Characters of the Week: Industry, Landman, Will Trent & More Produce Scintillating, Fierce, and Endearing Standouts

Some of the most fascinating characters took center stage during the best that streaming, broadcast, and cable had to offer.

Industry produced one of the most masterful hours of television featuring none other than Kit Harington’s Sir Henry Muck, while the character shift in Landman’s Rebecca Falcone is still positively buzzing.

Those are just some of the Characters of the Week that kept us talking. Dive into our full listicle below!

Henry Muck (Industry)

If you tuned in to Industry Season 4 Episode 2, you know it was one of the series’ most riveting hours and, for most, a cinematic masterpiece.

But beyond that, Kit Harington (and Marisa Abela) produced mindblowing performance(s).

An hour that centered on Henry Muck’s 40th birthday peeled away the veneer of this privileged British aristocrat, revealing a deep, dark look at his psyche.

It was a raw, unflinching peek into the tragic lifestyle of a manic-depressive as Henry slipped into the grey place — his darkest thoughts pulling him so deep into a depressive episode that he almost doesn’t make it out alive.

Henry is one of those characters that some enjoy, and many don’t, but we got the most human, flawed, complex version of him on the series yet, as he firmly cemented his place in the bastion of masterfully written, complex characters in television’s modern era. – Jasmine Blu

Nahla Ake (Star Trek: Starfleet Academy)

Captain Ake is a 422 year-old Lanthanite Starfleet officer. She embodies the ideals of Starfleet and the Federation.

When the Powers That Be were looking for someone to head the newly relaunched Starfleet Academy, she was the natural choice.

Because she is so long-lived, she remembers how things were before The Burn that ruptured the interstellar existence of Federation planets.

The problem was that she’d resigned her commission 15 years previously over an encounter with a space pirate whose coerced accomplice had a young child. 

In carrying out Starfleet’s “justice,” Ake was forced to separate mother and son, an act she could not forgive herself or Starfleet for.

The only thing that lures her into the Academy’s Chancellor’s seat is the opportunity to save the boy (now a young man with a brilliant, if defiant, mind) and reunite him with his mother (who escaped her imprisonment and is now on the run).

In the role of Chancellor, Ake demonstrates calm, intelligence, humor, and an open-minded flexibility that I suspect will be tested by this class of cadets.

While guiding with a gentle hand, she shows steel and nerve as she stands up to her counterpart at the rival War College. (She’s going to wipe the deck with him, tea and all.) 

As she says in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 Episode 3, the War College can only teach them to fight battles; she wants them to learn how to end wars. 

There’s no one better suited and more willing to give her students not only an education but a vision for their future. – Diana Keng

Lee Coulter (When Calls the Heart)

He has always been an upstanding citizen of Hope Valley, but Kavan Smith gave one of his most layered performances on When Calls the Heart Season 13 Episode 3.

Lee insisted that McGinty started the fire that destroyed Goldie National Park and blew towards Benson Hills. He was so sure of it that he got into a fight with him at the hotel, and Lee usually isn’t a physically aggressive person.

It was refreshing to see that even an upstanding person like Lee had a breaking point when it affected his family.

I loved that Lee realized he had gone too far when Gwendolyn cheered his actions. He didn’t realize how much she looked up to him, so he owned up to his mistakes and reached her at the same time.

He’s always been a girl dad, and it’s been entertaining watching him foster an older girl and negotiate deals. – Laura Nowak

Princess Charis (The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin)

While The Pendragon Cycle was packed with masculinity, Princess Charis won my heart from the beginning. I soaked up any information I received about the Lady of the Lake.

Charis was fierce and loyal, as we saw from the start when she battled bulls in the arena. She would’ve rather died than let them attack her fellow dancers.

Charis demonstrated fierce loyalty to her family and the Atlanteans when she rescued them from destruction, but she was tired.

She yearned for more, both to believe in a real God and to have a soulmate who understood her. Watching her fall in love with Taliesin was so beautiful because they were from different classes and pulled apart, yet their souls brought them together.

Rose Reid showed the emotional conflict Charis felt between true love and family loyalty, and she deserves applause for standing out among the men.

Det. Michael Ormewood (Will Trent)

After months of chemotherapy, Ormewood began feeling useless, and I appreciated that Will Trent Season 4 Episode 3 delved into this emotional aspect of healing.

Ormewood often feels like he has to be Superman to be successful, so it was understandable why he wanted to be back in the field, even if he only sensed danger around Betty.

He felt like he couldn’t pull his weight at the APD or at home with his children. I loved that even Cooper knew how Macho her dad was, and that’s why she insisted on walking Betty as exercise.

