The Emmys Should Be Embarrassed For Snubbing Rhea Seehorn (Again)

It feels silly to scream into the void about awards snubs. Isn’t the work enough to speak for itself? In most cases, I’d say you’re right – but there’s something to be said about the recognition awards can bring a particularly exceptional performer. It feels good to watch someone pour their heart and soul into a piece of art and be celebrated for it at a fancy party later (even if those fancy parties won’t be happening this year). There were few other performers this year that seemed more primed for a 2020 Emmy nomination than Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn, which is why it came as such a shock when her name wasn’t among the nominees announced this morning. To the three Television Academies responsible for this: what the hell? Are we watching the same show? Are you watching at all? Whenever these kinds of egregious repeated exclusions come up, I can’t help but try to get into the headspace of these voters. And I come away with no logical answers.

I have shrieked from the rooftops about the continued omission of Michael McKean for his career-best performance on Better Call Saul, and I will probably hold onto that bitterness for years to come. Series lead Bob Odenkirk was left off the list today as well, and that warrants its own list of complaints – but he’s been nominated before. Ignoring Rhea Seehorn’s work for a fifth year in a row? It’s incomprehensible. The majority of the supporting cast have been showered with nominations year after year, but Seehorn remains iced out. I’m not saying the Emmys always get it right – they absolutely do not – but would it kill them to acknowledge one of television’s best performers? Just once? Seehorn has done extraordinary work season after season, but the latest chapter of Saul almost felt like a guarantee. That’s why her snub stings so damn much. Because the question wasn’t “why should she be nominated?” – it was “why the hell shouldn’t she be?”.

Better Call Saul cemented itself as one of TV’s best dramas almost right out of the gate; some (me) might even argue that it’s now surpassed Breaking Bad in both its storytelling and performances. It’s rare that a spin-off or prequel is able to stand so tall on its own, but Better Call Saul checks every box and then some. Odenkirk is undoubtedly the series’ fearless leader, but Seehorn’s Kim Wexler is the beating heart and soul of Better Call Saul. We know what becomes of Jimmy McGill – well, to a certain degree. But the future of Kim Wexler remains something of a mystery; for now, we watch and we wait, holding our breath and crossing our fingers until her fate is revealed. And perhaps her fate is so terrifying because Kim is one of the easiest characters to see ourselves in. She’s rooting for Jimmy, but she doesn’t just exist as an accessory to his story. She is her own person, through and through, and it’s hard to picture anyone but Seehorn breathing life into Kim Wexler.

The fifth season of the series truly felt like Seehorn’s big moment; she’s found time to shine in every installment thus far, but Season 5 marked a significant change for Kim Wexler. Is her internal morality battle as difficult as she makes it seem? Is her sense of right and wrong eroding with each passing incident? Does she even want to stay on the straight-and-narrow? Or is she simply playing the game? That Kim is able to cause us to double take and truly contemplate her character is a testament to the way the creative team and Seehorn have developed her over these five years. I know I’m not alone in saying that I often attributed her sleazier decisions to Jimmy’s bad influence, but beneath that tightly wound ponytail and perfect posture is a woman who’s known what she’s doing all along, even if it wasn’t always her first choice. And Season 5 finally begins to reveal her to us.

Kim is the most intelligent person on the show by a long shot, completely subverting any expectations audiences might have of her to step into a damsel’s shoes or neg the show’s so-called antihero into making better decisions. Seehorn is the singular performer able to communicate one story with her eyes and an entirely different one with her words. Watching her dress down Lalo (Tony Dalton) in arguably the series’ tensest sequence yet remains one of the most satisfying TV moments in recent memory. And it’s not just the fire and ice in her here that warrants awards recognition; it’s the gut-wrenching reaction when she finally hears from Jimmy after his near-death desert excursion, the way she plays into Howard’s attempts to “save her” from Jimmy and laughs in his face, the complete change in demeanor when she lets her hair down and shoots her finger guns, leaving the con artist himself – and the rest of us – totally bewildered. There isn’t a single character like Kim on TV right now, and it’s hard to think of one that comes close.

I could wax poetic for days about what makes Kim Wexler so special, but the answer is a pretty easy one: Rhea Seehorn. She is Better Call Saul‘s secret scene-stealer, a player who doesn’t have to enter with fanfare or showiness; her performance is marked by a stirring sense of honesty, the kind of beautifully invisible work that can make you forget what you’re watching isn’t real. That this caliber of performance continues to be ignored is frankly embarrassing for the Emmys. They have one more chance to make things right next year. Let’s hope they do.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Where to Stream Better Call Saul