Characters of the Week: Shrinking, NCIS: Origins & More Bring the Love, the Humanity & One Very Good Boy

Television thrives when it lets characters feel. And when they make us feel!

And this week, some of our favorites took us on deeply emotional journeys that lingered long after the credits rolled.

From the aching, bittersweet reunion on Outlander to the refreshingly honest portrayal of perimenopause on Your Friends & Neighbors, these are the characters who made us feel something this week.

Rachel Hunter & Young Ian – Outlander

I have to put these two together because their story was a shared journey on Outlander, as they headed north to find out if Young Ian’s first wife, Emily, was safe and alive.

Rachel had to deal with the fear many second wives face: whether the first wife’s love had really died out. Their rather modern love story for an 18th-century relationship created conflict in Rachel’s soul.

Was she a bad woman of faith as she struggled with jealousy, one of the seven deadly sins, or was it perfectly human and understandable?

Meanwhile, Young Ian dealt with the fear of finding out that the wife who had cast him out had died. He worried that something had happened to her children, and he wasn’t sure how to handle any of those emotions.

Then, as he found her, they were like two strangers, both growing into far different people than they were when they were together. And you could feel that pain of lost love between them.

Then adding Emily asking Ian and Rachel to take her (and Ian’s) son was the icing on the cake.

The scene brought powerful emotions, with the entire story told on the faces of Ian and Rachel. Disbelief, uncertainty, understanding, and love worked their way through as explanations were made.

This was one of the moments from the book that Outlander either had to get perfect or would have been better skipping, and it exceeded my expectations in every single way.

Bravo, John Bell and Izzy Meikle-Small (and Morgan Holmstrom, who plays Emily), for delivering these bittersweet moments throughout Outlander Season 8 Episode 6. – Alexandria Ingham

Mel Cooper – Your Friends & Neighbors

Mel Cooper is just discovering the joys of perimenopause on Your Friends & Neighbors Season 2 Episode 2.

Aging women have had so little representation on TV overall, but when it comes to discussing anything related to menopause, it’s a ghost town.

Caroline Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, Blanche on Golden Girls, and Samantha on Sex and the City touched on it, and now, decades later, we’re counting on Mel to carry us through.

And, really, who better than Amanda Peet to carry the torch? She makes every character she plays so incredibly human, and Mel is no different.

She’s tossing and turning all night (in a pool of sweat), being asked if she just went for a jog since she was (again) covered in sweat from a hot flash, and feeling embarrassed when telling a friend about her failed attempt to get frisky in the front seat with her latest date.

These things are all incredibly relatable and wildly conducive to storytelling, yet Mel is leading the charge all on her own.

Thankfully, that’s OK. I can’t think of another character on TV who could carry it off better than Mel Cooper.

Her storyline might just open the avenue for other writers to create more characters trying to find their way through this miserable experience. Let’s dream big, ladies! – Carissa Pavlica

Dr. Seth McDale – Will Trent

It was challenging to decide which heroic man to name this week, as Seth, Will, and Ormewood all saved the day in Will Trent Season 4 Episode 14.

However, this was the first time Seth took part in an active crime scene and felt like part of the group. He had the added responsibility of keeping all the patients safe, even as he knew his pregnant wife was in the waiting room trying to help.

There’s tremendous pressure in a hostage situation, and Seth quickly pacified Kevin’s mother, realizing she was right. Her son was having a seizure and needed meds.

Sometimes, listening to a panicked parent is half the battle. The rest was working with Will, through silent communication, to keep her calm so she wouldn’t shoot anyone else.

This is a relatable theme, but seeing Seth throw a few punches towards O’ Cyrus when he came at him, and Will, was priceless. Seth is so stoic, and we’ll remember his heroic side.

We were afraid we would lose Seth in that battle, and we’re relieved he’ll be around to see the birth of his baby girl and save many more lives.

Colette Atkins – The Hunting Party

There are very few serial killers whom I find sympathetic, and Piper Perabo made me feel for Colette Atkins on The Hunting Party Season 2 Episode 9.

I’ve spoken out many times about how being bullied and abused can trigger violence, and Colette was the prime example of the cycle of violence.

Her sister used to lock her in a coffin to torture her, so it made perfect sense that Colette did the same thing to her victims.

