Performer of the Week: Rachel Bloom
THE PERFORMER | Rachel Bloom
THE SHOW | Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
THE EPISODE | “I’m in Love” (April 5, 2019)
THE PERFORMANCE | For four seasons now, Rebecca Bunch has been desperately looking for love, and in Friday’s series finale, she finally found it. But she didn’t find it with Josh, or Greg, or Nathaniel, or any man — she found it inside herself, pursuing a new dream of being a songwriter, and Bloom nailed the series’ final note with an ovation-worthy performance that, in classic Crazy Ex fashion, managed to be laugh-out-loud funny and deeply emotional all at the same time.
Rebecca had a dream where she saw her future with each of her three suitors, but she was still unhappy in each one, and Bloom made her frustration palpable after four seasons’ worth of fruitless pursuit. Then Rebecca sang out her confusion with an “11 o’clock number,” with Bloom flawlessly reprising a dozen classic Crazy Ex songs in a single nostalgia-packed medley. But Rebecca’s BFF Paula helped her realize that she should be writing down all these songs bouncing around in her head, and we couldn’t help but root for Rebecca as she took her first tentative steps towards pursuing her dream — including some very shaky singing lessons. (It’s a credit to Bloom’s vocal training that even her “bad” singing is convincing.)
Rebecca’s ultimate choice, to fall in love with her own creative spirit instead of yet another guy, was one of those endings that surprised us… before we realized how perfect it actually was. But it wouldn’t have worked — heck, the whole series probably wouldn’t have worked — without Bloom’s soul-baring, relentlessly committed lead performance. We know we won’t be getting any more encores, but at least we can say this one last time: Bravo.
HONORABLE MENTION | No, You’re the Worst‘s Jimmy and Gretchen didn’t get married in this week’s series finale, but stars Chris Geere and Aya Cash still gave us a farewell performance to remember, as the L.A. hipster lovebirds stumbled into their own version of a happy ending. First, Geere and Cash unloaded on each other in an emotionally raw and savage fight scene, as Jimmy and Gretchen slowly realized neither of them actually wanted to walk down the aisle. But they eventually agreed to stay together, one day at a time, and Geere and Cash’s sweet and salty chemistry in their final scenes reminded us why we’ve been following these jerks for the last five seasons — a fitting send-off for one of our favorite TV couples.
HONORABLE MENTION | For the first time in decades, we were transported back to The Twilight Zone this week — and we were entranced, due in no small part to Kumail Nanjiani‘s riveting turn in “The Comedian.” As the episode’s titular stand-up comic, struggling to find success after years of gigs, Nanjiani expectedly nailed Samir’s affable, self-deprecating nature. But it was the character’s transformation from likable failure to cocky, power-hungry superstar that left us stunned. Every time Samir took the stage at Eddie’s Comedy Club, he was a slightly different person, culminating in a manic climax that Nanjiani tore through like a hurricane. Our expectations for the Twilight Zone revival were admittedly high, but after taking in Nanjiani’s performance, we can’t wait to go back to that bizarre dimension.
HONORABLE MENTION | Season 2 of On My Block features many different themes, but the one of loss and how it effects the core four is consistently felt, especially by Jason Genao’s lost and unsteady Ruby. Ruby is normally the light of the group, but after losing Olivia and nearly losing his life, he’s burnt out from PTSD, depression and anger. Episode 5 begins with him still stuck in his grief — and stuck in bed — but with help from his brother Mario, Spooky, feng shui and a body shot, Genao cranks up his magnetic charm and pours it into Ruby, showing that his character hasn’t lost his spark after all. Thanks to Genao’s solid delivery, Ruby is not just someone going through a tough time, but someone who takes the first steps to get out of it, ready to move past his fear and grief and be happy again.
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in Comments!
Rachel Bloom was flawless in this episode. I truly hope she is nominated for an Emmy.
And kudos to the CW for standing by this show despite its low ratings. This show will be missed, and probably will develop a cult following that will live long after all of us. I could never understand how such an amazing show never caught on with a wider audience, but I am thankful that the CW allowed it to complete its four season journey toward self-discovery.
Nice to see Nanjiani in this week’s roundup! Fully agreed with your take on his performance.
Anthony Carrigan deserves praise for the S2 premiere of Barry. He’s usually really funny, but man, the scene where he reminded Barry just who is really in charge was chilling and excellent!
I love this guy. best breakout actor of the last couple of year, imo.
no love for Jennifer Love Hewitt??
That’s exactly what I thought! Her performance on 9-1-1 Monday was amazing!
maybe because she got a whole article to herself with a Q&A? perhaps they felt that was honors enough?
They did give it to Chimney in “Chimney Begins,” so I guess they don’t want to give nominations to the same show to often.
Some weeks there are just too many great performances to count.
Much deserved for Rachel Bloom’s phenomenal performance over the last 4 seasons. Loved seeing that super talented cast in the concert show episode too. Bloom is amazing, can’t wait to see what she does next.
Man Joan I was very good; the episode was pretty idiotic in too many ways to list.
Another week with no love for Dan Levy or Noah Reid? This season of Schitts Creek has been flawless.
Rachel Bloom deserves all of the awards 100%. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is revolutionary and will be greatly missed on the tv landscape. I hope others follow in Bloom’s footsteps, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
I hoped Matthew Daddario would get an honorable mention nod this week. His portrayal Alec’s emotional roller coaster on the latest Shadowhunters ep was so moving.
Nice to see On My Block getting some love. The entire cast stepped up for S2. Cesar and Jasmine were also standouts this season.
I was hoping Jason Genao’s performance as Ruby would be recognized in On My Block. I normally just see adult characters on tv shows dealing with PTSD but it’s great that series had Ruby go through losing Olivia. I my opinion Jason Genao gave a realistic portrayal of someone who was suffering from PTSD and I am glad that the writers did not shy away from it.
Also, kudos to the actor who played Cesar.
Agree. Such a gem of a show with a great balance of comedy and drama and a great ensemble.
Thanks for including You’re the Worst! Definitely worthy of being mentioned! IMO one of the best series finales of any TV series!
I never really thought Jennifer love Hewitt was a great actress, but that episode of 911 made me think differently. I’m surprised and disappointed that she wasn’t recognized
Jennifer Love Hewitt hit it out of the park this week on 911. Her performance was amazing, gut-wrenching, and so good. Loved it.
So glad Rachel Bloom is Performer of the Week. She’s always phenomenal! I’ve thought for several weeks that the show would have her choose herself over any of the three guys, and I totally understand that choice in the overall theme of the show, but the romantic in me wanted her to be happy with either Greg or Nathaniel after coming to peace with herself. I always felt like she had more chemistry with both of them than with Josh.
Lorraine Toussaint on The Village. Her prayer – discussion – with God in the church about her cancer returning was powerful. It was good writing for all the emotions that would bring forth, but she sold it with her tone as well as her body. Fully committed.
I am shocked Jennifer Love-Hewitt didn’t get atleast an honorable mention. That was such an intense episode for both her and her husband..
What about Aram or Samir from The Blacklist? Their farewell phone call made me cry!