2014 Evannies Nomination Announcement

Hello everyone! Sorry for not posting over the past few weeks. I am currently in England doing a study abroad program, and it has been a life-changing experience. I haven't had a lot of time to focus on the blog, although I am prepping for next week's Emmy nomination announcement. Today, though, I wanted to take the time to announce the nominations for my own personal awards, the Evannies! Yes, the Evannies...I came up with the name years ago and it's stuck ever since, and I don't have the energy to change it. I have the Evannies for film and TV every year to honor the best in cinematic and television achievement, so I'm excited to announce the nominees for the 2014 TV Evannies.

PLEASE NOTE: My category placements do not entirely match up with the Emmys. "Fargo" and "American Horror Story: Coven" are competing in the drama series races because I do not have separate races for miniseries. Additionally, while I did finish the entire "Breaking Bad" series earlier this television season, I have chosen not to include them in my nominations this year because I did not want to nominate the series for only eight episodes, since it would not be reflective of how the series would have performed throughout the course of its run. It also allows room for other shows to be recognized since, like I'm imagining it will next week at the Emmys, "BB" would have dominated here. Don't worry, there is more than enough quality programming to make up for a lack of "Breaking Bad." However, there is one other show that I caught up on previous seasons this year that I have included in my nominations for the first time this year because it is returning for more seasons. That would be "Shameless." Since I just finished catching up earlier this summer, it does not have any previous nominations outside of this season, but since it is returning for a fifth season this winter, I included it in this year's nominations.

Without further ado, here are the nominees for the 2014 TV Evannies...

Best Directing for a Drama Series

“Anslo Garrick” for The Blacklist (directed by Joe Carnahan)

“The Crocodile’s Dilemma” for Fargo (directed by Adam Bernstein)

“The Children” for Game of Thones (directed by Alex Graves)

“Hitting the Fan” for The Good Wife (directed by James Whitmore, Jr.)

“Chapter 14” for House of Cards (directed by Carl Franklin)
“Who Goes There?” for True Detective (directed by Cary Fukunaga)

Best Writing for a Comedy Series

“Cooperative Polygraphy” for Community (written by Alex Rubens)

“Beach House” for Girls (written by Jenni Konner, Lena Dunham, and Judd Apatow)

“The Quarterback” for Glee (written by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan)

“How Your Mother Met Me” for How I Met Your Mother (written by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas)

“You’ve Got Sext” for The Mindy Project (written by Mindy Kaling)

“Moving Up” for Parks and Recreation (written by Aisha Muhararr and Alan Yang)

“Crate” for Veep (written by Armando Iannucci, Simon Blackwell and Georgia Pritchett)
“Debate” for Veep (written by Armando Iannucci, David Quantick, and Tony Roche)

Best Writing for Drama Series

“The Crocodile’s Dilemma” for Fargo (written by Noah Hawley)

“The Decision Tree” for The Good Wife (written by Robert and Michelle King)
“Hitting the Fan” for The Good Wife (written by Robert and Michelle King)

“The Last Call” for The Good Wife (written by Robert and Michelle King)

“A Weird Year” for The Good Wife (written by Robert and Michelle King)
“Form and Void” for True Detective (written by Nic Pizzolato)

Best Directing for a Comedy Series

“Basic Intergluteal Numismatics” for Community (directed by Tristram Shapeero)

“Beach House” for Girls (directed by Jesse Peretz)

“Flo” for Girls (directed by Richard Shepard)

“Las Vegas” for Modern Family (directed by Gail Mancuso)

“Iron City” for Shameless (directed by James Ponsoldt)
“Crate” for Veep (directed by Chris Addison)

Drama Episode of the Year

“Anslo Garrick” for The Blacklist

“The Crocodile’s Dilemma” for Fargo

“Hitting the Fan” for The Good Wife

“The Last Call” for The Good Wife

“Chapter 14” for House of Cards
“Form and Void” for True Detective

Comedy Episode of the Year

“Basic Intergluteal Numismatics” for Community

“Beach House” for Girls

“The Quarterback” for Glee

“Las Vegas” for Modern Family

“Moving Up” for Parks and Recreation
“Crate” for Veep

Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Pedro Pascal for Game of Thrones

