Fresh off the fabulous seasonal finale of ‘The Gilded Age’, Ashlie Atkinson earns this Dazzler of the Day for her marvelous portrayal of the maddening Mrs. Fish. Atkinson has somehow taken this charmless character and made her an icon of the current season, especially that glorious ending in the Academy, where her literally pointing out of people leaving was the final crushing blow to Mrs. Astor and all that she represented.
The first few times we glimpsed Mrs. Fish in season one, I found her entirely abhorrent – and to see her odious comments turned on Mrs. Astor was the culmination of two years watching and rooting for Bertha. Credit must go to Atkinson’s dismissive smirks and scintillating side-eye for crafting a character audiences have loved to loathe, then come to enjoy for all her transparent poses. A woman who said the silent parts out loud at such an age was often maligned, and perhaps that’s why she resonates so strongly now. Atkinson has won a rabid and loyal fandom not only for her work on ‘The Gilded Age’ but also films as varied as ‘Another Gay Movie’, ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, ‘Juanita’, and ‘BlacKkKlansman’, in addition to appearances on ‘Happy!’, ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’, and ‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’.
