Deadwood Episode Guide: Advances, None Miraculous

Written by Sara Hess

Directed by Daniel Minahan

Much like the opening of the season, Advances, None Miraculous opens mere minutes after the closing of the previous episode. Only in that episode, the causative events was the aftermath of the brawl between Bullock and Swearengen. Now, we find ourselves in the midst of something just as critical to the camp, but far more emotionally devastating – the oncoming death of William.

Everybody knows, deep in their guts, what is coming, and much of what happens in the episode is based on their reactions to it. Leaving aside Seth and Martha, who spend the entire episode on the deathwatch, everyone is clearly in various states of upset. How they reflect is in different ways. Trixie is near tears half the episode, Dority and Adams are more pissed than usual, and Farnum masks his clear sadness with his usual complaints about being left out, and abusing Richardson when he makes his efforts to pray before his ‘god’ Even Tolliver seems initially affected by it – he is masked by trying to get the fatally injured Mose out of his joint, and then gets royally irked by those who try to interfere. Perhaps the most moving moments comes when Tom is found in tears, and returns to his saloon in utter despair, demanding that the bicycle which brought him such joy just a few hours ago be removed.

The ones who feel the most despair for another reason are, understandably, Hostettler and Fields. Hostettler brings up the special level of hypocrisy of the standard that affects blacks in the 1870s.

“There’s people in this camps whose stabbed and shot and murdered who are still walking around upright. The only thing we was trying to hurt was that horse… so that we could make an honest dollar.”

Of necessity, Hostettler and Fields flee the camp, unsure of their destination or plans. Hostettler considers killing himself, so that he can cheat the white folks from killing him (something Fields very nervously mocks) and then has a brief discussion in which he tells Fields that they will chase down that horse, take whatever’s coming to them, and then go down to Oregon, where together they might open another livery. Fields knows what a pipe dream that is, but his last words to Hostettler are : “Let’s go find that fucking horse.”

The man who is feeling particular grief is Cochran, who is well aware of his function as a moral weathervane. Called in to see how Mose is doing, he gives him a passing glance, tells Jane and Joanie that trying to help him is futile, and then returns to his cabin. He walks back, sees Martha and Seth standing over their deathbed, knows there is nothing he can do, and goes back to the Chez Ami, telling Jewel “I have to go operate on a whale.” Prefacing his actions by making it clear that very little is likely to come of this, he nevertheless says: “We’ll give it a goddamn whirl.”

Under normal circumstances, business would stop considering the vigil for William. But the outside forces that have descended on the camp will wait for nothing. Isringhausen, who was waiting on the sheriff to escort her from the camp before William was injured, now refuses to leave Swearengen’s office fearing for her life, and even the threat of Al’s cutting her throat doesn’t budge her. Angrily, he tells Dan to find Hawkeye, which leads to a mad search around the camp which reveals Adams, who tells Dan angrily this is who he’s waiting to see. Adams then comes to the office, and even now Isringhausen seems willing to play bold, asking Adams if he’s considering murdering her, and trying to sign the document that has been causing so much agita with a false name. Despite all this, and probably because of it, Al is impressed by the woman; his last words before she leaves the Gem (and the series) forever are : “I wish I had five like you.”

The other force that has returned is Commissioner Jarry, who seems just as oblivious to danger as he was before: when he demands of Tolliver and Wolcott to see Bullock, Tolliver tells him all he’ll get is a pistol-whipping and even Wolcott seems unnerved. (As he tells Tolliver after Jarry leaves: “I am a sinner beyond redemption, but I am not a government official.)

Jarry has returned because of the article Merrick put in the Pioneer last episode, and Merrick now gives Al advance warning that Jarry is en route after spying on the telegraph. Knowing the messes that are coming, Al calls Dan to get Starr, which leads to Sol showing a rare side of temper with just about everybody, first with Trixie over her returning to the Gem, and then at Al when he makes what seem to be anti-Semitic remarks before he finally gets to his point – he wants Sol to tell him about government officials in Montana. Even in his understandably distracted state, Sol remains as competent as ever, and even in a moment of fury actually gives Al pertinent information.

This leads to a delightful three-cornered scene when Al and Adams perform a con on Jarry trying to convince him that a prominent Montana interest wants to charter Deadwood for Montana. (Welliver is particularly delightful in this scene, using Adams’ no doubt real contempt for the Commissioner to insult him with practically every exchange.) By the time the con is over, even Adams is so astonished that he asks Al after Jarry leaves: “What just happened?” And Al explains that they will now get what they need from the Commissioner: “Elections”. This will prove the impetus for much of Season 3.

With all of this unfolding, we spend precious little of the episode actually with Seth and Martha. But in its own way, this is an example of another bit of mastery my Milch and the rest. When Jimmy Smits left Milch’s NYPD Blue, his character Bobby Simone eventually died after a lingering illness, and while his final episode is considered one of the great moments in television history, the last half hour was almost to much to bear. Now given fewer constraints, the writers choose to deal with William’s death (which is far more important for the camp then it was for the squad on Blue) by spending only a few short scenes on the deathwatch itself. We see Cochrane gently tell Seth that it wouldn’t hurt if Martha put a wet cloth on her son’s head or speak to him, we have a brief scene where Martha regrets bringing him from Michigan here at all and says that she wants to take him home, we have Seth and Martha say their goodbyes talking about their last days here but not really.

Instead, the series demonstrates the camp unifying by reacting with anger and sadness. One of the more moving scenes comes when Wu, who may have only the barest of understandings of what is going on, coming to Jewel, who is standing vigil, and offering her a cup of rice. Jewel gently tells him that she’s a gimp, and can’t hold the cup. (In the acknowledgement that they are both outsiders, Jewel may be the only one who doesn’t talk to Wu with impatience.) Others react in different ways. Farnum tries to use his mocking tones around Richardson, but there’s almost gentleness (for him, anyway) and he greets his guests in the kitchen where he is chopping onions (no doubt trying to come up with an excuse for tears – assuming, naturally, that people will give a damn about him now). Trixie comes back to the Gem, and Al demonstrates kindness by asking: “Why aren’t you amongst the circumcised?” then kindly allowing her to stand vigil just within eyesight of the cabin.

And in the final minutes, Milch knows that he doesn’t have to use dialogue at all. He shows various shots of people standing around, waiting for the inevitable. A minister shows up (we’ll get to him in the next episode; he is a familiar face) and heads towards the cabin. We see Martha and Seth watch William take his final breaths. Then Seth opens the door, and lets the minister in. And Sol walks towards the camp, and we leave the episode on his drawn face, which, as it has so many times with John Hawkes, speaks volumes.

My Picks For This Year's Emmys: Best Supporitng Actress in a TV Movie or Limited Series

HBO is most likely to dominate this category and the most likely winner may have been determined as far back as July. But there are a lot of good possibilities, and even a couple of actresses who are likely to double dip, as well as at least one who might cancel each other out for their work in two shows. So let’s go through the list.

