As you’ve likely already heard, there was more TV than ever in the last decade, prompting terms like “Peak TV” and “The Gilded Age Of TV” (the latter of which is really just another misguided reboot, according to FX boss and coiner of TV-era terms John Landgraf). But even in that cluttered landscape, some talents shone brighter—or at least more consistently—than others. Here are the actors, directors, producer, and composer who made the most of it.
The powerhouse producer: Shonda Rhimes
First, a word or two for the prolific competition: Ryan Murphy and Greg Berlanti each produced a staggering number of shows in the last 10 years, refusing to relegate themselves to any one genre or network/platform. They even have their own shared TV universes: American Horror Story and the Arrowverse, respectively. But as the architect of Shondaland, Shonda Rhimes ushered in a new era of TV viewing, one that saw the spirit of appointment television transform into a commanding presence on social media. Rhimes’ decades-long career had already reached a turning point in 2005 with the debut of Grey’s Anatomy, which is still going strong (yes, really) in 2019. She began the ’10s with one network hit and its spin-off, Private Practice. Then Scandal premiered in 2011, starring Kerry Washington as D.C. “fixer” Olivia Pope, whose bespoke white outfits are nearly as iconic as the raiment of her namesake. Scandal’s ratings peaked in its fourth season, but in 2014, Rhimes added How To Get Away With Murder to her repertoire (and Viola Davis to her repertory). Suddenly, the days of the week had to be overhauled: Thursday was replaced with TGIT (Thank God, It’s Thursday), as three of Rhimes’ series—Scandal, Grey’s, and HTGAWM, all led by women—dominated ABC’s lineup and drove the online discourse.
There are some non-starters and short-lived series, including Off The Map and The Catch, in Rhimes’ rearview mirror, but her influence goes beyond IMDB credits or awards nominations (though they’re certainly a part of it). As a series creator and producer, Rhimes has put Black women and queer people front and center, all while telling topical stories about sexism, racism, politics, and LGBTQ+ issues. That she was able to achieve cultural omnipresence with stories led by women and told through formats that have been maligned—“soapy” is still rarely a compliment—just makes it all the more impressive. Now, as the decade winds down, Rhimes has a $150 million deal with Netflix—which includes the provocative upcoming series about Anna Delvey starring Anna Chlumsky and Julia Garner—a production company and culture site; more seasons of Grey’s Anatomy and its other spin-off, Station 19, on the way; and an untitled Bridgerton series. As far as securing a legacy goes, you can rest assured that Shonda Rhimes has it handled.
The composer: Jeff Russo
Chances are, if you’ve watched a prestige drama in the last 10 years, you’ve been treated to one of Jeff Russo’s deceptively lush musical scores, scores that swell but always find a way to highlight a single instrument, like The Night Of’s mournful cello. The erstwhile guitarist and backup vocalist for the Grammy-nominated band Tonic has been a composing mainstay in Hollywood since 2009, which is also right around the time his collaboration with TV auteur Noah Hawley began. Russo’s compositions have lent greater heft to forgettable fare like The Unusuals and Time After Time, and made the return of Star Trek sound appropriately majestic. His credits also include The Returned, Power, Manhattan, Lucifer, Snowfall, and of course, Fargo, for which he won an Emmy. His oeuvre is as expansive as any programming lineup, covering crime dramas, period pieces, and black comedies.
But unlike opening titles, which began to look more and more alike once Elastic started cranking them out, Russo’s themes and scores continue to evoke feelings specific to the shows’ genres and creators. Over the course of three seasons, Fargo’s theme has subtly changed along with the cast and setting; from orchestral to Teutonic to Russian, without ever losing the slight melancholy of the original film. The characters of Legion are further unmoored by the nerve-shredding strings of Russo’s arrangements, though Maggie Phillips deserves just as much credit for her soundtracks (on this and Fargo). At a time when streamers are being referred to as content mills, Jeff Russo’s music remains one of a kind.
