While Seth Rogen’s Matt is technically the protagonist of The Studio, this week’s season finale was a satisfying step in Catherine O’Hara‘s character’s journey. As ousted studio head Patty Leigh, O’Hara began the season a puddle of ratty hair and is ending it center stage, saving the day, and giving a line reading that made me cackle like the wicked witch I am.
Like our previous reigning queen of unusual dialogue delivery, Parker Posey, Catherine the Great O’Hara starred in some of Christopher Guest‘s best mockumentaries, the structure of which requires ensemble casts to create distinct characters and improvise within the outline of the scene.
My personal favorite (theatre kid nerd alert) is Waiting for Guffman, in which Posey has some of her most iconic moments. O’Hara’s deliveries, however, as the (arguably) leading lady in Guest’s character, Corky’s show, are the kind of oft repeated lines theatre kids like myself have been reciting for years. “CORKY! WE LOVE YOU! WE WANT YOU TO LIVE!” is my favorite.
However, this week’s Studio episode has given me the greatest of gifts: a new Catherine O’Hara line reading obsession: “My mother was having one of her spells.”
O’Hara knows how to go big, as she did in Guffman and, of course, as the incomparable Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek. But she also knows how to work in miniature. As Patty, O’Hara assumes the “straight man” role, much like her Schitt’s Creek husband Eugene Levy did—the calm at the center of the storm, the Kermit the Frog, if you will.
The humor of the chaos surrounding the characters in this week’s The Studio finale is amplified by Patty’s calm.
In the episode, “the gang” has successfully obtained their fearless leader, Griffin Mill (played with boss-level physical comedy skills by Bryan Cranston). After a Weekend at Bernie’s-inspired journey to the stage, puppeting their boss, the team has to do a presentation for movie-theater owners in hopes they will promote their upcoming movies. The problems abound: Dave Franco is MIA and then, when he does appear, he’s beaten and bloody (which ends up working for his part in the presentation), and Zoe Kravitz has done so many ‘shrooms she doesn’t know where she ends and her character begins (“WHO IS ZOE?!”).
Zoe Kravitz’s crash out is only funny because of how practically Patty explained to Zoe that she is both her character and herself. When asked to vamp for time, Patty takes the stage and launches into a poorly-remembered speech about seeing her first movie. Spoken with the throw-away subtlety that makes you almost miss it among the tumult backstage, she explains that she was taken to the movie to escape her crying mother. Sounds tragic, and maybe I’m a bad person, but I was dying laughing.
As a treat, here are my other O’Hara line-read obsessions, in no particular order, with categories:
- Best Deep-Cut: “I just need to have my cake in a safe, white place today.” – Six Feet Under
- Best for screaming at everyone you know named Kevin (not at my editor, though): “Kevin!” – Home Alone
- Best to say to your loved ones: “I will go insane and I will take you with me” – Beetlejuice
- Best in the show in which I love everything, all the lines, the whole thing, but if I have to choose one: “David, stop acting like a disgruntled pelican.” – Schitt’s Creek
O’Hara’s subtle humor and empathy really came through in her work this season on The Last of Us, as the town therapist tasked with keeping everyone as mentally well as a person can be during a mushroom-zombie apocalypse. But The Last of Us won’t be giving us any comedic zingers, at least not while I’m still crying over Joel.
The Studio, however, has been top-notch comedy from the beginning, with an ensemble of hilarious core cast members, guest stars, and big-name cameos. Among this plethora of talent, O’Hara stood out without stealing focus.
While O’Hara’s successful performances are due to her talent, focus, and hard work, I’d also like to point out that O’Hara’s face looks to be in more or less it’s natural state and, as such, human emotions play across it, unlike several of her peers who have lifted and botoxed their faces into alien-like masks.
In a year with some of the best comedic lady TV performances…ever (here’s looking at you, Hacks), Catherine O’Hara proves that she’s one of the greats.
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