Patricia Clarkson, Sharp Objects

Ever since the Golden Globes, Clarkson has been the heavy favorite in this category, and there’s a very good reason why. Not since the days of Livia Soprano and Betty Draper has there been just a dysfunctional, oppressive mother. For most of the series, she remained a quiet force, suppressing Adams’ character so well, it was easy to see why her family turned out the way it did. And when we learned the truth about her, it was quite easy to see why we thought she was the killer behind everything. Clarkson is one of the great actresses of our time, and I will be delighted if she wins.

Carmen Ejojo, True Detective

Just for playing the first purely sympathetic female character in a series that has gone out of its way to be misogynistic at times is a remarkable feat. But Ejojo’s work as Amelia, the schoolteacher whose life and future become intertwined with Wayne’s and the crime was one of the more remarkable works this year. She ultimately became the series conscience – and not just in the sense she was the voice in Wayne’s head as his memory began to collapse. I knew nothing of this actress before Season 3 began. I have a feeling regardless of the results, that’s not going to be the same.

Julia Garner, Dirty John

She had a hell of a year. Playing Connie Britton’s daughter, and the one person who suspects early on that her mother’s new husband is not what he seems, Garner managed to achieve what so many other characters don’t – being correct in her assumptions and staying unsympathetic through most of the series.  The SAG awards recognized Garner for her work and on Ozark – both time as a lead with very tough competition in each category. I have a feeling the Supporting category will be friendly to her here as it for her in the Drama category.

Eliza Scanlan, Sharp Objects

The virtual unknown in a series with some of the greatest actresses working today, Scanlan’s performance as Adams’ much younger half-sister was absolutely one of the most mesmerizing works all year. As another girl who was supposedly raising hell, and who seemed to have a level of sexuality that her sister must have, Scanlan’s character seemed to another victim of her mother. This made the last second revelation just as shocking to those who knew it was coming. (She also had one of the great last lines in the history of any television show). She’s been less acknowledged then even other actresses in this series, but she more than deserves to be there.

Emily Watson, Chernobyl

Watson has always been one of the most undervalued actresses, playing characters that seem to repress everything. And as the investigative scientist in Chernobyl, the one who relentlessly pushed for the truth, even though it might cost her her freedom, was one of the most remarkable portrayals. In the final episode when she persuaded Harris – a man who had given up his life to try and save all he could – that the world needed to know what had happened at Chernobyl was just the frosting on a performance  that featured so many moments of quiet dignity. She should be here.

Robin Weigert, Deadwood: The Movie

Considering that for so much of the series run, Calamity Jane basically was adjacent to the main action and rarely a part of it, it is a testament to the remarkable ability of Weigert that she made Jane the most memorable character on a series full of so many ones. (It’s also stunning, when you see Weigert in Big Little Lies, that you realize just how much work she had to do to make herself look utterly undesirable.) Seeing Jane in her utterly drunk and miserable state one last time, returning to Camp to see the woman that she loved was another joy that reminds us how grateful I am that Weigert came out of the muck and mire of this utterly brilliant series. She more than deserved an Emmy when Deadwood was on the air, and she more than deserves a nomination now. (Besides, you know her acceptance speech would be awesome.)

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Margaret Qualley, Fosse/Verdon /Native Son

Sometimes when actresses have brilliant years, they are fortunate enough to be in two different categories. I’ve already discussed Julia Garner’s work and Patricia Arquette’s brilliance in The Act as the murderous maternal figure will likely land her a Supporting nod in this category. But sometimes, even in the Golden Age, actors compete against themselves. And Qualley is the prime case. She gave two brilliant performances this year: as Mary, the woman that the modern Bigger ends up driving around town, and eventually becomes a figure of love and violence, and she played Ann Renking in Fosse/Verdon, the Broadway ingénue who would launch to success in Chicago in Verdon’s place, and eventually become Fosse’s new lover. In both of these parts she was brilliant. If she had just been in one, she’d be likely the frontrunner for a nomination. But she was in both, and she’ll probably get recognized for neither. Like Garner and Scanlan, she’s young and will get over. I just hope the voters can remember one performance in which she shown.

See you in mid-July when the nods come out.

My Picks For This Years Emmys: Best Supporting Actor in a TV Movie/Limited Series

As always, this category is rich in some of the most gifted characters working today. Some decided earlier that Catch-22 might dominate this category because, well, George Clooney. But considering the decidedly mixed reception this series has received in the past month, I think it very unlikely the series will prevail. Who does that leave? A very interesting lot.

Norbert Leo Butz, Fosse/Verdon

As great as Williams and Rockwell were, this wasn’t entirely their show, and its rather fitting that a famous Broadway performer  with a couple of Tonys in his pocket is likely to get a nomination here. Playing the equally famous Paddy Chayefsky, Butz played the only real constant other than Verdon in Fosse’s long career, the only person who stood by him in good times and (at least in this series) mostly bad, the only one who was willing to tell him what an idiot he was being, and who never let his own success dwarf him. This was a dry and subtle performance in an event series that could go over the top.

Paul Dano, Escape at Dannemora

About the only objection I have to Dano’s nomination is what the hell is he not doing in the Best Actor category. He was as much the lead as Del Toro, and in many cases, more so. But that seems to be par for the course for both the actor and the role. Dano has been one of the most gifted character actors working in the independent film industry since at least Little Miss Sunshine, and has never gotten the credit for it that he deserves. And considering that Matt did almost all of the heavy lifting in the actual prison break, and then ended up being captured literally feet from his destination, it seems that he never got what he deserved either.  Dano is sure to be considered a heavy favorite in this category.

Stephen Dorff, True Detective

Early in the year, Dorff had to have been considered a heavy favorite, but other, more showy performances have gotten in the way. Much as is the case for Dano, this is a similar state of affairs for Dorff, only he’s been going through it longer. Often an actor who has been so much better the roles he gets, Dorff found the perfect balance as Roland West, Hays’ partner who seems more political as the case begins to go wrong, and finds his life completely destroyed when things begin to go badly. Dorff’s work was at least as good as Ali, and occasionally even a little better, as his character evolved just as much as Wayne – and ended up going a lot worse. I’m hoping that whatever residual love there is for True Detective gets him a nomination; I really think it would be wrong to ignore him.

Gerald McRaney, Deadwood

McRaney has been enjoying a career renaissance in the last several years in such work as House of Cards and This is Us, so I think it would be fitting to see him get a nomination for the role that effectively started it – George Hearst. As the ultimate, most ruthless version of capitalism on Deadwood, he did some absolutely extraordinary work that, like the show itself, ended in anticlimax.  Seeing him return to scene of so many horrible crimes – this time as a Senator from California – just so he continue to commit more evil was one of the great joys of this season. (It says something that Hearst is the kind of man who can make Al Swearengen look like the lesser of two evils.) The fact that Hearst now represents the epitome of the one percent we tend to villainize – and was doing it a decade ago – makes his exceptional work all the more relevant.