The actor: Jeffrey Wright
Much has been made of the Hollywood A-listers who have flocked to the small screen in the last 10 years, heading up a series or otherwise carving out a niche in a star-studded ensemble. But what’s been just as great a boon for TV is the expanded presence of actors like Jeffrey Wright, who bring great versatility instead of a specific persona. The last decade has seen the Tony-winning actor transform into Boardwalk Empire’s Valentin Narcisse, an amalgam of influential figures in the Harlem Renaissance; Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree in Confirmation; Bernard Lowe, the co-creator and disillusioned soul of Westworld; and most recently, the eponymous O.G. of Madeleine Sackler’s 2018 drama. It is perhaps not as extensive a list of credits as some of Wright’s contemporaries, but the breadth of these portrayals is just as noteworthy. Wright oozed charm and menace on the Steve Buscemi-led HBO period crime drama, only to give a restrained, but determined performance as the counsel for Anita Hill in Confirmation. And as Westworld’s Bernard, the newly awakened host, Wright was able to steal the spotlight from the likes of Sir Anthony Hopkins, all while taking viewers on the journey of discovering his not-so-limited humanity.
But what makes this array of roles most notable is how they represent the actor’s forward-thinking while capturing how the larger narrative is moving forward. In the last 10 years, Wright’s gone from playing Harlem power players to contemporary activists; from parsing an age-old quandary about what defines human nature to a discussion of restorative justice, a conversation whose vocabulary is still being written.
The director: Anthony Hemingway
Though not unique to the 2010s, the idea of the series director certainly seemed to gain traction in the last several years. Game Of Thrones regularly booked directors like David Nutter for back-to-back episodes, while Michelle Maclaren helped develop the visual language of Breaking Bad throughout an 11-episode tenure. That’s all without mentioning Cary Joji Fukunaga taking on directing duties for all of True Detective season one. But we’re not sure anyone covered more ground than Anthony Hemingway, who’s guided us through arch supernatural dramas like True Blood; a chapter of American Horror Story; the misadventures of the Shameless Gallagher family; and the late, great Underground, for which he helmed the stellar “Minty” episode.
Hemingway’s versatility has surely been key to his ongoing success; he’s just as comfortable in the plot-driven world of procedurals like CSI: NY as he is the character-driven one of Orange Is The New Black. But Hemingway has also helped change the way that more politically engaged shows, including Black-led series like Underground, look and move. He helped depict the unflagging spirit of the people of New Orleans on Treme, while also finding the time to highlight the Shakespearean chicanery of Empire. After tackling the Unsolved: The Murders Of Tupac And The Notorious B.I.G. miniseries, Hemingway will return for one of the final episodes of Power. And on American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson, one of the decade’s TV highlights, Hemingway captured both the sensationalism of the crime of the century as well as the drudgery of the criminal justice system (specifically, in the bottle episode, “A Jury In Jail”).
The triple threat: Pamela Adlon
Pamela Adlon has over 200 acting credits, many of them for voice-over roles on King Of The Hill, Phineas And Ferb, and Bob’s Burgers. But in 2016, Adlon ditched the sound booth for the the soundstage as the co-creator, co-writer, lead actor, and eventually, director of Better Things. This exceptional FX dramedy is based on Adlon’s life as a working actor and mother, and all the joys and horrors that come with the territory; rarely has motherhood looked so manageable and impossible at the same time. Sam Fox (Adlon) is a wonderfully flawed matriarch, who struggles to find much time for herself in between raising three kids (Mikey Madison, Hannah Alligood, Olivia Edward), looking after her elderly mother (the inimitable Celia Imrie), and minding the egos of directors on the sets of B-movies. But instead of adding another entry to the “selfless mother” canon, Adlon has made Sam a relatable and enviable presence—someone who worries about her changing body and dwindling romantic prospects but is only too happy to tell so-called “nice guys,” a deadbeat husband, and all other disappointing men to fuck off.
This approach extended to Adlon’s real life when she, along with FX, cut ties with Better Things co-creator and scribe Louis C.K., who admitted to sexual misconduct nearly two years ago. But any concerns that the show would lose any of its visual panache or incisiveness were misplaced; Adlon has always been the heart and soul of the series. Better Things’ plentiful insights are rooted in her experiences, as demonstrated by the third season, which Adlon directed in its entirety, along with writing or co-writing more than half the episodes. Season three was the show’s best, and confirmed Adlon is one of the most talented and versatile creators out there.
101 Comments
Noah Hawley is my TV MVP of the 2010s. Legion and Fargo were/are amazing.
Lots of flash whose lack of substance becomes more apparent the longer they go on.