She found comfort only in her father. After he died and she still had auditory hallucinations of him, the Pit took that away too, replacing it with a recording they could use to make her compliant.

But after the explosion, that was gone, too, making Colette like a disturbed, lonely little girl again.

Perabo played the role with such complexity that I wanted to reach through my screen and hug Colette.

She needed actual therapy. Sure, she committed crimes, but she wasn’t downright evil. Family trauma caused it. – Laura Nowak

Gaby Evans – Shrinking

In a cast filled with worthy candidates, Gaby gets our kudos for the Season 3 finale, where she traversed an intense arc from surprise to panic to owning the situation like the queen she is.

With all the change happening and collective mentality geared towards moving on this Season, Gaby’s instinct has been to apply the brakes to slow the momentum and regain control.

After Maya’s death, she put everything on hold, questioning all her life choices and her own abilities as a therapist.

On Shrinking Season 3 Episode 11, “And That’s Our Time,” we burst with joy watching her turn Derrick’s secret proposal back on him before he can even ask. And in the most public way possible.

Instead of shirking or even “shrinking” from the big feelings an engagement evokes in her, Gaby leans in with honesty and authenticity, grabs Derrick (and, symbolically, Life) by the proverbial throat, and lays one on him. – Diana Keng

Gary Callahan – NCIS: Origins

He’s a good boy. A very, very good boy!

It was hard not to completely fall in love with NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 14, as the hour delved into one of the most unexpected characters of the series, canine Special Agent Gary Callahan.

While it was harrowing for a bit, the hour treated us to a remarkable and emotionally gratifying tale of this resilient furry friend who brings everything we know and love about NCIS full circle.

The agency as we know it, namely the franchise, doesn’t become everything it is if not for a determined dog who crossed paths with Mike Franks and forged a special bond that lasted a lifetime.

Gary joins NIS first, and it’s through him that Mike Franks even becomes an integral part of the agency after crossing paths with Wheeler.

The entire hour comes together beautifully, highlighting just how invaluable Gary Callahan is as an agent, but more importantly, how special and cherished he is as man’s best friend.

Phoebe – NCIS: Sydney

It isn’t often that NCIS: Sydney comes across a villain who gives the agents a run for their money.

But NCIS: Sydney Season 3 Episode 14 delivered just that with Phoebe, and she’s just twisted enough to leave us wanting more. When will she be returning?

Phoebe’s brilliant, someone who has achieved multiple degrees and was so well-versed in her field of study that she was a revered professor at a high-brow college until she started experimenting on her students.

The Mind Game Queen used every neurolinguistic, programming, and manipulation skill in the book with expert and deadly precision.

But it was seeing her turn those same skills onto JD that made her more fascinating than ever. There are a few people who can rattle him, and she got inside his head in a way that was both revealing and terrifying for him.

Phoebe hovers somewhere on the line of a glorified sociopath who became a weapon by covert agencies until she turned, and it makes you wonder if she ever stood a chance — and if she’ll ever really stop. That ending suggests she won’t.

Rabbit – Chicago PD

Rabbit is such a unique character, and genuine kudos go to the actor Brandon Gill for his full-bodied portrayal of such an anxiety-ridden, high-energy, nervous character.

He’s been memorable since his debut, but he’s especially resonated with viewers because of how deeply he connects with Voight in ways that seem beyond either of them to fully comprehend.

As a sex worker and recovering addict, he’s often found himself in some difficult and worrisome situations, and in that sense, it has always felt like the worst could happen at any time.

But Chicago PD Season 13 Episode 17 reveals a version of Rabbit who is hellbent on protecting the man that he loves, even if it means lying to Voight.

But what’s most interesting is how he’s one of the rare few who sees past Voight’s exterior and reads him so well that it cracks Voight’s guard and gets past all of his defenses.

It’s rare to see someone get under Voight’s skin so much, so when Rabbit turns on him, feeling betrayed, it cuts deep and leaves a lasting impression on both parties, so much so that Voight can’t even book him.

We have to wonder if he’ll ever find his way back to trusting, forgiving, and reading Voight, and if Voight will ever connect with a CI like that ever again.

Over to you, TV Fanatics. Did your faves make this list? Did we miss anyone? Sound off below, share with friends, and keep supporting indie sites like ours!

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