Stellan Skasgaard, Chernobyl

So much praise has been lauded on his progeny that its worth remembering the Skasgaard patriarch is a great actor, too. And the fact that this great actor appears in this film as a small time bureaucrat who quickly sees the magnitude of everything that’s happening, and does everything in his power to minimize the damage and protect his people, is one of his very best performances. His scene with Harris near the climax of the series, both men dying of cancer from their exposure – Skasgaard saying he never thought it was bad because he was of so little position, Harris assuring him that they by some miracle sent the one good man – features some of the best actor either has ever done. There are a lot of showier performances, but Skasagaard deserves to remembered.

Ben Whishaw, A Very English Scandal

Considering the vast array of experience of so many of the nominees, its particularly remarkably that the early favorite is one of the youngest. Whishaw has already won the Golden Globe and the Broadcast Critics Award for Supporting for his work as Norman Scott, the gay ex-lover who becomes the cause of a conspiracy to commit murder. But Whishaw has always been a gifted thespian, and the fact that he is able to hold his own with Grant – already giving one of his strongest performances – tells you just how up to the challenge this man is. I don’t know what the odds are of his winning – English Scandal came out a long time ago – but I think that he is more than deserving to complete the trifecta, even among this group.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Chris Messina, Sharp Objects

Messina has been one of the busy actors on television in the last decades, one of the most versatile, and certainly one of the most under-recognized. This is particularly true of his work as the agent sent to investigate a series of murders where local law enforcement is decidedly uninterested in helping him solve, and where the one woman who’s willing to help him is a basket case. But the fact that he remains on the path to try and make sense of what is a mess of insanity demonstrates how gifted he is, and an argument could certainly be made that he’s the only one who could be considered a hero. I think Messina deserves to be nominated. If nothing else, as Entertainment Weekly noted, it would make for one hell of a Julie & Julia reunion on the red carpet.

My Picks For This Year's Emmys: Best Actress in a TV Movie/Limited Series

The early awards in this category have been dominated by Amy Adams and Patricia Arquette in roles which involved a lot of transformation and makeup. Both are still the heavy favorites, but there have been a couple of major players in the last few months that could be formidable contenders in September. Here are the likely nominees.

Amy Adams, Sharp Objects

In addition to playing one of the most psychological damaged characters in this category, she also played the most physically damaged, requiring two hours of makeup just to put on the carvings she had spent a lifetime carving into her flesh. But playing someone so brutalized by the past she had to face when confronting a horrible crime in her hometown, and more than that, facing the horrors of her own family, Adams gave one of the most memorable performances in a career filled with great ones. She spent most of the 2018 awards getting shafted. I hope they might find room for this damaged one. Just promise me there won’t be a second season.

Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora

Arquette did a different kind of transformation in the performance that got her a Golden Globe and a SAG awards  - if Adams wore her pain, Arquette disappeared into the make up of Joyce Tilly, the woman who is manipulated by two killers, but who also is desperate to get out of what she sees as a wasted life. There’s a certain difference here, too – Adams’ Camille had things done to her, Arquette’s Joyce did most of the bad things that happened, yet at the climax said: “I didn’t do anything wrong” and honestly believed it. Arquette has had more luck with the Emmys than many of the likely nominees, but this is by far the most wrenching work she’s ever done, and I still think nearly a year later its worthy of the trophy.

Connie Britton, Dirty John

In the hands of a lesser actress, this limited series could’ve played like a Lifetime Movie – it certainly had all of the hallmarks one – wealthy woman marries a man who has been lying about who he is. But Britton has proven herself in the past decade of playing some of the most unique female characters on the small screen, and remains someone who you can never tear your eyes away from. Given solid material for much of the series, she never quite seemed to be the victim, even when darkness descended. Any other year, Dirty John and its cast would be earning more consideration for Emmys. This year, I think Britton will have to settle for being one of the few.

Joey King, The Act

Arquette had a great twelve months, and may yet do double duty. But by far the most astonishing performance was done as Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the real life victim of an abusive mother pushing Munchausen by Proxy on her. Her quest for freedom led to a horrific series of events, and it is telling that King, the virtual unknown in this category, managed to outshine all of them. It’s not likely to be her year, but this is one of the more astonishing early performances.

Emma Stone, Maniac

Even those who were fans of this Netflix series (and I wasn’t one) have to admit it was something of a mess. But over the past decade, Stone has managed to be able to rise above even the weakest of  materials, and she more than demonstrated it as this woman flashing through alternate, virtual realties. Admittedly, this may be more of a precursor from previous awards (she was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Broadcast Critics Award) and, like Adams and Arquette she had a big year. So the actress is more likely to prevail than the performance.

Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon

Williams has been one of greatest actresses of the independent film circuit ever since she left Dawson’s Creek and in her return to TV she more than demonstrated how capable she is. Just as she disappeared into Marilyn Monroe, she became Gwen Verdon, the Broadway icon who tried so hard to support her husband, who sacrificed her career for family, and who still loved him despite his numerous flaws. Williams has never received the recognition for any of her great films. If there’s a chance for anyone to upset Patricia Arquette, its her.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Molly Parker, Deadwood: The Movie

All of the women actresses on Deadwood were magnificent, and not just as attachments to the men on the series. But of the entire group, Parker’s Alma Garret, the society laudanum addict who found herself holding a bonanza gold claim through tragedy after tragedy was one of the most memorable one. Seeing Parker return to the town that made her fortune and gave her a daughter was one of the many treats of this marvelous films. Parker has never quite received the recognition that so many of her other co-stars have, despite being very active in the new Golden Age. A nomination would be a nice dividend.

My Picks For This Years Emmys: Best Actor In A TV MOVIE/Limited Series

Four of Hollywood’s greatest actors will likely go head to head with two of the greatest television actors the medium has ever produced. And unlike most of the categories in play, there is no clear front-runner, which means this could be the most exciting category of the night. Here are the almost certain nominees.

Mahershela Ali, True Detective

Will Ali  be able to do what his predecessor in this series wasn’t able to: win an Oscar and an Emmy in the same year? It helps that Ali is competing in the less competitive (but no less cutthroat) category that Matthew McCounaghey was. But more importantly, Ali’s performance as Wayne ‘Purple’ Hays was deeper and had a greater resonance than McCounaghey’s otherwise mesmerizing work was. It also helps that he was playing his character in three different and distinct time periods, and was fighting in each of them against overwhelming odds – and in the last one, his own mind. Any other year, you’d be able to write Ali has a sure thing. But considering who’s in this category, he’ll just have to settle for being the one to beat.

Benicio Del Toro, Escape at Dannemora

Despite his Oscar, Del Toro has always been one of the more undervalued actors working in Hollywood, though by far he’s one of the most versatile ones. So his work as Richard Matt, a ruthless murder with a seductive way about him is keeping with that level of unpredictability, even though he was an actual person. But playing a convict who worked so hard to get out yet couldn’t be bothered to actually go the last few miles was mesmerizing, as were his final scenes played almost in silence, where he seemed to be hoping his eminent death. It’s a dark performance and he fully deserves a nomination.

Hugh Grant, A Very English Scandal.

