Characters of the Week: NCIS: Sydney, CIA, Doc, & More Deliver Growth and Emotional Payoff

This week, so many characters were taking big steps, stepping outside of themselves, or coming to grips with themselves.

We had deeply human choices, breakthroughs, and defining moments.

And these Characters of the Week across The Pitt, Doc, American Classic, and more embody that. So dive into our list, and share if we forgot anyone.

Rebecca Clarke – Hope Valley: 1874

Hope Valley:1874 has always been about Rebecca’s quest to protect her daughter, and while the series has highlighted that, Rebecca took that to new levels when Sarah went missing on Hope Valley Season 1 Episode 5.

Bethany Joy Lenz portrayed Rebecca’s emotions beautifully. It wasn’t just about her fear that Sarah and her friends were lost in the woods.

Rebecca also felt guilty because she felt like she had failed Sarah by not keeping her safe and had given her in-laws ammunition.

They thought Sarah was all wrong for their late son and granddaughter and wanted custody of Sarah.

I can’t see that. Rebecca is one of the best TV moms on-screen. She may be overprotective, but now it’s understandable.

Rebecca doesn’t want to squash Sarah’s fun. She wanted to protect her, and Sarah has learned how to be brave and resilient from watching her mother.

Bex Henderson – The Hunting Party

Bex has always fought to catch the bad guys, but on The Hunting Party Season 2 Episode 10, she became fed up with this game when an innocent man got lost in the shuffle.

While she still wanted to protect future victims from Byron May, the Eastside Ripper, Bex was just as determined to free Victor Rosa, the man who went down for the horrific crimes Byron committed.

I loved how Bex led the rebellion to free him, even though Col. Lazarus had forbidden it. Bex had no fear of visiting a prison and a man she had never met before.

She showed empathy and persistence, something Victor Rosa hadn’t seen much of, and deciphered that Byron had pretended to be a crime writer to collect every letter and piece of evidence from Victor.

I love how she realized Byron’s main obsession was Victor’s son, Eric, because he wanted absolution, not realizing Eric would only forgive his father.

Bex did the unthinkable, refusing to clean up a crime scene so that they could use Byron’s fingerprints and free Victor Rosa. She reunited a family, and you could see his tears of gratitude.

While her job may be on the line, Bex has plenty to keep Col. Lazarus in check. – Laura Nowak

Miranda Bean – American Classic

Throughout American Classic Season 1, Miranda Bean has been a bright star on the rise. A young woman on the brink of adulthood, she is very much in tune with the Emily Webb character she plays in Our Town. 

With a world of possibilities before her, she worries about making the wrong choice, caught between her mother’s logical, safe plans and her own heart.

Her mother’s plans for her to go to Penn State are sensible and ensure a reliable, secure future. But Miranda’s heart is on the stage and in the spotlight. 

Whether she’s singing in an acoustic duo with boyfriend Randall or leading a protest against the commercialization of the town, Miranda is very much about honesty and authenticity. 

And she loves her family despite butting heads with her mother on everything, when the town piles on Kristen for failing to secure the votes to build the casino complex, Miranda comforts her, reassuring her that she’s the best mayor Millersburg could have.

American Classic Season 1 Episode 7, “Camelot,” closes on the dramatic revelation that Miranda’s uncle Richard may actually be her biological father.

Miranda’s instinct is to tell her father, Jon, the truth and immediately cut Kristen and Richard out of her life.

On the American Classic Season 1 finale, she gets her chance, cornering her father in the kitchen after the resoundingly successful opening night of Our Town. But she can’t bring herself to do it, choosing to protect his happiness over assuaging her outrage. 

In making that decision, Miranda shows that she’s grown beyond her own needs to consider the well-being of those she holds dear. With maturity and experience, she’ll be unstoppable.

Amy Larsen – Doc

Some developments left many viewers reeling, but Doc’s Season 2 finale didn’t disappoint when it came to exploring the primary “doc” in question.

In many ways, the finale seemed to set Amy up for more of the same: assigning blame during high-stress moments, allowing her insecurities to get the better of her, projecting, staying on guard, and completely withdrawing from people she cares about when things get tough.

The finale even has Amy setting out to get back at Richard Miller by proving he really did screw something up that led to a patient’s death, and her making a life-changing discovery that kickstarts this chaotic viral crisis.

But then we start stripping away at Amy in exciting new ways after her life is once again hanging in the balance. She gets a third chance at life, and she has no intentions of wasting it.

We see Amy self-reflecting, recognizing patterns about herself and actively working to change them, even making decisions that will help her avoid repeating the same issues.

It’s that self-awareness and awakening that’s exhilarating, honest, and relatable.

It’s a satisfying new level to exploring her character, and reaffirms that this series is truly about Amy, her evolution, and her growth.