Ok?Rather uncalled for and also patently untrue but hey, not everyone understands every show, especially when the show is Legion.
*Shrug* Not everyone thinks retro 70s design aesthetics and unnecessary dance routines are cutting edge any more.
I said I liked them, I never claimed they were ‘cutting edge’ at all.
Agree 100%.
I was pleased by Jeff Russo’s inclusion for this reason!
Id put Ramin Djawadi as MVP composer- Person of Interest, Game of Thrones, AND Westworld???
FWIW, I just started watching The Strain over the weekend and he’s got that as well.
Oooooh good call
Yeah I was going to say Djawadi as well. Who the hell is the other guy?! lol
As I read the entry, my mind immediately cried out “But it has to be Ramin Djawaldi. His work epitomizes three qualities that are necessary for a great score – it gives you a real sense of what the program will be, it hints at the values and tone of the work, and it’s simply fantastic music that would resonate with the listener.
Came here to say the exact same thing. Djawadi is by far the breakout star of the TV composing world.
I was thinking it should be Bear Mccreary or Tyler Bates, as much as I am not a huge fan of either, they have done SO much 2010’s peak media…that being said, I’d nominate Cliff Martinez if his only credit was The Knick. That shit was ART, maaaan.
Yeah I was thinking Bear McCreary for sure, he creates really unique sounds that really give those shows texture and distinction. But to be fair, I’ve never seen a tv composer get as much love as Djawadi does from fans. It’s so strange to me that they picked anyone else!
I was surprised to see no mention of BWOW.
Yes. The man’s a modern-day Beethoven. Or is that Hans Zimmer?
Funny you should mention Zimmer- he studied under Hans Zimmer. Or worked for him or something. But HZ was instrumental in his development as a young composer.
How is Vince Gilligan not here though?
Or Bob Odenkirk for that matter?
Or Michael Schur?
not putting Michael Schur on this list lessens its credibility significantly
But they remembered the contractually-obligated plug for Greg Berlanti, who is basically the poster-boy for the adage “quantity == quality” at this point.
Well said.
The concept of this piece is to name a singular MVP, and there’s a high degree of subjectivity with pretty much all the picks. Vince Gilligan had one tremendously good TV show and its spin-off, but I think it’s easily defensible to put the far-more-prolific Shonda Rhimes ahead of him. Michael Schur, on the other hand, is I think at least on par with Rhimes in terms of the quality, quantity and consistency of his output, and he at least seems deserving of an honorable mention. But I still think Rhimes is defensible is the top choice, given how much she shakes up the status quo of straight white guys producing shows led by straight white guys. And she’s also been commercially successful and culturally impactful to a really impressive degree, whereas Parks & Rec, Brooklyn 99 and The Good Place are critical darlings with small-but-loyal fan followings (which happen to overlap heavily with The AV Club community, but not as much with TV culture at large).I would say that Rhimes is the most compelling “MVP” pick on this list. Jeff Russo also seems like a very solid pick, though I’m not too attentive to composers to know whether there’s others that ought to be mentioned. The actor, director and triple threat picks I think are fine, but not especially compelling, and I suspect that if I really spent time dwelling on it, there have to be more impactful alternatives. Tina Fey is one that springs to mind most immediately as a “triple threat” writer/actor/producer. [Edit: Just noticed another comment mentioning Phoebe Waller-Bridge – with which I ab-so-fucking-lutely would agree, no offense intended to Adlon]
Except Michael Schur as a producer has not only created great art (like Shonda has), he has also revolutionized the behind-the-scenes atmosphere, creating balanced and diverse writing rooms, encouraging promotion-from-within initiatives where PAs can end up writing and directing episodes, etc.That he’s a skinny straight white guy shouldn’t count against him, even in today’s “enlightened” critical atmosphere. And I think there’s real value in quality over quantity. Shonda’s definitely the most prolific of the candidates, but I would put Michael Schur’s overall narrative quality at or above hers, and I think between Parks & Recreation, Brooklyn 99, and The Good Place, his products will have more longevity and viral impact. (Then again, there’s Abby’s and Sunnyside, but pobody’s nerfect.)Like you said, it’s incredibly subjective, but personally I found this whole list exceedingly questionable – except for Pamela Adlon, who is at least in the conversation with Waller-Bridge and Fey.
