One of the least predictable Emmys in recent years, this year, the
biggest TV awards gave us a few major pleasant surprises, yet GAME OF THRONES predictably
won outstanding drama series. Here are a few highlights and disappointments
from the 71st annual Primetime Emmy Awards
To
begin with, let’s just hail the new queen of comedy: Phoebe Waller-Bridge!
FLEABAG came out with a phenomenal second season this year, and the Television Academy
saw it for its brilliance, and its brutally honest and unapologetic take on being
single and living with some serious baggage. The tragi-comedy took home Emmys
for outstanding writing, directing, and comedy series, as well as lead actress
in a comedy. Waller-Bridge won three of those awards, the first two being for
writing and for lead actress. While accepting the former, she said writing was ‘hard
and painful’, and then when she went up to accept her acting Emmy, acting was ‘hard
and painful’ as well, she said. It was hilarious, and it was exhilarating to
see her fresh energy and her honest simplicity. I really wish there’d be
more of FLEABAG!
 |
| The new queen of comedy, Phoebe Waller-Bridge |
Waller-Bridge
was also presented an award in the limited series category, with fellow Emmy
winner Bill Hader. They made jokes about how limited series were simply shows
that got cancelled after one season, or those that people wouldn’t bear to
watch multiple seasons of. “No one wants to watch seven seasons of CHERNOBYL,”
they said. And that if there were more than one ESCAPE FROM DANNEMORA, that
would be on the Dannemora prison people! It was undoubtedly the funniest presentation
of the evening. And it was such a simple idea, delivered with flair, but you
know, some of the best presentation bits are based on the simplest of ideas.
Other
presentations just didn’t make the mark, especially not the one by Maya Rudolph
and Ike Barinholtz. They did a sketch where they pretended to have just had
LASIK surgery, making them unable to read the teleprompter properly. It might
have been alright—albeit unfunny still—if it was just that. However, when they blurted
out pretend ‘misread’ names while announcing the nominees, owing to their mock inability
to read, I found that rather disrespectful and quite stupid to be honest. I
know that this is an unpopular opinion, considering that many now want Maya Rudolph
to host the Oscars and what-not, but I beg to differ.
Speaking
of disrespect, one extremely harsh dig was made towards Felicity Huffman, who
was recently sentenced to two weeks of imprisonment. The comment was made by
Thomas Lennon who was almost like a stand-in for a host, passing commentary in sports
commentating style. He simply said something to the effect of: …Former Emmy
winners, don’t worry, the two weeks will pass like a breeze. It was in poor
taste, and I say this not because I condone Huffman’s role in the college
admissions scandal, but because she’s been extremely remorseful, and it’s quite
unfortunate what she’s had to go through. Yet, I did enjoy Thomas Lennon’s bits
almost through the entire rest of the show. He even gave us some real
thigh-slappers such as saying that Emmy winner John Oliver was from an ‘underdog
network’. We all know that HBO is anything but that! And he poked fun at Billy
Porter’s hat, which had an extended brim towards the left. Let’s face it, was
rather inconsiderate towards those sitting behind him, and Lennon said just
that—that he felt bad for the person sitting behind Porter on the left. And
then at some point, Lennon spoke about how SUCCESSION was loosely based on
Rupert Murdoch’s family—the very family that had ordered him to do this job.
SUCCESSION
actually won the Emmy for outstanding writing, and it was very well deserved. Among
others who really deserved their Emmys were Peter Dinklage—winning his fourth one
for GAME OF THRONES—and Jodie Comer! Comer was one of the pleasant surprises of
the evening. The frontrunner was her costar Sandra Oh, and most people expected
that if Oh were to not win, it would not to go to KILLING EVE at all. Comer was
genuinely flabbergasted, and even said that she didn’t invite her parents to
attend from Liverpool, because she truly believed that it would not be her
year.
 |
| Jodie Comer was genuinely surprised to win |
Alex
Borstein, who won outstanding supporting actress in a comedy, made a statement
by not apologizing for the criticism she received for not wearing a bra at last
year’s Emmys. But she made a bigger statement about how women need to step out
of line and take a chance to do something for themselves. On the other hand,
Emmy winner for outstanding actress in a limited series, Michelle Williams—for
FOSSE/VERDON—thanked her producers for paying her what she deserved, and for
paying her equally. She then appealed to producers in general to pay their
actresses what the actresses ask for, stating that then those very actresses could
one day thank them giving them what they deserved. She added that the actresses
would then say that they succeeded because of their producers and not in spite
of them. That was the most powerful and the best acceptance speech of the awards.
