Game of Thrones and the Emmys: Reactions!

Jon

Game of Thrones did amazingly well at this morning’s Emmy announcements, snagging 23 nominations including a handful of acting nods for the cast. Today the stars, including first-time nominees Kit Harington and Maisie Williams are reacting to their Emmy nominations.

This season was a huge one for Jon Snow, who came back from the dead and lead an army in an epic battle, finishing the season off as King in the North. Harington says, “It is a serious understatement to say that I am somewhat stunned. For my work on Game of Thrones to be recognized in this way is an emotional moment for me. I could not be more humbled.”

Williams, nominated for her role as the assassin-in-training Arya, says, “I am so grateful to be a part of Game of Thrones, so to be nominated for an Emmy is beyond words, but I would like to say thank you to [author George R.R. Martin] for creating such an amazing character and to [showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss] and everyone associated with the show who bring Arya to life.”

Returning to the nominee game this year is Lena Headey, who reacted to her nomination by saying, “Totally overwhelmed. Thrilled for the show receiving so many nominations … Wahoo!”

Williams actually learned about her nomination on Twitter, and had a bit of a happy meltdown. Several of her co-workers joined in the Twitter celebration.

Update: George R.R. Martin chimed in last night on his Not A Blog:

I am thrilled and happy for all our nominees, of course… but it made me especially happy to see Kit and Maisie get some love from the Academy at last. About damn time, I say. They are several years overdue. (And I would have loved to see Sophie Turner on that list as well. I know, I know, I’m greedy).

Congrats again to the cast and crew, and enjoy the 2016 Emmys ride!

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

194 Comments

  1. Kit should probably win for all of his acting as an out of work actor during the offseason…..

  2. Maisie’s blithering, babbling reactions were so cute. She seems genuinely stunned to be let into the game with the grownups.

  3. Finally, Maisie gets her nom. It’s been a long time coming. Doesn’t matter who didn’t get nominated–I’m happy for her.

  4. GeekFurious:
    Emmy voters don’t actually watch these shows. They just vote. They don’t have time to do anything else.

    Agreed. No matter what people will say. I am still salty over Sophie and Nikolaj.
    Ok Nikolaj is foreign for them, he has very few chances and maybe they didn’t like Sophie in X-men (I am sure they don’t watch the show)…. but having Emilia and Peter again nominated over them for nothing is ridiculous. Just because they only know Peter and Emilia…They don’t even try.

  5. Maggie,

    Or maybe you just have an opinion on Sophie’s acting, and they don’t share it. Just a thought.

    Not everyone thinks she’s a good actress.

  6. It’s going to be nice seeing Kit at the Emmy’s again. They finally had their Emmy breakout last year and Kit couldn’t be there because they were playing the “Jon is dead” game.

    Welcome back Kit 🙂

  7. misterpota:
    Maggie,

    Or maybe you just have an opinion on Sophie’s acting, and they don’t share it. Just a thought.

    Not everyone thinks she’s a good actress.

    That’s ok,
    It;s my opinion. Not everyone has to share it.
    But i have the right to write about it.
    I am salty and i think it’s unfair to both actors.

  8. Aw Kit please keep being that humble. We love you. I say it’s between him and Jonathan Banks, but the latter didn’t do anything spectacular this year of BCS, so I think Kit has a very good chance of winning this 😀

  9. Rhaenys Stark:
    Aw Kit please keep being that humble. We love you. I say it’s between him and Jonathan Banks, but the latter didn’t do anything spectacular this year of BCS, so I think Kit has a very good chance of winning this

    More like it’s between Kit and Peter, who got the nod this year for doing close to nothing this season and is probably gonna win, like he did last year.

  10. jdtargstark: More like it’s between Kit and Peter, who got the nod this year for doing close to nothing this season and is probably gonna win, like he did last year.

    I am really wondering if these voters are even watching the episodes, or are just lazy and vote for the same person each year lol

  11. Maggie,

    While you may voice your opinion about how unfair those who didn’t get nominated ..don’t you think you are being unfair to those who got nominated ..
    No other actors should be compared ..

  12. I actually think Banks will win this year and Mr Robot will snag Best Drama since it’s the awards darling right now. It swept at the Golden Globes and now it’s snuck into the Outstanding Drama category. I just feel it’s going to snag it…

    Uzo from OitNB probably will win again too. She’s becoming an Emmy darling herself for Supporting Actress.

  13. I cannot express how happy I am that Maisie and Kit have gotten such well deserved nominations. As much as I love Peter, Lena and Emilia, I hope they win. ❤

  14. Jack Bauer 24,

    She isn’t even nominated.

    The category is:

    Maura Tierney, “The Affair”
    Maggie Smith, “Downton Abbey”
    Lena Headey, “Game Of Thrones”
    Emilia Clarke, “Game Of Thrones”
    Maisie Williams, “Game Of Thrones”
    Constance Zimmer, “UnREAL”

  15. I hope Kit wins. He’s far better than people give him credit for. Too many still hang on his inexperience from season 1 and either refuse to admit or ignore the fact he clearly has improved. In my opinion he is getting better and better each time he does something. I agree with Liam Cunningham who says he has come into his own and is on an upward trend as an actor.

  16. taim:

    I am really wondering if these voters are even watching the episodes, or are just lazy and vote for the same person each year lol

    That pretty much describes it perfectly. This also applies to the nominations themselves, which is why Kit and Maisie breaking through is a nice surprise.

    Lena has the best chance to win, with Kit maybe as a dark horse winner. But I wouldn’t be surprised if GoT was shut out of the acting categories.

  17. Outstanding Drama Series is a real hard choice this year. GoT, Better Call Saul, Mr. Robot, and The Americans are all shows I love.

  18. This is great news. Kit has wow’d (is that a word?) me with his performances of late. He has thrown himself into the role and clearly pushed himself physically as well as artistically. He IS Jon Snow on screen and I’m delighted to see his talent acknowledged.

    Love Maisie. She has done an incredible job and there is only one Ayra for me and that’s Maisie.

  19. orange,

    Kit was unquestionably the best thing in season 5. Took the Emmy voters a year to catch up.

    Season 2 was really Peter Dinklage’s best season. The best thing in season 4 was Rory McCann.

  20. dragonbringer:
    Maggie,

    While you may voice your opinion about how unfair those who didn’t get nominated ..don’t you think you are being unfair to those who got nominated ..
    No other actors should be compared ..

    No because in my personal opinion none of them deserve their nomination this year.
    They just got one because of popularity.
    It was unfair that Peter didn’t got the Emmy for season 4 but he didn’t even deserve to be nominated again this year. He has two emmys already…. Nikolaj has done amazing job in this show.
    He just never get flashy scenes. His scenes this year with the Sparrow, with Edmure and with Walder Frey all of them where amazing acted. Peter had nothing.
    As for Emilia… flashy scenes with dragons and fire. Which was the one she acted? Sophie had the scene with LF, the scene with Ramsay….
    It could be unfair if Peter didn’t already had two Emmys and Emilia already three nominations. You could say, hey they are good… they don’t deserve to be the only ones without recognition from this show.
    That’s what is happening with Sophie and NCW . It’s like everyone is better than them when they actually had the best acting this season. They just don’t have swords and dragons.

  21. A Man Grown:
    Outstanding Drama Series is a real hard choice this year. GoT, Better Call Saul, Mr. Robot, and The Americans are all shows I love.

    Yeah, the category is a little stronger this year than last. The strongest competition may be with the newcomers to the list, Mr. Robot and The Americans. They may be voting on a now ‘old’ season of Mr. Robot but there certainly was a lot of buzz about it too. I’ve had a hard time getting into the show but a lot think it’s brilliant.

    I guess it’s a bit of a win just having GoT nominated every season so far.

  22. I love LOVE love that Kit was nominated this year, but I just know Peter is going to take it home again. It would seem almost unfair if I didn’t love them both <3

  23. orange:
    I hope Kit wins. He’s far better than people give him credit for. Too many still hang on his inexperience from season 1 and either refuse to admit or ignore the fact he clearly has improved. In my opinion he is getting better and better each time he does something. I agree with Liam Cunningham who says he has come into his own and is on an upward trend as an actor.

    All of this ??

    Kit’s statement is so lovely and humble. I was in the audience the first night of Dr Faustus and when we gave him a standing ovation, he looked genuinely touched. I don’t think he’s one to expect praise, however well-deserved. I’m so, so happy for him today.

  24. I, like so many others, am so happy to see Kit and Maise get nominated. I also love their reactions. Maise’s, in particular, is pretty priceless!

  25. Maggie,

    Lol so there is this secret conspiracy against them even though showrunners say she is one of their favorites and keep giving her more material to work with ..
    Not everyone has swords and dragons but not everyone is forced in another storyline so that they can be more sympathetic and have more scenes..

    You see what i mean you can be disppointed with them not getting recognition but that doesn’t mean others are less deserving ..they are getting recognition for their work ..

  26. Kit is a sweetie – I hope he wins. He put himself through hell shooting BotB.

    If Lena doesn’t win… GRRR I guess it’s because the Thrones vote is split for all time.

    I mean c’mon Maggie Smith has won that category every damn time it comes up and Downton Abbey – while FUN – is just …ya know… shallow? Seriously this year most of M.S. screentime was spent arguing with 3 other hens about whether a local hospital should be consolidated. *eyeroll* If she blew up Grantham House then we’d be talking.

  27. How cute is Maisie’s little twitter meltdown 🙂 & kinda reminds how young she is.
    Really really happy for Kit today! He literally put blood sweat & tears into this show & it was about time it was acknowledged.Hope he wins too!!

    Sidenote: Emilia just posted a hilarious reaction on Instagram 😀 It kinda makes you forget whether she deserved or not & be happy for her nonetheless.
    Sophie’s reaction is just priceless. LOVE that girl.

  28. orange:
    I hope Kit wins. He’s far better than people give him credit for. Too many still hang on his inexperience from season 1 and either refuse to admit or ignore the fact he clearly has improved. In my opinion he is getting better and better each time he does something. I agree with Liam Cunningham who says he has come into his own and is on an upward trend as an actor.