Dylan Baker for The Good Wife

Michael J. Fox for The Good Wife

Nathan Lane for The Good Wife

Beau Bridges for Masters of Sex
Joe Morton for Scandal

Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Cristin Milioti for How I Met Your Mother

Mimi Kennedy for Mom

Uzo Aduba for Orange Is the New Black

Taryn Manning for Orange Is the New Black

Anna Kendrick for Saturday Night Live

Emily Bergl for Shameless
Joan Cusack for Shameless

Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

James Earl Jones for The Big Bang Theory

Bob Newhart for The Big Bang Theory

Brad Garrett for The Crazy Ones

Nathan Lane for Modern Family

Pablo Schreiber for Orange Is the New Black
Jimmy Fallon for Saturday Night Live

Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Carrie Preston for The Good Wife

Annaleigh Ashford for Masters of Sex

Allison Janney for Masters of Sex

Julianne Nicholson for Masters of Sex

Kate Burton for Scandal
Lisa Kudrow for Scandal

Breakthrough Performer of the Year

Emma Roberts for American Horror Story: Coven

Chelsea Peretti for Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Allison Tolman for Fargo

Sophie Turner for Game of Thrones

Lizzy Caplan for Masters of Sex

Taylor Schilling for Orange Is the New Black
Timothy Simons for Veep

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Colin Hanks for Fargo

Charles Dance for Game of Thrones

Peter Dinklage for Game of Thrones

Josh Charles for The Good Wife

Mandy Patinkin for Homeland
Jeff Perry for Scandal

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Mayim Bialik for The Big Bang Theory

Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting for The Big Bang Theory

Chelsea Peretti for Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Sarah Hyland for Modern Family

Allison Janney for Mom
Laura Prepon for Orange Is the New Black

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Joe Lo Truglio for Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Adam Driver for Girls

Jesse Tyler Ferguson for Modern Family

Jeremy Allen White for Shameless

Tony Hale for Veep
Timothy Simons for Veep

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Angela Bassett for American Horror Story: Coven

Allison Tolman for Fargo

Christine Baranski for The Good Wife

Molly Parker for House of Cards

Bellamy Young for Scandal
Melissa McBride for The Walking Dead

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Johnny Galecki for The Big Bang Theory

Jim Parsons for The Big Bang Theory

Andy Samberg for Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Robin Williams for The Crazy Ones

Adam Scott for Parks and Recreation
William H. Macy for Shameless

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Vera Farmiga for Bates Motel

Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife

Claire Danes for Homeland

Robin Wright for House of Cards

Lizzy Caplan for Masters of Sex

Tatiana Maslany for Orphan Black
Kerry Washington for Scandal

Best Actor in a Drama Series

James Spader for The Blacklist

Martin Freeman for Fargo

Billy Bob Thornton for Fargo

Kevin Spacey for House of Cards

Michael Sheen for Masters of Sex

Woody Harrelson for True Detective
Matthew McConaughey for True Detective

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Lena Dunham for Girls

Mindy Kaling for The Mindy Project

Anna Faris for Mom

Taylor Schilling for Orange Is the New Black

Amy Poehler for Parks and Recreation

Emmy Rossum for Shameless
Julia Louis-Dreyfus for Veep

Best Ensemble

American Horror Story: Coven

The Big Bang Theory

Game of Thrones

The Good Wife

Orange Is the New Black
Veep

Best Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Girls

Orange Is the New Black

Parks and Recreation

Shameless
Veep

Best Drama Series

Fargo

Game of Thrones

The Good Wife

House of Cards

Masters of Sex

Scandal
True Detective

ONE FINAL NOTE: Nominations for the categories Performer of the Year and Program of the Year will be announced when the winners are announced at a later date.

