Soap Opera Digest
March 26, 2002
Performer of the Week

Lindsay looks the part of a hip, with-it mama: Sharp haircut, flawless makeup, smart clothes. But thanks to Catherine Hickland, appearances are deceiving: No one is less together (or possibly less sane) than the former Mrs. Rappaport.

Lindsay goes from zero to 60 and back again in seconds. After the past week of watching her learn that fiancé Troy had faked every caress in order to extract a confession about what she'd done to Nora (of all people), collapse in despair and rise up again to attack her tormentor, sobbing, "I had no choice. You made me do it," well, we're exhausted. That's Lindsay in a nutshell, and thanks to Hickland's monumentally energetic, heart-wringing performance, it was quite a ride to be on.

While Troy gloried in the extent of his deception, Lindsay stood her ground and took it, hitching her breaths, ignoring the mascara-hued tears staining her cheeks, flinching at his insults--eliciting, of all things, empathy. And with these small gestures, Hickland revealed her character's fragility. For a moment, Lindsay looked as if she might break in half, weak with the realization that she'd been duped and dumped--barely able to lift an arm.

But she rallied: Troy mentioned Nora, her trigger word, and in moments he'd been served with a crowbar to the head. "For the first time in my life, I thought that somebody really loved me back. But it was a lie…and the whole time, you were in love with her," growled Lindsay--whom no on should underestimate. The same goes for the actress: With performances like this, Hickland is a force to be reckoned with.