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We are well into Emmy Awards campaign season, and with it the question of the episodes submitted by the nominated actors. The performers nominated in lead and supporting categories in comedy and drama are each called upon to submit just one episode from their eligible seasons to present to Emmy voters. In the past, shrewdly chosen episodes have certainly helped performers on their way to the podium. These days, with the entire academy voting for winners in each category, the suspicion is that episode selection doesn’t matter as much as it once did. But the politics and vagaries of Emmy voting have always been something of a mystery, with the episode submissions a rare tangible piece of evidence. Did an actor pick an episode that put their best foot forward? Does that mean big emotional moments? Likeable character triumphs? A format-breaking spotlight-grabber?
The big question going into Best Actress in a comedy is can Julia Louis-Dreyfus win an unprecedented FIFTH consecutive Emmy? It won’t be for the lack of quality material. But if Emmy voters are finally looking to spread the wealth … who would be the beneficiary?
Ellie Kemper
Show: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Submitted Episode: “Kimmy Goes to a Hotel”
Synopsis: After half a season of their on-again, off-again romance, Kimmy and the married Dong decide to break into a hotel for a night of fun. However, sexytimes quickly become hospital times when it turns out Dong is allergic to latex. The pair is arrested, and Kimmy fears for Dong’s deportation.
Choosing this particular episode out of this strong season reveals more about the show’s assumptions than it does about Kemper’s performance. Despite being a major Season Two plot, Kimmy’s relationship with Dong is one of this season’s low points, though the show almost aggressively wanted it to be one of the highs. Kemper gives a strong performance, skillfully delivering her character’s signature blend of sass, sweetness, and overgrown innocence. However, it’s an odd choice when episodes such as “Kimmy Goes to Her Happy Place!” and “Kimmy Finds Her Mom!” do a better job of showing off the complicated comedic range of Kemper.
You can stream Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt‘s “Kimmy Goes to a Hotel!” on Netflix.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Show: Veep
Submitted Episode: “Mother”
Synopsis: In the middle of a Nevada recount that could turn at any moment, Selina gets word that her mother’s had a stroke
No disrespect to Ms. Louis-Dreyfus or the good people on Veep, but … does it matter? After four straight wins, it’s crystal clear that Emmys voters love every facet of Selina Meyer. And even given all that … this is a really strong episode. Louis-Dreyfus manages to keep Selina’s sadness consistently present, if buried under her ambivalence, ambition, and general impatience with pretty much everyone around her. She’s brilliant. Brilliant enough to win number five?
Laurie Metcalf
Show: Getting On
Submitted Episode: “Am I Still Me?”
Synopsis: On the day of her symposium, Dr. James gets the bad news that her mother died and is vexed by the presence of a new British rival.
It seems for a moment that Meltcalf’s submission was going to end up very similar to Louis-Dreyfus’s submission, but Dr. James is on a far precarious ledge in this episode than Selina Meyer is. Metcalf is brilliant in this episode, swinging wildly between optimism, despair, betrayal, and manic, manic dancing. She certainly has no shortage of material to work with, if voters are willing.
Tracee Ellis Ross
Show: Black-ish
Submitted Episode: “Sink or Swim”
Synopsis: While Dre starts a one-sided war with his neighbors about race and swimming, Rainbow goes after the school’s too-perfect mommy mob. However, her judgmental speech about the benefits of being a working mom rather than a trophy wife predictably blows up in her face.
Much like her character, Ross is at her best when she’s allowed to go off the leash, and that’s exactly what this episode allows. Rainbow’s aggressive mockery of the yoga-toned and seemingly inferior moms around her produces some laugh-out-loud moments that wouldn’t land nearly as well without Ross’s flawlessly timed facial expressions. It’s a relatable and hilarious bit of comedy that, almost expectedly for this show, blows up in Rainbow’s face immediately and in a very public way. Whether she’s yelling at moms, lecturing her husband, or meekly apologizing for her outburst, Ross delivers a powerful and memorable performance.
Amy Schumer
Show: Inside Amy Schumer
Submitted Episode: “Welcome to the Gun Show!”
Synopsis: Amy stars as a QVC-esque host in the sketch “Welcome to the Gun Show!” and attempts to overcome her fear of horses when cast on Game of Thrones. She also interviews a gun control advocate as well as her comedian friends about their thoughts on gun control, in and episode that also includes the sketches “New Twitter Button” and “Don Cheadle’s I Don’t Burry Cowards Funeral Parlor” with Liam Neeson.
There are several takeaways from this episode in particular. Number one is that Amy Schumer is great She’s a fantastic actress, and that comes through in a variety of sketches that both sneakily and not so sneakily weave gun control messages throughout the comedy. Schumer brings an unmatched energy to screen, and a talent that shouldn’t be forgotten because you’re too busy laughing. She tackles roles that go from ridiculous to less to ridiculous to wildly ridiculous with an ease very few other actresses have. The talent is there and it should be appreciated because it’s not going anywhere. Number two, this was a bold and important episode, one that easily stood out in a season that got little attention. Schumer did the near-miraculous and found some humor in the gun epidemic our country is currently experiencing. She channeled her frustration into sketches that should make viewers laugh with relief one moment and then call their representative the next. Not only is Schumer doing good work, she’s going important work. Julia Louis-Dreyfus had a hell of a season on Veep, but Schumer just might give her a run for her money.
You can stream Inside Amy Schumer ‘s “Welcome to the Gun Show!” on Comedy Central.
Lily Tomlin
Show: Grace and Frankie
Submitted Episode: “The Test”
Synopsis: Frankie keeps failing the test to renew her driver’s license, as her sons begin to wonder if her mind is going, and Grace re-connects with some old friends.
Tomlin’s performance as Frankie is decidedly consistent throughout the season, and so in the absence of any big, baity storyline stunts, any episode she submitted would have been similarly solid (if unspectacular). The repeated trips to the DMV are funny, but the episode’s big scene belongs to Jane Fonda’s Grace.
