Best Performance by a Duo…Period

I used to hate it when people were unable to characterize something as “the best.” They could not choose their favorite food; they were unable to decide on which actor they thought most proficient. They would not make a stand of any consequence on even the most harebrained of topics.  (You know how I roll.) It kind of boggled my mind. Because, as you may have gathered, I have opinions on everything and everyone. Secretly, I have opinions on your opinions.   They’re all very positive; don’t you worry.

But, over these few short years since my youth, I have come to realize that some people can like more than one thing. And that they really do enjoy mojitos and margaritas equally. Or whatever. I have softened considerably, which comes in handy because the other day someone asked me who my favorite TV character was, and I narrowed it down to two, unable to go any further. And unwilling because both Justin Kirk and Jennifer Carpenter are on some other plane with their characters, Andy Botwin and Deb Morgan.

Fortunately or unfortunately, they are both on television shows built around another character, being portrayed by two fucking heavyweights in Mary-Louise Parker and Michael C. Hall.  But, man, they are good at stealing the show on more than a few occasions.

Justin Kirk plays Andy Botwin as the perfect Sancho Panza to sister-in-law Nancy’s Don Quixote. Morally, ethically, logically deficient. Seems perpetually weary and sad-eyed. Like, he’s already been dog-kicked by life and faces every situation with resignation. This season he has been gingerly pursuing Nancy, all while she is carrying another man’s baby—and a drug lord’s at that—and he is pretty mind-blowing at making such a toady, otherwise untrustworthy character so worthy of our sympathy. I hate it when actors talk about bringing “humanity” to a role, but you know, uh, never mind.

Jennifer Carpenter has turned Deb Morgan (“Dexter”) from a one-dimensional character to the emotional fulcrum of the entire show. Skinny as a rail, but increasingly sexy—a shocking development, in my eyes—Carpenter (who I saw on the subway the other day) inhabits this role as a ferocious, foulmouthed but sensitive sister of a serial killer. 

She has completely grown on me and last season I was totally gushing every week, to the point where GG began to nose around, but then realized she had no reason to disparage JC the way does the acting super vixens of today. (You should hear those rants. Jaw dropping, sometimes.) She’s been in a couple of other movies and was very good in them. But I fear that Carpenter will always be known for Deb.

At least that’s my opinion.