Ever since his return in Florence Foster Jenkins, Grant has completely left behind his bumbling romantic lead for someone with a far deeper malevolence in his persona, though his charm is still there. So his work as the British MP caught in a homosexual love affair, and who is willing to resort to ordering murder in order to keep his position is keeping with that, and also represents some of the finest work he’s done to date. Grant keeps getting shafted by the Oscars. I find it impossible to believe the Emmys will do the same.

Jared Harris, Chernobyl

Ever since he began his work on Mad Men, Harris has demonstrated that he is at least as gifted an actor as his legendary father Richard.  And as the nuclear scientist determined to save his country from the worst nuclear accident in history, despite the odds and the KGB’s determination to make sure this doesn’t embarrass the state, he demonstrated just how versatile a talent he is. Railing against a world where not only everything that possibly could go wrong is, but that the USSR is determined to say it isn’t, he remains a voice of ethics throughout the immediate crisis. But in the final episode, where he relates everything that went wrong in the incident – and then reveals the country’s mistake, knowing that it will cost him his freedom – was one of the great moments of television so far this year. Harris will get nominated and recognized (even though he continues his trend of playing characters who die by the end of the series)

Ian McShane, Deadwood: The Movie

Shall we just for a moment celebrate that this film finally happened at all? In a fair world, there would be room for both McShane and his equally brilliant co-star Timothy Olyphant. But just as in the world of Deadwood, fairness don’t fucking enter into it. And as Al Swearengen, the once ruthless owner of The Gem, now concentrating more on drinking himself to death, McShane was unlike tore into this brilliant character like no time at all had passed. Of course, time has passed, and it is starting to pass Swearengen by. And as he tries one last time to demonstrate his power against Hearst, he reminded just how great a character he was. And Milch, as is the case, gave him the last words – and they were perfect. The odds are against his prevailing, but I’d like to see him try.

Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon

Until fairly recently, Rockwell has never been given the credit for being one of the greatest actors around. And even though his work in this FX limited series was superb, he was as always dwarfed by a brighter sun (who we’ll get to in the next category). But that doesn’t change the fact that Rockwell more than filled the role of one of Broadway’s greatest geniuses – as well as a man so self-destructive, he had to be institutionalized after his greatest triumph. Bob Fosse was a deeply flawed man that only a great actor could give life to. And Rockwell most assuredly did that.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Michael Sheen/ David Tennant, Good Omens

I already advocated for Sheen in the Supporting Actor category, so I’ll make my argument for Tennant this time. After leaving the title role of Doctor Who as one of the greatest Doctors in the series half-century, Tennant has spent the last decade demonstrating why he is one of the greatest actors period. Brilliant in Broadchurch and the best thing about Jessica Jones,  he has spent much of his time toning down the ball of energy he was as the doctor. But given the chance to turn things up to Ten as Azriphale, he once again demonstrated how much fun he is to watch – and how ridiculous the Emmy judges have been in constantly overlooking him. (He also starred in another series this year, but we’re not going to talk about that. ) Give him a nomination. Trust him. He’s not a doctor, but he played one on TV.

My Picks For This Years Emmys: Best Limited Series

As opposed to last season, its been a far superior year for Limited Series. And unlike the last four years, there is no clear frontrunner for the title. I’m never sure exactly how many nominees are in this category (they’ve varied from five to six), but I’m going to go to the maximum, mainly because there are so many good choices.

Chernobyl (HBO/Sky)

I was slow to be won over by this series, thinking it was just another overblown docudrama from the British HBO collaborations. But the more I watched this limited series, the more it came to appeal to me. Looking at what was the greatest nuclear disaster in history from the perspective of a Soviet Union more interested in keeping face in the Cold War than saving lives of its citizens, this took the perspective from a bureaucratic perspective, and a simple search for truth to something that became increasingly powerful by the last episode. I’m well aware that it was fictionalized, but the overall message was still crystal clear, and these days, it seems more powerful than ever.

Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)

Showtime has always been the poorer cousin of HBO in so many ways, especially when it comes to limited series. But in this dark look at the real life prison break in upstate New York, director Ben Stiller (yes, that one) gave us an unflinching yet somehow sympathetic look at three very desperate people – two convicts determined to escape, and the dress shop runner (Patricia Arquetter’s absolutely incredible role) whose own empty life led her to do something not even she was willing to acknowledge. One of the great triumphs of 2018, it demonstrated a realistic look at one of the more bizarre prison breaks in history. There’s no way the incredible cast and behind the scenes talent can be regulated to the second string of last year.

Fosse/Verdon (FX)

The title pair were two of the biggest forces in Broadway – one a visionary choreographer, the other an iconic performer. But the two of them needed each other in a way that they never quite acknowledged to themselves.  Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams gave two of the greatest performances this year as an eternally depressed success, and the woman behind him who has never gotten the credit she deserved for helping him. The tragedy of their lives was that they couldn’t work without the other, and yet they couldn’t live with each other. Anyone who thinks that they know about Broadway needs to see to this series.

Sharp Objects (HBO)

It’s been nearly a year since this slow-dripping limited series premiered on HBO, but its impossible to forget its power. Set around the story of an emotionally and physically damaged fortyish reporter (Amy Adams in one of her greatest roles) and one of the most twisted mother figures ever to come out of HBO (Patricia Clarkson adds to her great series of character roles), this twisted mystery had shocking moments even to those who had read the novel. Gillian Flynn managed to take a brief book and adapt it to a seven week series without seeming padded, and with an ending that will leave people reeling just when they think they’ve gotten to the safety of the credits.

True Detective (HBO)

The premieres of so many brilliant series over the last several months have diminished the possibilities of the third season of this series capturing many Emmy voters hearts. But consider: the third installment not only gave what everyone thought was a destroyed franchise new life, it actually managed to reveal the potential this series showed in its debut, but never quite delivered on. Led by an exceptional cast from Mashehera Ali on down, it managed to handle its triple based chronology so well that it actually managed to tell a complete srory for once. Of all the HBO limited series up for nomination this year, this one gave the greatest rewards, and I hope voters remember that.

A Very English Scandal (Amazon)

Russell T. Davies has gone into even more remarkable directions in TV ever since he left Doctor Who in 2010, and I think the medium is richer for it. Never was this more clear in a limited series that would’ve been perfectly suited for PBS had it not been for the very adult subject matter. Wryly comic and very dark at the same time, this series featured Hugh Grant giving arguably his greatest performance, and is yet another incarnation of the best British based TV can offer.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Good Omens (Amazon)

There were a lot of moving and powerful limited series, but how doing something completely out of character for this category: give a nomination to a rollicking comedy? And not one about a figurative apocalypse, but the actual apocalypse? Good Omens was even more beloved in some circles than Catch-22, and Amazon has delivered one of the greatest delightful and fun series in the history of television? The only regret I have is that Terry Pratchett didn’t live to see his masterpiece paid tribute, but his co-writer Neil Gaimann more than delivered. With all the jokes left in, and a brilliant cast led by Michael Sheen and David Tennant as an angel and a devil who’ve misplaced the Antichrist, this is an accomplishment for eternity. And Frances McDormand may have been an unlikely choice for the voice of God, but still the perfect one.

