Performer of the Month - March 2023 - Results

Below you will find the Top 3 finishers for each side listed out in placement order. All of these graphics will be available on my Twitter account as well as the official SpoilerTV Twitter and Instagram accounts. We are happy for you to share them, but please share them from one of these official sources to ensure you are sharing the best quality version of these graphics. For the highest quality, please click on the slides to enlarge them.

STAFF RESULTS

The performers in the top three spots on the Staff side spent much of the voting period trading places. The battle in the final hours saw Shrinking's Harrison Ford and Chicago PD's Marina Squerciati going neck and neck until the final moments when Ford surged ahead for the win. Patrick John Flueger of Chicago PD took the third slot. Much can be said about Harrison Ford, and much can be said specifically about his acclaimed performance as Dr. Paul Rhoades in Shrinking. What stands out about his work in “Closure” is how well he fits into the show’s ensemble and has the perfect rhythm with each of his co-stars, whether they are other series regulars or just guest actors passing through. He comfortably fills Paul’s shoes, even when Paul is living through difficult moments. And, goodness, Ford has impeccable comedic timing. In the season finale, Paul is alternately awkward, eloquent, generous, chastened, somber, and irritated. Three scenes stand out, for the purpose of keeping this tribute tidy. In the kitchen at work, when Paul approaches Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel) to thank Jimmy reluctantly yet sincerely for his help, Ford instills this quiver in Paul’s voice, this slight slip of control, that reveals more than Paul’s words ever could. Then there’s the way Ford slowly extends his arms, his expression resigned, as he gestures to Jimmy to bring it in for a hug. The moment requires one, but Paul’s not going to get sentimental about it. Ford’s posture in this scene, his tolerant offering, and receiving of the hug pay off more dividends when Paul reacts to Jimmy tattling about the hug. “What kind of person hugs and tells?” And the emphasis Ford puts on what, hugs, and tells just demonstrates mastery of line delivery on another level. Later, Paul shows up to support Gaby (Jessica Williams) at her job interview. Though she already landed the job, he delivers his commendation of her skills and character anyway. Facing Gaby, sitting across from her, and holding the baby version of her larger water bottle that she gifted him, he acknowledges both her immense positive qualities and how he has underappreciated them. The bashful mannerisms Ford inserts in Paul’s interactions with those closest to him and the casual gruffness of Paul’s conversations with Jimmy and Jimmy’s daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell) are set aside here. He keeps it brief and direct, giving his colleague an apologetic glance, as Gaby beams under the well-earned and long-awaited praise. Then takes a long sip from his water bottle, grimaces, and exits. Every Harrison Ford scene in Shrinking is almost too perfect. However, since only one episode’s performance can be nominated at a time, it’s fitting that it be the season finale. Harrison Ford is SpoilerTV's March Staff Choice Performer of the Month.

READER RESULTS

On the Reader's Side, Station 19's Stefania Spampinato jumped out to a big lead early and never looked back. After an initial challenge, Walker's Jared Padelecki secured the second spot. The battle to watch this month was for the third spot. The Way Home's Chyler Leigh and Superman and Lois' Bitsie Tulloch remained locked in a fierce battle, each taking a one-vote lead or tying multiple times during voting. In the final hours, Leigh surged ahead to claim the third spot and became the first performer from a Hallmark show to receive SpoilerTV POTM recognition. Perennial reader favorite Spampinato joins her on-screen castmate and last month's POTM winner in taking home Spoiler TV Reader's Choice award for March. In "Even Better Than the Real Thing,” a lovingly-gifted lasagna both temporarily poisons Dr. Carina DeLuca (Stefania Spampinato) and helps bring her closer to Maya (Danielle Savre), who cares for her wife during the aftermath of Maya’s underbaked gift. One of the last times that Maya and Carina were together at Grey Sloan’s was when Maya hit rock bottom, an outcome that resulted in Carina moving into a hotel. The freshness of this wound is crystal clear on Spampinato’s face when Maya appears with the lasagna in her arms. She pulls her body inward, not quite frozen but certainly not ready to accept Maya’s attempts at mending bridges. She sits in the very center of her chair after Maya leaves, again drawing herself together to fill as little space as possible. Later, Spampinato echoes this self-protective body language when Maya curls up in the bathroom, tucking herself beneath the tissue paper holder and the floor. At first, she is resistant to Maya’s pleas to let her assist Carina. The vulnerability in Spampinato’s voice doesn’t undercut her sharp remarks to Maya but rather punctuates them. When she says that Maya sees her as another checkmark on a list of things to fix, the accusation is actually a question and a hope that Carina’s observation is wrong. A duality of emotion that Spampinato is particularly good at pulling off. When she finally does let Maya help her, there’s clear relief in Carina’s voice and posture. Spampinato somehow fills Carina’s ribbing about Maya’s catastrophic lasagna with tenderness. Even though Carina ultimately sends Maya away, for now, Maya and Carina are not two of the weaker hearts. Some performances stand out as much for what an actor brings from offscreen as what an actor does in the actual scenes shown. Before Carina sends Maya away, she lets Maya hold her, and this time Spampinato’s frame is relaxed. She’s gentle and warm even as Carina separates them, already setting the foundation for a full reconciliation between Carina and Maya down the road. Spampinato’s performance brings all the history between the two women into these scenes, reminding viewers just how well they can care for each other, even when one is caring for the other. It’s no wonder our readers have again chosen Spampinato for recognition. Stefania Spampinato is SpoilerTV's March Reader's Choice Performer of the Month.


Please join us in the comments and on social media in celebrating winners Harrison Ford and Stefania Spampinato as well as the incredible runner-ups. Both winners have secured a place in the 2023 Performer of the Year competition that will take place in January 2024. With this second win, Station 19 joins The Last of Us as shows and performers that are no longer eligible for nomination in 2023, all the runner-ups are still eligible to be nominated in 2023.


Come back to Spoiler TV on Monday, May 1 at 12 pm ET for the start of the April round.