THE PERFORMER | Anya Taylor-Joy
THE SHOW | Apple TV’s “Lucky“
THE EPISODE | “Too Close to See It” (July 29, 2026)
THE PERFORMANCE | Lucky has been on a hellacious journey ever since her husband double-crossed her, swiping the cash they stole and leaving her drugged and alone in a Las Vegas hotel room. But in the miniseries’ fourth episode, emotions reached a boiling point when Lucky and Cary were finally reunited and struck by a tragedy that our titular antihero could’ve never seen coming.
When husband and wife at last came face to face, Taylor-Joy wielded an arsenal of emotions as her character struggled to unpack and accept what Cary had done. As her typically stoic demeanor chipped away, hurt, impatience, and anger quickly took hold, turning the entire ordeal into a tense tête-à-tête. As she screamed, “You made me a f**king mark, Cary!” the actress’ dialogue seethed and swelled, signaling to her audience that Lucky did indeed mean business. As she unleashed, Taylor-Joy unspooled a monologue that made us feel the character’s pain, despite the mess that she more or less had gotten herself in. But both parties had withheld secrets from each other, making the scene simmer with moral ambiguities and emotional gray areas. Despite the drama, we could still feel love bubbling somewhere between the two, a true testament to the actors’ chemistry. (Kudos to “Outer Banks” vet Drew Starkey for being on the receiving end of Taylor-Joy’s fire.)
Two more pivotal scenes helped cinch the actress’ win this week. In a flashback, dad John got pinched, despite Agent Rand promising Lucky that he’d get off scot-free. When the younger, red-headed version of Lucky realized Rand went back on her word, Taylor-Joy had another podium to vent her rage from, as she screamed and cried through her unbridled pain. But the actress’ crown-jewel moment came at the tail-end, when a riveting car chase led to a shootout with the FBI, a flipped car, and a very bloody, very dead Cary. As Lucky wept holding her husband’s lifeless face, Taylor-Joy got to work to ensure that our heartstrings were getting a proper pull. By the time the credits rolled, it was clear that her effort was a resounding success. — Nick Caruso
Scroll down to see who got an Honorable Mention shout-out this week…
HONORABLE MENTION: Tony Dalton
Tony Dalton’s grinning face is forever seared into our brains after watching him play ruthless drug lord Lalo Salamanca on “Better Call Saul,” and he’s brought that same blend of charm and menace to Apple TV’s “Sugar” in Season 2, with his corrupt sheriff Ray Vega becoming a formidable antagonist for Colin Farrell’s John Sugar. This week, Ray and John careened towards a climactic showdown, and our pulses quickened as the rivals stared each other down across a diner booth. Dalton added a dose of unsettling whimsy, too, as Ray laughed off John’s attempt to get him back on the straight and narrow. (The diner setting was even giving us “Breaking Bad” flashbacks.) Ray carried himself with the easy swagger of a man who’s been through a thousand confrontations like this and has always come out on top, and we couldn’t help but smile right along with Dalton when Ray brushed off John’s warning about this being his “last chance”: “You know, you keep saying that, but I don’t think so.” It was his last chance, it turned out, as John ended up killing Ray in a bloody tussle out in the desert, and we’re glad John was the one who survived… but we are going to miss Dalton’s devilish grin just the same. — Dave Nemetz
Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!