‘The Old Man’ Proves That Alia Shawkat Can Do Anything

The Old Man’s latest episode may have solved a major mystery, but this installment of the FX thriller is doing something bigger than its plot. The Old Man’s “III” proves that Alia Shawkat is an incredible dramatic actor we need to take seriously. Spoilers ahead.

Ever since its first moments, The Old Man has been haunted by the voice of Emily, Dan Chase’s (Jeff Bridges) daughter. After two and a half episodes of cryptic phone calls and killer fight scenes, Episode 3 has finally revealed who Emily is: Alia Shawkat’s Angela. That’s right; Chase’s daughter was given a new identity and used that new name to become an FBI agent.

So far, Shawkat has proven to be one of the strongest actors in this series based on her vocal work alone. The Emily calls border on haunting as she switches between chastising Chase, remembering happier moments, and weighing whether or not she can believe her own father. From her end, it’s clear that Emily is carefully choosing her words, a habit that’s clearly been formed by her secretive father. But on Chase’s side, her conversations come across as dreamy near condemnations. Though she may not know all of the details, Emily can nearly always see through her father.

Up until “III” that emotional complexity has been limited to Shawkat’s vocal performance. Her undercover identity, Angela, is that of a hardworking and no nonsense FBI agent. That changes once the FBI puts her on Chase’s case, asking her to search for the father the agency doesn’t realize she has.

Emily only breaks character once. But when she does it’s in a moment that shows off the full extent of Shawkat’s acting prowess. While in a meeting, her mentor Harold Harper (John Lithgow) crassly breaks down why a criminal mastermind like Faraz Hamzad would be interested in tracking down Dan Chase. Basically, one of Hamzad’s wives ran away with Chase, and Harper believes that’s why he wants to find his romantic rival now. Harper accuses Emily’s late mom of sexually using Chase to take her to America. As he he makes a crude joke about Faraz Hamzad needing some “serious smelling salts” to revive Abbey from the dead, Emily curtly tells him to stop it.

She quickly realizes her uncharacteristic mistake. Instead of doubling down, she uses Harper’s attention to argue that whatever was going on between Dan and Abbey must have been more complicated than he thinks. But in that brief moment, you see it. She becomes both a woman defined by fury and a young girl still grieving over her lost mom. That she can communicate so many emotions in seconds before snapping back into her FBI persona is a testament to Shawkat’s acting prowess.

We’ve seen this level of dimension to Shawkat’s performances before. Search Party‘s first four seasons marked Dory’s (Shawkat) transition from insufferable but well-meaning hipster to controlling near sociopath. Season 5 saw her transition even further and becoming an actual cult leader. When she was on trial in Season 3, Dory became one of the least stable and most intimidating characters in this entire show. Search Party may have been filled with stalkers, killers, and eventually zombies, but no one was more terrifying than Dory when she was off the stand, narrowing her eyes as she told her attorney that she heard “pancaked” on that tape instead of “murdered.”

Decades ago, Arrested Development taught us all that Alia Shawkat is a straight up comedic force. It’s time for us to recognize that the main reason why Maeby’s elaborate lies and Dory’s withering glares work aren’t just because of their actor’s delivery. They work because Shawkat can sell anything — comedy, drama, and everything in between.