I actually don't think her acting is over the top.
I think she's doing what she's given and she's fully committed.
I just think again it's what she's been given to do
I think with a decent choreographer and some acting coaching, she'd be amazing.
I also give skaters a bit of a break when it comes to acting, because they aren't playing to the cameras which is how unfortunately most of us see skating but to the arena audience which requires less subtley to come across.
To each their own. I agree to a point, especially re Med's team has not given her the best guidance or programs that can enhance her abilities. As I've said repeatedly, their goal has been to try and make Med seem more mature, especially when she first came on the scene as a young teenager. Such attempts can be overdone. I do think Med could be marvelous as an actress with the right material to work with, and toning down some of her over-studied expressions and faux emotions. That's why I've continually suggested that Med's team should give her
Sunset Boulevard to emote with.
I disagree that Med's expressions are purposely exaggerated in order to help reach the audience in the arena.
Logically, that would make sense in the theater, but not as much in a figure skating arena. It's just Med's 'thing.'
Realistically, Med's expressions can be OTT to the point of histrionics particularly when she's been working with programs that haven't made much sense. Now that they've given her
Anna Karenina, and she's a bit older, some of the anguish fits better. I still feel the sense of 'rush, rush to show what a mature lady she is,' and I think that can be overdone. With
real maturity, Med might be able to come more into her own as a true artist, perhaps in the vein of how Carolina Kostner progressed aesthetically and presentation-wise over the years. But no, it's 'rush rush' to grab that OGM for the Russian teenyboppers. I'd rather see Med as a ballerina or an actress than as a figure skater. Her skating to this point is technically proficient, but it doesn't touch me. Nor does her so-called 'acting' on the ice and her skating come across as seamless like that of past great champions such as Janet Lynn, Lu Chen, and Michelle Kwan. On the positive side, as I mentioned earlier, there are some good moments for Med in her new fp, and I think it is setting her toward a better direction in which her skating can further develop.
I believe that Evgenia's OTT dramatics have played a significant role re her ongoing dominance in this sport, and here's why - she is having a ball! Evgenia goes out there and has fun, she hams it up! At the same time, she is focused, determined and winning because she has tapped into how an athlete can successfully compete and succeed by not succumbing to debilitating anxiety, nervousness, overthinking or over-analyzing the competition, etc. etc.
It is no secret that Evgenia's style is not for everyone, that has been well established, loud and clear, but I think her style has done wonders for her ... and it's working.
Med is probably one of the most relaxed skater's that I can think of. She takes herself seriously, but not too seriously. She has great confidence which can happen in sports when an athlete is sure of themselves, completely at ease and enjoying what they do... and Medvedeva does. The secret to (her) success.
Ummm, mostly I don't agree with you, although of course your last paragraph makes sense. Re the highlighted comments, I seriously doubt Med herself has it that thought out. All along her team has just been trying to make her seem more mature and grownup. We gotta give it to Eteri in terms of her expert planning and strategy, which involves incorporating some American and/or popular themes with Russian aesthetics. The over-dramatic anguished style worked for pushing Lipnitskaya to stardom, and so they tried it on for size with Med too. Med's OTT dramatics have certainly garnered her a lot of attention (a lot of it negative, though there's lots of people who love her for it too). Still, I think more realistically and reasonably that it's Med's rotational skills and the judges' huge scores which have given Med dominance in the sport, not her histrionics. Most of Med's former programs have been cheesy crap with no meaningful depth, and frankly beneath her abilities.
All the point-whoring hands-over head wraps have been mostly distracting and unrelated to anything in Med's music and choreo. I disagree with overstating or romanticizing Med's accomplishments. Of course Med is relaxed and confident, even more than ever since she's been winning consistently and her reputation has soared. The OTT dramatics were used initially IMO, to make her seem more mature. Yes, a sense of confidence and determination has always been part of Med's personality. But the anguished dramatics I don't think she's using to help her relax. It's just part of what helped her team's former young star break through with
Schindler's List, so Med's team decided it was a keeper style. Soon-to-be 18 years of age, Med has a more malleable and expressive face and facility to pull it off. Med is a technically accomplished, determined and hungry Russian figure skater with balls. And that gets you places in this sport, especially when you have gorgeous, doll-like looks to boot.
OTOH, if GG had been able to meld tough competitiveness with her huge talent, Med would not have won her first World championship in 2016. Let's be honest. There might have been more of a closer rivalry going on right about now. But that's figure skating and it is what it is. There's no question that GG was positioned to be the next star the judges would have loved to reward. Med was the up-and-comer coming on strong, winning events and making a name for herself. Yet still, with the wonderful tech skills and backing GG possessed, she could have been the one to prevail at Boston Worlds. It was just not in the cards, and it's nothing to lament either. Winning is something you have to want with desperate passion, but also with steely determination under pressure. Despite Med making a mistake in the sp at 2016 Worlds, she was tough enough to come back strong in the fp, plus she had been gifted with third place in the sp from the judges over a clean Ash Wagner. There's no way Medvedeva was calm and confident about winning it all in Boston in 2016. She was just obviously more determined and she had the talent, buzz/rep and support from the judges to back it up.
Anyway, all this talk and attention (both critical and admiring) is a good thing for Medvedeva. And her team knows that too.
Definitely though, at the Olympics Med will be facing some hungry competitors. It's just a matter of who will be the luckiest and the most determined competitor who doesn't beat themselves.
With more maturity, Med's anguished expressions will naturally gain authenticity. Right now, it's still mostly studied emoting.
Is Casey a boy or a girl? That pic of Casey lounging across several clothes in the closet on pink hangers. 