    Totally agree with you! I saw him in the play Dr.Faustus in London and his performance was AWESOME! He’s an amazing actor (and person, so nice) the evolution of his character (Jon) was amazing. Too many prejudices, I think…
    Totally agree with the amazing Mr. Cunningham 🙂

  29. Emilia’s reaction on Instagram (with a dash of her trademark self-deprecating humor).

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BH2sztyjb2l/?taken-by=emilia_clarke&hl=en

    jack bauer 24,

    Bradley wasn’t submitted by HBO, and didn’t submit himself. Most of the older actors don’t, unfortunately.

    Max von Sydow was the only GoT actor submitted for consideration in the Guest categories this year (Diana Rigg – a three-time Guest Actress nominee – appeared in too many episodes to be eligible for consideration this year).

  30. THE KIT IN THE NORTH!!

    I’m so thrilled. I hope Kitty brings Rose to the ceremony.

  31. Nothing against Peter Dinklage — he’s earned his noms and his win in the past — but there are certainly others who deserve a nom this season more than he does. Christian Slater on Mr. Robot comes to mind (my other obsession, when GoT is in between seasons). That’s through no fault of his own though, just a general lack of good material for Tyrion this year.

  32. I’m hoping the multiple acting nominations don’t wind up cancelling each other out. I’d love to see Maisie Williams get it, but I think Lena also deserves it, as well. But the whole thing is a popularity contest. The show itself, is still the best thing on television. The real prize for me will be Season Seven!

  33. Maggie: His scenes this year with the Sparrow, with Edmure and with Walder Frey all of them where amazing acted. Peter had nothing.
    As for Emilia… flashy scenes with dragons and fire. Which was the one she acted? Sophie had the scene with LF, the scene with Ramsay….

    You say Peter had nothing and Emilia only had flashy scenes in comparison to mentioning three NKW scenes that were a bulk of his season outside of tailing Cersei. ? (I’m not saying NKW didn’t deserve consideration)

    Maybe Peter’s “jokes scenes” stood out as unnecessary filler or something but he had more than those. He did well in those others that included the pact meeting with the Masters that led to the argument with Grey Worm and Missandei. The “I know things” to unchaining of the dragons, Kinvara scene, a couple good scenes with Daenerys at the end. Certainly more than nothing and no less involved than NKW.

    Emilia actually had what I’d consider a lot less screen time this season, but there was also more than just ‘fire and blood.’ I thought the seen above Vaes Dothrak with Jorah and Daario was one of the best she’s done. Her other scenes that were good were the pact between she and Yara, the one with Daario into Tyrion conversation, and I enjoyed her standing in front of the khals speaking High Valyrian. I always enjoy that.

    The thing is, performances are subjective. Some will look at an actor in a scene and see it as outstanding while others see it as okay or good but could have been much better. There are tons of actors that do a “good job.” I can think that one particular actress does a good job in a substantial role but fails to take it to the excellent level in most scenes. Another can take a short, seemingly insignificant scene and make it great without saying a word.

  34. Isabelle: All of this

    Kit’s statement is so lovely and humble. I was in the audience the first night of Dr Faustus and when we gave him a standing ovation, he looked genuinely touched. I don’t think he’s one to expect praise, however well-deserved. I’m so, so happy for him today.

    Yes, totally agree with you!! 🙂

  35. Clob: NKW

    WHO IS NKW?
    I think NCW did better job than Peter this year in all his scenes. I am not saying Peter is not a good actor, i just don’t think he deserved any nomination for this season. the same with Emilia. I personally didn’t like any of his scenes you mention while i loved everything he did in season 4.
    Peter already has two Emmys, it’s ok when he is not that good to have someone who is better than him in one season be nominated…isn’t it?
    The same with Emilia,
    I don’t know why my comment was so upseting. They still will be the ones with the nomination. It’s not that tragic that i believe their nomination was unfair compared to the other GoT actors.

  36. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau should been nominated instead of Peter Dinklage…. Peter has already won an emmy or two…

    Nikolaj Coster-Waldau shined bright in season 6 and deserves an emmy!!!!

  37. Loved the reactions of the actors, esp Maisie! From all accounts this cast is very close, so Im not surprised by the support of others coming in. Congrats to all nominations, even if I had some quibbles that have nothing to do with the actors….

  38. Lena, Peter, and Emilia are old pros at this nomination business, so I understand Lena’s subdued reaction in comparison to Maisie’s hilarious & genuinely shocked reaction. I also loved that Kit was humble in his statement. I hope to hear more from him in the coming days.

    Edit: How the hell did I miss Emilia’s LOL instagram post?! She’s always funny. And awwww, to Sophie calling Kit & Maisie her brother and sister. Sweet.

  39. Maggie,

    Its not upsetting I see you more reasonable person than lot of people around here.
    What I was trying to say is just because peter and Emilia got nominated before does not mean they have to step down and let others a chance…they too performed and they have their scenes and they are acknowledged for their work ..

    You see three actresses got the nomination …there could have been three actors also but it did not ..
    Is it sad that these two did not get nominated yes it is but its not the fault of other actors and it should not come at the expense of other actors.

  40. I love NCW, and I wasn’t going into this nominations process thinking he’d be nominated for the season to be honest with you (though he was good). It’s just when other actors who were probably less deserving get it, you start thinking, “Hey, wait a minute…” through no fault of any of the actors. NCW was better than Peter Dinklage during Season 3 when he was first snubbed, and I personally think he just happened to be better than Dinklage this season as well (though the margin was less marked than during Season 3). He always has the slightly more thankless job than Dinklage because he’s playing someone who is supposed to invoke love, hate, admiration, pity and disgust sometimes within one episode, have that turn on a dime, and then somehow make sure he circles back around to sympathetic again. Again, that doesn’t mean that I think he was awards worthy this season – just in comparison to who WAS nominated he was moreso (and it’s not the first time it’s happened).

    Kit I most certainly agree with. Emilia, eh, no but she’s the main female “protagonist” so I get that she’s the one who gets recognized. Cersei is a complicated role that just screams awards bait so no surprise there. Maisie I would have substituted for Sophie this season and this season alone (and I don’t give a damn about competitions between the two or between their fan groups, just calling it as I see it).

  41. WOW, Sansa/Arya and now Sophie/Maisie, what in seven hells is happening?
    I am happy for GOT production, crew, and actors, they all deserve to be nominated for this great season. Kit in the North will surely win. His performance in episodes 2, 3 and 9 war terrific.

  42. Be really nice if Kit won because he has become the face of the series pretty much on the same level as Emilia.

    Plus I am sure he worked his ass off to create such amazing action sequences in ‘The Battle of the Bastards’.

    For the show’s sake I think the best possible outcome would be Emilia and Kit taking home the trophy just for the simple fact that they are the faces of the franchise. All the other characters are becoming a tier lower and eventually will have to choose between team Jon or team Dany, at least for a little while until a truce or union between them occurs.

    But happy for all the noms GoT received.

    I remember last year this site went crazy when we won Best Drama.

    In a million years I never thought those anti-fantasy snobs would give us the gold.

    Goes to show GoT really chipped away at the false judgment that a show with fantasy elements can’t be taking seriously.

  43. The more I think about it,I believe that Sophie Turner was robbed. From season 6 premiere till episode 5, her portrayal was nothing but exceptional, (after that her reactions got a bit dodgy,but that was all writing IMO). Her scenes in the premiere acting all cold & hypothermic so convincingly in sunny august mind you, to her epic standoff with LittleFinger where she owned him in the process in The Door,she completely ruled the material she was given & portrayed it with utmost conviction. Considering Sophie submitted The Door for consideration, I believe she was a solid contender & deserved some love.

  44. Now I’m thinking they should have submitted Kristian Nairn for guest actor category. He did much more than ‘hodoring’ this season.

  45. jack bauer 24,

    She obviously meant it as Kit and Maisie. She talked about Kit previously that he’s like her older brother and Maisie younger sister. They’re one big happy family in GoT.

    OT: Horrible what happened in Nice. My thoughts and prayers are with people affected by this tragedy. One wonder about the world we live in where people just want to celebrate and enjoy life and being targeted by terrorists.

  46. Arthur,

    If Kit is going to win, it’ll be for his quieter acting scenes, not for his big stunt scenes. Action sequences won’t get you a win, that’s for stunt men. Just like if Emilia wins it’ll be for her quiet scenes with Jorah or Tyrion, not because she rode a dragon.

    Rich Stark,

    I wouldn’t say Sophie was robbed. Unless you think there should’ve been 4 GOT actresses nominated. I think the other 3 had more range this season.

  47. Maggie,

    Like others have said, not everyone shares your opinion on Sophie’s acting. In fact, most peope I know find her average at best especially when they see her in other movies like Xmen where she got a lot of criticism for making Jean Grey appear so dull and more like a wallflower.

    Emilia and Tyrion had some powerful moments this season including the ones with Dany crying over Jorah, showing vulnerability to Tyrion in ep 10 and her portrayal of power with the khals early in the season and the masters in ep 9.

    Peter did a great job showing how much Tyrion enjoyed governing the city without making him seem childish. He also had one of his more outstanding moments in episode 10 when he finally opened up to Dany about the impact she had on his life. What he said in that episode could have felt corny and lackluster if it wasn’t for the sincerity and honesty in his portrayal.

    Emilia and Peter may not have had many scenes but they acted extremely well in the scenes they did have this season. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau getting nominated would have been nice but I can understand why he didn’t this season. I suspect he will get nominated next season though

  48. I remember back in the summer of 2011 when I was wondering if this strange fantasy show that had just wrapped up its first season would be embraced by the Television Academy. The Emmys, while not truly “biased” against such shows, were generally perceived to be lukewarm to them, so when Game of Thrones broke through with 13 nominations – including Drama Series and a Supporting Actor nod for Peter Dinklage (who would go on to win), I was surprised and elated. I expect many others were as well.

    Flash-forward to the summer of 2016. Game of Thrones is the reigning champion for Outstanding Drama Series, and tied for the most Emmy wins of any scripted program in television history. It just banked another 23 nominations, including *six* acting nominations for members of its amazing cast. The show looks to be a heavy favorite to defend its crown this September. And here we are, passionately taking issue with which talented and beloved cast members received nominations because we can think of 20 other cast members who would be equally deserving of such recognition, if not more so.

    When I think about that, I have to shake my head and smile. I never would have thought Game of Thrones would be in such a position. Especially not back in 2011, when I was sitting anxiously on the edge of my seat, hoping for the best but fearing that the show and all its cast members were about to be snubbed.