Not to knock Mike Schur, but I get the impression Shonda Rhimes has done that as well.
He straddles 2 decades with Breaking Bad, but there is Better Call Saul which is almost as good, some argue is better
I’d argue better.One of the primary reasons being that Jimmy McGill is a deep character worth emphasizing with despite his flaws. Odenkirk and the writers make me cheer for him even as I know that certain things are going to fall apart to fit in with Breaking Bad.The balance they are striking with the show is amazing.There also aren’t a bunch of idiots idolizing a scumbag lawyer like they did a meth cook. That’s a big plus on the cultural side.
3 decades if you count his X-Files work.
Or Joe?
Or some other guy involved in some show I like?
He’d be competing with Shonda Rhimes in the “powerhouse producer” category and I don’t really know what argument you could make that he’s more deserving than her. By pretty much any objective measure she’s been much more successful and her work more influential.
LOL, “objective measure”. Good one. Now tell me how your same criteria prove Sha Na Na was much more successful and influential than the Velvet Underground.
Can you make an argument for why it should be Vince Gilligan over Shonda Rhimes? Like she’s made more money, reached more viewers, produced more shows, and her shows have been more influential on the medium as a whole than Gilligan’s. What’s your counter argument? He’s not John Cale lol.
Citing sales or viewership figures as indicators of quality is simply imbecilic, generally (unless you want to tell me that, e.g., No Fences is seventeen times better than every single album in Pavement’s catalog, combined, which, feel free, I guess). Comparing the figures for shows carried ON BROADCAST TELEVISION NETWORKS vis-a-vis those on basic cable is frankly so weak that it’s tough for me to take you seriously. Tell you what, I’m going to list the average series Metascores for five hour-long dramas now, three from Rimes (Grey’s, Private Practice and Scandal), and two from Gilligan (BB and BCS), and you tell me if you can figure out which are which, and whether there appears to be a substantive gap in their respective qualities, at least in the minds of professional TV critics:6445876683Ok, go ahead and guess. One of these individuals creates pablum for the masses; the other created a series which is a legitimate contender for THE ne plus ultra of the very medium, and which saw its three best seasons in this decade.
Damm dude, your neckbeard is kind of showing with all this “Vince Gilligan creates art for sophisticated individuals and not pablum for the bleating sheep like Shonda Rhimes” talk. It’s not like Breaking Bad is even all that, I think most critics (critical reviews are the metric you use to assess quality, right?) would put it behind truly revolutionary shows like The Wire or The Sopranos and more competently constructed dramas like Six Feet Under.Besides, I don’t think you’ve made a compelling argument why critical reviews are more important than other metrics like popularity.
I think it’s pretty clear based on these picks, here’s not there for all the white reasons.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the triple threat. Hands down.
I’m not sure Shonda Rhimes’ inversion of the candy analogy is as clever (or as flattering) as she thinks it is. “Hey, I’m no prize. I’m bait!”
She states “I am the candy” as in I am the prize. That tweet is criticising the usage of “lure” as in she isn’t the bait.
Yeah, but in that scenario candy is not the prize, it is the lure. People are the prize. In a story implicitly framing the creators as the ones with value, she digs further into the analogy instead of exploding it, thereby defining herself as a commodity to be exploited. She recontextualizes the story to make herself of secondary value. The headline already implied that she had talent and was desirable for streaming services. Apparently that’s not explicit enough? Or the suggestion that she is motivated by money to offer her services is distasteful, even as she uses her commercial success as proof? What is she even doing? She and other creators are lured by offers. That’s how all this works.
K
I think it works as a play on “I am the one who knocks”, which is a bit ironic given that the lead comment on this thread argues Vince Gilligan should have gotten the MVP that she received.
I suppose, but it only works on a superficial level. It’s pretty bizarre to big yourself up by taking issue with an article that suggests streaming services value you, instead pointing out that ‘Hey, actually, they don’t value my talent, they really they just want me because my brand will make money for them’ (and not in a way that is remotely critical of those motives). Or, she’s taking issue with the notion that talent is attracted with money and creative freedom? Aren’t they? (“BTW I created $2B+ for a corporation, guys!”).
Anyway, enough of this. It just struck me as a strange bit of criticism/posturing/whatever it was meant to be.
