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TVLine: Performer of the Week – Hong Chau

THE PERFORMER | Hong Chau

THE EPISODE | “Again” (May 22, 2020)

THE PERFORMANCE | Amazon’s puzzle-box thriller dazzles us with shocking plot twists and tantalizing clues to untangle, but really, it’s the generously humane, emotionally insightful performances that stick with us. Case in point: Chau, who took a tiny role in Season 1 and blew it up into a fascinatingly layered portrayal in Season 2 — especially in the finale, which saw Chau’s corporate exec Audrey Temple fight to preserve her relationship, even as everything else crumbled around her.

Audrey reunited with her love Alex at the big Geist launch party, and the warmth in Chau’s face showed us how deep her love ran — as did the fierce, mama-bear way she cut off underling Craig when he tried to challenge Alex. Audrey pulled Alex aside and walked her through the gaps in her spotty memory, and Chau armed her with a quiet intensity as she reminded Alex that “we took care of each other because no one else will,” and everyone outside their relationship can go to hell, as far as she’s concerned. Her well-laid plans fell apart, though, when Walter spiked the Geist party punch with the amnesia-causing juice — why didn’t Alex stop her from drinking?? — and Chau’s voice was poignantly fragile as a fearful Audrey asked Alex, “Is it gonna hurt?”

But the prospect of a clean slate seemed to bring Audrey a measure of inner peace, and Chau treated her final words before losing consciousness like a delicate deathbed confessional, with Audrey finally approving of Alex’s favorite baby name, Olive. (“That’s a pretty name.”) In Chau’s hands, Audrey was an ambitious corporate climber, sure, but one with a heart — and her moving depiction of Audrey’s bittersweet fate made the Season 2 finale, well, one we’ll never forget.