    Hey, it’s all in good fun! 🙂 We should all advocate for the actors we believe did the best work, and marvel at the fact that we’re able to take someone as talented as Peter Dinklage for granted every year. But just remember, Game of Thrones has come a long way, y’all, and so have we. These are high-class problems to have. Problems that fans of other shows would be desperate to call their own.

  49. I’m with those who think that Nikolaj and Sophie deserved the nominations ahead of Peter and Emilia.

    But this is one of the problems with awards ceremonies, in my opinion. They tend to recognise the familiar faces more than they do the actual acting.

  50. With a huge cast .. and so many great actors/actresses .. it must be difficult to decide who is worthy of a nomination!

    I love Kit Harington .. everybody loves Kit Harington .. but the one who has stood out for me the most this year has been Lena Headey. Her portrayal of Cersei’s decline into the depths of darkness has been spine chilling to watch! Even her reaction to Myrcella’s death as she waited on the shore for the boat was beautifully delivered – I almost felt sorry for her! I think her facial expressions, and her eyes especially, project what she is thinking/feeling brilliantly.

    While Kit Harington has been the primary focus of this season, I’m a big fan .. you can never have too much Jon Snow .. my vote for most outstanding acting this season would go to Lena. ‘All Hail Queen Cersei – Long May She Reign’

  51. El-Bobbie,

    Although the actors are nominated in the same category, I don’t like the idea of pitting the cast members against one another. So, I wouldn’t say one should have been nominated instead of another,but if we take a look back at this season, two female actors stood out for me, Lena & Sophie. Although their characters made some unpopular & controversial choices, but they made their presence count in every single frame & delivered genuine & authentic performance worthy of acknowledgement. Maisie & Emilia had stronger arcs in previous seasons. So I would have been really happy if all 4 of them were nominated, but if not then the at least the ones who delivered should get recognised.

    P.S Maisie’s nod was long overdue so I am glad she finally made the cut.

  52. Sophie Turner has also been outstanding in this season but maybe too much in the shadow of Kit Harington .. while I feel that Peter has had a somewhat *weaker* season this year – with the exception of the scene where he released the dragons .. I loved that!

    But there has to be winners AND losers – you can’t nominate everybody!

    I think Alfie Allen has had a fab season too and definitely deserves a mention. For me, he is also an outstanding actor. The reason we hate Ramsay Bolton so much is because Iwan Rheon played the part so menacingly, and the same goes for Aidan Gillen and his portrayal of the very shifty Littlefinger.

    There is so much talent to choose from .. and they all play a part in making the programme great. I can’t wait for season 7

  53. I was all fluttery with excitement on the earlier thread to see KIT and Maisie nominated. Her wild enthusiasm was typically, Maisie and I was laughing with her in her joy. Kit, dear don’t be quite so modest. You earned this nomination – you have the world cheering King in the North! and believing it. I’m ecstatic that you are nominated.

    Hope someday that Alfie gets recognized. Someone explain how it goes – does the actor himself have to put him/herself up for consideration? If so, step up Alfie. You deserve consideration.

    Ah hell, I’m happy for all of them. The entire cast is a part of a cosmic conglomeration that resonates with every part of me – it hits every cylinder of human emotion: Great love, great hate, the twisted desire for twisted vengeance, even when you would have sworn you were incapable of feeling or wanting such things. There is amazement and wonder, laughter, learning, redemption. The whole gamut. And each of them play their part beautifully. It wouldn’t be the show that it is without the contributions of each of them. I’m glad they’re nominated. (I’m rooting for Kit.)

  54. jdtargstark,

    I LOVE Peter and his dragon scene was so good. Emotive. No one does it better. Even the finale, with his Dany Hand scene…even though we were NEVER given any indication Tyrion felt that devoted…you believed it more bc he’s that good. BUT that was two scenes. Kit owned BoB… and his resurrection. He deserves it. I wish we’d seen more of him. From ep4-ep8, always felt like Sophie’s POV….not really spending time with Jon, as we usually did. So, BoB came very needed. I’m hoping he wins. Sorry Peter, not your year.

  55. Cersi’s Mercy,

    again, HBO chooses who is on the ballot…all the people you mention are wonderful…but were not submitted. Sophie was… the others no. Sophie was fabulous and really had more screen time it felt than even Kit. Besides BoB, it felt like it was her POV chapters ep4-8…. I’d have gone with her over Maisie.

  56. Jack Bauer 24:
    It’s going to be nice seeing Kit at the Emmy’s again. They finally had their Emmy breakout last year and Kit couldn’t be there because they were playing the “Jon is dead” game.

    Welcome back Kit

    Yes! I’m sure he wanted so much to be there and celebrate the wins with everyone last year. Looking forward to seeing all of them at this year’s Emmy!

    All nominees deserve their noms, people! Let’s just celebrate that the team’s hard work has been paying off!

  57. Sophie Turner should have gotten a nom this year. 609 especially.
    I don’t understand how Emilia Clarke keeps getting nominated either.

  58. I don’t get why people want Sophie to get the nom just because she had ‘stronger material’ compared to Maisie Williams. Sophie may have had stronger material, but she did not do a good job with that strong material. Emilia may have had her drawbacks but she was perfect in her scene with Tyrion in the finale. Sophie’s take on Sansa this season was annoying as hell.

    That said, I don’t think the Emmies are any metric to judge acting talent. The fact that Downton Abbey and Modern Family keeps getting nominated shows how pointless these award shows are. But I also don’t think that Sophie deserves it more than Emilia and Maisie.

    She and Lena Headey continue to have the strongest material to work with, especially Sophie this season and she let me down considerably. Lena delivers, Sophie did not and Maisie and Emilia continue to work with bad writing.

    As for NCW, I think he should have got a nom for season 3. His best season. I have not been impressed with his acting since then. Maybe it’s the dull writing.

  59. caliopesnow,

    you know, makes me think, because he’s pretty, ha, that ppl look over his skills. and u get wanted for your looks in hollywood….so this is HUGE for him as a man.

  60. Anon:
    Cersi’s Mercy,

    Are you trying to destroy Sophie’s career and make her a virtual pariah to her colleagues?

    I hardly think my sole comment will DESTROY her entire career ha-ha .. I thought she took the news with graceful integrity – not everybody needs to be competitive to be happy!

  61. I’ve heard it said many times wins and nominations are sometimes due to a kind of cumulative effect. Obviously, this is just my opinion, but Maise has been incredibly strong for a while. While Sophie’s work this season really impressed me, it’s the first season she’s really impressed me. That isn’t to say I didn’t like her before, but it wasn’t until this season where I thought, “wow, she’s really doing some strong work.” I’ve felt that way about Maise, as I said, for a while. Perhaps some Emmy voters felt the same way. For all we know, Maise could have just missed being nominated before now. I don’t see Sophie’s work, at least before this season, being so strong she could have been close to getting a nomination before this season.

  62. I’m thinking the 3 Supporting Actress noms will hurt them and Maggie will nab it for Downtowns final season.

  63. ae:

    Maisie comes across as lovely – someone mentioned earlier that you forget how young she really is. I agree with that!

    I especially liked the scenes of Sophie just after they escaped from Winterfell and she was crossing that freezing river – I much prefer her as the slightly vulnerable Sansa, rather than the one that watches wild dogs eat people alive … I think it was the first time that I could actually say I liked the character, although I repeatedly felt sorry for her, I also found her quite annoying up until this point. She really was a very stupid, selfish girl in the first season.

  64. Rich Stark: How cute is Maisie’s little twitter meltdown ? & kinda reminds how young she is.

    Yeah, I so much prefer that than the obvious PR release written by an agency. It was so endearing and reading it in real time was fun.

  65. Jack Bauer 24,

    Agreed. I think they’ll split the votes, just like last season. If Lena or Emilia had been nominated alone last season then either one of them would’ve won. They were throwing Emmys at GOT last year. Peter and Kit will split the votes as well, likely neither will win.

    They should really consider submitting Kit and Emilia for lead actors the next couple seasons. They’re clearly rising above the rest as lead actors, with the storylines all converging on those two characters. Would give one less person that the supporting actors have to split votes with.

  66. It’s about time Maisie Williams was recognized for her brilliant portrayal of Arya Stark. Her remarkable talent is well beyond her years. My fingers are crossed that she wins.

  67. OMG! So happy for Kit and Maisie and Miguel Sapochnik! I hope they win! I also agree that NCW should have been nominated instead of Peter. He really brought out the conflicted personality of Jamie this season. Every year, I am always baffled why Emilia gets nominated. I like her but her acting not much. Go Kit and Maisie!!!!

  68. Maggie: WHO IS NKW?
    I think NCW did better job than Peter this year in all his scenes. I am not saying Peter is not a good actor, i just don’t think he deserved any nomination for this season. the same with Emilia. I personally didn’t like any of his scenes you mention while i loved everything he did in season 4.

    Sorry, I goofed and wrote NKW the first time and continued with it.
    I have to clarify. I was trying to point out that Peter did have some pretty strong scenes in objection to “nothing.” However, I don’t believe they were probably strong enough to warrant an Emmy win, possibly not even a nomination. I don’t know, I don’t always see all of the work of those submitted. NCW… He does an excellent job but he too was limited on material. He’s probably at least equally deserving as Peter this season, but his year to break in should have been 2013 for season 3. THAT was his snub. Peter is one of those that may be benefiting as a carry over from always earning a nomination.

    None of this should come down to quarreling over X should make it over X for the show though. “Also” nominated is what we should hope for. This season was mostly fantastic and as a whole my favorite of the series, but while the more the merrier, if I have to be completely honest, for the categories of supporting actor and actress I think I’d have to say Kit, Maisie, Lena… and LIAM. Liam has excelled in his role, immerses himself in it and nobody lives, breathes and cares about the show more than he does. He and those other three were a level of their own for this season. imo. Kit essentially had a leading role and stepped into it superbly. Lena has had stronger seasons but she did great with the amount of time she’s had. Maisie just continues to churn out great performances and makes even the most inconsequential scenes better, and she was given several of those this season. Even covering one of her greatest tools (her eyes) with blind contacts couldn’t keep the viewer from feeling every one of her emotions clearly.