I think it’s as simple as what she said, which is that she didn’t like the implication she was “lured” by money to Netflix, like a cartoon character snorting wavy smell lines into the direction of a freshly baked pie. She didn’t go to Netflix because she was chasing money, Netflix offered her money because it was chasing her.
You might even say they lured her.
Besides, I’m not sure what her issue with the word “lure” even is. “Lure” has a definition, and it appears to have been used correctly.
Interesting list, and I absolutely love any time Jeffrey Wright gets the credit he deserves, as that man is fantastic both on- and off-screen.I also love that any time a listicle is published on a site with a comment section, the dweebs come out in droves with their “HOW CAN ___ BE MISS?! ___ IS REAL MVP!!!?!” Like, find something better to do than criticize listicles, goddamn bogans.
Like criticizing comment sections, right?
No, it’s an excellent use of your time. Criticizing a criticizer is a waste of time though, the levels of hypocrisy reach astronomical heights when we play that game.
So now you’re a criticizer criticizing a criticizer of a criticizer criticizing criticizers of a critic.Peak Kinja!
See? When does it end? If you only afforded me my hypocrisy the first time around, I’d only be at hypocrisy factor: ONE, and you’d be angelic in your lack of hypocrisy. Now I don’t recognize what we’ve become.
We’ve become herbs – totally #OnBrand for G/O Media!
Should I start yelling about how “herb” and “boomer” is just as offensive as the n-word?
Listicles are published to generate comments
They’re published to generate views, like all articles on G/O Media, if you asked the overlords.If you ask the writers, they probably wrote it because they see worth in the ranking.If you ask me, as a reader of the site I want to see what the professional writers have to say. I also like seeing people who have something to add in the comments that amount to more than “BAD LIST BECAUSE YOU SHOULD ADD MY FAVOURITE THING”, because that’s the most moronic contribution a person could add, and I couldn’t give two shits what a rando likes unless they can add more than a whiney comment.
Speaking of randos making whiney comments…
Whatever war you’re fighting here, I bet you’re doing a great job about it. Keep fighting the good fight, you’re making the world a greater place!
Considering that this is Danette Chavez’s “TV MVPS…” and not, like the whole A.V. Club’s, I think anyone’s welcome to take whack at her shitty taste.
On top of that, this is isn’t really even a list, is it?
I liked the Unusuals and Time After Time.
I’m rewatching Bones and was pleasantly surprised to see his name in the writing/directing credits in some of the earlier episodes.
Are you referring to Jeff Russo?
I also liked The Unusuals. There are two of us, at least.
Natasha Leggero and Rikki Lindhome should get more love for creating, starring in, and show-running Another PeriodSome other actresses who demonstrated amazing versatility this decade: Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek and 12 Monkeys), Diane Guerrero (Orange is the New Black, Jane the Virgin, Doom Patrol), and Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black)
I think Lindhome and Leggero are the funniest comedy duo running these days, but in terms of defining this decade, I think you could make a better argument for Broad City, which left television in a slightly different place than where it found it. (Tuca & Bertie, for instance, can only happen after Broad City has been successful.)
Ilana Glazer & Abby Jacobson on Broad City were incredible
So many unsung heroes in this post. Poor neglected Hampshire. I hope she finds the love she needs one day.
Also, technically we can count Michael Emerson as being in 3 great roles-Lost finished in 2010, and Evil started a few months ago (and I hear it’s good), but they still count! POI being his main selling point this decade of course.
Yeah that is a good call. Michael Emerson might be even creepier on Evil than he was on Lost, though I don’t like the show as much
Well, it’s hard to beat the other two, to be fair. Especially as it’s a network procedural, comparisons will arise.
Allison Jones?
If there were an MVP for dialogue on a TV show, Justified would win it. I think that Justified is the most entertaining show of this decade.
Walton Goggins also has a strong claim to be the acting MVP given he was in four different hit shows this decade.
Agreed!
Justified had some of the best dialogue of any show, ever.
Nothing against Wright, a fantastic actor, but I feel Stephen Root’s IMDb page is like a list of the great comedy, drama, and animated series of the decade.
Good point! He’s a real MVP and I’m always delighted when he shows up in things (which is frequently!)
Stephen Root is the MVP of the entire television and movie era. I’m willing to go that far.
