EMMY NOMINATIONS RUNDOWN: The Good, the Obscenely Bad and the belief that the Emmy folks don't actually watch TV

Does the Emmy nominating body actually watch TV? Looking at the 2013 nominations you would be hard pressed to think they do. That or you'd think it was actually 2011. I realize that the Emmy's (as with most awards shows) is a game of politics, silliness and a dash of recognition. But in a year that had breakout performances and some really innovative television the nominations this morning just felt lazy. My rant today will focus almost exclusively on what happened in the drama categories. For a more thoughtful pondering of the nominations I suggest you check out this great piece over at Vulture and for those interested in what went wrong with the comedies, head on over to and read my friend's thoughts at  Nerdy Girl Notes later today where you will get an extensive commentary on how New Girl and Parks and Rec were unceremoniously robbed. Look, I don't even watch New Girl and I am baffled by the complete shutout of their actors. Earlier this week I also shared my personal hopes and wishes for this Emmy season, which you can revisit here. Now it's time to look at what actually happened.

** We interrupt this blog post to say SERIOUSLY? No nomination for Tatiana Maslany?**

Moving on, I am going to start negative and end on a positive, because in spite of my abject anger in some areas, there was good news in the sea of Emmy Nominations.

THE BAD

Most Egregious Snub
Hands down Tatiana Maslany being passed over for even a nomination is just ridiculous. They made room for 7 BEST ACTRESS NOMINATIONS and yet somehow, Maslany wasn't recognized for creating 7 unique characters in one series. Not only should she have been nominated, she should have won. Entertainment Weekly had a great theory stating had Orphan Black been on Netflix or HBO she would have likely been nominated. Regardless it's appalling.

Enough Already
The Emmys have a bad habit of nominating shows past their expiration date. Mad Men had an AWFUL season and that is coming from its most loyal fans. You can recognize actors good work in bad seasons, but to nominate shows (especially when there was a plethora of other shows to chose from) under the theory of 'but we always have' is just insulting. This is the type of move that makes me believe the nominating committee doesn't actually watch television or read the news in their own industry. Mad Men had no business being there over the likes of The Good Wife, The Americans or The Walking Dead.

Period Costumes does not equal Best anything (except maybe best costumes)
Let me start by saying, I love Downton Abbey. Eat it up like candy, but British accents and castles does not a great series make. They had a very uneven season and best drama is a suspect nomination. I would also say Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery were overreach nominations. They both had stellar season 2 performances, but to not have Timothy Olyphant or Matthew Rhys in the lead actor category was a miss in my opinion.

** Speaking of Olyphant and Rhys, I'd like to take a moment to say to the Television Academy that nominating the brilliant Margo Martindale does not offer you a hall pass to snub the lead actors on the shows she's featured on. First Olyphant two years ago with Justified, now The Americans. Just because it's F/X doesn't mean the work isn't stellar. Just sayin'.**

How do you solve a problem like The Game of Thrones
Look, I get it. The show is dark, bloody and gratuitous. It also possesses a cast of thousands making it very difficult to keep all the storylines straight, let alone what actors belong to which House. That said, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's performance transformed a key character in this season's narrative. Jamie Lanister is a long way from the man who threw the young Stark boy out a window in season 1. Coster-Waldau did it with an exquisite honest performance that possessed nuance and strength. To overlook his acting is upsetting. The only thing worse than that is completely missing the boat that was Michelle Fairley. Mainly because there won't be another opportunity to nominate her for the fantastically complex and morally flawed work she did as Lady Stark.

PERHAPS THERE IS HOPE FOR THE ACADEMY YET
I am not all piss and vinegar. There were some nominations and shifts that made me very happy. Here's my list of things that the academy did right this morning.

1) All the love for Louie C.K. was both exciting and refreshing to see. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, Louie is a smart, well conceived and written show. To see him break through big gives me some margin of hope for the future of TV comedy.

2) Julia Louis-Dreyfus surpassed Lucille Ball with her Veep nomination for most ever. Couldn't have happened to a better comedic actress.

3) While I remain singularly irrationally irrate about Tatiana Maslany's absence from the lead actress category. Vera Farmiga and Robin Wright's nominations are solid consolation.

4) The entire slate of nominess for guest actor and actress in a drama: soup to nuts. Are there other people I would have like to see on those lists? Yes. But what makes these two slates great is I don't know who I would bounce out of the category to make room for someone else.