Taking in the love, wisdom, and sacrifice from Joan and recognizing how she can apply all of that to be the best version of herself.

Colin – CIA

For much of CIA, Colin has been this elusive character, very much aligning with his occupation as a spook.

But CIA Season 1 Episode 7 finally gives us a more vulnerable and honest Colin. We got to the layers to him that he keeps under wraps, and it helped push along the growing spartnership and trust that he’s developing with Bill, too.

A complicated relationship with an old friend and colleague had Colin wallowing in guilt over the past, and he was not always willing to see that Yuen had taken a bad turn.

And revelations about Colin’s deceased former partner also being his lover, or as he put it, “the love of his life,” finally shatter some of the walls that Colin had up with not just Bill but the audience, too.

He’s a man who carries so much pain, much of which is unresolved, and thus an hour that dives into him honestly succeeds in making her more compelling.

Of course, Tom Ellis truly embodies the complexities of this character, too, and he’s always so great to watch with more emotional material.

Michelle Mackey – NCIS: Sydney

We’ve been waiting for most of NCIS: Sydney Season 3 to learn what’s behind this great Mackey conspiracy.

And fortunately, NCIS: Sydney Season 3 Episode 15 not only gave us answers but some background on Mackey. Flashbacks to the event that led to her court-martial and this full conspiracy filled in some blanks.

But they also truly highlighted everything we’ve come to know, love, and respect about Mackey. She’s a woman who follows her gut, and she always does what’s right. She also protects those around her.

The hour explores a woman who will stop at nothing to protect not only her team but her son — a mother’s love on full display, every bit as much as her badassery.

Her moral code and sense of ethics are at the center of an hour that peels back layers to a character who, once upon a time, was a bit inaccessible and now wears her heart on her sleeve.

Strong yet vulnerable, loyal, with a great sense of integrity, and a newfound realization that what she puts into the world, and her team comes back at her tenfold, made her the true center of a great hour.

Honorary Mention – DeShawn Jackson

We’ve always known that DeShawn and Mackey were close, and that she was a major reason he ended up in Sydney.

But the hour really gives DeShawn some well-deserved time to explore his most important dynamic in the series, pulling him away from the fun antics with Evie to dive into his intellect, loyalty, and level head amid chaos and conspiracy.

Flashbacks to DeShawn’s days as a Petty Officer practicing law reveal a brilliant, sharp man with a strong sense of justice, and so much of who DeShawn is at his core clicks into place because of this.

His role as Mackey’s voice of reason, a port in a storm, and his display of unwavering devotion, loyalty, and protection toward her showcase a character who can sometimes fall by the wayside, leaving you craving so much more.

It was also one of Sean Sagar’s best performances on the series.

Michael “Robby” Robinavitch – The Pitt

There’s a certain beauty in a breakthrough, isn’t there?

Much of The Pitt Season 2 has been about Robby and his dwindling mental health as he stood on the edge and seemed to come the closest to stepping off, yet everyone could see it.

And The Pitt Season 2 Episode 15 pushes him even further. While he goes into the hour seemingly resigned to his potential fate and his plans, as the hour unfolds, you almost start seeing the turning point when he realizes that there’s more to him sticking around on earth.

It’s a talk with Abbot that becomes illuminating when he can’t really shy away from the fact that he’s not alone in darkness, but there are ways through it when you put in the work. Abbot serving as his mirror is undeniable, and Robby’s vulnerability in that moment is as compelling as ever.

Wyle and Hatosy have such great chemistry that you could Robby and Abbot’s brotherhood feels so deeply lived in — enough to be effective.

And then saving a mother and a child really kicks things into overdrive.

The adrenaline of the moment and the emotions are so overwhelming that you see him cracking and fighting so hard for other people to live matters.

Fighting to save lives has to mean that life is worth living, right? It’s raw; all of these moments are episodes, the full season, even two seasons in the making, coming to fruition.

The bits of vulnerability in Samira expose deep desires and unrealized dreams, tinged with hope. An exchange with Langdon dispels illusions and reveals hard truths. Confessions to baby Jane Doe come with small but not insignificant epiphanies.

Honorary Mention – Baran Al-Hashimi

Another quiet triumph of the season has been watching Al-Hashimi evolve, and in many ways, fall apart by the time she gets to the end of the shift.

The revelation about her seizures puts so much of who she is into perspective, and then it hits that she’s potentially on the cusp of having to give up what she loves most and what gives her so much purpose.

Your heart aches for her. Al-Hashimi goes from this level-headed, ethical, calm doctor to a vulnerable woman fraying at the edges as her seizure disorder creeps up on her and destroys her life again. And there’s very little she can do about it.

The loss of that control reveals the most vulnerable bits of her and leaves her at her most human, and it’s fascinating, compelling, and hard to tear one’s eyes away from.

Over to you, TV Fanatics! What were your standout characters of the week? Sound off below!

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