The Good Wife leads the nominations with 16, a new record for Evannie nominations in a single year (the show holds onto the record, but builds on its nomination count of 14 from last year). Veep garners the highest number of nominations for a comedy series with ten nominations. Fargo tallies up nine mentions, while just behind with eight nominations apiece are The Big Bang Theory, Masters of Sex, and Orange Is the New Black. A total nomination count is below:

The Good Wife - 16

Veep - 10

Fargo - 9

The Big Bang Theory, Masters of Sex, Orange Is the New Black - 8

Game of Thrones, Girls, Scandal, Shameless - 7

House of Cards, True Detective - 6

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation - 5

Modern Family - 4

American Horror Story: Coven, The Blacklist, Community, Mom - 3

The Crazy Ones, Glee, The Mindy Project, Homeland, How I Met Your Mother, Saturday Night Live - 2

Bates Motel, Orphan Black, The Walking Dead - 1

I hope you've enjoyed this peak into my television viewing favorites. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this year's nominees in the comments section below!

TV REVIEW: Orange Is the New Black, Season 2 (Episodes 10-13 + Season Overview)

Here is the last installment of episodic reviews of Netflix's Orange Is the New Black! These last few episodes really amp up the drama and provide quite the satisfactory ending. After my review of the thirteenth episode, I've included a note about the season as a whole as this first visit with season two of OITNB comes to a close (oh yes, there will be many more visits).

Episode 10 (Little Mustachioed S***s): What a title, huh? Anyway, we get some Alex and Piper flashbacks now that Alex is finding her way back into the fold after she got out early in the season premiere (and nope, I'm not over it). Unlike last season, when the late-season flashbacks focused on the crumbling of the relationship (who could forget Piper leaving Alex after the latter found out her mother had died?), this episode has flashbacks to the beginning of the relationship, specifically showing how, although it seemed Alex pulled all the strings in this relationship, it couldn't have started without Piper's brass attitude. We find out that Alex had another girlfriend when she started sleeping with Piper, which initially scared Piper (although I would also be scared if someone's partner left a bag of flaming poop on my doorstep), but soon we see that our favorite "lone wolf" knew what she wanted and wasn't going to back down because she was scared. Well, that's a tool that's gonna come in hand as the season starts to wind down. Piper has formed a business relationship with a journalist named Andrew who wants her to be his mole and get the scoop on what's really happening in Litchfield. Andrew divulges that Figueroa is essentially behind the whole thing, using fake contracts for the prison to get more money for her husband's political campaign. Piper was also busy dealing with putting the puzzle pieces together from the last episode where Larry told her he slept with someone else, figuring out it was Polly, and in a callback to the flaming poop incident, she sets the same thing up to happen on Polly's doorstep. Polly takes it like a champ, though, sighing "I deserve this," which actually made me happy that Polly recognized she wasn't innocent or undeserving of hate from her BFF. Elsewhere in the episode, Christopher (you know, that guy we thought was Morello's fiancé and then was actually the subject of her psycho-sexual crimes) shows up at Litchfield and accuses Morello of being the one who broke into his house, despite her being in jail. The COs don't pay him much attention, but I feel like he'll keep pushing and we might see Morello getting punished big time for her shocking actions. At least the prisoners don't seem to mind, especially Nicky, who says she'll love Morello no matter what. Speaking of Nicky, she does the right thing (phew!), and gives the heroin to Red (wait, what?). Yes, the right thing in this world of prison is not to rat out Vee and the girls but to give this evidence to Red, who surely will use this to her advantage. Poussey finds herself on the outs with Vee after getting wasted off her hooch (and not the good kind of wasted, the best kind of wasted being "chocolate wasted," of course) and trying to fight Vee in the bathroom, which leads to a really heartbreaking pounding from Suzanne to Poussey. It's sad on two levels; one, Poussey is trying to protect her friends from the monster that apparently only she can see, but two, Suzanne does not necessarily want to hurt Poussey, but does it because Vee has essentially corrupted her. And finally, as soon as we get Pornstache back, he's gone again. It broke my heart to see my favorite hardass out again after being back for, what, five seconds? But Bennett's "confession" to Caputo left him no choice but to have Mendez (that's Pornstache's real name, which hopefully you already knew, but it's important we don't pigeonhole him, people) arrested for rape. Still, as he as taken out of the prison, Pornstache proclaims his love for Daya which, although she doesn't like him at all, she uses as leverage against Bennett who won't say anything about his adoration for his...girlfriend? What exactly do we call these two? Are they boyfriend/girlfriend or just two people with a mutual attraction and some bad luck? Anyway, so Daya is still mad at Bennett and while everyone now knows she's pregnant, very few (read: the Latina family and the all-knowing Red) know it is with Bennett's child. You'll see as these episodic reviews become longer and longer that the drama is just getting poured into every episode near season's end, but every story is essential.

