I probably should have started this when they were
announced, but on Thursday, I was struck with the amazing idea to watch all the
Emmy nominated episodes for acting. Once
they get nominated, the actor (or agent or network) gets to choose the one episode
that will be sent out for the voters to watch.
Some of them chose poorly. I
watched them all (in the last 84 hours) – even shows I have never seen – and
have ranked them in order of Emmy deservingness. I tried not to be biased to the shows I like,
which is nearly impossible. Thankfully,
some episodes were nominated by co-workers, so it boiled down to about 34 hours
of TV in 3.5 days. I don’t have a lot to
do and I don’t like going outside when it’s hot anyway. Meanwhile, spoilers abound because I can’t
not mention stuff. You have been warned.
BEST
COMEDY ACTRESS:
1. Julia
Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” – episode “Crate” – She’s really funny in this role. I love swearing and thinking everyone’s an
idiot.
2. Taylor Schilling, "Orange is the New Black" - episode "The Chickening" – She was getting starved out and looked awful. Plus, she had a bunch of outburst scenes.
3. Melissa McCarthy, "Mike and Molly" - episode "Mind Over Molly" – I quit this show because it’s hacky and she’s too mean, but she had some good moments in the shrink’s office
4. Lena
Dunham, "Girls" - episode "Beach House" – That green bikini
and having no shame are such foreign concepts to me. Plus, she said, “I’ve been called a
narcissist since I was 3.”
5. Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation" - episode "Recall Vote" – She got depressed and drunk.
6. Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie" -
episode "Super Greens" – Horrible episode choice. She should have picked the one where she
tricked her sponsor into rehab. She
hardly did anything.
BEST COMEDY
ACTOR: This
was a tricky category and my least favorite choices – I don’t watch three of
the shows, and 2 are basically playing themselves.
1. Matt LeBlanc, "Episodes" - episode "Episode 306" – He’s uber-Joey: super dumb, slutty, and unsuccessful but with excessive swearing.
2. Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory" - episode "The Relationship Diremption" – He’s just really good in this role, there’s no way around it.
3. Don Cheadle, "House of Lies" -
episode "Wreckage" – Maybe I’ll watch this now. It does have Jean-Ralphio.
4. Louis
C.K., "Louie" - episode "Model" – Sad sack Louie gets lucky
and actually smiled at the end. He also bombed,
got embarrassed by Seinfeld and fell down.
5. Ricky
Gervais, "Derek" - episode "Episode 2.6" –It’s very weird
and hard to understand. I laughed when
he looked at the camera.
6. William
H. Macy, "Shameless" - episode "Lazarus"- He was barely in
it and didn’t have much to do when he was.
BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Not great choices. I can't wait for Uzo Aduba next year!
1. Kate Mulgrew, "Orange is the New Black" - episode "Tit Punch" – She makes people outcasts even though she was one. I think she just hates blondes.
2. Mayim
Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory" - episode "The Indecision
Amalgamation" – She’s a good foil to Sheldon and feigned interest in video
games.
3. Julie
Bowen, "Modern Family" - episode "The Feud" – She yelled
and was shrill, but also got lice.
4. Anna
Chlumsky, "Veep" - episode "Detroit" – I was going to put
her at #2, but I couldn’t remember anything she did in the episode. I remember Chris Meloni.
5. Allison
Janney, "Mom" - episode "Estrogen and a Hearty Breakfast" –
Horrible laugh track and obvious, just-for-shock jokes. CJ Cregg would be embarrassed.
6. Kate
McKinnon, "Saturday Night Live" - episode "Host: Anna Kendrick"
– I laughed at the German chancellor but this show is too hard to watch and
should not be included in this category.
BEST COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR:
None of these episodes wowed me and I’m really
apathetic to all the choices.
1. Tony Hale, "Veep" - episode "Crate" – Great scene with Julia in the bathroom. I liked how he sat on the couch with her bag listening to her so attentively.
2. Ty Burrell, "Modern Family" - episode "Spring-a-Ding Fling" – He had nice a cross-dressing moment in his parody song. Classic Dunphy.
3. Andre
Braugher, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" - episode "Christmas" –
Monotone and gay, but not amazing.
4. Adam
Driver, "Girls" - episode "Two Plane Rides" – There have
been better episodes with him. He only
had 2 scenes. I liked the one where his
sister visited – I would have picked him to win.
5. Fred Armisen, "Portlandia" - episode "Pull-Out King" – This show is weird and so is Fred Armisen. I did laugh a couple of times, so maybe I’ll keep watching.
6. Jesse
Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family" - episode "Message
Received" – His Dad can’t understand his wedding and he’s mean to
Cam. Seen it.