  69. I’m chuffed that 5 (five!) GoT stars got nominations. Kit has grown as an actor immensely and no doubt deserved that nomination. He even has a chance of winning it. Like Kit, Sophie was so wooden the first few years that this year was a revelation, but she still didn’t show much variety. Because Sansa had a prominent arc this year, I expected Sophie to get the nomination (though I didn’t think she deserved it) and that Maisie would send her a funny pat on the back. It was Sophie instead who sent congratulations to her big brother and little sister. Very sweet and how indicative of the mutually supportive and nurturing attitude amongst GoT actors. But Maisie has done strong work every single season, holding her own with experienced actors like Bean, Dance, McCann, etc. Even this year when Arya’s story was a bit bogged down, the breadth of her acting is outstanding and she undoubtedly deserved the nomination. Based on her long-standing brilliance and her dominance of the final episode, I think Lena Heady should finally win. Unfortunately, the three GoT actresses will probably split the vote, allowing Maggie Smith to win. But I am so happy for our Maisie.

  70. Jack Bauer 24:
    Has any show ever had 3 actors nominated in the same category?

    This is what I love! I don’t know if other shows have had 3 actors in the same category. Something makes me think Modern Family did in the supporting actor category but other than that, not sure.
    I don’t invest much into these award shows because so much of them are popularity contest. And really, there are a zillion award shows and swag and praise heaped onto “stars”, that it gets tiresome. But even with that, I am so excited to see that Maisie and Kit got a nod.
    I figured Kit would eventually but while the remaining cast, outside the big 3 (Peter, Emilia and Kit), maybe be well known to us, these types of award shows usually go after the power players. I sort of figured we would never see a nomination for supporters like Maisie even if they are well deserved.
    That is what makes her nomination so exciting for me. Kit may have had huge battles and lots of politics to wade through as Jon but Maisie physically committed, too. Her scenes may not have been on the same scale but she really sold what she was given. Even if the end of her time with the HoBW seemed stunted, she had a great season.
    On the flip side, I am not a huge Jaime fan and while NCW was really fantastic this season but I don’t think his performance trumped that of Kit or Peter. His arc to me, for two seasons, has been in the same place. Season 3 was a huge season for his character, so I wish he had received the praise then. Maybe season 7 will provide the range for some award love. Same goes for Sophie. I think Sansa had a great season but who knows what will happen in Season 7. We could be back next year at this time celebrating her nomination.
    We are so lucky that we are able to debate this because, look at all the recognition the actors of this show is getting! It’s incredible and so cool to see some newbies welcomed to the party.

  71. El-Bobbie,

    In this case Peter or Lena should be too. They’re lead as much as Kit and Emilia are. But that’s not how Game of Thrones roll. There are no leads and that’s why they¨re nominated in nominated supporting roles.

  72. Wow-nice haul on the nominations 🙂

    I’ve been thinking since season 1 that Maisie should be nominated, so I’m glad it finally happened.
    And Miguel should win all the awards. Everyone who wins for the show should just hand them to him…maybe then he’ll direct an episode next year. 🙂

    I’m actually most shocked that the music didn’t get the nod. I think this was the first time I ordered the entire season soundtrack and I’ve listened to it multiple times (Before I’d just pick things like Rains of Castermere and Bear and the Maiden Fair. It stood out so much this year, and not just the last episode. Hodor’s Hold the Door and Jon’s music-even Euron’s crowning. It was all so good.

    Edited to add: Kit in the North! 😉

  73. Geralt of Rivia,

    Peter and Lena are as important as Kit or Emilia, yes, but as far as characters? Tyrion isn’t a lead character over Dany, he’s literally her advisor and sidekick. That entire storyline in Essos is centered around Dany. You could make a better case for Cersei, but even she will likely be a “villain” that is defeated by our main character(s). She’s a character that will be dispatched before the real war happens. And in that war, there will be two main characters. That’s why I said in the next two season.

  74. El-Bobbie,

    In Season 1 I am pretty sure they submitted Sean and Lena as leads. The problem being that even Kit and Emilia the closest things to leads on the show are still only in 8 episodes a year. In fact none of the actors were in more than 8 episodes this year if I am correct. When you compare this to shows like House of Cards and Homeland where the lead actors are in every episode and probably every second scene the GoT actors wouldn’t stand a chance. Its so awesome that so many of the amazing cast have been nominated (I love Maisie’s youthful enthusiasm, Emilia’s lovely post and can completely understand why Lena is a bit more reserved – after been nominated last year and being the favourite but not winning you’d probably think it’s not meant to be!) all I can see is them pulling votes from one another. Still regardless of what happens it’s great to have the talent recognised!

    Flayed Potatoes,

    I never did understand why Teri Hatcher was ever nominated ahead of Felicity Huffman when this show was on lol

  75. El-Bobbie,

    Although, Think they said in the behind the scenes videos that Kit did all his own action/fighting sequences this year, no stunt double used

  76. El-Bobbie,

    Tyrion always had his own arc. Even in season 5 or 6. With Varys, Jorah then meeting Daeny. Than separating him from Dany and having his own arc in Meereen while Dany was with Dothraki. Tyrion also in terms of screen time is up there. Same in the books where he’s got most POV chapters. After all it’s George’s favourite character.

    Cersei will be there next season and at the end likely killed but as I said before. There is a thing with that they need to air 5 or 6 episodes before end of May and since this seeason is deleyed likely no nomination. They’re shooting in September and for like 6 months until January or February just like last season since Winter is needed as we’re approaching war with white walkers and winter is there.

  77. Kent,

    Best off screen performance in support of a production. Current holders being Josh Charles and the cast of The Good Wife re the death of Will Gardner.

  78. Eck,

    I said for the next 2 seasons. With 13 episodes left, I very much doubt that either Emilia or Kit will be sitting out any episodes. And with the storylines likely centered around them, they could easily be submitted for lead categories.

    Ben,

    I know he did his own stunts. But he wasn’t nominated for best stunt performer. What I’m saying is that an actor being able to perform crazy stunts as well as a stuntman isn’t what “best actor” will be based on. That’s stunt performing, not “acting” that fellow actors would vote for. Just like Emilia being able to ride her dragon mount herself shouldn’t factor into whether she wins or not.

    Geralt of Rivia,

    In season 5 he’s on his way to Dany. In season 6 he’s trying to rule in her stead while he waits for her to return. It’s still her city, with her advisors, against people wanting her taken down. It’s all still centered around Dany. That’s what I mean when I say the storyline centers around her. Tyrion wouldn’t be in Meereen if it weren’t for her.

  79. Those nominations surely seem to stir deep-rooted passions ! 🙂
    It is quite entertaining, though not surprising, to see how “chill” most of the actors appear to be, in contrast with the visceral reactions of the fandom.

    I have to say I felt no actor stood out as a failure to me this season. They all played their parts to perfection, pretty much all of the time.

    Some parts are “flashier” than others (“flashy” is not a dismissive term; it is merely a way to describe scenes / developments that are clearly engineered to feel “big” : making an inspirational, self-revendicative speech with epic, sweeping music in the background makes for a “flashier” scene than talking quietly with another person in a room; being massacred at a wedding is a “flashier” scene than reflecting, alone in the woods; descending into the madness, chaos and sheer brutality of a medieval battle “flashes” more than cracking jokes around a glass of wine). That is fine ! GOT is full of very different characters with hugely dissimilar arcs, purposes and personality styles. And we respond to them according to our own frames of references and sensitivities.
    However it hardly reflects on the actors’ talents or lack thereof.
    As far as GOT is concerned, I feel that they all do a pretty stellar job with what they are given. We may like or dislike what they were given but it is neither here nor there. Everyone, from the flashiest to the most obscure, pretty much nailed it 9 times out of 10.

    So loads of congratulations to the nominees; commiseration to the others.
    May they take comfort, were they to need it, in remembering that Michelle Fairley did not receive an Emmy nod for The Rains of Castamere

    On a different note, am I the only one sensing a Maggie Smith win ? It was her last season of Abbey and she is a living legend…

  80. IMO, Kit Harrington went from one of the worst actors on the show (back in S1) to one of the best. Just look at his facial expressions during the whole Battle of the Bastards… so many emotions conveyed without even saying a word.

    It was kinda painful to watch him in S1, but nowadays I just can’t get enough Jon Snow on my screen. So, yeah, congrats on his Emmy nom, it was well deserved.

  81. El-Bobbie,

    It’s all centered around her but yet they gave him his agenda. It’s a bit like Sansa and Jon to certain extent. One would say it was centered around ghim but both have their own arc but yet working together. Sansa/Vale/LF/Ramsay/Brienne. Jon/Davos/Mel/Tormund/Wildings/Northern houses. Could say even Sansa took control over in some points. But all this talk are irrelevant since they’re not likely to air 5 or 6 episodes needed until end of May. Since whole production/shooting of Game of Thrones is delayed. Meaning no nominations.

  82. GRRM still hates the show then 😉

    I am thrilled and happy for all our nominees, of course… but it made me especially happy to see Kit and Maisie get some love from the Academy at last. About damn time, I say. They are several years overdue. (And I would have loved to see Sophie Turner on that list as well. I know, I know, I’m greedy).

    http://grrm.livejournal.com/493486.html

  83. ACME:
    Ser Not Appearing in this Series,

    What a great find ! Thank you.

    It is such a charming and sweet message from the “Founding Father”. He may kill his characters by the dozens but he loves them all the same ^^

    I heartedly agree with you as to the find and your words about the creator of our beloved ASOIAF. I am so pleased for Kit and Maisie. Hoping that the votes will tally in their favor, they both deserve it.

  84. zod,

    He really has grown so much as an actor. Kinda similar to watching Daniel Radcliffe over the course of the Harry Potter series.

  85. Ok let’s turn this thread into something more positive.

    What scenes.episodes should the actors choose. Please no ”they don’t deserve”/”all are crap”/”your scene sucks, mine is better”….etc.

    For Emilia I say either EP5 or EP10, for her scene with Jorah, and the Tyrion/Daario scenes.

    Lena should go with EP10, no debate for me here. But she might choose EP1 for her scene where she mourns Myrcela, she was GREAT in it.

    Kit, I say EP3 for his revival and execution scenes, both acted incredibly well.

    I would go with EP10 for Peter, his scene with Dany was great, but the dragon scene was also good and honestly I really liked him in EP9, all 3 scenes, were acted amazingly.
    But I think it’s either EP10 or the dragon scene…..I forgot in which episode it is…silly me..

