Deola’s Corner: The 67th Emmys

So Last Sunday was the Emmys, the 67th Primetime Emmys. The Emmys are the biggest night in Television; simply put, they are the Oscars of television. This is going be a basic recap / review / commentary of the show, starting with what I thought of Andy Samberg as a host, down to what I thought about the winners of the night.

Andy Samberg did a pretty solid job as a host. His opening musical number was very Neil Patrick Harris-y. It was well thought out, sung and choreographed, not to mention pretty damn funny. Unfortunately his opening monologue wasn’t as smooth. There were a few laughs here and there, and it was obvious that he was nervous and a little bit overwhelmed by the occasion. Whoever wrote the jokes let him down, as they seemed a bit predictable and repetitive (I mean the Bill Cosby joke is a bit been-here-done-that), and his delivery and timing weren’t as solid as they should have been. All in all, a solid job but nothing exemplary.

Rating: B minus

Now to the main gist: the winners of the night…

Best Drama: Winner – Game of Thrones

Nominees: Orange is the new Black, Mad Men, Downton Abbey, Homeland, House of Cards, Better Call Saul

Now I must confess to only watching four of the seven nominated shows this season – GOT, Downton, OITNB, and HOC, and frankly, none of the four shows had exemplary seasons. In the case of House of Cards and OITNB, this was actually their weakest seasons, so no qualms on them missing out. I am a huge fan of GOT, but truthfully, this past season wasn’t the show’s best. It took way too long to get going (although it was pretty glorious when it finally did), and some parts of the story fell flat. (*side-eyes the Sand Snakes, Dorne and Arya storylines*) Although, after losing out to Breaking Bad for years, I guess it was time for them to finally get the win. I just wish it was more deserved.

Lead Actress in a Drama: Winner – Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder)

Nominees: Claire Danes (Homeland), Taraji P Henson (Empire), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), Robin Wright (House of Cards)

First off, I love House of Cards, but Robin Wright had no business being nominated this year. Where was Penny Dreadful’s Eva Green, or Bate’s Motel’s Vera Farmiga, or even Outlander’s Caitriona Balfe? Having said that, it was time for life to be breathed into this category and thankfully, the Academy finally honoured superwoman Tatiana Maslany with a nomination (she really is incredible, I can’t even describe it); as such, I would have been happy with a win for either her, Taraji or Viola. Viola took home the statue, which was completely deserved. While at certain times during the HTGAWM season, it can be said that she was guilty of over-acting or chewing scenery, it doesn’t take away from what was a powerhouse performance in her show’s freshman season. And that acceptance speech? *APPLAUSE*

Lead Actor in a Drama: Winner – Jon Hamm (Mad Men)

Nominees: Kyle Chandlers (Bloodline), Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)

This was a shoo-in for Jon Hamm. This was mostly a sentimental win for the Mad Men actor. After being nominated seven times (and losing six times), and with this being Mad Men’s final season, it was a pretty easy guess as to who the Academy would go for this time. Not to say it wasn’t deserved, it was just obviously a sentimental win.

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama: Winner – Uzo Aduba (Orange Is The New Black)

Nominees: Joanne Froggart (Downton Abbey), Lena Headey (Game of Thrones), Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), Christine Baranski (The Good Wife), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)

This is a category I know all too much about. Now I love me some Orange is the New Black, and some Crazy Eyes, but no, Uzo Aduba shouldn’t have won for this past season. Literally any of the other actresses here are more deserving winners. Not that it was Aduba’s fault; following her wonderful work in Season 2 (which she won an Emmy for, albeit in the Guest Actress Comedy category), she wasn’t given any worthy material in the third season to showcase herself. This was her weakest season and Lena Headey of Game of Thrones had far meatier work and would have been a far more deserving winner.

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama: Winner – Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)

Nominees: Jonathan Banks (Better Call Saul), Ben Mendelsohn (Bloodline), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey), Michael Kelly (House of Cards), Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)

With the exception of Alan Cumming, who shouldn’t have been nominated in the first place, all the other nominees in this category had far stronger seasons then Peter Dinklage. Now Dinklage does phenomenal work on GOT as the fan favourite, Tyrion Lannister, but he didn’t have anything Emmy worthy to do this season. Now the season he should have won for was the last season, where he put in jaw-dropping work, after he was accused of the murder of Joffrey Baratheon-Lannister. Jim Carter and especially Ben Mendelsohn were more deserving in this category.

Guest Actress in a Drama: Winner – Margo Martindale (The Americans)

Nominees: Dianna Rigg (Game of Thrones), Rachel Brosnan (House of Cards), Allison Janey (Masters of Sex), Khandi Alexander (Scandal), Cicely Tyson (How To Get Away With Murder)

Sigh. I don’t watch The Americans; been meaning to get into it, but anyone who watched Cicely Tyson’s turn as Annalise’s mother on Murder last season would know that this shouldn’t have been a contest. When someone announces their arrival by delivering a line like, “Don’t you know a VIP when you see one, your boss came out of my V and her Daddy’s P”, without making it sound cheesy or campy, you don’t ask questions. You simply give them an EMMY! Fans of The Americans think Martindale was even the wrong guest actress from the show to nominate; so you can imagine.

The rest of the categories had no qualms with Yours Truly. I was glad that Veep finally broke Modern Family’s five-year winning streak for Outstanding Comedy. Julia Louis-Dreyfus won for Best Actress in a Comedy, as did Jeffrey Tambor for his already Golden Globe winning turn as a Trans woman in the ‘comedy’, Transparent, in the men’s category. So no surprise there or complaints.

All in all, it was a great year for TV, and as we usher in a new fall TV season, I can see our internet service providers smiling with glee as all our mobile data burns uncontrollably.

Written by Deola