He’s always great in everything, but he’ll always be Jimmy James to me.
Whoever runs Netflix.
I love me some Jeffrey Wright, but I feel like Shea Wiggum has got to be in the running for MVP based on the sheer number of good shows he’s had supporting parts in. Take a look at his filmography from this decade alone:
The absolute best moment of Vice Principals was when Gamby threw his laptop after gets shocked by the surprise party – and the introduction to Shea Whigham’s go with the flow attitude.
“You broke my computer, Ray!”
Noah Hawley, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, and Damon Lindelof are the creative forces I will remember most from this decade of television/streaming. Walton Goggins and Carrie Coon. Between Archer and Bob’s Burgers, H. Jon Benjamin’s voice work has been both central and essential to this decade of tv.And while I can see why Shonda Rhimes is on the list, she’s never made a show that is anyone is going to care about five years after it’s off the air. She may have a large body of work, but it’s all utterly disposable. I would replace her name with Phoebe Waller Bridge. Twenty years from now, people are still going to be discovering Fleabag and Killing Eve and running to their friends like “omg you have to see this thing!”
And while I can see why Shonda Rhimes is on the list, she’s never made a show that is anyone is going to care about five years after it’s off the air. She may have a large body of work, but it’s all utterly disposable. No. Before Callie came out on Grey’s Anatomy, I had never seen anybody like me on TV before. Loads of queer women are not going to forget that feeling, and I suspect black women will keep a similar feeling about Kerry Washington leading Scandal.
Yeah, wow. I feel like the first commenter in this thread maybe doesn’t have Black friends? People I know will definitely be talking about Shonda Rhimes shows in a few years, way more likely than Fleabag or Killing Eve . I love those shows but they aren’t exactly the talk of my newsfeeds the way Scandal, GA and HtGAwM have been. Shonda Rhimes is HUGE for Black women and created quite a block of entertainment for a group that felt severely underserved before her.
On the other hand, she’s managed to create a show that people still care about 15 years after it started…
International Assassin
Man. If I was making Shonda Rhimes money, I wouldn’t give a rip what the headlines said about me.
Whis the best “that guy of the decade tho? Steven Root is still everywhere, Jim Beaver as well…?
The thing about these kinds of actors is that they perform their parts so convincingly that they don’t really establish their own personality as real-life people. That makes it harder to readily single them out – we remember that the shows they were in fantastic, but we can’t easily connect the dots that the same actor was in all those fantastic shows, because we remember them as a series of totally different characters.
Um, Alison Brie? Was there anyone who appeared more consistently on so many of the most acclaimed series of t he decade?
Carrie Coon.
Ohhhh. Good call.
On the contrary, Season 3 was when Better Things became nearly unwatchable, and it was teetering on the edge before then. I don’t know what’s worse — Sam’s bratty children or her cackling old-lady friends.
Is The Unusuals the new Terriers, where we all love it for a while and then toss it in the dustbin of forgotten dreams of TV shows that could have been?The former was an old golden child of the AVC, but oddly the latter, is still the hallmark of shows that got cancelled before their due date. I watched both, and I find this to be true: Good acting, great cast, good stories, wrong networks.
I feel like Rhymes’ biggest influence was last decade,when Greys Anatomy was still a huge cultural force. Sure, she’s branched out now, but except for Scandal I don’t know that any of her shows have had that kind of cultural cachet.
I also think that saying that Rhymes ushered in an era of appointment television is off the mark. That was a bunch of other shows including LOST, which debuted a little before Greys’. I think that Rhymes has been a lot more important in terms of representation, particularly in getting stories about women out there.
Love Jeffrey Wright.
I can’t believe I only just now realized it, but the only real challenger to Shonda is Ryan Murphy.
I think my TV MVPs of the decade are probably the Impractical Jokers.
Once again proving that my thumb is not on the pulse of what makes a great series…. I adored the first two seasons of BETTER THINGS – hilarious, bittersweet, mature and so very real. But that 3rd season just LOST me. I had to make an effort to finish it out, and immediately afterward rewatched the first 2 seasons just to confirm that I wasn’t misremembering the feeling. (Indeed, it was a joy revisiting them). Aldon is crazy-talented, I hope that the show (if it is returning?) manages to recapture its original spark.