Performer of the Week: Tom Hiddleston
THE PERFORMER | Tom Hiddleston
THE EPISODE | “For All Time. Always.” (July 14, 2021)
THE PERFORMANCE | Hiddleston had a sizable challenge ahead of him as he led a standalone series centered on his Marvel character. Having revived the 2012 iteration of Loki in this series — thus erasing his considerable character development from later MCU films like Thor: Ragnarok — Hiddleston had to bring back a greedier, more insolent version of the God of Mischief, while also softening him enough in these six episodes to keep us invested in Loki’s survival.
It was a delicate balance for the actor, and one he struck beautifully. Even as Hiddleston fired off Loki’s many quips, he also found quiet, sensitive moments along the way — Loki singing a melancholy Asgardian song to Sylvie, or conjuring a blanket for her in The Void — to illustrate his character’s deepening self-awareness and growing affection for his female counterpart.
Wednesday’s finale featured Hiddleston’s loveliest work yet, as a crestfallen Loki learned that Sylvie no longer trusted him and believed he’d been conning her all along. “Really? That’s what you think of me? After all this time?” Loki asked her, Hiddleston’s eyes dark with disappointment. Even as Loki and Sylvie broke out into a physical fight, Hiddleston’s body language communicated Loki’s heartbreak that Sylvie would think him so power-hungry. “Kill me! Take your throne!” Sylvie offered, and Hiddleston packed Loki’s “No!” with both sadness and disbelief that she’d even suggest such a thing.
But it was when Sylvie nearly brought her blade down on He Who Remains that Hiddleston really shined. As Loki urged Sylvie to stop fighting for just a moment, he also revealed how deeply he cared for her, eyes brimming with tears: “I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want a throne. I just… I just want you to be OK.” It was as much a confession of love as it was a revelation for Loki that he could care for someone else so intensely, and Hiddleston brought such a tenderness to the scene that Sylvie’s eventual betrayal of Loki left us utterly crushed.
Unlike Disney+’s other Marvel series, Loki will indeed be back for Season 2 — and after Hiddleston’s performance this time around, here’s hoping Miss Minutes can bring those new episodes sooner rather than later.
HONORABLE MENTION | As a track star who pretty much has it all together, Brigette Lundy-Paine‘s Casey has consistently been a source of strength for her family and friends in Atypical. Her tenaciousness, however, is tested like never before in Season 4. The Netflix drama’s final season takes her to refreshing new depths as the strong-willed teen battles anxiety and an identity crisis after blowing a major track meet while a UCLA recruiter watched in the stands. Episode 8, in particular, showcases a wholly different, more vulnerable side that hadn’t been explored yet. Still reeling from her failed meet, “Magical Bird #2” finds Casey emotionally raw but still hanging onto that deadpan humor we’ve come to appreciate from the character. Lundy-Paine’s choices are distinct but never over-the-top, inviting the audience to empathize with her character’s loneliness. Atypical is memorable for its seamless ability to balance darker issues with humor, and Lundy-Paine encapsulates the spirit of the show through their nuanced and memorable performance.
HONORABLE MENTION | Julianne Moore‘s character in Lisey’s Story was a grieving widow, a fighter, and after that emotionally resonant finale, a survivor. From Lisey’s ability to believe in the unbelievable, to her tear-soaked goodbye to her late husband, the actress forced us to suspend our own disbelief and relish in the show’s fantastical dreamscape, as we empathized with the character’s pain and plight. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. In some of the episode’s final moments, Moore transferred feelings of hope and love onto the audience, as we longingly gazed at a montage of the couple’s sweetest milestones. Her bright smile, infectious laugh and vulnerability distracted us from Lisey’s traumatic days, and reminded us of what really matters in this life. Moore made us feel as if we were riding shotgun in her own personal rollercoaster, one that soared so high and so fast we won’t soon forget it.