Episode 11 (Take a Break From Your Values): Season two of OITNB promised a lot of great things, but specifically, we knew we'd get flashbacks for characters we'd been dying to get an inside look at. After the start of the first season, that list, for me, included Taystee, Crazy Eyes and Morello, and those wishes were granted consecutively in the beginning of the season, but since we have a whole season to go, and not every episode needs a Piper flashback, we're treated to some unexpected flashbacks from less prominent players. Case in point: Sister Ingalls, not exactly as widely adored as the main cast, gets this episode to really shine. In previous episodes, Soso (you know, the tiny voice that reverberates through the halls even during the midnight hour) has organized a hunger strike to get the prison to cater to the inmates' demands. Initially, Sister Ingalls barked at the idea, basically calling  Soso an idealistic idiot (putting it a little lightly there, Sister). But she eventually jumps on board in the search for better benefits for elderly prisoners, such as herself, but we get to flashback to a time where Sister Ingalls was younger, full of life, and had ambition...and that ambition was not necessarily to follow in the light of Jesus, despite her title. Sister Ingalls sees that she has a close connection with a higher power, but feels she needs to do something more to make an impact on the world. At first, it's innocent stuff like going to a peace rally with some cool hippies (OITNB takes on the '60s!), but it soon escalates into multiple arrests and outlandish acts of notoriety, all because of the attention she earns from it. The idea that she's helping the world is overshadowed by, essentially, her wish to become well-known. I imagine that's something a lot of people can relate to, or even can see, like when your favorite underground band changes their sound to become more mainstream. Eventually, after writing a memoir called "Nun Shall Pass," Sister Ingalls is Sister no more; she is excommunicated by the Catholic church. Ingalls' ambition to receive attention is once again perceived in the present day, where she does less fighting for the inmates' rights, but rather for attention from the outside world. It seems all for naught, though, when everyone else in the hunger strike gives up (Leanne and Tiffany being swayed by pizza from the COs is great -- Leanne Pizzahands is the only way to refer to her from now on), Ingalls presses on and eventually lands in the medical sector, forced to eat. But at least she's got everyone's attention. Elsewhere in the episode, Pennsatucky gets a story! Kinda. Her and Healy are new BFFs and start a support group called "Safe Space" where the prisoners can talk about anything on their mind in a safe environment (although if the name wasn't obvious, you might not have anything to contribute to the group). Poussey signs up to join the group, but Vee thinks she'll use the opportunity to expose the tobacco scheme, so she sends Suzanne to the group to scare off Poussey because, umm, Vee is pure evil. Right. Healy also continues his quest for "Literally Just the Worst Ever" by informing Piper she has randomly been selected to be transferred to Virginia. And while the OITNB fan in me knows that there's no way she's leaving, I do get worried. We had a whole episode of Piper in a Chicago prison this season...might the show expand to new prisons, while still featuring the same ladies? Larry and Polly tell Polly's husband that they slept together and that she's leaving him, and if I'm honest, I'm over this storyline because it seems obvious, but because I'm not really invested in either character's happiness, although if Larry finds a way to get a silver lining out of Piper's prison sentence, then I guess he gets a happy ending that he deserves after having his fiancé ripped away from him. And of final note, Red's elderly ladies decide to stick up for their maroon-haired leader and devise a plan to...wait...kill Vee?! Oh, but it's too good to be true, because they end up attacking the wrong giant-haired black woman as Vee looks on. Now she knows Red's girls are after her...will Vee's girls be after Red soon? I really don't wanna see Taystee, Black Cindy, or Watson cross the line and get further screwed over by Vee.