Not Quite A Shining City On A Hill

In theory, Showtime’s City on a Hill should have the hallmarks of great television. It comes from producer Tom Fontana, who created the greatest network police procedural in Homicide and started the TV revolution with Oz. He returns to the world of law and crime in 1992 Boston, the same city he examined so well in St. Elsewhere. The series also bears the production credit of southies Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who’ve examined this world in many of their films (Affleck went very specific in his adaptations of Gone Baby Gone and The Town, both of which take place in this era.) The leads are Kevin Bacon, one of the greatest actors in history who has done more than his share of Boston lawmen, and Aldis Hodge, who has played complicated black men in Friday Night Lights and Leverage.  The series also has such great character actors as Sarah Shahi, Kevin Chapman and Jill Hennessy in its supporting cast.

The series adds up to appointment television. Why then does it seem like we’ve seen so much of it before, and done better? Bacon plays Jackie Rohr, a wizened and quasi-corrupt FBI man running through Charlestown, complaining about the ‘good old days’ to anyone who’ll listen, sleeping with Asian prostitutes, snorting coke, and basically ignoring his family. (Personally, if you’re married to Jill Hennessy, and you’re choosing to have sex in the back of Chinese restaurants, you’re depraved in a way I have very little sympathy for.) Hodge plays Ducarcy Ward, an ex-Brooklyn attorney, trying to make a name for himself in Boston, and instead pissing everybody off. When he advoc recommends jail time for cops, he pisses off white law enforcement, and when he tries to negotiate for the cops after a shooting in a black church, he’s called an Uncle Tom by a black minister.

  Ward says he wants to ‘tear down the machinery in this fucked up city’. He finds himself turning to Rohr, who has him trying to get information on an armored car job in order to go after the Charlestown criminals, who were in the 1990s, notorious for being the most criminal section perhaps in the entire country. These people are represented by the Ryan family, who are really the most original part of this entire series. Frankie is the head of a gang that pulls these armored car jobs, and is a family besides.  The matriarch of the family Siobhan tries to look after her family, and has the job of laundering the money they steal. But the loosest one of the bunch is Jimmy, who seems to have some kind of mental disorder, and never seems quite able to understand just how dangerous the life he’s chosen has become, no matter how much his elder brother tries to tell him.

City on a Hill is one of those series where the sum of its parts somehow seems greater than the whole. The partnership between Ward and Rohr seems so familiar – we’ve seen in far too many dramas over the last twenty years. The initial partnership seems based on bigotry and necessity. But when Jackie and Ward have a conversation after the shooting in the church, there’s a gentleness in his tone that we almost never here anywhere else in the series. It sings in a way that so much of the other TV doesn’t. But watching Jackie go to a free clinic to deal with getting VD, his mother-in-law finding out, his problems with his teenage daughter – it’s tired, and its barely salvageable by Bacon’s natural charisma. Hodge is much better in trying to negotiate the two worlds, and fully admitting he’s part of neither. But we know too well that these are men on intersecting paths – Ward’s is going up, Rohr’s going down – and its rather too familiar at this stage.

Don’t get me wrong. City on a Hill is a good show, with great actors and some genuinely interesting insight into an era that’s not that far behind us. I was happy when I saw it. I was expecting to be a lot happier.

My score : 3.5 stars.

Deadwood Episode Guide: Amalgamation and Capital

Written by Elisabeth Sarnoff

Directed by Ed Bianchi

In essence the reference in the title makes perfect sense pertaining to Deadwood. Charlie Utter repeatedly uses the phrase in relation to Wolcott, which he considers a symbol for everything that is going wrong in the camp. He freely admits he got the term from ‘an Eastern fella’ who was writing an article about Wild Bill, and that he has no clear idea what it even means. Yet in a way it sums up exactly what is going on in the camp. Some dark encroaching force – civilization – is coming, and despite the efforts of those like Swearengen and Bullock, they are rowing against the tide.

What brings the terms to mind is the murder of Charlie Manuel, which Tom Nutall has passed on. Mose is in the middle of gorging himself on food and drink, gambling, and arguably the most expensive whores in the Bella Union. When Bullock and Utter try in vain to get answers from him about the death in his brother, he repeatedly tells them to fuck off. When Utter invokes the title reference, Wolcott responds with the patronizing tone of the well-educated: “Mr. Utter, are you a student of Hume? Smith? A disciple of Karl Marx?” Wolcott appears to have regained the balance that he momentarily lost after the murders at the Chez Ami, and seems to be back to toying with people.

What he doesn’t know when he dismisses Utter, is that Charlie has rightly predicted that Mose will begin to ‘judge himself’ for his actions. Near the end of the episode, after judging himself cheated, Mose says: “I want it back! All of it!” This is exactly the situation where you’d think Tolliver could actually handle, but Wolcott lashes out, albeit in one of the most brilliant passages in the entire series:

“Including youth, Mister Manuel? And why not beauty? Not credibly restored, perhaps, but as a new non-negotiable term? Would you not have too, your brother Charlie resurrected? Would you stipulate your envy of him be purged? Surely you’ll insist that Charlie retain certain defects – his ineffable self-deceptions , for example, which were your joy in life to rebuke, and purpose, so far as you had one? I suppose you would see removed those qualities which caused you to love him, and the obliviousness to danger which allowed you to spill his blood.”

This is too much for Mose, but before he can turn his pistol on Wolcott, one of Tolliver’s gunmen is forced to shoot him. Wolcott then dismisses him, and by extension, Tolliver, demanding the Sheriff’s presence before Cochran should be called. In this series, this would be a fitting end to the fratricidal Mose, but even Deadwood allows for the occasional miracle.

Al can’t be bothered with such tension. He has other things to concern him. In the previous episode, he tried to use Bullock’s position with Montana to try and negotiate a better position for the camp. Of course, he had his own terms:

‘Our cause is surviving, not being allied with Yankton or cogs in the Hearst machine, to show it don’t fate us as runts, or two-headed calves or pigs with excess legs, to a good fuckin’ grinding up.

To that end, he went to Merrick at the conclusion of the previous episode, and planted a story with him trying to muddy the waters. When Merrick prints his rumors verbatim, he actually a little irked at this, and Merrick, who is normally among the more docile of personalities, actually storms into his office rather pissed for him. In Al’s way, we gather this matters as a level of respect, for he shares a couple of drinks with him, and elaborates on his way of thinking.

He is also concerned with the arrival of Blazanov, the telegraph operator who arrived in the  last episode as well. As we recall from the opening episode, Al was set against the idea of any telegraph being set up at all. But in an effort to try and get ahead of progress, he begins the slow process of wooing the Russian, as well as covering his bets by having Farnum spy on him. Blazanov is another example of an immigrant – Russian – trying to make his fortune, and he too, will slowly be wooed into Swearengen’s fold.

