Yes, it was the most-nominated series in the history of the Emmys. Yes, it is also the series with the most awards in the history of the Emmys. And yes, it is the series that took home the most Emmys this year. Even so, the bittersweet sensation of having won, but not as you hoped, still lingers. 'Game of Thrones' won the award for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Dinklage, though they already had experience in that field. But though there was five actresses from the series nominated, along with three actors, all were left without a prize. It was a big night for Westeros, its great farewell (until we get our hands on the prequel). And instead of going out with a bang, it went out with a whimper.
Nonetheless, Dinklage and company left us many wonderful moments to remember them by in their final night at the Microsoft Theater. First, every nominated actor and actress took to the stage together to accept a prize, with Gwendoline Christie receiving the largest ovation. They then went on to take an amazing group photo backstage, and audiences were also able to witness a tender embrace between Kit Harington and Sophie Turner. Peter Dinklage gave his thanks to the series surrounded by "the most fucking talented people in the world", brazenly refusing to apologise for dropping a swearword during his speech: "Hey, it's over, I don't care". He added: "I feel very fortunate to form part of a community that is all tolerance and diversity because in no other place could I be standing on this stage like this". And some final words for David Benioff and Dan Weiss: "We have literally walked through fire and ice for you, and I would do it again".
Somebody who did hit the jackpot without seeming to have expected it was Phoebe Waller-Bridge and her 'Fleabag', which not only took home the award for Outstanding Comedy Series, but also awards for direction, writing and its leading lady. "It's tough and really painful to act". But she enjoyed the shower of awards all the more for it, with a victory dance thrown in there when she went to collect the big prize. A dream night for a little series that deserves all the praise that it has received on the part of the Television Academy.
With regards to the speeches, we have two winners. One was that of Patricia Arquette remembering her sister Alexis, who passed away in 2016: "I will continue to be in mourning until the world changes to allow trans people to stop being persecuted. Give them work". Michelle Williams also took advantage of her award for 'Fosse/Verdon' to give us an incredible speech in which she thanked equal pay within her series and continued: "The next time that a woman (especially a woman of colour, who works to earn 52 cents to the dollar against her white male counterpart) tells you what she needs to do her job, listen to her". In the more humorous department, we have the great Jodie Comer, who admitted that she did not invite her parents to the gala because she didn't think that she would win, and Alex Borstein, who fulfilled last year's bet by admitting that, this year, "I didn't bring knickers". A special mention goes to Billy Porter, the first black LGBT man in history to receive an Emmy.
When all is said and done
Awards aside, the host-less gala managed to run smoothly. Maybe too smoothly. Announcing the nominees in each category before the presenters and then giving the prize to them directly to allow for twenty seconds of speech time before moving on to the next award did indeed make things go quickly, but the awards didn't get much time to shine. What did stand out was the dynamic and clean stage of the Microsoft Theater, which gave things a colourful touch without being too overwhelming.
The gala's script lacked truly attention-grabbing moments due to not telling a story from start to finish. The appearance of Bryan Cranston defending that television is better than ever with an enthusiastic In Memoriam was one of the few notable moments in a fast-paced but otherwise bland gala.
Fortunately, the surprises came from the awards themselves, above all those that ruined the party for 'Game of Thrones'. 'Ozark', 'Succession' and 'Killing Eve' ended up taking home prizes that they didn't expect to. 'Chernobyl' was also widely-discussed, being the story that had the most jokes of the night made about it (up there with the goodbye to 'Game of Thrones'), and taking home the award for Outstanding Miniseries. In the end, the 2019 Emmys bid us adieu not by falling over themselves in tribute to a cultural phenomenon, but rather by giving a voice to some great talents of the season that had not previously attracted the same attention. 'Game of Thrones' will continue to be part of television history, but every new viewer who watches 'Fleabag' will see it to be the true triumph of this year's Emmy Awards season.