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
The Good Wife • Nathan Lane as Clarke Hayden

The Good Wife • Michael J. Fox as Louis Canning

Homeland • Rupert Friend as Peter Quinn

Mad Men • Robert Morse as Bertram Cooper

Mad Men • Harry Hamlin as Jim Cutler

Scandal • Dan Bucatinsky as James Novack

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
The Americans • Margo Martindale as Claudia

Game Of Thrones • Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell

The Good Wife • Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni

Mad Men • Linda Cardellini as Sylvia Rosen

The Newsroom • Jane Fonda as Leona Lansing

Shameless • Joan Cusack as Sheila Jackson

5) Jeff Daniels nomination makes me happy and I don't even like Newsroom. He's one of those actors that people forget how good he really is because he's been around forever.

6) I am always thrilled when people have the good sense to recognize Margo Martindale's work. She is a treasure and makes anything she is in better by simply showing up.

7) Morena Baccarin and Mandy Patinkin's nominations for truly strong work in Homeland. I had many problems with Homeland's second season, it's acting was not among them.

8) I get a special giddy over the idea of Jason Bateman, Don Cheadle and Matt LeBlanc all sharing space in the same category. That is all.

9) Top of Lake and Elizabeth Moss's great work in it are worth everyone's time. Perhaps the Emmy nods will encourage more people to check it out. If you're a Mad Men fan it will prove just how good an actor Moss truly is.

We all have our pet favorites for TV shows, but I think this covers 90% of my emotional catharsis. I don't watch nearly enough on the comedy side to be too opinionated, but I think I can safely say Modern Family is the Mad Men of comedy. On that note, where does your Emmy anger lie?

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: My memo to the Emmys on my wish list of nominees

Emmy nominations come out later this week and while I will have much to say once we have actual nominees, I thought I would offer my best hopes regarding the 2012-2013 television season when it comes to dramas.

LEAD ACTRESS:  Two words: Tatiana Maslany. That it is all. Yes Claire Danes is terrific on Homeland. Yes Orphan Black was a series that came out of no where. That does not diminish the fact that Maslany's work as a series of clones was the singularly best thing to happen to TV this past season. She deserves not only the nomination, she deserves the statue come September. Along side her I would immediately place Robin Wright in House of Cards. It may not have been a great series, but she was a bright light in it. Her character as the driven and ruthless wife of Kevin Spacey was a relentless and stole every scene she was in. Kevin Spacey and Corey Stoll have gotten a lot of attention, I don't understand how Wright has been left out of the praise.

BEST DRAMA: Two more words: Orphan Black. At a bare minimum the show deserves one of the best drama slots this year. The series is innovative, smartly written and balanced an implausible plot with equal parts sci-fi, thriller and humor. There is nothing else like it on television and it had a near flawless first season. Of the nominees from last year - Homeland, Mad Men and Downton Abbey all had weak seasons. I realize Homeland, Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad are a lock for a nominations, the other two could drop off and take Boardwalk Empire with it. That leaves three slots up for grabs. The new shows that are contenders include The Americans, Newsroom, House of Cards and Scandal. If any of them makes the cut and Orphan Black doesn't there is no justice in the world.

BEST ACTOR: Bryan Cranston has done amazing work in Breaking Bad, that's been reinforced loud and clear with 4 Emmys. Perhaps it is time to take a pause and forgive the fact that Justified airs on a third tier network in F/X. Timothy Olyphant is LONG overdue for his subtle, mesmerizing work at the center of that series. Yes honoring Margo Martindale a couple of years ago was terrific, but there is no reason to put Olyphant on the Kyle Chandler Emmy track and waiting for the series to end to recognize the body of work. Both Kevin Bacon and Jeff Daniels deserve a nod in spite of the hot mess that their shows were.  Daniels was compelling even when he was slogging through Sorkin's overworked dialogue and Bacon made me care about his character in sea of bodies and bloodletting. If I am picking from the crop of oft nominees I am going to vote no to Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall, Steve Buscemi and yes to Bryan Cranston and Damian Lewis (although I suspect Hamm is a lock). Kevin Spacey will round out the nominees not because he was great, but because he's Kevin Spacey.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Game of Thrones may not offer job security, but it should offer up a best supporting actor nomination for Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Jamie had the biggest trajectory shift on Game of Thrones. When you strip away the Red Wedding and look at the performances no one was stronger, not even Peter Dinklage (although he's a lock to be nominated) I would like to see Coster-Waldau joined by Mandy Patinkin, Homeland had a very rough second season however watching Patinkin's scenes you would never know it. He is stellar even when he was given little to work with and his performance in the closing scene of the season set me completely on edge.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: The best supporting actress category is equally jammed packed with strong contenders. Yes, Maggie Smith will get nominated. It is my hope that Mad Men and Good Wife nominees will drop off and make way for some deserving nominees and fresh faces in the category. My lead contender would be Michelle Fairley. As the matriarch of the now decimated House Stark Fairley's work in the Red Wedding was a master class. In my opinion, Fairley has been a standout for the entire series thus far, but now is the time to recognize it. Rounding out this group I think will be deserved nominations for Morena Baccarin and Monica Potter.