He soon learns the level of involvement with the advance of the ongoing saga involving ‘Isringhausen’, who Alma, in her level of rage, revealed her hand rather swiftly. She returns to the telegraph today, and in a rare level of, tells Farnum to fuck off. Al soon realizes the level of duplicity, and uses the draft of the telegram to attempt to negotiate around her.

But all of these problems coincide around the critical story of the episode, which Milch and company slowly pull back on. Up until now, William Bullock has seemed more like an attachment to the story, a more vocal version of Sofia, if anything, the true obstacle between Seth and Alma’s happiness. Now, Seth tries for almost the first time since his wife and son have arrived to try and have a conversation with the child he calls his son. They have a slow, awkward conversation, where Seth tries to learn more about the brother he lost. It is not clear whether he is having this talk so that Martha can hear it, or whether the guilt he feels over her outright rejection of him the previous night has brought this forward. Whatever the reason, Martha hears this, and after a conversation with Will about seeds, she makes an overture about bringing lunch to Seth and Sol.

Trixie is present, and when Martha gently suggests that Alma appear at the hardware store for the symbolic opening of the bank, she reacts in a fury when Ellsworth goes to get her.  Trixie is still pressing Ellsworth to propose to Alma, and turns her wrath on Miss Garret in absence when she can’t understand why Alma won’t accept. For once, though, her worries don’t seem be valid. When Alma and Sofia come to the store, Martha engages her in a far more civil conversation, and agreement is made that she will teach the camp’s children. The deposit of funds for the bank goes rather well, and it seems things are heading a good direction.

In the midst of this action, Tom Nutall returns to discuss the murder in his saloon last night, and engages in a warm conversation with William about his bicycle ride. Tom then offers to take William on a ride on the boneshaker as well, and we are left with what appears to be another rare and pleasing moment. Tom is cheerful in discussion, and Steve, who has mainly been seen as a hostile interloper, emerges from the saloon remarkably sober and actually cheerful. Indeed, his action where he tries to lift William on to the bicycle is one of the most genuine gestures we’ve seen anybody on this series make.

All of this coincides with one final gesture – General Fields has come back with a wild horse that he hopes to sell for a nice profit to the cavalry. To that end, he needs Hostetler’s help to geld the horse, and they spent much of the episode trying to get him relaxed enough to do it.

In the last minute, everything comes together. The horse escapes from the livery, and runs down the thoroughfare. Nutall dodges to avoid it – and it runs into Steve and William. We’ve seen some truly horrible things this season, so its really telling that the most horrific event of this episode, we never see the blood, only the aftermath. When the final shot of the episode shows William lying unconscious in the alley, we know this is an incident nearly as horrific as the slaughter at the Chez Ami – only this one will cause far more anguish.

My Picks For This Year's Emmys: Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy

This category has a marginal frontrunner in Alex Borstein to repeat last year’s win. Much like Winkler, there’s an excellent argument for her to do so. But this is a category that has a lot of talented women (and there are even some SNL and Veep cast members I can go along with), and I actually have some good arguments for all of them.

Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Almost every line that comes out of her mouth is hysterical. This shouldn’t come as  a shock, as Borstein has had the gift to steal every scene she’s in since the early days of Mad TV. But as Susie Myerson, Midge’s often beleaguered agent, Borstein has the ability to make everything hysterical, whether its being abducted by the nicest mobsters you can imagine, or staying at Midge’s apartment while her parents are in Paris, and cheerfully violating every rule Midge lays down. Hell, stoned Susie is even funnier. I’m not saying she should repeat; I’m just saying I wouldn’t complain about it.

D’Arcy Carden, The Good Place

Carden’s work as Janet has always been incredible, and the writers give her a lot of great material as her omniscient AI continues to evolve out of the strangest of reasons, as well as the ability to impersonate the evil versions of herself. But we all know the reason that she deserves  a nomination this year: ‘Janets’. One of the most daring episodes of 2018 in which all four of the ‘normal people’ hide in her, and become variations of Janet. Which means Carden had to play versions of all of them. And that’s before things started to spiral way out of control. Throw in her fine supporting work on Barry, and its obvious that her profile has gone up quite a bit. It’s going to take a lot of maneuvering to say she hasn’t earned in this year.

Betty Gilpin, GLOW

In any other hands than hers, Debbie could come off as something of a bitch. After all, Liberty Belle is the star of the series, she seems to be trying to outmaneuver everything that her co-stars want, and her response to Ruth when she learned of the near assault she’d endured was horrifying. But Debbie is as much a victim of the times as Ruth is: she may have the producer position, but it’s a title that gets her nothing, she’s still trying to deal with her divorce, and she has more pressure on her then any other cast member. Gilpin somehow manages to pull likability out of this character, and she deserves another nomination.

Regina Hall, Black Monday\

Of all the characters on this very twisted show, Dawn was one the audience empathized with the most. Being a black woman is hard enough in any era; to be a Wall Street trader in the 1980s, trying to find your time in a sexist organization run by your coke-sniffing ex-boyfriend, well, that’s a special section of hell. And even though Dawn betrayed Mo in the end, we still felt sympathy for her as she was dismissed by the Treasury as they came roaring it. Hall has been one of my favorite actresses for a long time, and I think she deserves a nomination more than anyone else in that cast. Yes, even more than Cheadle.

Marin Hinkle, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Somehow in the midst of the ridiculous number of nominations this extraordinary series got, Hinkle’s often bewildered Rose managed to get shut out. I seriously doubt the voters will make that mistake again. Rose’s journey to Paris was one of the more endearing thing, as she manage to completely bewilder Abe and Midge, and then managed to find a way to work towards independence in a way she probably never has. She still has the bite that so many maternal figures in Palladino’s world do, but it seems a lot gentler in her delivery in the way that Emily Bishop always managed. She has earned a bite at the Emmy apple.

Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live

I’ve gradually become more won over to McKinnon’s abilities as SNL continues its run. No matter which political figures she plays, or how far fetched and absurd so many of her others are, she has the gifts of the divine that so many of the other great dames of SNL have demonstrated – from Poehler and Fey to Maya Rudolph and Kristin Wiig. I may have bitched beyond believe when so many of them took nominations from those who I thought deserved it more, but I was wrong then, and I’m wrong now. Considering that McKinnon’s future on SNL is uncertain, one more nomination won’t kill us.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Clea Duvall, Veep

It’s a near certainty that Anna Chlumsky will earn a nomination for her work as the frazzled campaign manager. But why not honor some of the other fine actors and actresses who actually did subtle work on a series that decried subtlety? Arguments could be for Sam Richardson’s optimistic Richard, but I’d also like to give a shout out to the only level-headed and deadpan character on this series, Duvall, the ex-Secret Service agent/lesbian lover of Selina’s unloved daughter. As one of the few characters on this series who seemed capable of love – or any emotion – Duvall had a way of delivering truth to power that just unsettled everybody, even Catherine. Duvall’s been around for awhile – since the early days of Ellen – and she more than has earned a spot for being so funny, so delightful, and so honest on a series where rarely the three did meet.

