This week kicked off with another strong Sunday night of television. On Once Upon a Time, we spent some more time with a mysterious new villain; on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, we were introduced to the “Jimmy Jab Games;” and on The Good Wife, we were reminded what brilliant blending of comedy and drama looks like. Monday’s Castle put some spice back into Castle and Beckett’s relationship. Tuesday’s New Girl featured a new phone for the loft and a new man for Jess, and The Mindy Project featured a fun cameo from Shonda Rhimes. On Wednesday, Black-ish tackled the differences between moms and dads, and Nashville made my heart ache for Juliette more than ever. And Thursday was a night of big twists—from the president’s daughter’s sex tape on Scandal to the last nine words of How to Get Away with Murder.
It was impossible for me to pick just one standout moment for this week, so I’m going to talk about two moments that shared the same theme: vulnerability. The final scene of this week’s How to Get Away with Murder was absolutely astounding in the complete vulnerability showed not just by the character of Annalise Keating but also by Viola Davis as an actress. As I watched her take off her makeup, peel off her eyelashes, and show her real hair, I was floored by the honesty Davis brought to that moment when Annalise stopped hiding and let her guard come down completely before confronting her husband. It was a moment that showed total honesty for this character, and Davis brought total honesty to this moment as an actress. While watching the restrained emotion in that scene, I was ready to give Davis her Emmy immediately.
The second moment of vulnerability that floored me this week came from Once Upon a Time. Emma opening up to Hook about why she was pulling away from him was such a huge moment for a character who has been given every reason to fear vulnerability. To say she trusts Hook was a monumental moment of growth, but even that was topped by her telling him she can’t lose him. It was the most open and vulnerable we’ve ever seen this character, and I loved that her vulnerability was met with love and reassurance from the man she was opening her heart to. In opening her heart completely, Emma finally let hope in. In a way, it was the opposite of what happened with Annalise. Annalise admitted to her husband that she didn’t trust him at all, while Emma finally let herself trust. Both moments were outstanding portraits of character growth, and both left me incredibly excited for what’s next for these two great characters.
What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?