Emmy nominations come out on Thursday and I am sure there will be surprises and disappointments among them. For me, if even a fraction of this wish list *cough* Tatiana Maslany *cough* makes it onto ballots I will be a happy fan girl.

SEASON FINALE:Orphan Black - Clones, clones everywhere who do you trust? Answer: Tatiana Maslany

Orphan Black is the best series to show up in 2012-2013 season. When I wrote "Clone War" encouraging people to watch I didn't know the season finale would actually set one in motion. More on that in a minute. Be forewarned this review will eventually provide spoilers because there is no way to talk about this action packed episode without them.

As I touched upon in my prior blog post this show soars on the widespread wings of Tatiana Maslany. Her ability in a ten episode arc to create depth and differentiation between Alison, Cosima, Helena, Sarah and Beth is nothing short of breathtaking. That Rachel has been added to this clone clan in the finale and she has a clear voice in this genetic chorus speaks to Maslany’s expert handling of this complex series. At no point does she short change a performance and each character benefits from Maslany's nuanced physicality. Of all the clones, Alison best represents this fact. She has served as the comic relief among the clones and her scenes with Felix have been priceless. Yet it was her shifting of emotions and actions particularly in the last three episodes that was a revelation, unexpected and completely believable. If I have a criticism of this finale it was the lack of screen time for Felix and Paul, the two men flanking Sarah's life and probably the only people she can really trust. Given how much happened it was a forgivable offense. This season finale did what a great show should. It answered some key questions, drew clear lines of alliance, set up next season's central questions while cleaning house on concepts that weren't fleshed out this season. I would say the biggest question going into next season is whether the creators can maintain this delicate balance of thriller and sci-fi along with the shows kinetic pace. What's most striking about the show is that it is utterly fearless. When I think about the opening scene to the closing episode there is an entire family tree that has emerged and how those tree branches link together still left unresolved. It was a season finale with cliffhangers and while I was left eager for more, I certainly wasn't disappointed with where we landed.

Orphan Black has leaned into its storytelling all season. This final 60 minutes made the prior nine episodes look like they were moving at a snails pace in comparison.

What Worked:

Death was the big winner this episode. The single best decision the show made was to kill Helena. Learning she was Sarah’s twin was an interesting twist, but given all that has happened there was no redeeming her character. She also wasn’t a very good messenger for the anti-science movement that turned her into a psychotic killer. Ultimately her purpose was to propel the other clones together and with that plot need served keeping her would have led to dead end storytelling. The twist of having her pose as Sarah to kill their birth mother Amelia was a great jump from your seat moment. Introducing Rachel Duncan hit just right, giving viewers a proclone working for the establishment with motives no less devious then Helena’s. I am assuming this was to establish key opposition for Sarah in season 2. Alison’s descent to the dark side this episode was completed when she watched Ainsley’s life literally go down the drain. This passive murder reminded viewers about Alison’s violent capabilities. Speaking of Alison, her husband being her monitor was well played. Not until Ainsley was dead was it truly obvious that he was not a red herring.

