Women of the Week

Now that our fave shows are returning from hiatus and new shows are starting up, it’s time for us to kick into our first edition of Women of the Week for 2020! Who is receiving the honour of being the first to impress us this year? Read on to find out!

Nominated by Melissa: Victoria Pedretti as Love Quinn; Carmela Zumbado as Delilah Alves; Jenna Ortega as Ellie Alves from YOU season 2

The second season of YOU, the thriller that examines how sociopaths think, dropped the day after Christmas but I had to wait for my 20yo niece to return from winter break to watch it. We weren’t sure what the show could do with Joe after the first season seemed to expose all his secrets, but oh boy did it deliver! And one of the primary improvements came in the form of an expanded female cast.

Victoria Pedretti assumed the “Beck” role from season 1 – the broken young woman who captivates Joe – but she is so much more. Her brokenness and sadness are palpable, as are her warmth and love. But it’s her dark side that really brings Victoria’s talent into sharp relief. After seeing her grief and struggle and happiness and openness played out over so many episodes, to see how that all informs her own psychosis, how it all comes together, that was awesome in the literal sense. We sat with our jaws dropped, looking at each other in disbelief then dawning realization as Love’s story was revealed. It’s a carefully calibrated performance and Victoria executed it with such precision, we’re still talking about it.

Perhaps less complex but no less fascinating were the sisters Alves. Both Carmela and Jenna played their characters with a combination of vulnerability and simmering rage that blazed on screen. No wonder Joe couldn’t help being drawn to them. This is Carmela’s first major role and I was left wanting to see more. Jenna has a sizable body of work already, but as she transitions into her career as an adult, I will be watching to see what she does next.

Nominated by Ange: Elle Paris Legaspi and Emily Tosta as Valentina and Lucia Acosta on Party of Five

I grew up watching the original PARTY OF FIVE, so when it was announced that Freeform was doing a reboot, I was skeptical. After watching the pilot, I may be changing my tune. In the 2020 update, the Acosta siblings are forced to take care of each other after their parents are deported, a change from the original series that saw the Salinger siblings lose their parents to a car accident caused by a drunk driver. In this reboot, young Elle Paris Legaspi, who plays 12-year-old child genius Valentina, is going to be one to watch. She stood out in two scenes in particular during the pilot – being distraught as her parents are taken by ICE agents right in front of her and then her teary and earnest testimony at her parents’ hearing. If your heart didn’t break when she declared “I’m a good girl because my parent made sure of it,” then it must be made of stone. Look out THIS IS US, this show might give you a run for your money in stirring up all the feels!

Emily Tosta plays Legsapi’s older sister on the show, 16-year-old Lucia, the straight A good girl turned angry and outspoken teen. It would be easy to write her character off as another moody teenager angry at the world or one who isn’t afraid to speak up for social justice issues, but Lucia also has her moments of vulnerability that make you realize that she’s still a scared child concerned about what will happen to her family despite how tough she may try to be. Tosta has found the balance between channelling her character’s frustrations but enabling the audience to feel sympathetic for her and not be driven away by her hostility.

I’m looking forward to seeing more of this show, even if it ends up playing with my feels.

RELATED ITEMS:

Women of the Week (November 17-23)
Women of the Week (November 10-16)
Women of the Week (November 3-9)
Women of the Week (October 27-November 2)