    Maise I think should go with episode 7, her watching the play, her doubting if she should poison Lady Crane or not, and my favourite, when LC speaks about her eyes, Maise might not have many lines here, but she is simply amazing in that moment!

  86. Mihnea,

    Great suggestions!
    I say episode 9 for Kit (he was breathtaking in episode 3 as well but he was more prominent in the battle ep, so it would seem as a more logical choice)
    Episode 10 for Emilia (she was great in the Daario and Tyrion scenes)
    Maybe episode 8 for Maisie?
    Episode 10 for Lena (they should just hand the Emmy to her right now)
    Episode 2 or 10 for Peter (I teared up in both the dragons and the hand of the King scenes)

  87. Well done for GOT!
    I just binge watched the 10 episodes of Mr Robot last week which I thoroughly enjoyed but it has nothing on Got…yet.
    Kit definitely has to win he has done a complete character 180 from the start of this season till the end. the fact he could stand and have 40 horses charging him in the battle sequence is enough to bag it I recon.
    As for Maisie she has been so good all season but I think Leana will nab it even just for that speech she gave Septa Unella IMO that was gold !!

  88. It’s funny seeing people argue about who “deserves” a nomination… these things aren’t about deserving anything. They’re about a collective of a few thousand industry people voting their favorites. Not because they are the best talent, or because they gave the best performance, but because that’s who the majority of voters decided to vote for… and anyone who says it is anything else is living in a delusion… where a Golden Globe is a respected award by anyone in the industry.

    So, if you win an Emmy, you’ve likely caught some popularity wind or you showed up to all the right parties and didn’t piss people off, or you are on a show employing half the industry and they all want to see the show, and you, continue to do well so they keep getting work. Whatever the case, very few people vote based on someone “deserving” anything.

    In the grand scheme, there are too many shows now and not enough time for the voters to watch them. So they just vote for what feels safe and every now and then someone squeezes through their mountain of bullshit and accidentally ends up being nominated. But those accidental types rarely win.

  89. Mihnea,

    Agree about Lena and Peter.He will probably go with home the dragons scene was great.Emilia will probably go for book of the stranger.It was her biggest episode and one of her most impactful scenes.Kit was great in Oathbreaker but I still think he will go for Battle of the Bastards.He was great in it and not only for the action scenes but he had some quiet scenes too.Plus it is a flashier episode.Maisie was great in episode 6 as you described but I think she will go for no one.It was a big episode for her.Appart from the action she also had good scenes with lady crane and in the end with Jaquen.

  90. Mihnea,

    Agree about Lena and Peter.He will go for Home probably the dragons scene was great.Emilia I think will go for Book of the stranger.It was a big episode for her and had impactful scenes.Kit was great in Oathbreaker I agree but I still think he will go for ep 9.It was his biggest episode.Appart from the action he also had some quiet scenes.Plus it is a flashier episode that might be more memorable.Maise was good in episode 6 as you said but I think she will go for no one.It was a big ep for her and she had some good scenes with lady crane and Jaquen at the end.

  91. Mihnea,

    Lena Headey: “The Winds of Winter” – This is a fairly easy choice, I’d say. Cersei vanquishes all of her enemies, delivers a gloating speech to Unella, loses her last child, and ascends to the Iron Throne. If tapes matter at all, I think this is a winner.

    Alternative: “The Red Woman” – I thought the scene where she comes to terms with Myrcella’s death was phenomenal. But yeah, there’s no contest here.

    Emilia Clarke: “Book of the Stranger” – She has the nice scene with the younger Khaleesi earlier in the episode, then gets to deliver a powerful speech in Dothraki before roasting all of the Khals alive and claiming the Khalasaars. That shot of the entire horde bowing to her as she emerges from the fiery ruins of the temple is one hell of a final image.

    Alternatives: “The Door”, “Battle of the Bastards”, or “The Winds of Winter” – Her scenes with Jorah in 6×05 and Tyrion in 6×10 feature some of her most understated and emotional work, while 6×09 is more in the badass vein (but if that’s the direction she wants to go, 6×04 is a better choice).

    Aside: I know that some people are just sick of Dany, but looking back over all of the great scenes Emilia had this year, I become even more entrenched in my belief that the intensive criticisms of her performance are utterly absurd. But then again, I’ve been a fan of hers since Season 1, and never wavered. Different camps, and never the twain shall meet.

    Maisie Williams: “No One” – Yes, I know the resolution of Arya’s storyline in this episode represents an egregious sin for some, but Maisie has lots of screentime, and she’s excellent in all of her scenes. She gets to play a nice quiet moment opposite Essie Davis as Lady Crane early in the hour, then towards the end she gets an action sequence in which Arya ultimately triumphs. Finally, she gets to deliver the cheer-worthy final line “A girl is Arya Stark of Winterfell, and I’m going home”. Good final memory to leave voters with.

    (FWIW, the people at the awards-centric website Gold Derby did breakdowns of each GoT episode this season, and most of them thought Maisie could win with this tape if she got nominated. Not being immersed in the fan culture, they were mostly unaware of the backlash in certain sectors of the fandom).

    Alternative: “Blood of My Blood” – Maisie gets to do some understated work watching Lady Crane’s performance in the crowd, has a good long scene with Essie Davis, and ultimately abandons the House of Black and White. Problem is that her scenes are in the middle of the episode, overshadowed by bigger events on either side.

    Kit Harington: “Battle of the Bastards” – Generally the Emmys seem to value big speeches over physical acting, but the sheer triumph of the battle is impossible to ignore, and Kit is right at the heart of it. Circulating the knowledge that he did all of his own stunts would help. Jon also has strong scenes opposite Ramsay, Sansa, and Melisandre. I think this is Kit’s best choice.

    Alternative: “Oathbreaker” – Jon opens and closes the hour, and Kit does a great job conveying the shock of being brought back to life, the trauma of coming to terms with his own murder, and the restrained fury of confronting his killers. He also closes the episode on a powerful note with Jon’s decision to leave the Night’s Watch. I still think “Battle of the Bastards” is his best showcase, but this is a great episode for Kit as well.

    Peter Dinklage: [Pauses to allow for a chorus of exclamations about how Dinklage did nothing this year and isn’t worthy of recognition. Did we get it all out of our systems? Can we appreciate that Peter Dinklage is still an amazing actor even if his material wasn’t quite as stellar as it might have been in previous seasons? OK.]

    “Home” – The scene with Tyrion and the dragons is amazing, especially when you remember that Dinklage is acting opposite two green pieces of styrofoam on a stick. He also has the funny scene immediately proceeding it, where Tyrion has the crowd-pleasing line “I drink and he know things”. Setting aside Dinklage’s obvious popularity, is this a winning tape on merit? Probably not. But it’s a damn fine showcase all the same.

    Alternatives: “Battle of the Bastards” or “The Winds of Winter” – Both of these episodes feature long scenes of him giving counsel to Daenerys, showing his aptitude, intelligence, and rapport with another actor we know that they like. The former also has an excellent scene of him admonishing the slavers for breaking the pact, and the latter features his wonderfully emotional reaction to Dany naming him her hand. Fixate on Dinklage’s performance in that scene and then, please, tell me again about how he did nothing this year.

    Max von Sydow: “The Door” – This episode is already his submission on the official Emmy ballot, so no need to debate. I haven’t seen most of the other contenders, so I don’t know if this relatively restrained performance is the best in his category. But he’s also Max Freaking Von Sydow. If anyone can win purely on name recognition and out of appreciation for his legendary career, it’s probably him.

  92. Jack Bauer 24:
    Has any show ever had 3 actors nominated in the same category?

    I looked it up. Several times. In every occasion one of them won the Emmy too.
    I’m seeing that in 1982 all five best supporting actor nominees were from Hill Street Blues. Of course there were fewer tv shows at that time but it’s still nuts. HSB had three actresses in ’84. The West Wing had four men in ’02, three men in ’01 and three women in ’02. Sex and the City had three actresses in ’04. The Practice three in ’99. Grey’s Anatomy ’07 had three. Modern Family had three actors a few times.

  93. Jared,

    Excellently put like always and yeah iam going with what you said as well

    Lena – winds of winter
    peter- winds of winter
    emilia- book of stranger
    Kit- battle of bastards
    Maisie – no one

  94. Can you please leave Peter and Emilia alone? Even if Peter had had just one scene in the entire season he is still a thousand times better actor than Kit Harington, Jon Snow fangirls are the worst, I hate when they attack other actors/characters because they feel jealous specially of Dany or try to victimize him so they don’t have to admit he was a complete failure this season, so they attacted Sansa; and even if Kit has improved, he not even close to Peter or Nicolaj acting level. And Emilia had a great season, she and Lena are the leads and they both deserved a nomination, but Lena is extraordinary, so I hope she wins.

  95. StarkTree,

    I find it hilarious that you claim to hate when people attack other actors/characters then you basically went on to attack not only Kit Harington, his character, but you also derided his fans in a sexist manner. I can’t speak on behalf on Peter or Emilia, but I don’t think they’d approve of your defense of them at the expense of others. Hypocrisy is not a good look.

  96. StarkTree:
    Can you please leave Peter and Emilia alone? Even if Peter had had just one scene in the entire season he is still a thousand times better actor than Kit Harington, Jon Snow fangirls are the worst, I hate when they attack other actors/characters because they feel jealous specially of Dany or try to victimize him so they don’t have to admit he was a complete failure this season, so they attacted Sansa; and even if Kit has improved, he not even close to Peter or Nicolaj acting level. And Emilia had a great season, she and Lena are the leads and they both deserved a nomination, but Lena is extraordinary, so I hope she wins.

    in no way you can say that Emilia is a better actress than Kit or Maisie, she gets criticised a lot, maybe sometimes over the top, but she is now the highest paid actor on the show, and for what? The main reason people like her are her dragons, take them away and she wouldnt be half as interesting. And for what exactly did she deserve a nomination over someone like Sophie? Emilia didnt really have that great of a season.

  97. taim,

    That is you opinion, not a fact. I don’t consider Kit a better actor that Emilia, I think both of them are at the same level. Like you said, Emilia/Dany gets criticized over the top and the reason behind that hate is really petty and comes specifically from Jon/Kit fans. I get you like a character but you can stan for them without throwing others under the bus. Why can’t his fans share their happiness for his nomination without throwing shade at his castmates?