Episode 12 (It Was the Change): Previous episodes teased a brutal storm heading toward Litchfield, and with some of the best natural disaster TV episodes in history, the hurricane outside was only matched by the storm brewing inside. The episode opens with the elderly ladies talking about non-Vee's attack, where Red easily spews one of the funniest line's in the show's history: "If you want to assassinate someone, vision is a basic requirement. It's like, step one: Pick a person. Step two: Kill that person." Kate Mulgrew's delivery is perfect. But she's got bigger things to worry about now that the accidental stabbing has Vee and her crew preparing for all-out war, even if they have worse things to worry about like their tobacco stash being destroyed by Poussey. Because of Poussey's actions, Vee takes it out on Taystee and kicks her out of the sisterhood. Taystee is desperate to be recognized by her friends and her "mother," but just like Cady Heron after she "confessed" to writing the Burn Book, Taystee is ignored. Black Cindy is too busy to care, she's obsessing about "standing on a bitch's head" if the flooding gets worse. And speaking of the flooding, it does get worse. The ladies are forced to evacuate their "ghettos" and basically have a giant sleepover in the common area/cafeteria with no power and buckets for toilets that have to be emptied when full. Charming! It does give Pennsatucky a time to FINALLY do something this season as her and Boo have a hilarious conversation about the "gay agenda," which Pennsatucky thinks is a real thing, and Boo goes along with for the fun of it. And even though everyone is gathered in the same area, the only thing we, the audience, can focus on is Red vs. Vee, which is totally on when they set up camp across from each other in the common area/cafeteria and have their families take turns keeping an eye on one another. We do have a few detours: We get Vee flashbacks in this episode that show exactly why you shouldn't cross her. We know Taystee's foster brother died in the flashback episode from earlier this season when we were first introduced to Vee, but we get some background tonight as to how it happened. Vee, a drug kingpin back home, learns that her foster son is now running his own business to compete with Vee, something Vee learns from a neighborhood cop/friend. Vee goes over to her son's house and ends up seducing him (!?!?!?!), while telling him to be safe. But when he makes a quick trip to the convenience store, he is approached in the park by the same cop, who calls in a fake crime and shoots the kid in the middle of a park, all at the hands of Vee. If you didn't already distrust her, this was the show's giant neon sign hanging over Litchfield saying "DON'T TRUST VEE." Piper uses the opportunity of everyone sleeping in the same place in the middle of the night to sneak into Fig's office and obtain the information pertinent to reveal her fraud. At the same time, Fig is ignoring the under water prison while at a campaign event for her husband, who she later walks in on kissing a male campaign assistant. I guess it's supposed to make us feel bad for Fig, but I don't. It just seems right that everything would come crashing down for her at the same time. Caputo does catch Piper walking out of Fig's office as the electricity returns, so it may not be victory after all. Poussey and Taystee are forced to go to the library and save books from the bottom shelf from water damage, and they finally have it out, verbally, and almost physically, before finally realizing how dumb they've been acting toward each other and who the common enemy is. Suddenly, everything starts coming together, but Red looks to throw a wrench in those plans when she attacks Vee, who is dumping the pee bucket outside. It looks like, for a second, Red might actually kill Vee, and I'm breathless until she lets go of Vee's neck and they declare a truce. Everything is so shiny between Red and Vee, but with Poussey and Taystee's problem resolution, I think Vee's journey to getting what she deserves is far from over. And then, lo and behold, we're duped once again when Red goes to clear out her greenhouse from storm damage and is attacked by Vee, who smashes Red's head in with a lock in a sock (is that a Dr. Seuss book?), and things are not looking good for Red. With one episode to go and the futures of Red and Piper in the balance, is OITNB headed for a huge shakeup?

