This week in television started off with another emotionally draining Sunday night, which included a look into the effects of Hook’s year without Emma on Once Upon a Time; a dramatic confrontation between Alicia and Peter on The Good Wife, and another wedding for the ages on Game of Thrones. Monday’s Dancing with the Stars provided some relief in the form of “Disney Night.” On Tuesday, New Girl attempted to deal with the fallout from Nick and Jess’s breakup, and The Mindy Project showed us Mindy and Danny struggling to move on from their brief time together. Thursday’s Parks and Recreation ended on one of the happiest notes in the show’s happy history, while Scandal‘s season finale used a variety of means to break audiences’ hearts. And Saturday’s Orphan Black season premiere hit the ground running and never looked back, with more twists and intrigue than ever before.
There were a plethora of great moments on television this week—from Joffrey finally meeting his end on Game of Thrones to Sarah knocking out Rachel on Orphan Black. However, there are times when my favorite thing on TV isn’t so much one moment but rather what an actor does over the course of an entire hour. That’s how I feel about Colin O’Donoghue’s work in this week’s Once Upon a Time. His ability to make a charming swashbuckler so earnest has always been one of the things that’s drawn me to Hook as a character, and he was at his best in “The Jolly Roger.” The scene where Hook begs Ariel/Zelena for a chance to atone for his sins and confesses his love for Emma was O’Donoghue’s finest work on the show to date. It was a heartbreaking picture of raw vulnerability, and it was another example of the fact that Once Upon a Time‘s most compelling moments occur when its talented cast is allowed to tap into very real emotions in the middle of the fairytale action around them.
What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?
Nerdy Girl Notes 
I had a lot of problems with this episode, none of which were our beloved Hook, but it marred my taking away your lovely (and accurate) assessment of the character O’Donoghue has woven together in OUaT.
For me the return of Orphan Black so distinctly reminded me of what makes that show amazing. The complexity of Maslany’s work is just stellar and I so deeply appreciated the strong, uncompromising return of a series that has a lot of hype surrounding it for season 2. It was my favorite bit of television this week for the simple fact that it held true to who the series set out to be before anyone was watching. It didn’t feed into the hype and picked up its pacing right where it left off.
I can totally understand where your issues (especially with Zelena) would be a hindrance to your enjoyment of much of “The Jolly Roger.”
I was actually hoping you’d pick Orphan Black’s premiere, and you didn’t let me down! 😉 I started watching the show when the hype machine was already in overdrive, so it’s good to know that it felt the same to you as it did before all of the heightened expectations were heaped upon it. That episode was a thrill ride from the start, and it’s killing me to wait seven days (probably eight since Saturday nights are a tough time to watch a show) for the next episode!
Oh yeah everything about the episode held up and I couldn’t pick a favorite moment from Felix talking about smelling Lesbian in his bed to Alison cutting a gun deal at the quick mart to the question of where was Paul really in the spectrum of trust. The show did what it does best – it answered a couple of questions while opening a whole box of new ones. And yes, welcome to the torture of watching Orphan Black in real time. I do appreciate the Hook love though because it cuts through the weeds of what bugged me about the episode.
Oh man I love Alison. From that scene with the parking lot gun purchase (“so…hows your mother?”) to the overly embellished card she sent with it, she is the one character that makes this show work for me. Without her it would be far too dramatic and serious for my taste. I need a bit of absurdity and humor in my sci-fi and fantasy shows or I lose interest. Orphan Black does a good job at balancing the drama and the dark humor.
I am glad you went with a very unconventional choice here. I love Hook to pieces, and the overall episode was a tad disappointing for me, but that had nothing to do with Colin’s work. Once is a show that is never going to win an Emmy, but I feel better knowing that places like this exist where we can show our appreciation for the great work that happens on the show.
I really don’t have anything to add because my DVR is full of unwatched things from the past month, I am just simply here to support you in not being afraid to go with your gut when picking your favorite moment each week 🙂
“I am just simply here to support you in not being afraid to go with your gut when picking your favorite moment each week” – Thanks, Shauna! This is always one of my favorite features to write every week. 😀
I knew this choice was unconventional with the fantastic episodes of The Good Wife and Orphan Black that happened this week, but, as all good fangirls know, the heart wants what the heart wants. 😉 I love that NGN is place where people feel comfortable coming and sharing things that we love about shows that critics are often so quick to tear apart, like OUaT. Because no matter how disappointing this show can be (I’m looking at you, second half of Season Two), its cast never fails to turn in excellent work.