  98. taim,

    Believe it or not there are those who can see past the dragons and actually see her as a character ..

    She is the only character that got her own novella and who got an HuGO award for GRRM …
    No other character or book in the series did that for GRRm ..

    And regarding Emilia its been said what she had done ..and it’s all comes down to personal opinion..but you can’t say one doesn’t deserve over the other. .

    And please stop with this going parties being famous and main character because that’s not going to warrant you three times nomination… And its not like other actors and actresses are not media friendly or not popular or not have a personality or not go to parties Or not main characters..

  99. Looks like gwendoline tweeted wishing the actors as well..
    Nice of her to show support for her fellow cast members..

  100. taim,

    This apply for Jon snow too. He is the typical (cliche-flawless) fantasy hero.
    This is your comment post-Book of the stranger.

    taim
    May 16, 2016 at 8:23 am
    blckp:
    Daenerys ending scene so fucking epic,holy shit one of best scene in entire TV SHOW

    why they always have to give her stuff like this, she has so many boring scenes, and it seems the only way to make her interesting is to give her special effects to make her look cool.
    They could have used more money on Jons resurrection.

    Yep, they should use all the budget in Jon Snow storyline, for sure.
    Is Game Of Thrones, not Jon Snow Adventures.

  101. dragonbringer: She is the only character that got her own novella and who got an HuGO award for GRRM …
    No other character or book in the series did that for GRRm ..

    Don’t see any relevancy to the discussion. The discussion is about the portrayal of the character in the adaptation and the differing opinions on that portrayal. The fact GRRM’s publishing company decided to lump together Dany’s AGOT chapters in July 1996 and release it as a standalone novella 20 years ago means what? This has zero bearing on how her character is seen or written or portrayed in the adaptation, which is what the debate in this topic is about.

  102. Tywin's Ghost,

    I think you need to buy some interpretation skills because I have no idea what you’re saying. Don’t try to twist my words to justify yourself.

  103. Tywin's Ghost:
    StarkTree,

    I find it hilarious that you claim to hate when people attack other actors/characters then you basically went on to attack not only Kit Harington, his character, but you also derided his fans in a sexist manner.I can’t speak on behalf on Peter or Emilia, but I don’t think they’d approve of your defense of them at the expense of others.Hypocrisy is not a good look.

    Perfectly said.

  104. orange,

    I was replying to a post which claimed without her dragons dany is nothing ..i may have misunderstood here ..

    And so I added that how she is as a character whose story got an award where no one else has..
    So I think it has every relevance to the topic ..

    Emilia as dany getting nominated thrice speaks for itself when it comes to portrayal and character is written .

    I should have also added that most people view dany and Emilia’s best season as season 1 where there was no dragons..
    And its not like she doesn’t have any scenes other than her dragons..

  105. StarkTree,

    You understood exactly what I said and why. You’re projecting all over the place. One side of your mouth is whining about shade being thrown at Emilia then the other side of your mouth is throwing shade at Kit Harington and his “fangirls.” It’s very simple, if you don’t like certain behavior, don’t display it yourself. TL;DR I’m calling out your hypocrisy. Don’t play dumb to justify yourself. It isn’t a good look.

  106. PatoDonald,

    If Jon were a flawless character – he would have magically convinced all of the Night’s
    Watch that letting the wildlings into the realm was the right thing to do and they wouldn’t have, you know, killed him. If Jon were flawless, he would have found a way to run towards Rickon, get to him before the arrow pierced his heart, and take him to safety to later continue with their battle strategy as planned. Flawless Jon would have found a way to beat every Bolton/Karkstark/Umber himself. Jon may follow the classic hero’s journey arc but he ain’t a flawless character, don’t confuse decent and good with flawless.

  107. There are so many wonderful performances on this show. I wish there was room for each of them to get the recognition they deserve. I’m most happy about Kit and Maisie, though Lena always deserves it. I just hope next season gives the leads a chance to move into the lead category so that our fabulous supporting actors such as Alfie, Liam and Carice can get some love as well.

    As for Kit, over the last two seasons his quiet performance as Jon has provided some of the most visceral emotional underpinning of the entire story, as far as I’m concerned.

  108. Tywin’s Ghost,

    Pointing out how rude and petty Jon/Kit fans can be and saying Peter is a better actor than Kit is not hypocrisy or projecting, grab a dictionary next time. Jon/Kit fangirls do not have the monopoly of criticism, so if if they are going to thorw shade at everyone who could be a potential threat for their precious Jon/Kit then they have to deal with it when others call you on their bs. And when I say “fangirls” I’m not including all of his fans, because most of them can stan for him without being rude or acting like jealous teenagers, so if you feel salty about the term must be a reason.

  109. StarkTree,

    You protest too much. Again, you’re projecting. If you refuse to see how you’re behaving in the same manner of the people you’re deriding, I suggest you take a deep breathe, step away from the computer, and go outside. Don’t whine about jealous teenagers when you are behaving in a childish manner. Have a good day.

  110. StarkTree,

    Can’t you just leave Kit alone? See how that works? There was no need for you to insult Kit just so you can defend Peter and Emilia. You could have done it without bringing any of their co-stars into it. By the way, while I think Peter is the best actor in the cast, I don’t think he’s a thousand times better actor than anyone in the ensemble, much less Kit. Now if you were to bring Daniel Day Lewis name into the mix then we could talk, else – child, please.

  111. Gravemaster,

    There was only an image linked.
    If this is true, it will probably be the North storyline. The last time they shot in Iceland, the quality of the acting seemed to have suffered a bit due to the weather. Hope they can do better this time around.

  112. Don’t get all bitter sweetie, nobody’s going to take your imaginary boyfriend away. Have a good day too, and buy a real life and some manners too. Bye felicia! 🙂

  113. Flayed Potatoes,

    Little Finger (maybe he’ll freeze to death and we will all rejoice)? Ed (he’s a main character in our hearts)? Or maybe Brienne will finally make it back North and rejoin her lady?

  114. It always makes me laugh at how fans fight over which actors deserve to be nominated. Deserves got nothing to do with it. Peter gets nominated every year because he is respected and loved, and yes, he is a fantastic actor. His best is better than the rest of the cast, IMO.

    Just be happy for the ones nominated and stop pitting them against each other. It’s a huge fucking cast. There are plenty of actors worth celebrating, most of which will never be nominated for an award. Charles Dance was magnificent as Tywin, yet he was never nominated for an award. Perhaps that is because he was never put up for nomination, I don’t know. But he commanded the screen. And that doesn’t change because he was never nominated for an Emmy.

    Geek Furious, much as it pains me to say so, is mostly right. There is no way the voters watch every TV show. HBO has a powerful PR team. They know how to get actors and shows nominated. It’s a safe bet that they pushed hard for Kit,Maisie, and Sophie. While Peter,Lena, and Emilia are automatics at this point.

  115. Gravemaster,
    Thanks ! ^^

    Flayed Potatoes: 6?
    Jon, Bran, Davos, Tormund, Sansa?? Who else could it be?

    Unless I am hugely mistaken, Icelandic locations have been used for both “beyond the wall” scenes and Riverland-Vale exteriors…

    If it is north of the wall : Brienne (if Sansa goes, Brienne probably goes with her… But would Jon and Sansa both leave Winterfell) ? Meera (if she is considered “main”) ?
    If it is Riverlands : Arya ? The Hound ? Melisandre ?

  116. Flayed Potatoes,

    They don’t seem sure, and they suggest eight of whom to maybe pick six –
    “Þegar sjöttu þáttaröðinni lauk voru nokkrar mikilvægar persónur í Winterfell, þar sem snjórinn var farinn af himnum. Það voru þau Jon Snow, Sansa Stark, Ser Davos, Tormund og Littlefinger. Auk þeirra er Brienne á leiðinni frá Riverrun til Winterfell.

    Kannski er um að ræða einhver af þeim, en Bran og Meera eru enn fyrir norðan Vegginn. Mögulega gætu þau komið til Íslands.”

    Jon, Sansa, Davos, Tormund and maybe Littlefinger, plus Brienne who is (maybe) on the way back from Riverrun to Winterfell, but of course Bran and Meera are still north of the wall…
    So this is all a bit hypothetical, except that they’ve been informed by HBO that some filming will be done in Iceland with potentially six characters.

  117. ACME,

    Yes, Iceland has been used for some Riverlands and Vale scenes as well as north of the wall. I’ve loved seeing some of these. I’ve only been to Iceland a few times but could still recognise Þingvellir when it was shown. More please !

  118. Danny:
    Flayed Potatoes,

    Little Finger (maybe he’ll freeze to death and we will all rejoice)?

    If only! I dislike that character so much lol.

    spaewife,

    Thanks! So it looks like they might use Iceland to film Winterfell scenes?

  119. Flayed Potatoes,

    Very possible, but they don´t seem to know yet. It says they used quite a bit of Icelandic scenery in the last season, as backgrounds, and one assumes this was to Winterfell and the North.

  120. Flayed Potatoes:
    Thanks! So it looks like they might use Iceland to film Winterfell scenes?

    I seem to recall Theon and Sansa crossing the river in the season opener was shot in Iceland as well. So it could be a scene in the North, you’re absolutely right.

    Beyond the Wall, the North, the Riverlands, the Vale… That’s 3/4 of Westeros !
    Damn you, Iceland ! ^^

    spaewife,
    It is a positively stunning country; I couldn’t agree more ^^

    Since they will shoot in January, it will probably be for one of the last episodes of the season, I would imagine.
    If Daenerys’s conquest takes her to the Riverlands/Vale by the end of the season, it could be the meeting point between her forces and those of the North… To negociate a deal ?
    Jon, Daenerys, Sansa, Tyrion, Davos and Varys ?

  121. ACME,

    ACME: It is a positively stunning country; I couldn’t agree more ^^

    Since they will shoot in January, it will probably be for one of the last episodes of the season, I would imagine.

    Yes, stunning, absolutely! But remember that they don’t shoot in the order of the episodes – they’re likely to keep scenes that need ‘read snow’ until the end of shooting, regardless of where these come in the order of play.

    However, this does let us know that they will still be shooting in January…

  122. ACME: I seem to recall Theon and Sansa crossing the river in the season opener was shot in Iceland as well.

    No, that was Northern Ireland.

