All’s Fair Needs Twice As Much Sarah Paulson

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You’ve probably already seen some buzz about Ryan Murphy’s new Hulu series, All’s Fair. It’s a flashy legal drama focusing on wealthy, attractive female lawyers who handle divorces for other high-profile, affluent women. While the show features over-the-top performances from its stars – Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, and Glenn Close – and sometimes clunky writing, it feels more geared towards short-form video platforms like TikTok than traditional television. However, Sarah Paulson manages to ground the show’s absurdity. She’s captivating in every scene, balancing dramatic flair with a sense of vulnerability. In the first three episodes, though, her character takes a supporting role to the male characters and the central drama. As Elle Woods might say, something doesn’t feel right!

Carrington Lane, played by Paulson, joins the show as a quiet lawyer working at a large, unpleasant law firm with colleagues Allura Grant (Kardashian) and Liberty Ronson (Watts). When Allura and Liberty receive permission from the firm’s only female partner, Dina Standish (Close), to start their own all-female practice, they can only bring one person with them – and they choose experienced investigator Emerald Greene (Nash-Betts). While Carr is a skilled lawyer who was often overshadowed by her more attractive coworkers, she’s also noticeably anxious and has a dramatic reaction to the news, throwing a fit in Dina’s office and damaging valuable antiques while shouting. Dina calmly points out that one of the broken items was a gift from Golda Meir, a line delivered with a mix of humor and sincerity. After that, Carr is largely unseen until the second episode, where she unexpectedly steals the show again with a memorable, aggressive letter and accompanying Edible Arrangement.

Sarah Paulson is a standout in “All’s Fair,” highlighting how much better she is at this kind of over-the-top performance than the rest of the cast. While Nash-Betts is enjoyable and Watts plays it straight, Kardashian doesn’t make much of an impact. Close and Teyana Taylor come closest to matching the energy, but Paulson is on another level. It’s disappointing she only appears briefly in each episode, and that the show’s main conflict isn’t really about a single villain, but rather a broader commentary on men. Paulson and director Ryan Murphy have a strong working relationship, and this role clearly suits her talents. She’s convincingly cruel, captivating, and hilarious, and she’s the only one who can deliver the show’s often-absurd dialogue with real impact. Even a simple line like, “There are rumors about you,” becomes something special with her delivery. In every scene, Paulson fully commits to the show’s bizarre premise while simultaneously appearing like she’s about to burst with energy. She hasn’t been this compelling or uninhibited in a long time. Despite the show receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews, Paulson is giving a full-throttle performance.

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2025-11-06 00:54