Fierce and deserving ladies all.
You heard my spiel in the video I posted, and it’s true: once the nominees are set and they (and their “people” and/or the network) pick the one episode for Emmy voters to judge their past year’s performance on, I watch all of them. Yes, ALL. (Nerd alert!)
I figure, if you’re going to be an armchair awards prognosticator, you need to do your homework. Thank goodness for summer travel and all its trains, planes and subways, because that, my friends, is a lot of TV.
So, after watching over six hours of great performances, here are some musings from the Pop gallery:
- Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”: Her series was on fire this past season, and Baranski made a smart pick among many potential episodes: in “The Last Call,” her Diane runs the gamut from finding out about the devastating loss of her partner and best friend, Will, to being a cutthroat boardroom politician as she angrily and unceremoniously unloads a client who’s insensitive to the grief she and the firm are reeling from. It’s a smart, measured and memorable performance.
- Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey”: I had anxiety anticipating rewatching Froggatt’s submission, last season’s second episode where her Anna is horribly and brutally sexually assaulted downstairs while the rest of the Downton family enjoys a performance by an opera star upstairs. The attack scene itself is raw, but the aftermath in Mrs. Hughes’s office where Froggatt powerfully channels the shock, pain and devastation of the experience is gutting. These scenes are in stark contrast to those with the playful and friendly Anna we know and love in the first half of the episode, showing range that could really impress voters.
- Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad”: Gunn went with the one with the knife—”Ozymandias,” the series’ penultimate episode where she unleashes a year of Skyler’s anger on Walt while wielding the sharp kitchen utensil in defense of herself and her children. It’s a fierce performance, ending with her crumbling in the street from the weight of her situation as Walt speeds away with baby Holly. Her scene with Marie in the car wash office is also affective, but the police-taped phone call with Walt is one of those blow-your-hair-back two minutes on an actor’s reel that can push them over the line for the win.
- Lena Heady, “Game of Thrones”: Heady’s Cersei really went through it this season, and no more so than in the Purple Wedding spectacular, “The Lion and the Rose.” Her scenes are powerful and high-impact throughout, with the actress making such strong choices that the character is a force of nature whenever she’s in-frame. The episode calls for everything from stoic regality to icy nastiness and, in the end, being dealt the blow of losing a child and raising up in angry vengeance. Heady lands every note.
- Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”: Oh, Joanie. Consummate “Mad Men” MVP Hendricks gets to showcase her immeasurable talents once again in “The Strategy,” where she impressively navigates Joan’s office and personal personas with an ease and firm commitment to unexpected choices that makes her a real contender. Her scene with Bob when he shakily proposes marriage is flawless, rejecting the offer by acknowledging his closeted homosexuality and vowing to never settle for anything less than real love. Pitch-perfect.
- Maggie Smith, “Downton Abbey”: There’s nothing like a Dame, indeed, and Smith continues to steal every scene she strolls into as matriarch Violet. Opting to submit the season finale, “The London Season,” Smith has some lovely moments and one-line zingers that all land perfectly, but I think she could have won again if she had gone with the two-hour season opener. The scene in that super-sized episode where she comforts a grieving Lady Mary was one of the year’s best. But Smith’s performance is still singular, and the Academy loves her, so don’t necessarily count out the dear Dowager Countess.
The Breakdown: Tough call, as voters could understandably gravitate towards any one of these very varied performances. But I think I’m going to go with Gunn for “Breaking Bad”‘s final season, with Heady and Hendricks hot on her tail.
Do you think the Academy will pull the trigger by ticking Gunn’s name on their ballots? Or is it just that there are so many great ladies going for gold in this category that we’re in for a surprise? Next up: The Supporting Actresses: Comedy Series