The TVLine Performer of the Week: Dominique Fishback
THE PERFORMER | Dominique Fishback
THE SHOW | Prime Video’s Swarm
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THE EPISODE | “Only God Makes Happy Endings” (March 17)
THE PERFORMANCE | We’ve been impressed by Fishback before in supporting roles on The Deuce and The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey… but nothing could’ve prepared us for Dre. In Prime Video’s stunning and surreal horror thriller, Fishback gets a shot at the spotlight and knocks it out of the park, blowing us away with a fascinating portrait of a obsessive fan who gets pushed over the edge and goes off on a deranged killing spree. Fishback was phenomenal throughout the series, but she saved the very best for Swarm‘s final episode, shape-shifting before our eyes to show us yet another layer to Dre.
When we first laid eyes on Fishback in the finale, we almost didn’t recognize her. Dre has cut her hair short and goes by “Tony” now, employing a masculine swagger that allows her to act on the desires she’s repressed for so long. It was a remarkable physical transformation, and Fishback gave Tony a chilled-out ease that Dre never had. She fell for a girl named Rashida, and Fishback was unexpectedly tender as their romance blossomed. Dre’s lingering obsession peeked through at times, though, with Fishback compulsively biting her nails as Dre caught a stray glimpse of a Ni’Jah video. And when Rashida screamed at her for blowing all of her money on Ni’Jah tickets, insulting Dre’s idol in the process, “Tony” faded away, and Dre roared back with a vengeance. Dre ended up strangling Rashida to death, and on Fishback’s tortured face, we could see the two sides of Dre battling for control — with the dark side ultimately, tragically winning out.
We’re still not sure what happened to Dre in the end — the finale ended on a wild fantasy sequence with Dre storming the stage at a Ni’Jah concert and seeing her dead sister Marissa’s face on Ni’Jah’s body — but we are sure that Fishback’s towering performance will stay with us for years to come. Yes, Swarm has warned us about the perils of extreme fandom… but go ahead and sign us up for a lifetime membership in the Dominique Fishback Fan Club.
Scroll down to see who scored Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
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