My Picks For This Years Emmys: Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy

I think we can all agree that Alec Baldwin has overstepped his bounds so often that he will not receive a nomination for his work on SNL. So far, the early front-runners would appear to be Henry Winkler (who triumphed in the Broadcast Critics) and Tony Shalhoub (who won Best Actor in a Comedy for the SAGs.)  This is still a versatile category, and there are a lot of nominees I agree with. (Even some from Veep!) Here is my listing

Alan Arkin, The Kominshky Method

Who would’ve thought Arkin’s Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine would only be the start of his greatest level of fame? His work as Norman, the wry agent and Sandy’s reluctant best friend is incredibly impressive, and its remarkable that he’s able to find humor in so much, considering his wife died in the first episode, his daughter overdosed halfway through, and he considered killing himself on numerous occasions? It’s hard to imagine any other actor (save perhaps, for the ones in Grace and Frankie, who should also merit consideration) dealing with the autumn of life so well, with funerals and proctologists and looking at Cocoon ‘differently when you’re in the demographic’. He is a national treasure, though I’m sure Norman would have something sarcastic to say about what those are.

Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

To be perfect honest, the entire supporting cast from Terry Crewes on down, deserve a nomination. But Braugher has always been a remarkable source of comedy, and each year, as he fights for the path of career advancement while getting more and more involved in the shennanigans of the squad, he remains a force of pure deadpan humor not seen since the days of Aubrey Plaza on Parks and Rec. Admittedly, there was no Halloween episode for him to demonstrate his skills, but his interruption of Jake and Amy’s honeymoon more than makes up for it. He is funny. A funny man. A human funny man. Give him a nomination. If you wouldn’t mind

Tony Hale, Veep

The one actor on this series who remained the constant source of humor. As Gary, the one person who gave Selina unabashed love, even though (maybe because) he got nothing in return, Gary’s one real attempt at getting more responsibility led to his ultimate undoing, and frankly, the fact that Selina turned on him in the final minutes of the finale may have been the most heartless thing she ever did (and that’s in a season where she had no problem with her ex-husband being killed) Hale’s remarkable work was always engaging, and as the one person who seemed to real miss Selina at her funeral pretty much tells you all you need to know about his character. He doesn’t need to win again (twice is enough), but in the case of his character (and no one else) it’s an honor just to be nominated.

Marc Maron, Glow

I’ve always been an admirer of Maron’s work, and his exceptional work as the coke-snorting, unlikely father, impresario of GLOW is easily the best work he’s ever done anywhere, I find it rather appalling that he fell under the scope of lesser actors just as Titus Burgess and Ty Burrell last year. Then again, his character who was used to dealing with failure, but can’t handle success, might understand. His snarky, snide, but still appealing kind of humor is perfectly suited for his role, and I really hope the voters are more willing to recognize his work this year. He’ll get more opportunities, I know, but I’d like to see him as a nominee.

Tony Shalhoub, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

In a career that goes back to the early days of Wings,  Shalhoub has received a fair amount of recognition over the years. That said, I find his work as Abe Weismann above and beyond the best thing he’s ever done, and yes, I’m including the three Emmys he got for playing Adrian Monk. As Midge’s father, he plays a man who is clearly a genius, but can’t deal with anything that goes outside the natural order of things. His put downs and sarcastic retorts have an air of haplessness that makes you never quite able to keep him seriously. And his way of dealing with his wife and daughter shows a level of compassion mixed in with the confusion that I find more appealing than I’ve ever seen him. He has gotten his share of recognition, I know. So what’s one more nomination between friends?

Henry Winkler, Barry

Even though I predicted his win last year, I thought it was given more out of sentiment than actual ability. Having seen the second season, I can tell you not only did he deserve it last year, there’s a strong case that he deserves to  repeat. Gene’s ego was less in play this year than it was before, as he dealt with the greatest trauma’s he’s ever had to do. But as he dealt with it, haphazardly with his own son, compassionately when it came to dealing with Barry’s greatest trauma (though he still doesn’t know the extent of what’s going on) he kept a level of gravitas (though not until the finale did he fully deal with it) that you wouldn’t have expected from a man who was so clueless much of the time. Barry more than deserved a second season, and Winkler’s incredible work more than made it worth watching.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

William Jackson Harper, The Good Place

Harper has never quite gotten his due, as the ethics expert who could never make a decision in real life. But in the third season, he more than showed how good he was. Falling in love, first with a woman who under normal circumstances he could’ve been happy with, then with his most unlikely of soulmates, realizing there’s no point to the ethical world he’s spent his life studying, finally finding happiness with Eleanor, and than realizing that for the good of humanity, he has to sacrifice his happiness – anyone of these would be worthy of a nomination. He did them all this season. With one year left to go, the whole series deserves recognition. Chidi would have trouble advocated for the necessity of awards. So I’ll do it for him. Give him a nomination. If it’s not too much trouble.

My Picks For This Years Emmys: Best Actress in A Comedy

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

Why bother? Julia Louis-Dreyfus has owned this category all decade, and that was before she’ll no doubt get eventual sympathy for her final year. Never mind that her character is generally more toxic and unpleasant than all the antiheroes in TV, or that she didn’t deserve at least two of the six Emmys she won. I think I can fill a category filled with desperate, funny and engaging comediennes without having to mention those two darlings I have at the CW. And I think I’ll try to do just that.

Pamela Adlon, Better Things

I’ve become more and more won over to this FX comedy’s bitter and sweet sensibilities dealing with Sam, as she tries to be a pleasant person in a world where everybody – including her own mother – is toxic. Watching Sam deal with the problems of her career, physical and psychological issues is not only bitterly amusing, but can often be very moving. And watching her journey to a place of peace with her daughters at the season finale and her 50^th birthday was deeply touching. I’m not quite prepared to recognize it as one of the best comedies, but Adlon’s been a really versatile talent for a very long time, and I hope she gets at least one nomination.

Kirsten Bell, The Good Place

Even though Bell got a Golden Globe nomination for her impressive work this year, she doesn’t seem to enter into contention for Best Actress. I am at an utter loss as to why. Eleanor has made the biggest leap forward of any of the characters in this series – the most deeply cynical person going in, she’s actually been willing to embrace goodness, find love with the unlikeliest of soulmates, and become so capable at her job that she embraced the role of architect in the season finale. And seriously, if the last ten minutes of that episode, where she had to face the greatest pain she’s had in eternities – having to have Chidi’s memory of their love erased for the good of mankind  - isn’t the kind of thing that cries out to be nominated for an Emmy, there’s something horribly wrong with the process. Add to this the fact that she’s been due a nomination since the days of Veronica Mars, and its easy to see why I’m pushing for her. Jeremy Bearemy get it done.

