “New York,” but frankly, the most riveting part of the hour belongs to the awakening of a woman whom we’ve heard references and whispers about, and know we should fear: Akasha.
The mother of all vampires. YES.
We spend much of the hour with her merely frozen in space, in time, in a catacomb with an endearing blond Frenchman babbling on and performing for her, and she’s moved, quite literally.
Things ramp up when we hear her, “Come to me,” speaking into Lestat’s mind, and it’s around that time when the chills start to crop up.
But it’s the monologue, my friends.
Sheila Akim is a force to be reckoned with and proved it when she roared with the ferocity, the exasperation, the power, the weariness, the grandeur of a woman who’s existed for millennia.
I am the girl!
I am the god!
I am the voice!
I am the song!
I am the night!
And I can answer!
I can arrange it!
I can say rise, and I can say speak!
And I am her! And I am she!
And I-I-I-I-I am the answer!
Goose. Bumps. Chills. Vocal Stims. It’s the works, with an iconic moment and speech that cemented itself as one of the greatest scenes in the show’s history.
And, yes, it’s still living rent-free in my head. All thanks to the absolute queen that is Akasha. – Jasmine Blu
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