THE PERFORMER | Paul Bettany
THE SHOW | Disney + ‘s WandaVision
THE EPISODE | “Episode 2” (January 15, 2021)
PERFORMANCE | In the first two episodes of the Disney + Marvel series, there is not a single cast member who there is not impressed us with his commitment to the retro sitcom style. Elizabeth Olsen is incredible, as this alternative universe Wanda, and Kathryn Hahn and Teyonah Parris, among others, are excellent additions to the Marvel kingdom.
But with her fearless physical comedy and a high-profile “drunk” performance, it was Bettany that most caught our attention in WandaVisionsecond episode of. The configuration was simple: BewitchedIn a series of sitcoms, Vision accidentally swallowed a piece of Big Red gum, causing its internal synasinoid gears to wobble. The result, perhaps in the funniest scene of WandaVisionIn two debut episodes of Vision, Vision acted as if he had just swallowed a fifth of a drink, while he and Wanda tried to perform a magical act at the neighborhood talent show.
The iteration of Bettany’s sitcom Vision is already so different from the character in the Marvel movie we know, silly and excited as he is in this strange world of TV. But Vision drunk with gum was an even bigger change, and Bettany leaned toward her at every opportunity. It is difficult to decide which aspect of the performance pleased us most: a stupid vision stumbling on stage (“I’m So sorry, excuse me, ”he said to a stair rail after hitting him); his hysterical frustration at not being able to find the playing card his friend had chosen in the deck; or the way Vision unintelligently dragged, “The cabinet of mysteries!” while presenting his and Wanda’s final act.
Given the disconcerting nature of Wanda’s life and Vision’s sitcom, there is no doubt that more dramatic material is coming for Bettany and Olsen. But in the meantime, Bettany’s enthusiastic comic performance was an absolute delight, bringing a nostalgic and old-fashioned charm that we never expected from a Marvel series.
HONORABLE MENTION | We will never hear “Take me to the ball game” again in the same way after the Zoey’s extraordinary playlist, who used the melody as the soundtrack for Max and Zoey’s first time together. Adding to the absurdity of the moment was Skylar Astin’s hilarious and bewildered performance when Max realized that he had unconsciously followed classic baseball music to the soft sounds of Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You”. Astin played effortlessly between the two wildly different musical numbers, while expressing the frustration of his character in his situation with a comic shine that left us in points. Then Astin brought a sweetly vulnerable quality to Max’s concerns about Zoey’s powers, leading the couple to perform a faint duet worthy of “A Moment Like This”. There are three song numbers, countless laughs and a moving confession, all delivered in an impressive way by Astin during a seven-minute set. Extraordinary, indeed.
HONORABLE MENTION | Nobody – I repeat, nobody – likes to see “Party Marty” feeling defeated. But we Does enjoy the performance that a shy Deeks takes NCIS: Los Angeles«Eric Christian Olsen. After a hard day at FLETC, where “grandpa” felt every bit of his age among the younger interns, a weak Deeks jumped on the phone with Kensi. “I’m not going to lie, baby – I’m really struggling,” he reported, as Olsen touched the submissive side of his rarely seen alter ego. Summing up the multifaceted reality check he received this season, he said darkly: “It’s like this bus that comes out of nowhere and hits you and takes away your energy, your youth, your job, your bar and … virility.” Kensi barely knew what to say, hearing the hubs like this, but his reminder that “there is no crying at FLETC” restored Deeks’ sunny smile, if only for an instant.
HONORABLE MENTION | Law and Order: SVUThe “#BroadwayOnSVU” mission, for New York theater actors unemployed by the pandemic, this week saw a pair of Tony nominees – Eva Noblezada (Hadestown) and Alex Brightman (Beetle juice) – exploring the situation of a camera girl whose “sweeping” staging took a dark turn. Zoe de Noblezada was performing as “Kendra Dream” when Gabe de Brightman, a longtime fan, broke into her apartment and raped her. Caught by Benson & Co., Gabe insisted that he and Zoe had a real “relationship” – and worse, he had to act as his own lawyer – setting the stage for unnerving disagreements in which Noblezada made us feel Zoe’s repeated senses of rape, while Brightman alternated between shrewd paralegal and disillusioned jerk. When Zoe, during the crossing, refused to read a declaration of “love” that Kendra had made, Noblezada made us applaud his courage, while the ensuing Brightman explosion still makes us tremble.
What performance (s) impressed you this week? Tell us in the comments!