Performer Of The Week
■ Joshua Morrow delivered a high-impact depiction of a father’s unwavering love when
Nick tracked down Adam in Kansas and beseeched him to donate his kidney to Faith.
Nick’s desperation to help his daughter coupled with his unmitigated hatred for his brother was a volatile mix. Face to face with Adam in a storm cellar, Morrow played Nick as heated and aggressive in his urgency, and Adam bristled at his demeanor. Nick shifted gears, toning down his vitriol to lay his cards on the table. “I’ll be forever indebted to you,” he pleaded, his genuinely earnest tone taking Adam by surprise. Nick noted that he knew Adam would do anything for his kids, just as he would (“It’s the only thing we have in common — we love being dads”), and finally, Adam agreed to go back to Genoa City with Nick to be tested as a donor. Nick’s relief was short-lived, as the men found their exit blocked by the aftermath of an ill-timed tornado. They worked together to find a way out, and Nick pushed Adam to safety when part of the ceiling collapsed, winding up trapped by heavy debris. He beseeched Adam to take the Newman jet back home without him. “I trust you,” he said, with so much conviction that Adam was unable to dismiss him.
Adam took off, leaving Nick behind, and Morrow’s labored breathing and painful grimaces made it clear that Nick’s injuries were grave. He hallucinated an encounter with Faith, telling her with a note of marvel in his voice, “For the first time in my life, I think I actually believe him.” Still, Nick was shocked when Adam returned to aid him. Morrow locked soulful eyes with his unlikely savior, his voice thick with emotion as he thanked him and clutched his brother’s outstretched hand. Without overplaying the moment, the actor conveyed the intensity of Nick seeing Adam as if through new eyes.
Morrow’s attention to emotional detail brought intensity and passion to these action-packed scenes, but also imbued them with deeper meaning, resulting in a transformative experience for Nick, whose opinion of Adam was forever altered.