Episode 13 (We Have Manners. We're Polite.): Last season's finale set up huge things for season two including the classic Piper/Pennsatucky battle, the Christmas pageant, and the fall in power of Red. But heading into this season's finale, there are almost double the question marks, which is why the finale takes 90 minutes to sort it all out, leading to one of the most satisfactory finishes to a television season ever. I think you'll be inclined to agree. But we'll start at the beginning of this marathon as the SIS (Special Investigative Service) from the Bureau of Prisons shows up to investigate Red's attack, trying to find the assailant. Of course, Vee is not going down for the crime, but she has no problem throwing one of her own under the bus for it, and this time, it's shockingly Suzanne who is blamed for the crime, partly on her own being since she tells the investigators that she doesn't remember being the person who attacked Red, but it might have been her anyway. Classic Crazy Eyes response, but it doesn't do well since the other prisoners who know nothing about the Vee-Red connection assume that Crazy Eyes would be that, well, crazy. At first, even Watson and Black Cindy go along with saying it was Suzanne, and the investigators seem to pin the whole thing on poor Suzanne, who doesn't know any better. When Red finally wakes up after her attack, she won't even tell the investigators it was Vee. Instead, she claims she doesn't know who attacked her. Red thinks that her silence is better than accusing Vee, since she knows Vee will get her revenge somehow. Eventually though, Sister Ingalls, who is still in the med unit on her hunger strike, convinces Red to confess it was Vee who attacked her, but Red says she'll only do it if Sister Ingalls eats and ends her hunger strike, something she is unwilling to do now that she has attracted a hoard of nuns outside the prison gates in support of Ingalls' mission. O'Neill, one of the COs, has some great scenes with the nuns outside, but of course, all the drama is on the inside. Piper shows Caputo the incriminating evidence against Fig, and when he confronts her, she tries to buy his silence with a blow job. Yep, they went there, and when I'm shocked that Caputo would drop this mission to get Fig exposed in exchange for some downstairs action, he is redeemed when he proclaims that he's already turned the evidence in and Fig has been fired. Caputo takes over her position and vows to make the prison a better place, starting by tying up the loose ends Fig left hanging like Sister Ingalls' hunger strike demands and Piper's prison transfer. But it doesn't look good for Caputo's "honesty is the best policy" future when Bennett comes to him and finally confesses that he was the one who got Daya pregnant, not Pornstache. Caputo tells Bennett to sweep that information under the carpet and never reveal it again. Meanwhile, Taystee and Poussey confront Watson and Black Cindy about turning on Vee, forcing them to realize all of the bad things she has done, capped off with beating Red to a pulp and making Crazy Eyes take the fall. The four "sisters" end up teaming together and go to the SIS officers, claiming that it was not Suzanne, who has sort of confessed to the attack, but rather Vee. The SIS officers try telling the ladies they're too late since Suzanne has already said she did it and Red has not yet told the officers it was Vee, but the last person you'd ever expect to stand up for the prisoners comes to their defense: Healy! He tells the SIS officers to listen to Taystee, Poussey, Watson and Black Cindy, and maybe, just maybe, starts to redeem himself. And while all of this is going on, Rosa and Morello road trip (accompanied by a CO, of course) to chemotherapy, while Morello hilariously tells the plot to her favorite movie, which turns out to be Toy Story. It's a funny moment in a finale filled with drama. When Morello and Rosa return to the prison, their accompanying CO hops out of the car when he hears the prison sirens going off. And why exactly might they be doing that? Vee, in a last ditch effort before being found guilty of attacking Red, returns to the greenhouse and lifts up the floor to find the underground portal Red used to receive contraband. Vee takes a dive into the portal and finds herself in the woods. Yes, Vee, our much-loathed villain, has escaped the prison. Back behind closed gates, the COs are looking for Vee in a panic, while Morello and Rosa sit in the van. With the COs distracted and the gas still running, Morello tells Rosa to make a go for it. Morello goes out of the car to pretend to talk to the COs about what is happening, while Rosa climbs into the front seat and hits the gas. The COs chase after her, but she is flying down the road, on her way out of the prison. Sister Ingalls and Caputo, who are going to confront the gaggle of nuns, run out of the way as Caputo yells "run, nuns, run!," in what has to be the funniest sight gag of nuns running out of the way of the speeding van that crashes through the gate and down the road, away from Litchfield. Meanwhile, we see Vee finding her way out of the woods and standing near the side of the road. Which road? It just so happens to be the same one Rosa is speeding down, and Rosa, mirroring the thought that is running through all of our heads, turns her wheel and slams into Vee, leaving her for dead on the side of the road, while muttering the now famous line, "Always so rude, that one." Talk about wish fulfillment! The episode ends with Rosa driving away, and while cop cars are heard coming for in the distance, this last moment of getting away with it reminds Rosa of her younger days and probably signals her last hurrah before her likely death from cancer.

