In ‘Love Story,’ Emmy-Worthy Grace Gummer proves that Meryl Streep’s Acting Bloodline is strong.

For Grace Gummer, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

FX’s anthology drama “Love Story” may be related to the folklore of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, and their tragic death in July 1999. But at the end of its nine episodes, it is Grace Gummer’s stoic and revealing transformation as Caroline, Kennedy, who soothes John’s heart. calls its most passionate actor worthy of an Emmy.

When your mother is Meryl Streep, maybe we shouldn’t expect anything.

Streep’s career is an industry legend. Three Academy Awards, eight Golden Globes, four Primetime Emmys, and even a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He holds the record for the most Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards of any actor in history – 21 and 34, respectively – in a career that spans more than 64 films and 18 television projects (and counting). Gummer, 39, may not have inherited her mother’s name in Hollywood, but she’s finding herself. And in “Love Story,” he shows that certain bloods are completely different.

Gummer’s Caroline is a woman who is forever created in public and broken in private. He carries the weight of American royalty without letting it get him down. It’s a performance of great morals and demeanor, two qualities that are often valued in TV awards debates.

One of the most devastating events and events of “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette” ends with a conversation between two mourning women, in the apartment that once held the promise of a family. Constance Zimmer’s Ann Freeman – Carolyn’s mother – confronts Gummer’s Caroline and delivers a cutting line. He said he doesn’t know who it was, and now that person will live forever.

Gummer doesn’t flinch and just takes a sip, before replying: “The only thing he’ll be remembered for is what he could have been.” In less than 30 words, he sums up Kennedy’s decades of suffering, the burden of promises cut short, and the special loneliness of mourning when everyone sees a “legend.”

Ironically, the matriarchs of “Love Story” together form the emotional framework, and the series is at its best when it doesn’t focus on them.

Zimmer’s transition to that area deserves its own attention. She brings a mother’s heartache to a character who is very much on the fringes of the series. This is a testament to what a good actor can achieve with limited screen time. Likewise, veteran actress Jessica Harper brings dignity to Ethel Kennedy, and Naomi Watts commands every scene she plays as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis with a poignant portrayal of the famous widow. All the women could see their name appear on the Emmy nomination list.

Series creator Connor Hines, who wrote the finale, and director Anthony Hemingway resist the urge to destroy the danger itself (Thank God). Their final moments are delivered when Kennedy appears to be losing control of the plane, and Carolyn offers encouragement with a simple line, “John, just breathe.” That, in itself, becomes the most beautiful and heartfelt show of the couple because of the commitment of Sarah Pidgeon and Paul Anthony Kelly.

“Love Story” is the fifth installment in Ryan Murphy’s American Story franchise. His record on the Emmy circuit has been consistent, starting with “The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story,” which took home nine Emmy Awards and made it clear what true crime could achieve on television. This exit can be equally welcomed depending on how the competition is moving.

The Emmy nomination for supporting actress (limited) will be filled (It’s always like that). But Gummer has delivered something extraordinary with a performance so carefully controlled that its impact can sneak up on you, and by the time you hear it, it has changed the way you perceive the character. That was his mother’s gift, but now it’s his.

Television Academy, do that, because apparently Grace Gummer is.