  123. Now that Danny will be in winter, I would like to watch her in a similar dress like Rhaenyra in the dance of dragons lore video, a black and red dress.

  124. spaewife:

    Yes, stunning, absolutely! But remember that they don’t shoot in the order of the episodes – they’re likely to keep scenes that need ‘read snow’ until the end of shooting, regardless of where these come in the order of play.

    However, this does let us know that they will still be shooting in January…

    Yep, I had forgotten to take into account they do not shoot scenes in order of broadcast…
    So basically, there is only one thing we can know for sure : this will not be Dorne. Rejoice ! ^^

    Sean C.,
    Really ? Oh, thank you. My recollection is undeniably faulty on this one 😉

  125. Mihnea,

    I really appreciate your effort to turn this into a more positive, or at the very least, a more workable post. Haven’t been here in a few hours, came home and yes I see how long that lasted. sigh

    my 2 cents:

    Lena – winds of winter. no contest

    Kit – gotta go with BotB.

    Emilia – can’t remember which episode, the one where she unleashes the dragons

    Peter – Winds

    Maisie – despite the horrible writing, she really did a marvelous job in No One

    as for other people who keep harping on those who didn’t get nominated, putting down actors – please go get a life. I don’t mind criticsm of the show or the actors, but this is just getting ridiculous.

  126. Clob,

    Hill Street Blues.

    gawd I loved that show!

    in no way you can say that Emilia is a better actress than Kit

    um I don’t think anyone is……..(you do know that Kit is male, right?)

  127. ash,

    Emilia – can’t remember which episode, the one where she unleashes the dragons

    Sorry meant to say the one where the dragons destroy the master’s fleet and GW kills two of the masters

  128. Flayed Potatoes:

    Halfman,

    I wonder what she’ll be up to next season. Maybe Bran will send her to get Howland Reed.

    Leaf told her that Bran would need her so hopefully it involves her father somehow.

  129. Congrats GoT on their nominations. Best show on TV, it deserves all the accolades. Love the camaraderie and kinship between the cast and crew, a victory for one is really a victory for the whole team.

    I have hope that Sophie will secure a nomination in the forseeable future, even if time is running out. She was a standout this season along with Kit, very happy for him. Sophie should take pride from nearly every media outlet saying she was deserving of a nomination. Most of all the great Mr Martin giving her his validation.

    Still, brilliant that Kit and Maisie were first time nominees.

    If there was a snub this year, it is that Ramin was not recognised. Do the voters not have ears? WTF?! It’s a travesty, his creations elevated every single scene. He is the biggest winner of the season for me hands down.

  130. Mihnea,

    Episode 10 is the obvious choice for Lena Headey, I think her scene in Episode 1 where she talks to Jaime about their mother and Myrcella was actually one of Lena’s finest pieces of acting throughout the entire show.

    I think Kit would have to be Episode 9, mainly because I don’t think the battle scenes should be dismissed as somehow secondary to other acting skills. In the behind the scenes episode the producers and stunt crew remarked on just how much they put Kit through while filming the sequence and just how professional and willing he was to go the extra mile. I think those scenes deserve recognition.

    I found Peter’s scenes all much of a muchness this season. I think the standout scene was the scene with him and the dragons. That’s got to be pretty difficult to act too, what with having nothing act opposite. So I’d go for Episode 2 for Peter.

    I agree with you about Maisie, but it’s episode 6, not 7, you’re talking about.

    Emilia, I think the only episode where she had anything worthwhile to do was in Episode 4, so that’s what I’d go for.

  131. Hmm…all the talk of who should have been nominated and who is better within the show…but really, qualifying this as saying I love GoT, love it, adore it, post about it, write about it, watch YouTube videos about it, even read the occasional fanfic about it, …none of the GoT actors who are nominated are deserving of the win in their categories.

    Because of the size of the cast, the GoT actors don’t get that much screen time. So four great scenes for a GoT actor might earn them a nomination, but the other contenders have a dozen more great scenes, in fact, better scenes.

    Constance Zimmer should win for UnReal. No matter how good Lena is, Zimmer does more work and does it better.

    Ben Mendelsohn should win for Bloodline. More amazing scenes than Kit and Peter combined.

    I’m glad they got the nominations, but none of them deserve a win.

  132. taim,

    IMO, Dany has been so boring even with her dragons. Not sure if it’s due to Dany’s Essos storyline or Emilia’s acting. I think that she may get noms due to her having to learn/speak/act in other “languages” on the show.

  133. HotPinkLipstick,

    I’ll watch Bloodline someday. So much on my backlog.

    I haven’t watched a single reality TV show in the past dozen years so UnREAL might not mean much to me.

  134. It’s hard for me to judge awards shows because I don’t watch much television and don’t even know who half these people are in the categories, but I actually do watch Mr. Robot, Better Call Saul, The Americans, and Game of Thrones, so it’s exciting to see all four getting recognition.

    I’ve long thought The Americans is the best show on television and I hope it gets recognized. The costuming is amazing, for one. Nothing showy, but the spy disguises are so realistic, sometimes I honestly don’t recognize a character wearing one, and they capture the 80s really well, aside from the occasional goof with a car model. I love how they handled the reveals to Martha and Paige this season. It’s interesting to watch this show as an American because of course we think we’re the good guys, but the Soviets think they are too, and putting these in-between characters that have their loyalties and identities put in question was played so well by both actresses. There was so much tension and viewers don’t know which way it will turn.

    Then the downfall of Agent Gaad. That guy was a giant, he gave everything for his country. He was portrayed as super careful. He didn’t bend the rules. Every time classified information needed to be discussed, he went into the vault. That a leak could come from his office anyway just shows anyone can be brought down. Even the “enemies” are sad about what happens to him. The show really portrays how pointless this war was. These people are the same. They respect each other, have the same jobs, the same temperaments and personalities, the same interests. They’re neighbors, they go to church together, go to self-help groups together, they date and have sex with each other. But they’re at war and killing each other just because they happened to be born on opposite sides of an imaginary line.

    This portrayal is what A Song of Ice and Fire claims it is trying to be, but it isn’t really. GRRM talks about nobody being black and white, but the masters of Slaver’s Bay, the Boltons, the Freys, Joffrey, all are written as despicable foils for the good guys with no redeeming qualities of their own. The Americans actually achieves the moral ambiguity that Game of Thrones claims it is going for (that I think it really achieved only with Stannis, Tywin, and Cersei so far). There are no good guys or bad guys. When someone falls on either side, you’re sad. No one deserves it. And nothing happens, no character makes a decision, just because the plot requires it. No one has plot armor, either, implausibly getting out of situations that would kill any real person solely because the story requires them to live. The writers of the Americans are the best in the business right now. They take zero shortcuts.

    On the other hand, Game of Thrones has higher highs than anything I’ve ever seen on television. No other show I can think of has ever tried to do six-year long setups for payoffs. The Tower of Joy reveal, Jon’s arc in general, the Targaryen fleet finally assembled and setting sail, the Starks taking back Winterfell, the Hodor reveal. These are moments that can’t happen on other shows. The detail involved in the worldbuilding, the intricacies of the backstories, nobody else even tries to do that. And it blows everything else on television out of the water when it comes to sets, photography, visual effects, and music. The problem with recognizing this is the awards shows are designed to recognize a single season, not the greatness of the show’s entire running.

    Mr. Robot seems like an awards darling right now and might actually get it. The acting is out of this world. Elliot and Tyrell are both completely off-the-hinge insane characters, but the actors pull it off and don’t go overboard, which is very hard to do. The reveals were good, but started telegraphing themselves a bit, in part because they completely ripped off the plot of Fight Club. For that, I have trouble really ranking it with those other shows right now. It is the first fictional portrayal of computer hacking I’ve ever seen get it right, showing very nearly all intrusions are exploits of human vulnerabilities, not novel software exploits. Security bugs get all the press, but nearly every large data breach happens because of social engineering. It’s nice to see fiction finally show that.

    Better Call Saul is great but it lacks the clear direction of the other shows. It’s still not obvious where the plot is going, but the characters and the acting are so good that it makes you forget that. And, of course, anyone that watched Breaking Bad wants answers. How does Jimmy become Saul? Why has Kim left the picture? How does Mike meet Gustavo and come to work for him? How does Hector get paralyzed? Why is Mike able to visit Kaylee in the future but he never sees Stacey? Does she cut him off? Does she die? Those answers and the acting make you want to keep watching.

  135. Pe
    Bergey,

    Everyone seems to forget Peter is an American actor using an English accent, that you actually believe he is that southern Lord maybe, that’s why he wins….

  136. Adam,

    Adam I don’t watch many shows, too much on my plate, so I really appreciate your comments. You’ll probably get some flack, but with all the whining here about who and who should not be nominated, people forget there are other actors in the same category from dif shows who you know may be just as talented or more so and get the prize.

    So the lesson boys and girls – be proud of who got nominated, but don’t be surprised if the prize goes elsewhere. just sayin

  137. Adam,

    Excellent thoughts.
    About BCS, I have a question for you and for anyone else who might wants to answer… Do you like it? I watch it too, but I frankly haven’t felt this bored since… I can’t even remember since when because especially this season is excruciatingly boring and slow. The acting is great, yes, but I can’t watch a show just because of the quality of the acting. Honestly, I think this show is extremely overrated. Sorry about the rant.

  138. Rhaenys Stark,

    I watched the entire first season. It was ok for me, certain moments and episodes were awesome, they really got to me, especially Mike’s back story, and Jimmy finding out the truth about Chuck , even though I was able to predict that this was coming before it happened. Other parts, well they just dragged for me. I almost gave up on the finale when that scene with the old people ( they were playing bingo I think?) just went on and on and on.

    I tried watching S2, I gave up after the first half hour. I will probably give it another try, but I agree I feel it’s overrated too.

  139. ghost of winterfell,

    I agree with you about the first season. It was decent, especially Mike’s episode (episode 6, I think?). A friend of mine thinks the show is a masterpiece but I completely disagree. Different tastes I guess.

  140. Adam,

    The americans is one of the best shows on television and I can’t believe this is the first year it’s been nominated.I’m only on season 2 now but I can say it will become one of my favourite shows.I’m so invested in the main characters and Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are amazing actors.I come from a country in eastern europe that went through the same comunist regime as the Soviet Union and as you said I love the way they portray everything.

