Television was operating at an emotional high this week, giving us characters forced to confront impossible choices, painful truths, and years of unresolved trauma.
Some found closure. Others spiraled deeper into chaos. But all of them delivered unforgettable performances and storylines that elevated their respective series.
These are our Characters of the Week.
Abe and Theo Carver (Days of Our Lives)
There was no way I could choose between the two. Their beloved Lexie just came back from the dead.
While Theo had some warning, he struggled to keep such a massive secret like that from his father. He didn’t know whether his mother would truly wake up or remember him.
The Carvers don’t get enough airtime, and Abe’s life turned upside down. He still loves Lexie, but he moved on and married Paulina.
He portrayed such emotional scenes when he thought his prayers had been answered, seeing his family together again, yet not wanting to hurt his new wife.
This is bound to become messy because for Abe and Theo, 15 years have passed, but Lexie thinks time stopped.
Nick Baxter (Law & Order)
On Law & Order, ADA Nick Baxter didn’t want to believe that Judge Sullivan (Anthony Edwards) was corrupt, but the judge kept ruling evidence inadmissible when a Navy Admiral was arrested for murder.
Nick tried to confront the judge, only to learn that the judge was jealous of him. When he received proof that Judge Sullivan wanted that case to wreck the department politically, he was ready to make him pay.
Nick hated being forced into a choice that he wasn’t happy with, but Nolan made the best decision for all of them.
Going against a corrupt judge would have cost them all their jobs. While something needed to be done, I hope Nick wins his reelection and takes down these corrupt judges.
The finale showed that he has plans, and the ADA’s office is the perfect place to start.
John Frost (Chicago Med)
The truth is, it’s difficult to even pinpoint a single character who stands out in Chicago Med Season 11 Episode 21.
It’s a strong finale, and certainly the best of One Chicago this season. But if we had to choose just one character who still had us reeling days later, it has to be John Frost.
Frost has had a rough go of it this season, having to face many things, from finally processing the statutory rape from his teen years by a co-star to his parents spending most of his life using him as a money train.
But the finale has him finally facing his father’s death, and sitting by his bedside, watching a man whom he spent the better part of his life loathing, all culminates into a complex moment that left him saying goodbye to his father and finally forgiving him for the pain he’s caused him over the years.
It’s a powerful moment as Frost has to let go of his pain and just simply be there for his father. But it’s the real gutpunch that comes after his father dies, and Frost, still processing it all, tells his mother how much he loves the man — the same man he thought he hated.
It captures the convoluted feelings that we have about those who hurt us, whom we still love, and Darren Barnet delivers a heartfelt performance.
Shari Imani (Chicago PD)
To say that things on Chicago PD Season 13 Episode 21 took a few sad turns would be an understatement.
The finale dives into the ugly reality of what trauma survivors experience and how they can turn out. And it explored the hold that an abuser can have on a person.
Shari was such a complicated character. As a woman who was taken from her family at six and groomed for 28 years, we saw this feral, lost woman with an attachment to Kirby after so many years of being under his influence.
And she participated in her own terrible actions, including murder and nearly killing her own sister in the process.
We saw this woman who couldn’t even remember Imani or her previous life, and then fought the little that was coming to mind for as long as she could. And when she nearly took her own life while in custody, it was devastating.
Shari was a fascinating peek into a trauma survivor and how sometimes, traumas themselves can create “Monsters” out of people like her.
Selin Cuhadaroglu was fantastic at capturing the many layers of this complex character.
Over to you, TV Fanatics. Who is on your list?!
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