I did not realize that Steve Zahn is such an incredible actor until this show. His performances in season 2 moved me.

“Solo” Jimmy was such a sad and unexpected character. It was obvious when he first interacted with Juliette he’d been lonely and isolated, but never having read the books I did not realize just how long he’d been in there. He still talked and act like a kid because he never had adult role models to teach him how to be a man. The majority of his life had no friends, no human conversations, not a single hug since he got locked into that vault to be spared from death. Everything about his behavior totally makes sense, even convincing himself he’s someone else. And it made me so sad. I wished I could give him a hug and reassure him while watching him remember his past, and I’m getting tears now just thinking about it. I want to rewatch the whole season just to play his scenes out again. The writing is great, but it’s the actor who landed it.

I looked up Steve Zahn’s acting history and I’m both surprised and not surprised by how much varied work he’s done. I always perceived him as a comedy dude. I don’t think I’ve seen him play anything serious before, but damn, he really played that middle-aged-12-year-old right.