HONORABLE MENTION | As Evil‘s resident techie/skeptic Ben, Aasif Mandvi often is relegated to explaining or scoffing at the mysterious phenomenon of the week. But in Sunday’s episode all of that changed, to our great delight. Because even though the hour was a trial for poor Ben — who thought he was going to die, alone, trapped in a forgotten sub-basement of a New York City high-rise — it was a treat for viewers. How awesome it was to see Mandvi take Ben from his self-assured norm to being so scared that he started praying to a god in whom he’s said he doesn’t believe. How artfully Mandvi stripped down the character until we 100 percent believed that he would sob in fear and relief when his colleagues eventually found him. And how much his performance made us hungry for more of Ben’s emotional life (though, hopefully, with fewer flesh-eating bugs next time).
HONORABLE MENTION | Mel and Jack may get most of the attention on Virgin River, but we discovered something while watching the Netflix drama’s third season: Lynda Boyd‘s Lilly might just be the true heart of the titular town, which makes her death in Episode 8 so much harder to accept. Sure, the show gives viewers a few episodes to prepare for the inevitable, but it’s simply not enough. Every word out of Boyd’s mouth in her character’s final hour feels like a tiny knife stabbing you right in the heart, each line laced with the knowledge that the end is drawing near. Every beat is subtly infused with the heaviness of a woman experiencing every emotion under the sun, including — perhaps most importantly — an overwhelming sense of peace and gratitude. Boyd has always been a warm presence on screen, delivering a genuine performance that instantly bonds you to her character, and Virgin River was a better place for having her in it.
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in Comments!
Tom Hidleston is great, but he didn’t even give the best performance in that episode!
then who did, dont leave us hanging expert.
2nded. I’d like to hear too.
I mean, he was incredible in the finale. And the entire series.
Tom probably should’ve gotten it for a previous episode and Jonathan Majors for the finale but appreciate the Loki love.
Am I the only one who was not that impressed with Jonathan Majors? I found his explanation tiresome, taking up valuable minutes from the episode where Loki could have been doing something besides sitting in a chair. Then the episode ended the way it did with me totally confused.
Sadly, this…I was almost screaming at the tv to get to the point…the whole bad guy drones on and on is getting old…I know fan boys who have read the comics were getting all excited, but I was like “meh”. Yeah he is a variant of “X”…whateves.. pretty let down…
Well crap. That’s Virgin River spoiled for me.
Loved the character of Lily.
Happy Tom got Performer of the Week. He is great on the show. I hope he will get nominated for awards for his great performance in Loki in near future.
Don Diamont–The Bold and the Beautiful
Alcohol this early in the morning is a problem
🤣🤣🤣
Totally agree with Tom Hiddleston bro g nominated as ‘Performer of the Week’. His performance in the Finale (ep.6) was outstanding, and I found myself really drawn
to this iteration of Loki… so happy there will be a second series👍.
The actress playing Sylvie would make a great Doctor Who.
The only one I don’t watch out of those is Liseys Story…. but agree with the rest.
I would change the order slightly and but Tom in honorable mention and Lynda Boyd as POTW. That was such a great episode.
Btw, that episode of Evil was very powerful too.
Patiently waiting for Mary Hollis Biden to get her due (Kevin Can F Himself).
100% agree!
100%. Tom was absolutely outstanding in the entire series, but my god, the scene after he’s been sent back to the TVA and is just sitting there with that look on his face. Absolutely gutted me. He is truly one of the most talented performers – and not just in the MCU, his Shakespearean work is INCREDIBLE.
I loved Toms scene where he’s genuinely frightened about what’s coming after returning to the TVA. That and the look on his face when Mobius doesn’t recognise him.
ITA. His work in the entire series led up to his feelings of both crushing defeat (that Sylvie either didn’t return his feelings and/or trust him to be w her while she completed her quest to finish off the head of the TVA) & then, after attempting to pull himself together & realizing the gravitas of the situation, running off to find Mobius to explain the situation, only to have Mobius not have a clue as to who he was was breathtaking.
Had a feeling Aasif Mandvi would be on the list this week, and deservedly so :). He was fantastic-seeing Ben in such despair was heartbreaking, and when he was running back to his friends at the end, it was both a relief and haunting all at the same time. I too hope we get more of this side of Ben as the season continues, it’s a fascinating side worth exploring further.
