TVLine's Performer Of The Week: Kaitlyn Dever

THE PERFORMER | Kaitlyn Dever

THE SHOW | Apple Cider Vinegar

THE EPISODE | "Tapeworm" (Feb. 6, 2025)

THE PERFORMANCE | Netflix's true-crime docudrama bills itself as "a true story based on a lie," with Dever starring as fraudster Belle Gibson, who built a wellness empire out of a fake cancer diagnosis. That means Dever is not only performing as Belle, but Belle is performing, too — playing the perfectly angelic earth-goddess cancer patient. There are a lot of layers to this, but Dever skillfully nailed each one of those layers, especially in the finale, as Belle's carefully constructed house of cards began to come crashing down.

As the finale opened, Belle was facing hard questions from the press about her health, and Dever hid Belle's mounting worry behind an Instagram-worthy smile as the pressure on her ratcheted up to unbearable levels, Uncut Gems-style. Our own nerves were rattled as Belle scrambled to make excuses while rushing to a funeral — and screaming at a poor car rental employee along the way. As she fended off a mom asking for the money Belle supposedly raised for her cancer-stricken son, Belle plunged her head into an ice chest to cool off, the strain clearly showing on Dever's face. At the funeral, Belle tried to play the part of the supportive friend, but the dead girl's husband scolded her for being a leech, with Dever dissolving in tears as the husband kicked her out. (We'd call them crocodile tears, but the line between fiction and reality was so blurry with Belle, we can't even tell for sure.)

Belle got a second wind as she conjured up an elaborate rebuttal to the fraud claims, with Dever recapturing a bit of Belle's old mojo as she typed. But it was a losing battle, and the hope drained from Dever's face as the harsh reality of Belle's situation began to set in, sobbing as she held her son in her arms. Belle did attempt a comeback, and Dever put up a polished front as Belle sat down for a tell-all TV interview, throwing herself on the mercy of the media... and demanding payment upfront.

To the final frames, Belle Gibson was a villain: a compulsive liar who took advantage of people's sympathies and stubbornly refused to come clean. (Even in that final interview, when asked if she has cancer, the most Belle could say was: "I really, really hope not.") But Dever's nuanced work as Belle reminded us that inside every villain is a human being, as heavily flawed as they may be — and behind every lie, we can see a little sliver of truth.    

Scroll down to see who got Honorable Mention shout-outs this week...

The Pitt's Dr. Trinity Santos is among the most divisive characters currently on TV — she's the medical intern you just love to hate — and Isa Briones has done an exceptional job making us actively dislike her arrogant alter ego. But something happened this week — something we didn't necessarily expect would happen so soon — when the medical drama revealed a dark secret about Santos' past. As she confronted a patient who'd been molesting his teenage daughter, Santos disclosed that she knew men like him — "men you trust, men you look up to. First, it's a kiss on the head, then it's the lips," and then "a friendly massage becomes a hand under your shirt, and then fingers inside you, and it's all our little secret because you love us so f—king much." Yes, Santos was towering over this creep, threatening to come after him if he ever tried anything further on his daughter, but this was also Santos finally letting down her guard down, letting us in, and exposing that she's just as fragile as the rest of us. Briones' quiet-yet-menacing performance went a long way toward humanizing a character who oftentimes has felt reptilian. — Ryan Schwartz

Severance's Helly couldn't be more different from her Outie alter ego Helena, but Britt Lower managed to convincingly inhabit both of them this week. First, she just about chilled our blood as Helena refused to go back inside Lumon, calling the Innies "f—king animals." Then her confusion was heartbreaking when Helly finally reunited with her Lumon friends, only to have them not trust her at all. She pleaded with Mark to believe that she's really her again — and also told him to "stop being a f—king asshole," which was totally Helly of her. In Lower's hands, Helly and Helena really feel like they're played by two different actors, and that's the ultimate compliment we can pay to her Season 2 performance. — D.N.

We single out Tuuli Narkle and Sean Sagar not just because the former's name is fun to say, but because the NCIS: Sydney duo were entertainingly dynamic this week, in a thrilling storyline set aboard an actual 19th-century ship sailing Syndey Harbour. With AFP Constable Evie and NCIS Special Agent DeShawn operating undercover at a pirate-themed wedding, Narkle and Sagar not only flexed their comedic muscles (who can forget "celebrant" Evie launching into "Eternal Flame"?), but also swing into action hero mode once the proverbial seas got rough. Among the current NCIS offerings, the Aussie-based offshoot is the one that is clearly here to have tons of fun, and the bubbly banter between Evie and DeShawn is a huge part of that. We're glad that Evie and DeShawn saved the day, but a part of us is also sad their maritime adventure had to come to an end. — Matt Webb Mitovich

Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!