BEST DRAMA ACTRESS: I
thought I had this one figured out immediately until I watched them again. So much crying in these. I'm fine with any of the top 3 winning.
1. Julianna
Margulies, "The Good Wife" - episode "The Last Call" – I really
didn’t want to watch the Will is dead episode again – thanks a lot!
She did all the stages of grief thing and had a last voicemail from
him. Then she finds out he was mad at
her when he called.
2. Kerry
Washington, "Scandal" - episode "The Fluffer" – She’s a
badass in this show with the world’s most fucked up parents. She could win.
3. Robin
Wright, "House of Cards" - episode "Chapter 26" – She
should have submitted the interview episode.
She was incredible in it and the whole show went downhill after it. She definitely would have won – Bad Decision
Jeans.
4. Claire Danes, "Homeland" - episode "The Star" – I’m just over this show. I hated this season – I won’t even say what happened so other people can watch and be disappointed with me.
5. Lizzy Caplan, "Masters of Sex" - episode "Pilot" – She didn’t do a lot in the first one, admits sex and love aren’t exclusive in the 50’s and jumps right into watching people bang.
6. Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey" - episode "Episode 4.1" – Matthew’s dead, she’s sad and calls her kid an orphan. She manages to be hostile and unsympathetic even as a widow.
BEST DRAMA ACTOR: Heisenberg or Wooderson? What will happen?
1. Bryan
Cranston, "Breaking Bad" - episode "Ozymandias" – This one
goes back to the first cook to show that his evolution into evil genius is
complete. He watched Hank die, turned
Jesse over to the Nazis after telling him about Jane. He got into a knife fight, stole the baby and
did his best to un-implicate Skyler in his crimes. He was busy.
2. Matthew McConaughey, "True Detective" - episode "Form and Void" – I think this was a bad choice. He spent a lot of time holding a gun in a maze. He had one speech at the end, but I liked him his stuff in the interrogation room in earlier episodes.
3. Woody Harrelson, "True Detective" - episode "The Locked Room" – Poor Woody got overshadowed in this show because of MM, but he was good lying to his wife and going ballistic on his mistress’ date.
4. Jon
Hamm, "Mad Men" - episode "The Strategy" – I think he’ll
win next year. This episode made me
angry that Elisabeth Moss and Vincent Kartheiser didn’t get nominated.
5. Kevin
Spacey, "House of Cards" - episode "Chapter 26" – Again,
not the right episode. Things happen but
not enough to showcase how good he is in this role.
6. Jeff Daniels, "The Newsroom" - episode "Election Night, Part 2" – He made one speech about being a Republican and asked Mac to marry him. Not enough to repeat.
BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
1. Anna
Gunn, "Breaking Bad" - episode "Ozymandias" – Tears and
emotions aplenty in this one.
2. Lena
Headey, "Game of Thrones" - episode "The Lion and the Rose"
– She’s so smug and mean to Brienne. She
was better drunk in the battle of the Blackwater though.
3. Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey" - episode "Episode 4.8" – Again, just a complete badass in this role.
4. Christine Baranski, "The Good Wife" - episode "The Last Call" – She’s always good (but never won on this show) and cried a lot over Will.
5. Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey" - episode "Episode 4.2" – Yeah, she got raped but it was in the last 5 minutes and she did her quivering lip crying thing. I think one of the follow up episodes would have been a better choice.
6. Christina
Hendricks, "Mad Men" - episode "The Strategy" – All she did
was rebuff Bob and say that Harry sucks.
We all know that.
BEST DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Extremely hard to choose between the Top 4.
1. Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad" - episode "Confessions" – He got interrogated, bamboozled by Walt (again), kicked Saul’s ass, figured it all out and he cried A LOT!!
2. Josh
Charles, "The Good Wife" - episode "Hitting the Fan" – He was
good and I like him so much better than Chris Noth. He was betrayed, got outraged, threw some
stuff and did dirty lawyer tricks.
3. Peter
Dinklage, "Game of Thrones" - episode "The Laws of Gods and
Men" – He got screwed over big time by almost everyone he knows. You can never truly be friends with spiders
or whores.
4. Mandy
Patinkin, "Homeland" - episode "Gerontion" – Got to love
the Tink. He's always so outraged at everyone's immorality and his beard is almost its own character.
5. Jon Voight, "Ray Donovan" - episode
"Fite Nite" – I might start watching this show, but September will be
here soon. He was way too mean to
Rosanna Arquette and his accent was sketchy.
6. Jim Carter, "Downton Abbey" - episode "Episode 4.1" – He had some nice moments with bitchy Mary, but it’s not flashy enough for this category.