Alison Brie, GLOW

Perhaps its because GLOW really is an ensemble series that Brie hasn’t gotten the recognition that she so richly deserves for her superb performance as Ruth, the Method actress who is trying to earn her place on the show. Brie is often cast out of place as Ruth, as she tries to win back her best friend, and she is always fun to watch. But her episode where she ended up being forced to a casting couch situation – and then being bellowed at by Debbie for not going through with it for the good of the show – really resonates in the Me Too era.  Of the ‘Queen B’s’ of the comedic actress category, she is the least appreciated, and I hope they pay her back with a nomination.

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Brosnahan has basically swept the critics awards up to this point, and having seeing Midge in the early episodes of this astonishing Amazon series, I can’t say I disagree. As Midge tries to build her career, dealing with the gradual revelation of it to her parents, and find herself in the midst of a love triangle she never felt possible, she becomes increasingly endearing. And of course, every time she opens her mouth, you find yourself in stitches. She’s not the best of Sherman-Palladion’s heroines, but she’s the trailblazer for all of them. For once, I hope the Emmys laziness of recognizing the previous years performer works for Brosnahan instead of Louis-Dreyfus cause I’d really like to see her up there again.

Alison Janney, Mom

Admittedly, it may be overkill asking for Janney to appear in this category as well – she has as many Emmys as Julia Louis-Dreyfus at this point, after all. But she continues to astonish with her ability for slapstick as the woman who has, to her own amazement, become the model of stability for all of the addicts around her, including her own daughter. As she tries to find her way to her own happiness, its rather remarkable to see how much she’s evolved, despite all the relapses and fallbacks along the way. Mom has come along way from the premise in Season 1, and it is a huge credit to Janney that it remains as funny and endearing as it is.

Issa Rae, Insecure

Yeah, I know its been a year since we last saw this particularly messy journey, but considering the Emmy has a long memory when it comes to Game of Thrones, why not show it for a comedy that deserves it? Issa is as much a model for being a black woman as Atlanta is for being a black man, and Rae is at least as talented as Glover in demonstrating just how bizarre things can be for her. (Anyone who has doubts about how Uber works should not watch the early episodes. This is a funny, messy series and Rae deserves to get all the credit she can. Another nomination here would be more than worthy.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin

I know what I promised at the beginning of this article, but come on, Emmy voters. I realize that Jane has never quite fit in with all the drama or comedy series, but Rodriguez so excels at both that you’d think she could get a nomination in either at this point. Hell, the five minute monologue she did in the season opener, where she kept unraveling and coming back together at the biggest twist the series has done so far – would get an Emmy for anybody else. She’s already won a Golden Globe. What has the CW ever done to make you think it doesn’t deserve recognition? This is your last chance (well, maybe they’ll be another one) to honor one of the great characters in TV. Please, please let them be able to scratch out ‘Virgin’ in the opening and replace it with ‘Emmy Nominee’.

My Picks For This Years Emmys: Best Actor In A Comedy

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

The clear advantage in this category is held by Douglas, who triumphed at the Golden Globes. I didn’t think he deserved it; he was worthy. Hader could manage to repeat if voters are lazy (though one would be hard pressed to deny his performance this year). But considering that Jeffrey Tambor is ineligible and William H. Macy has been considered scandalous by association, there are a lot of free slots. Who might fill them?

Jim Carrey, Kidding

You can argue about his political leanings outside of TV (he’s been out of entertainment for awhile, in fact), but it doesn’t change the fact that his work as Jeff Pickles on this impressive Showtime series is one of the most delightful turns of the entire season. As an entertainer who has spent thirty years being the source of positivity in a world that has become increasingly dark, and now finds himself trying to deal with his own inner trauma against his incredibly resistant family, Carrey’s work reminds what a natural comedian he was, and for those who have forgotten, what great ability he has for pathos. Add to this the rarity of someone playing a ‘good person’ in a series anymore, and you can see why he deserves to be a contender

Don Cheadle, Black Monday

I have issues with much of how this series unfolded, and real doubts as to how it can continue for a second season. None of them, however, are with its lead. Though he isn’t, again, the best thing about a seriously flawed Showtime ‘comedy’, his work as Mo was actually more layered than that which he did as Marty Conn in House of Lies. There actually was more to him – more than even I expected by the end – and when you spend nine episodes starting out as an antihero, and come out as the voice of reason, you’re doing something right. I’m not saying Cheadle deserves to win, but he definitely deserves to be nomination.

Ted Danson, The Good Place

One of the nicer side bonuses of the new Golden Age has been watching Danson take his career in a far more interesting direction. One would think that his return to comedy would be a fall back. But playing Michael, a demon who over the past two seasons has become a character determined to become good and change the world, is one of the more remarkable things I’ve seen him do in thirty years. He’s also lost none of the comic timing he’s had, and if anything, he’s become remarkable with facial expressions as well as the scathing put down. I’d really like to see him win this year. Not just because he’s a great actor and it would be good for the show, but because it would be an acknowledgement of talent and art combining perfectly.

Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method

Douglas has been such a formidable dramatic actor for so long, one might have forgotten what a natural comic performer he has been throughout his career. In taking the role of Sandy Kominsky, a faded actor now reduced to teaching students who are clearly not going anywhere, you could say this would be the kind of role he could do in his sleep. But just as so many of the brilliant talents on Grace & Frankie reached levels of humanity and wit in the simple tasks of aging, Douglas manage to find dry humor in dealing with his friendship with his agent, relationship with a woman his own age, and prostate trouble. It’s a reminder of just how gifted a thespian he is.

Bill Hader, Barry

To my chagrin, I basically dismissed him and his HBO comedy because it was headed by an SNL comic I didn’t really like. Did I blow that one. And now, seeing Hader play a man trying to come to terms with his inner darkness after doing something even he considers unforgivable made me utterly wonder how the hell this could be the same guy who did all those Stefan sequences ten years ago. As he tried to pull away from his hitman root, but kept getting dragged back in by former partners and unruly cops, as he tried to help his actress girlfriend come to terms with her own failings, and as he realized that Gene might end up the victim of his great sin, he went to places many dramatic actors can’t. And that was before the finest (half) hour, where he spent engaged in a miniature kung-fu battle with a karate instructor and his daughter. That episode alone earns him another crack at the Emmy.

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

 Why advocate for an actor whose received what one might call an excessive amount of attention from the Emmys? Because Sheldon Cooper’s evolution is remarkable. It goes against the laws of network TV and characters in the post-Sopranos world: people don’t change, and they don’t want to try. Time after time in the second half of this series, Cooper changed. He became capable of caring for other people. He showed that he could love – not appreciate, but love – Amy. And in his moment of greatest triumph, he chose not to acknowledge himself, but the people he actually cared about: something that, for one, Selina Meyer never could. I think he’s earned one more bite at the Emmy apple.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

That this series was brought back from cancelation this year was a great joy. And what would make that joy would be to honor the most incredible talent on it. Watching Jake Peralta deal with all the havoc at the Nine-Nine (and adding more than his fair share to it himself) has been one of the special delights of the last six years. Somehow, Samberg, despite his Golden Globe, has been repeatedly rejected by Emmy voters despite his hysterical work. Let’s acknowledge his coming home to NBC with a nomination. So what if he bombed at the Globes this year?