There are a lot of things people can say about the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. With all of those individual memoriam segments thrown in, sad would be one of them. This time around, unpredictable is not a thought on anyone’s mind. Sure there were some winners people could have seen coming by a mile, but there were enough shocking upsets that left people screaming “What!” at the top of their lungs repeatedly. As Neil Patrick Harris himself said, no one was winning their Emmy pool that night. I for one only accurately predicted 3 wins last night, and I earlier this year won $140 after successfully guessing all but two Academy Award wins. That being said lets dive right into my reactions to this latest award ceremony!
The Opening Segment
The entire opener last night was full of both hits and misses. It started off with our illustrious host trying to watch an entire year’s worth of television in one go. The entire set up was extremely creative and I really enjoyed it. If only the goodness continued once NPH actually got onto the stage. It was cool watching the previous hosts come up and bicker about who is better, but it just felt like it wanted to be so much more than it really was. All the people up on stage are hilarious in their own right, but together it just didn’t mesh that well. Kevin Spacey’s monologue in Frank Underwood fashion was spectacular though, and we were able to end on a high note with the always hilarious duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
The Host With The Most
He sang, he danced, and he cracked jokes. Neil Patrick Harris really wanted to embody the role of the Ultimate Presenter last night, and he more or less accomplished this. I legitimately found his jokes funny and he clearly feels comfortable on the stage. The random dance number in the middle is a completely different story though. It honestly just felt like pointless fluff that probably would’ve been better suited in the introduction of the show. Then we got the second dance number which was creative for finding ways to make shows like Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad into dance numbers but really just felt like a messy hodgepodge.
The Unpredictable Winners
Jeff Daniels? Tony Hale? The Colbert Report? These are just three of the winner no one could have predicted. Each of their wins were monumental for their own reasons too. For Outstanding Lead Actor, first time nominee Daniels was able to best three time winner Bryan Cranston, previous winner Damian Lewis, and unstoppable but not winning force Jon Hamm. Hale was able to beat three stars of Modern Family which still won the top comedy prize, much to his obvious surprise. Both The Colbert Report and The Voice were able to beat decade long winners The Daily Show and The Amazing Race. Even Merritt Wever was so shocked with her win of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series that she didn’t even deliver a speech. Each winner deserves their prize and I’m ecstatic the Academy sought to break new ground.
Did They Really Win Again?
Among all the surprise winners there were still some that seemed to follow the norm. Jim Parsons, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Claire Danes, and Modern Family all took home awards that they have already held in the past. At least Parsons had a break thanks to Jon Cryer last year but now he’s the lead once again. This is the third win for Louis-Dreyfus (second consecutive) and the second consecutive win for Danes. However, this is the fourth consecutive win for Modern Family who many have started to feel has run its course. The fact that none of their acting nominees won is a perfect example of this and yet it’s still considered “better” than everyone else according to the Academy. If anything, Veep was the best poised to win after winning both Outstanding Lead Actress (Louis-Dreyfus) and Outstanding Supporting Actor (Hale). Hopefully next year will be different.
It’s About Time!
Breaking Bad, despite being regarded as one of the greatest shows to ever exist, has never won for Outstanding Drama Series. This year finally changed that and I couldn’t be happier. Anna Gunn also got the recognition she DEFINITELY deserved with the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series award. With these wins, you can guarantee that the absolutely phenomenal final eight episodes will net Breaking Bad and Gunn these awards once again in 2013. Cranston and Aaron Paul will absolutely win next year too. I’m ecstatic that The Colbert Report won for Outstanding Variety Series as well. The Daily Show has won for 10 consecutive years and it’s amazing that Stephen Colbert was finally recognized for his work.
The Award for Best Presenter Goes To…
The presenters last night were all great, but the real winner was perennial funnyman Will Ferrell. Ferrell knows how to stand out from the rest and him bringing his three kids out onto the stage in shorts and sandals to present the final two biggest awards was hilarious. Seriously, I was dying during this. I’m sure we’re all glad that “he couldn’t find child care.”
That’s Just Painful To Watch
Shemar Moore and those personal In Memoriam moments were both created with the best of intentions but ended up damaging the show pretty hardcore. First off, what the hell was Moore even doing there? Every time he opened his mouth it was awkward and annoying. Its only accomplishment was wasting everyone’s time. Who ever thought that was a good idea should get a pay cut. As for the In Memoriam segments, they were excellent ways to honor the likes of Cory Monteith and James Gandolfini, but really just sank the mood of the room like a freaking brick. It was just so hard to get really into the show when every couple minutes we have to be reminded that we lost some amazing people this year. The typical In Memoriam segment ran too, so a solid half of this show was just sheer sadness.
Overall
If anything, I’m going to remember the 65th Emmy Awards for being an unpredictable show that absolutely made me question my ability to accurately choose winners. I’m happier than anything that new winners were crowned this year but would’ve liked some repeat takers to let other deserving people/programs go home with their respective prizes. I’m officially calling 2014 the year of Breaking Bad though with how amazing these final few episodes have been. Speaking of Breaking Bad, it didn’t help that this show aired at the same time as the penultimate episode. All in all, I’d say that this was a pretty solid award show.