It’s baffling that ‘equal pay’ is still an issue, and everything needs to be
said and done to rectify what’s wrong.
 |
| Michelle Williams gave the best speech of the awards |
Other
surprises included VEEP—and Julia Louis-Dreyfus—losing out at its final Emmys,
but then FLEABAG was probably unbeatable. VEEP did get a mini send-off though,
via a presentation made by the whole cast—something that even GAME OF THRONES
got. In that spirit, it was nice to see that the show paid tribute to all the
shows that have ended this last year, in a special audio-visual. Shows such as
THE BIG BANG THEORY, JANE THE VIRGIN, and BROAD CITY got a brief farewell, but
a few others were missing. For example, I don’t think I saw ELEMENTARY there,
and that’s sad, considering that even the far inferior GOTHAM got the opening
clip in the presentation. Overall though, it’s a good idea and it’s a nice way
to say goodbye especially to shows that used to win Emmys, but not so much towards
the end of their run. BIG BANG was an example of that this year. Hopefully this
bit becomes a recurring feature. Stellar Emmy winners such as HOMELAND and
MODERN FAMILY—both of which are ending this new TV season—will deserve a lot
more than that in terms of a farewell though.
 |
| The cast of VEEP |
But
that’s next year. For now, take a look at the winners of the 2019 Emmys—a show
that was quite pleasantly surprising even if it wasn’t an entertainer through
and through.
 |
| GAME OF THRONES won outstanding drama series |
Here’s a complete list of last night’s winners
from the drama, comedy and limited series/TV movie categories:
DRAMA
Outstanding Drama Series
BETTER CALL SAUL
BODYGUARD
GAME
OF THRONES
KILLING EVE
OZARK
POSE
SUCCESSION
THIS IS US
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emilia Clarke (GAME OF THRONES)
Robin Wright (HOUSE OF CARDS)
Viola Davis (HOW TO GET AWAY
WITH MURDER)
Sandra
Oh (KILLING EVE)
Jodie Comer (KILLING EVE)
Mandy Moore (THIS IS US)
Laura Linney (OZARK)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Bob
Odenkirk (BETTER CALL SAUL)
Kit Harington (GAME OF THRONES)
Jason Bateman (OZARK)
Sterling K. Brown (THIS IS US)
Milo Ventimiglia (THIS IS US)
Billy Porter (POSE)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Lena Headey (GAME OF THRONES)
Gwendoline Christie (GAME OF
THRONES)
Sophie Turner (GAME OF THRONES)
Maisie Williams (GAME OF
THRONES)
Fiona
Shaw (KILLING EVE)
Julia Garner (OZARK)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks (BETTER CALL
SAUL)
Giancarlo Esposito (BETTER
CALL SAUL)
Alfie Allen (GAME OF THRONES)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (GAME OF
THRONES)
Peter
Dinklage (GAME OF THRONES)
Michael Kelly (HOUSE OF CARDS)
Chris Sullivan (THIS IS US)
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
GAME OF THRONES “The Last Of
The Starks”
GAME
OF THRONES “The Long Night”
GAME OF THRONES “The Iron
Throne”
KILLING EVE “Desperate Times”
OZARK “Reparations”
SUCCESSION “Celebration”
THE HANDMAID’S TALE “Holly”
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
BETTER CALL SAUL “Winner”
BODYGUARD “Episode 1”
GAME OF THRONES “The Iron
Throne”
KILLING EVE “Nice And Neat”
SUCCESSION
“Nobody Is Ever Missing”
THE HANDMAID’S TALE “Holly”
COMEDY
Outstanding Comedy Series
BARRY
FLEABAG
RUSSIAN DOLL
SCHITT’S CREEK
THE GOOD PLACE
THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
VEEP
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate (DEAD TO