So there you have it. A finale that tied up every story (well, almost every story) neatly and gave us the finish to a character we all loved to hate. Or did we just hate her? Yeah, probably the latter. Still, there is no denying Vee will go down as one of TV's best villains of all time. Ruthless, cold, and unwilling to sympathize with those she calls "daughter," Vee did everything in her power to maintain power, but her cold attitude is the one thing that ended up killing her. Lorraine Touissant played the role exquisitely, and while Vee is 99% likely dead, you can never say never to an evil force like that. But Touissant is just one of a plethora of actors who stepped up this season. Taylor Schilling, Danielle Brooks, Uzo Aduba, and Samira Wiley are among those who deserve the most praise this season, but really, everyone deserves recognition for a great season. The stories this season had a slow burn that led up to a great succession of final episodes. While the middle of the season dragged, it allowed time to highlight some of the background characters that did not get a lot to do in the final episodes that really focused mainly on Red's camp and Vee's camp. While some standout characters from last year got the cold shoulder this time around (Laverne Cox and Taryn Manning, who were seriously missed), we got to see breakout moments from Wiley and Adrienne C. Moore, to name a few. This is a show that started with a story of an entitled white woman landing in a female prison, but it has honestly grown into something much more, and much, much better than that. I'm already excited to binge this season at least two more times, probably more, and the countdown to next June begins. Comment below with your thoughts on this season!

Evan

TV REVIEW: Orange Is the New Black, Season 2 (Episodes 7-9)

Here is the next installment of OITNB episodic reviews. Enjoy -- and if you're still not finished this season, catch up already!

Episode 7 (Comic Sans): Black Cindy wasn't a big character last season, but she's pushed to the forefront in season two, and in this episode, we get some backstory on the sassy and fearless inmate. Through flashbacks, we learn Cindy hasn't changed much in prison; she was still the over-the-top loudmouth she is now. She used to be a TSA agent, which provides for some funny moments, and although we never see what exactly Black Cindy ended up going to jail for (we do see her rummaging through luggage and stealing an iPad), the biggest reveal of the hour is that Cindy's sister, whom she comes to visit on her birthday, is actually her daughter, unbeknownst to the little girl. Cindy's irresponsibility to raise the child on her own is questioned by her mother, and it adds some depth to the still-childish-herself character. Elsewhere in this episode, Vee continues her path toward becoming the most loathsome (but at the same time, awesome) villain on TV as her tobacco operation gets going, but has "her girls" doing most of the work. Piper and the other inmates launch their newsletter, which continues some hidden messages about the COs and workers at the prison. Meanwhile, Piper's ex-fiancè and her best friend, Polly, give into temptation and begin their affair, which elicits a chorus of "UGH"s from me. Also, Fischer finds out that Daya is pregnant, meaning its only a matter of time before that secret surfaces and the "ish" really hits the fan.