  141. Boy! Some nice news in the middle of so many catastrophes! The poor french are over their cuota and now,Turkey 🙁

  142. Rhaenys Stark,

    The thing with Better Call Saul is that the plot itself is incredibly simplistic, but the characters make it worthwhile. The characters bring a richness and complexity to the show, but that’s really all the show has going for it.

  143. ACME,

    On a different note, am I the only one sensing a Maggie Smith win ? It was her last season of Abbey and she is a living legend…

    I hope not. It would be silly, like bring coal to newcastle. She has nothing to prove to anyone, and has won award after award. Somehow I don’t think she’d feel slighted (and than gawd that show is over. Excellent first few seasons then it started getting strange and then down right embarassing….)

  144. Young Dragon,

    Of course. I still don’t enjoy it though 😛 I’ll probably finish season 2 and stop watching.
    I recommend watching Vikings, Black Sails, Hannibal and The Night Manager. Nothing tops GoT, of course, but these shows are quite entertaining. Thanks for the reply!

  145. ash,
    Oh I was not sensing a potential win for her due to the quality of the show or Maggie Smith’s need for awards. I am quite certain qhe does not give a flying fig ^^
    However, academies tend to like giving awards to actors in the last run of their shows and to legendary performers. Since Maggie Smith checks both those boxes, I believe she has a fairly decent shot.

  146. However, academies tend to like giving awards to actors in the last run of their shows and to legendary performers. Since Maggie Smith checks both those boxes, I believe she has a fairly decent shot.

    That is true, you make a good point. Just silly the way it works.

  147. One who Waits:
    There are so many wonderful performances on this show. I wish there was room for each of them to get the recognition they deserve. I’m most happy about Kit and Maisie, though Lena always deserves it. I just hope next season gives the leads a chance to move into the lead category so that our fabulous supporting actors such as Alfie, Liam and Carice can get some love as well.

    As for Kit, over the last two seasons his quiet performance as Jon has provided some of the most visceral emotional underpinning of the entire story, as far as I’m concerned.

    I totally agree! I’m very happy for those that got nominated and I wish there was a way for all the rest to get nominated too!! Nicolaj is such an amazing actor- I hope he gets nominated next year. Liam – excellent, so natural in his role. Jonathan Pryce; amazing. Alfie, Sophie, Carice, Iwan and all the rest of the cast- excellent actors: without them the show wouldn’t be so amazing!
    On the Peter comments – he’s brilliant, and manages to nail every scene, no matter how small it is. Emilia is fab too. They deserve to get nominated, as much as all who didn’t get nominated; even if one could argue that in this season, there were others that had a more demanding job to do, that in itself doesn’t cancel the fact that they are excellent in what they do.

    My thoughts on who should win:
    I would personally prefer Lena winning the women award – I believe she had some very demanding scenes this season, and she was excellent.
    On the male category, I would like to see Kit win – apart the fighting scenes, and all the stunts he did, his portrayal of Jon’s arc, the subtle inner development of his character and psyche – which is a kind of internal, emotional, perfomance – was to my view, excellent, and he deserves it.

    I could go on praising a very long list of actors that would also deserve winning an award, but that would turn the Emmy awards to GOT awards exclusively. 😀
    Unfortunately they can’t all be nominated – but I hope the fan-love (demonstrated even here with fiery debates 🙂 ) is a recognition of their hard work through the seasons and perhaps this is a much more important recognition than just getting nominated.

    That said, I would have submitted ep 10 for writing too, and also the amazing music.
    I’m very pleased to see both my favourite directors getting nominated too – they have done an excellent job and all the rest of nominations in the other categories: we tend to forget that the result we see is the work of so many talented people behind the scenes.

    All in all, I’m very happy to see my fav show getting some well-deserved recognition, and I hope it manages to win as many awards as possible 🙂

  148. This is nice from Sarah Paulsen, a certain winner for her role in The People Versus O.J. Simpson, who is at first discussing her co-star, Sterling Brown:

    I entirely credit my performance to him. He was absolutely my partner in crime and I couldn’t have done it without him. He left me slackjawed all the time. I screamed like a piglet when they called his name. I did the same when [“Game of Thrones'”] Maisie Williams’ name was read.

  149. misterpota: Or maybe you just have an opinion on Sophie’s acting, and they don’t share it. Just a thought.

    Not everyone thinks she’s a good actress.

    The mistake that people always make when evaluating these nominations is that some academy has just dubbed a dozen people good actors (or producer or show or script) and tacitly declared that everyone else is a bad actor (or producer or show or script).

    Instead, they have just singled out outstanding performances among a host of outstanding performances. We have clear evidence that people who spend a lot of time not just watching TV, but watching it in a critical light, think highly of the performances of many aspects of Game of Thrones. We have zero evidence that they dislike any particular performances. After all, the probability of a well-liked performance not getting nominated is basically the same as the probability of a widely-disliked performance getting nominated!

  150. SiriuslyStark: All in all, I’m very happy to see my fav show getting some well-deserved recognition, and I hope it manages to win as many awards as possible

    And, again: the fact that is is consistently overcoming the stigma of being “epic fantasy” is astounding given that epic fantasy is widely considered to be one of the lowest forms of storytelling. In a lot of ways, I think that it might be small things that make the character development and the fact that the story revolved completely around that character development stand out over the plot: “please” rather than light and smoke, Wun-Wun dying next to Jon in such a way that you forget that he’s not just a big person, Hodor’s death being a temporal paradox rather than a classic last stand, etc.

    And, let’s face it: this season did a great job of telling a story about the personal costs of making and breaking alliances. That could have be a story told with modern politicians or business men or even just neighbors: and it’s the sort of story that groups like the people finalizing the Emmy nominees relish year-in and year-out.

    The show should win a few awards. The only one I am betting it will not win is the best supporting actress: with three nominees, the vote will be to heavily split. (For all that I wrote, you can bet that there still are some voters who will just see this as a childish fantasy tale because it has dragons, magic and swords: to paraphrase Damon Knight, show him/her a show with a map, and he/she will show you a bad show! 😉 )

  151. Wimsey: The show should win a few awards. The only one I am betting it will not win is the best supporting actress: with three nominees, the vote will be to heavily split.

    Is the voting system first past the post? Instant run-off voting would make more sense, particularly if they’re going to pile on nominations from a single show.

  152. Wimsey: The only one I am betting it will not win is the best supporting actress: with three nominees, the vote will be to heavily split.

    Well, as I wrote earlier, all of the instances I saw of three or more actors/actresses from the same show nominated together one of them has always won the Emmy. Lena seemingly had the most of the three this season that one might call “Emmy material.” I completely believe that if there was a specific Emmy for work over an entire series that Maisie is undoubtedly deserving. Lena and Emilia now have three nominations in the category, Maggie Smith has four along with one win while the other three are firsts. I admit I’ve never seen a single episode of Downton Abbey but I suppose Maggie is the odds favorite.? Maura has been really good and I haven’t seen Constance in UnREAL either.

    Perhaps GoT has truly moved beyond the sci-fi/fantasy stigma for the Emmy Awards and is being seen as more of a period drama. Whether it’s viewed as a fantasy or historical style program there is no ignoring the quality. We have seen it grow into a nominations beast – 13, 12, 17, 20, 24, and 23. Another Djawadi nom, which he deserved for “Light of the Seven” at least would have equaled last year. Still, that many nominations is a testament to how well done the show is and that’s being recognized. Off the cuff I’m going to guess that it doesn’t get as many wins as last year’s twelve though. Maybe eight to ten wins is a better hope.

  153. Wimsey: And, again: the fact that is is consistently overcoming the stigma of being “epic fantasy” is astounding given that epic fantasy is widely considered to be one of the lowest forms of storytelling. In a lot of ways, I think that it might be small things that make the character development and the fact that the story revolved completely around that character development stand out over the plot: “please” rather than light and smoke, Wun-Wun dying next to Jon in such a way that you forget that he’s not just a big person, Hodor’s death being a temporal paradox rather than a classic last stand, etc.

    And, let’s face it: this season did a great job of telling a story about the personal costs of making and breaking alliances.That could have be a story told with modern politicians or business men or even just neighbors: and it’s the sort of story that groups like the people finalizing the Emmy nominees relish year-in and year-out.

    The show should win a few awards.The only one I am betting it will not win is the best supporting actress: with three nominees, the vote will be to heavily split.(For all that I wrote, you can bet that there still are some voters who will just see this as a childish fantasy tale because it has dragons, magic and swords: to paraphrase Damon Knight, show him/her a show with a map, and he/she will show you a bad show! )

    Well said, Wimsey, couldn’t agree more 🙂
    GOT has certainly taken that epic fantasy one step beyond – though I could never reasonate with those that regard this as the lowest form of storytelling; I’d think the opposite: like fairytales, the use of symbolism, can be a far more powerful tool not to plainly tell a story, but more important to make a point, to speak a powerful, universal, Truth.
    Here, the use of fantasy is just the garment, in essense this is an excellent period (political) drama, and the story itself is closer to reality than the most ‘realistic’ story -telling: the horrors of war, the horrors of fanatism, powerlust and how it corrupts Man; the consequences and personal cost of choice, the frustrations of necessities; how making choices changes you. And of course, the primeval fear of death and oblivion (in the face of the Night King/Long Winter) and the fragility of the human condition. Yes, GOT’s certainly taken things to another level! 🙂
    I also agree on the female sup. actress: I think Maggie Smith is likely to win – she deserves that of course, she’s amazing (I loved her Abbey character). But I really do believe that Lena’s perfomance this season was amazing, and she would definitely deserve to win the the award – even if she doesn’t. 🙂

  154. I hope Kit gets it. He put in some hard hard work this last season. I’m so happy for Maisie and Lena!!

  155. I just finished watching Ep 3 – and now think this is the one Kit should use. Yes, BotB was amazing, but the emotions he goes through first when he realizes he is alive, you can see it in his face the confusion, fear, questioning. Later when he sees his friends Ed and Tormund, how glad he was to see them. And finally when he at last executes the traitors and hands his coat to ed – so much anger sadness and frustration there. No, no major feats of bravery no sword skill aside from cutting a rope. Just pure acting at its finest/

Comments are closed.