What Missed:

One thing that Orphan Black barely touched upon was the battle between science (Neolutionists) and anti-science (Prolethians). I assume this battle that resulted in Helena’s serial assassinations of fellow clones will be better explored come season 2. Helena’s death paves the way for them to do so in a clear, fresh manner. Cosima was my biggest disappointment. She discovers two key pieces of information, she’s sick and the clones are all patented property. Yet this storyline fell flat for me. It was important information but felt like it served the larger plot to Cosima’s detriment. And finally once Sarah is released from police custody there is no real purpose to Art and his partner’s pursuit to figure out Sarah’s story. In an episode that had a lot to do I don’t know why they chose to pursue it.

Open Questions to mull for the 11 months until the Season 2 premiere

Kiera – Who took her? Was it Mrs. S working for Rachel? Speaking of Kiera what super human healing power does she have and how does it tie back to being a child of a clone?

Rachel – How is she the only clone in on everything that is happening and apparently running a great deal of it, even beyond Dr. Leekie?

Who is Mrs. S? How does she factor into the cloning?

How was it possible for Sarah to have Kiera and who is Kiera’s father?

Will Alison’s murder open up a violent streak like her fellow clone Helena?

What are the consequences for her signing the disclosure?

What role is Art going to play next season?

How will the Neolutionists vs. Prolethians back history evolve?

Will Cosima survive?

How many clones will show up next season? Is there a parallel study of a set of male clones on the horizon?

The clone war has come. Sadly we will have to wait a year for it to begin.

The Clone War: Why you should be watching Orphan Black.

Saturday marks the second to last episode in what has been a balls to the wall first season for Orphan Black. This episode promises to pick up moments after where we left off last week. It was a moment that made me scream out loud at the TV in a way I hadn't since Teri Bauer was summarily executed by Nina at the end of 24's first season. 

Any show willing to open up the central aspect of their mystery in episode one has confidence in their storytelling and is bound to take you on an unpredictable ride. The show is sharp tongued, moody and often feels like it is flying by the seat of its pants. A sentiment that could easily describe our central character Sarah, an ex-con punk who finds herself in the middle of a shit storm she never saw coming the night she decided to take on her lookalike Beth Child's persona. This is no mere tale of doppelganger gone wrong. The series outlines several mysteries that have a direct line to the core premise that both Sarah and the audience quickly discover. Sarah is one of several clones who are being targeted for murder. To go into more depth than that would take away the pleasure that it is to watch this high octane and addictive series. 

What grounds Orphan Black's outrageous premise is the revelation of a performance given by Tatiana Maslany. Her seamless work weaving between five complex characters is distinct in the nuances of her body carriage and voice inflections that round out the more obvious make up and costuming differences. She hits emotional notes and finds threads that link the myriad of characters in a manner that is fresh and authentic. Her yeoman efforts could easily skirt the line of melodrama given the sheer amount of screen time she has, but Maslany’s shrewd choices make her quiet moments and reaction shots advance the characters substance and often just a joy to watch. Speaking of joy, the supporting cast led by her brother/confidant Felix  (played with scrumptious, scene stealing precision by Jordan Gavaris) round out the carnival cast of unique characters all of whom are not what they seem. The writing is witty at many junctures and is fluid enough to allow the characters to voice the absurdity some of the plot twists have laid out before them. The direction and editing is a cornucopia of styles that include action paced short cuts and stop motion sequences. Often there are patterns in mood, color palate and pacing that accompanies and now on the back end of the season enhances the different personalities of the clones. As a bonus treat for those of us who are Downton Abbey fans you are treated to a wonderful turn by the sinister Vera Bates (actor Maria Doyle Kennedy) in a role that couldn’t be further removed from that character.

All told, Orphan Black is hands down the most original, darkly funny, well cast, intriguing show to hit the small screen this year. Period. It is equal parts mystery, sci-fi and thriller. The type of show that grabs hold of your attention and stimulates more questions when providing answers. Not nearly as obtuse as the mysteries in LOST Orphan Black deftly walks the fine line of plausibility and suspension of disbelief. What you are left with is a crop of characters, half of whom are played by Tatiana Maslany that you are desperate to know more about and understand how they fit into the mosaic of this overarching story. Yes it is a show centered on who these clones are and how they came to be, but to say that is all there is sells this show short.

It is rare that I have no sense of where a show might be heading. Orphan Black has been a wonderful surprise at many points along the way and I have no clue what these final two episodes will hold for our family of clones (by the way, they don't use the 'c' word). What I do know is we have a second season to look forward to and 2014 feels like it's an eternity away.