THE PERFORMER | Sarah Paulson
THE SHOW | Hulu’s “All’s Fair”
THE EPISODE | “This Is Me Trying” (Nov. 18, 2025)
THE PERFORMANCE | In its first four episodes, “All’s Fair” established Paulson’s Carrington Lane as a hilarious nuisance, a side character who existed solely to drop nasty one-liners and to provide the show’s leading lawyers with a common, low-stakes enemy. But all that changed in Episode 5, which not only put Paulson in the spotlight but also put her character under a microscope, resulting in the type of heartbreaking, hysterical and fully realized performance that both the viewers and Paulson deserve.
Let’s start light: While there’s nothing inherently funny about drinking and driving, we could watch Carr fail a sobriety test all day, especially if it begins with Paulson singing “Edge of Seventeen” (a shout-out to her “American Horror Story: Coven” co-star Stevie Nicks!) while swerving all over the road. Watching her play the calculated character in a moment of overconfidence and self-unawareness was thoroughly entertaining, even if Officer What’s-His-Name appeared less than amused during Carr’s breathalyzer test.
And that was merely the cherry on top of Carr’s previous encounter with Chase, in which she stripped him down, washed his hair, and roasted his personality, all while delicately dodging his aggressive advances. It was the very definition of a “what is even happening here?” scene, but Paulson’s layered performance kept us happily guessing — and frankly a little disappointed when their evening finally came to an end.
Now for the more serious moments: Episode 5 peeled back the curtain of Carr’s private life, particularly her unconventional relationship with her daughter Amabel (Juliette Mae Diamond). You could feel how desperately Carr wanted to be a good mother, if only she could get out of her own way. One particularly stunning scene involved Amabel expressing how Carr’s cutting affected her as a kid, presented through the lens of Carr helping her write a compelling prep-school admissions essay about perseverance. Processing genuine emotion under the guise of crafting a well-worded argument is an extremely Carr thing to do, and Paulson juggled the duality of the situation with tremendous grace.
Another particularly powerful scene came when Carr paid a visit to Amabel’s father Sebastian (Jason Butler Harner), who was none too pleased to find his hurricane of an ex back on his doorstep. As they rehashed their messy history, including their marriage of mutual convenience, you could feel Carr fighting the urge to unravel until she ultimately surrendered to her truth — that she needs help. We also got some really terrific, understated moments between Paulson and Lorraine Toussaint as Alberta Dome, the first person to recognize Carr’s need for a helping hand.
Scroll down to see who got Honorable Mention shout-outs this week…
This story originally appeared on TVLine