He wasn’t fooling anyone, except himself, and the slow chase scene was hilarious, but emphasized that Ormewood needed to accept his progress.

His team and his family were just relieved he was ok.

Celadus (Spartacus: House of Ashur)

Celadus has been, for weeks, one of the most underrated characters in House of Ashur.

Although his heyday in the arena has passed, he has kept virtues rarely seen in gladiators: compassion and objectivity.

He was a good man through and through, which makes his death in Spartacus: House of Ashur Season 1 Episode 8 a tough pill to swallow.

Despite his disappointing fate, Celadus left a son who might change the world if he applies the lessons his father had been trying to teach him with little success. Also, he gave us a performance of a lifetime on his way out. – Denis Kimanthi

John Nolan (The Rookie)

The Rookie Season 8 Episode 3 saw the return of some serious police work, and a reminder of why we fell in love with John Nolan in the first place.

The cat-and-mouse chase that kept LAPD on its toes throughout the episode was less about gunshots and more about psychological drama. And this is where John Nolan truly shined.

It is not every day that he meets someone as inherently evil as Ezra Kane. He handles the situation exceptionally well, maintaining a calm demeanour and saving Ezra’s next target under extreme pressure. 

However, even after he solves the case and the day is saved, we clearly see him being affected by it. It shook his faith in humanity. 

This case also justified his decision to become a TO rather than pursue a detective role. Being a detective would make him lose a part of himself, a part we’ve all grown to love so much. – Sayantan Choudhary

Rebecca Falcone (Landman)

When Rebecca Falcone first appeared on Landman Season 1, she was ornery, overly “woke,” and seemingly in over her head.

Oh, how times have changed. By Landman Season 2 Episode 10, we were rooting for her every step of the way.

Rebecca has enough talent and determination to turn heads wherever she goes, but her age and gender keep people on their toes. They never see her coming until it’s too late.

When Cooper saved Ariana from a sexual assault by brutally beating the man within an inch of his life, he admittedly went too far. The man died, but not due to his injuries. 

Ariana, who once sat opposite Rebecca as the lawyer offered less for her husband’s death than was deserved, knew if anyone could help Cooper, it would be the ferocious attorney.

Rebecca took control of the situation while still on the phone, demanding to be put on speaker as Ariana burst into the room where Cooper was being questioned. Within minutes, Rebecca was there in person, demanding an end to the questioning.

But that’s not all. She also pulled together enough ammunition against the detectives investigating the case to have them on high alert. How would Cooper know to pull punches when one of the detectives shot a suspect 20 times, and he was trained in such areas of “restraint”?

She made mincemeat of those detectives and set things straight well before Tommy got involved. It wasn’t a sure thing, but without her fast action, Cooper could have been in serious trouble.

Rebecca Falcone is the best female character on Landman, and she proved her value in the finale. We cannot wait to see how she helps take CTT Oil Exploration and Cattle to the top in Landman Season 3. – Carissa Pavlica

Dante Torres (Chicago PD)

And with Chicago PD Season 13 Episode 10, Dante Torres’ transformation feels complete.

The hour wraps up the ongoing arc around Morgan’s case, as Torres is finally able to put it to rest and get justice. And it’s a satisfying ordeal for a character who has suffered for so long.

Torres is relentless, and that drive and determination to resolve this case is where a much-needed spark in him truly comes alight.

We see everything he’s evolved from, pulling himself out of a dark spot, and everything he could be, as his investigative skills sharpen, his confidence expands.

And essentially, it feels like the stars align, and he clicks into place as Torres finds purpose, redemption, and, finally, his faith again. – Jasmine

Harry Grant (9-1-1)

Many fans still remember young Harry Grant, the precocious little kid who lovingly picked on his older sister and admired his parents. But Harry’s all grown up now, and we’re seeing his maturation into a dedicated young man with a bright future.

9-1-1 Season 9 Episode 9 finds Harry just about finished with his time at the academy when a near-catastrophic accident leaves him with extra time to think about his decision to jump into firefighting and what the consequences of that choice could mean for the people he loves.

Elijah M. Cooper has truly made Harry Grant his own ever since he joined the series. And he was brilliant throughout this one, as Harry navigated a lot of complicated emotions.

Harry’s heartfelt conversation with his mother was beautiful and a big step for the two of them as they enter this new world where they are now liable to work alongside one another.

Harry joining the 118 at the end of the episode felt like just the beginning of this journey for Harry, and it won’t be easy, but we’re always reminded that Harry is surrounded by people who love him, and that means he’s never truly alone. – Whitney Evans

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