Emmy Picks #16 (Directing for a Drama Series)
On September 18th, the winners of the this years Emmy Awards will be announced, which means I have about 35 days to watch episode submissions, make predictions and, most importantly, decide who I think deserves to win this year. I will be doing this by watching the episodes the actors decide to submit this year, even if I’m not familiar with the show yet. Sometimes, though, I’ll be biased and choose an actor I like, even if I don’t necessarily think they submitted right. But, so far, after a quick scan through, most of the submissions from the shows I watch seem good enough.
Here are the best directed Drama series episodes:
Martin Scorsese – Boardwalk Empire (“Pilot”)
James Podeswa – Boardwalk Empire (“Anastasia”)
Neil Jordan – The Borgias (“The Poisoned Chalice/The Assassin”)
Tim Van Patten – Game of Thrones (“Winter is Coming”)
Patty Jenkins – The Killing (“Pilot”)
“The Poisoned Chalice” and “The Assassin” are the only episodes of The Borgias I have watched. I do not watch the rest of the shows regularly.
Should Win: Wooh. This was a doozy. So many big budget period pieces. I can definitely see why these episodes were nominated. Veteran Neil Jordan definitely knows his craft, and the first episode of The Borgias is very well directed. However, everything I expected from this episode…happened! I wish he had taken more “risks” with this story. “Anastasia” is a very good episode of Boardwalk Empire, and it was probably nominated mostly for its big, extravagant party scenes. However, the quieter, talky moments (Margaret arguing for women’s right to vote, White torturing Ku Klux Klan leader) impressed me the most…so maybe this should have been nominated for its writing.
I was very impressed with “Winter is Coming”. Like I’ve stated before, Game of Thrones is not the type of show I enjoy watching much. But I can recognize a great series premiere when I see it. However…I actually would have nominated “Baelor” over this episode though.
My top two definitely contains the Boardwalk Empire pilot…the most expensive television pilot ever produced. It’s lush. It’s historically accurate. Better than most theatre movies. Actually…add another 20 minutes of filler and this probably would have been a worthy Oscar contender. But, me being me, I’m actually rooting for the lower budget, much quieter, much dimmer and grayer pilot for The Killing. There’s a bluesy, smoky quality that I liked in this episode. And I felt like the plot moved along more than the other episodes (which tended to run slow in some parts).
Will Win: But no…Martin Scorsese will win for Boardwalk Empire. Do I need to explain my reasons why? Two words: Martin. Scorsese.
Picks and predictions for Comedy and Drama series coming sooner than you think!