ME)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (FLEABAG)
Catherine O’Hara (SCHITT’S
CREEK)
Natasha Lyonne (RUSSIAN DOLL)
Rachel Brosnahan (THE MARVELOUS
MRS. MAISEL)
Julia
Louis-Dreyfus (VEEP)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Bill Hader (BARRY)
Don Cheadle (BLACK MONDAY)
Anthony Anderson (BLACK-ISH)
Eugene Levy (SCHITT’S CREEK)
Ted Danson (THE GOOD PLACE)
Michael
Douglas (THE KOMINSKY METHOD)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Sarah Goldberg (BARRY)
Sian Clifford (FLEABAG)
Olivia
Colman (FLEABAG)
Betty Gilpin (GLOW)
Marin Hinkle (THE MARVELOUS
MRS. MAISEL)
Kate McKinnon (SATURDAY NIGHT
LIVE)
Alex Borstein (THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL)
Anna Chlumsky (VEEP)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Henry Winkler (BARRY)
Anthony Carrigan (BARRY)
Stephen Root (BARRY)
Tony Hale (VEEP)
Tony
Shalhoub (THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL)
Alan Arkin (THE KOMINSKY
METHOD)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
BARRY “The Audition”
BARRY “ronny/lily”
FLEABAG “Episode 1”
THE BIG BANG THEORY “Stockholm
Syndrome”
THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL “All
Alone”
THE
MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL “We’re Going To The Catskills!”
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
BARRY “ronny/lily”
FLEABAG
“Episode 1”
PEN15 “Anna Ishii-Peters”
RUSSIAN DOLL “Nothing In This
World Is Easy”
RUSSIAN DOLL “A Warm Body”
THE GOOD PLACE “Janet(s)”
VEEP “Veep”
LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
Outstanding Limited Series
CHERNOBYL
ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA
FOSSE/VERDON
SHARP OBJECTS
WHEN
THEY SEE US
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series
Amy Adams (SHARP OBJECTS)
Patricia
Arquette (ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA)
Michelle Williams (FOSSE/VERDON)
Joey King (THE ACT)
Aunjanue Ellis (WHEN THEY SEE
US)
Niecy Nash (WHEN THEY SEE US)
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series
Mahershala Ali (TRUE DETECTIVE)
Hugh Grant (A VERY ENGLISH
SCANDAL)
Benicio del Toro (ESCAPE AT
DANNEMORA)
Sam Rockwell (FOSSE/VERDON)
Jared Harris (CHERNOBYL)
Jharrel
Jerome (WHEN THEY SEE US)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series
Emily Watson (CHERNOBYL)
Patricia
Clarkson (SHARP OBJECTS)
Marsha Stephanie Blake (WHEN
THEY SEE US)
Vera Farmiga (WHEN THEY SEE US)
Patricia Arquette (THE ACT)
Margaret Qualley (FOSSE/VERDON)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series
Ben Whishaw (A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL)
Stellan Skarsgard (CHERNOBYL)
Paul Dano (ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA)
John Leguizamo (WHEN THEY SEE
US)
Michael K. Williams (WHEN THEY
SEE US)
Asante
Blackk (WHEN THEY SEE US)
Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL
CHERNOBYL
ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA
FOSSE/VERDON “Glory”
FOSSE/VERDON “Who’s Got The
Pain”
WHEN THEY SEE US
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL
CHERNOBYL
ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA “Episode 6”
ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA “Episode 7”
FOSSE/VERDON “Providence”
WHEN
THEY SEE US “Part Four”
Outstanding Television Movie
Bandersnatch (BLACK
MIRROR)
Brexit
King Lear
My Dinner with Hervé
No comments:
Post a Comment