Two words: Ray Shoesmith
Where’s the love for Scott Ryan’s final performance in Mr Inbetween?!?! And just like that, “The Magician” disappears from our televisions.
that closing shot! F***ing awesome.
thats how you end a show.
Tom Hidleston was amazing! Such a terrific acting from Sophia Di Martino too, they both portrayed the fundamental conflict of a pair that ultimately did love each other. And their fighting sequence was magnificent too. I can’t wait for season 2!
Tom Hiddleston truly gave best performance in the finale. That scene at the end when Sylvie betrayed him, was heartbreaking to watch.
I didn’t see it as a betrayal because Sylvie finished exactly what she was set to do since the beginning: to kill the one in charge. It was that “maybe” they would aim to have together what was so heartbreaking to loose.
You nailed it. The scene mentioned not only had testy eyes, which any actor worth their salt can do, but his facial expressions could have told the whole story without any dialogue. It’s really a marvelous match of actor and role.
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Also credit for mentioning Atypical, which has had a number of nuanced performances and arcs and none better than this one.
Evil’s Aasif Mandvi was amazing. Just the best.
Tom Hiddleston’s beautifully timed and nuanced masterful delivery highlights nearly every scene he’s in. The guy never makes a misstep. I love how T.H. plays to the story and the supporting characters, not overtly to the viewer. In fact all the performances here allow for intimate voyeurism when it’s often easy to feel estranged or self conscious in such fantastical realms if the characters throw themselves off the screen with too much deliberate, measured camp. The broken 4th wall worked really well in WandaVision where it was fun to be pulled into the story, but it was even more fun to be able to observe Loki’s odyssey from a safe distance.
I pause with trepidation for Marvel’s monumental task at hand — to craft a worthy follow-up via season two. I pray they maintain that contained, comfortable intimacy which keeps us in the story. It became apparent by episode two that luscious fan service was being doled out for those who craved multilayered revelations from Our Loki. (translation: to witness him in bona fide relationship). There is no comprehensive route to crafting a six hour odyssey which ticks all the boxes all the time for all folks. But damn do they come close for Loki-lovers; no complaints here from someone who waits patiently on the sidelines of the MCU to seize a few fleeting romantic sparks flaring now and again amid the action. Just as the players morph in and out of multiple iterations over generations of print comics, rightly so should antihero Loki come into a new landscape with depth and substance not previously explored. Quests and hero’s journeys are meant to be complex and confounding. What may feel like droll-camp pulp-novel to some, feels deep and satisfying cerebrally while not skimping on the Heart-feels, particularly when Loki evokes so much by (ironically) saying so little, as he does in his final fight scene with Sylvie. He Who Remains didn’t need an economy of words; his breakdown was a riveting launchpad — one we could witness with as much shock and awe as the protagonists clearly did. Sylvie’s stance is warranted, relatable, tangible, and profound. Their separation at the end is reminiscent of the novel The Amber Spyglass’s climax, as worlds brought together artificially and magically are ripped apart both by psychospiritual necessity and emotional denouement. TH was right, Loki was on the brink of predictable redundancy. There is no shortage of villains; how often do they surprise us with personal metamorphosis? coupled with intriguing romance, genuine pathos, operatic grandeur, and occasional comic relief?
It was ok.
Tria, your commentary regarding THs remarkable performance is a masterpiece of what I WISH I could have put into words regarding his work in this series. I more than agree – I wish that your comment could be repeated in a national magazine with many more readers so that a greater pool of ppl would have an opportunity to see what you’ve written. I am saddened by my overuse of the the term “multifaceted” character bc I would have preferred to point out Hiddleston’s “nuanced” portrayal & how that made the audience love his character so very much from the very beginning. It’s a brilliant summation of a treasured actor’s performance!
I thought Jonathan Majors would have got it. His over the top flair and overall charisma made his villian monologue fun to watch. It was the perfect tone for a character who has probably gone just a little mad having Miss minutes as his only companion. I am really excited to see how different his take will be when he shows up in the movies