Episode 8 (Appropriately Sized Pots): Rosa continues her move to the big leagues as we get a whole episode focused on her. It's an appropriate, but also tragic, parallelism to Rosa's present day activities (chemotherapy) with her flashbacks (bank robbing). It turns out Rosa was a little bit of a badass who has bad luck with men (the men she loves die, so that's good) and also doesn't know when to say no (which ultimately leads to her arrest). And while Rosa learns that the chemotherapy isn't working and her time is limited, her curse ultimately seems broken when a teenage boy she befriends in chemo (they steal money from a nurse together -- charming!) finds out he is in remission. For a story about a cancer-stricken bank robber being given a death sentence, we actually get a sort of a happy ending. What's happening with everyone else? Piper has been granted furlough to visit her dying grandmother, somehow, as Healy continues his quest of being my least favorite character on literally any television show ever (am I alone in just hating this guy?!). Healy, who can never decide if he loves Piper or despises her, gets her furlough granted, and when Piper tries to decline after getting harassed by the other inmates (Suzanne throws a pie at her head -- classic Suzanne), he becomes the human equivalent of a popcorn kernel stuck in your tooth and refuses. To end the story on an even more depressing note, Piper calls to inform her mother that she has been granted furlough only to find out that grandma is already dead. Fischer gets fired by Caputo who has to deal with pressure from Fig, who is the only other character challenged Healy for the title of "Literally Just the Worst Ever." It's a shame Fischer doesn't have time to tell Caputo that she knows about Daya's pregnancy, but that won't stay a secret much longer. But it's all okay because in the end, a replacement for Fischer is needed and found in the form of...you guessed it...Pornstache! I can't lie and say I didn't cheer out loud when he got out of his car. How I've missed you, Pablo Schrieber...

Episode 9 (40 Oz of Furlough): Ah, outside world, I'd almost forgotten what you'd looked like. It's time to follow Piper as she heads out, briefly, into the real world on furlough for the funeral of her grandmother. And while grandma's funeral is front and center, there's a lot else for her to tackle. For starters, Red asks Piper to visit her restaurant and make sure things are running smoothly. Well, it turns out they aren't running at all, as the restaurant is now up for sale. At the funeral, while dodging questions from guests asking why she's not in jail, the awkward meter is dialed up to a hundred when Piper's brother and his fiancé get married...at the funeral. WHAT?! Oh, and if that's not awkward enough, Larry and Piper start hooking up in the bathroom at the funeral reception, but Larry confesses that he slept with someone else (without saying it's Polly, but still not great timing, Larry). But surprisingly, an episode heavily focused on Piper doesn't feature her flashbacks, but rather we get some intel on the beginning of the complicated Vee-Red relationship. Vee was already in the slammer when Red first arrived and convinced our firecracker Russian friend to use her outside connections, but as Red's power in the prison grew, so did Vee's anger, until finally Vee had her girls (the originals, not the ones we know and love currently) take care of Red...that is to say, they beat the crap out of her. What a complicated relationship indeed. But while Vee was on top back then, and until she got out of prison before her latest sentence (we still don't know how that happened), Red is working her way back to the throne at present-day Litchfield, and she finally gets the forgiveness of her prison family for last season's mishaps. One person not present, though, is Big Boo, who we find out is instead working with Vee. That's not gonna go over well. Vee probably doesn't care, though, because she's just out doing what she does best: being an ax wound and ruining lives. This week, she seemingly takes aim at Nicky, after her girls push heroin on a clean Nicky, who looks like she just might consider giving in. Fight the power, girl! Finally, as teased in the last episode, Pornstache is back and literally worse than ever, which is great news for us. Yes, I hate mean characters like Healy and Fig, but how do you not love Pornstache?! The pressure of Pornstache's return, mixed with guilt, causes Bennett to totally flip out on the inmates and irrationally tell Caputo that Daya is pregnant with Pornstache's child. GULP.

The end of the season is in sight and we're building up to a big finish not unlike the strong last string of episodes from season one. I'm hoping to have the final episode reviews posted tomorrow or Friday with a final overview of the season! Check back then...

"State of the Race" (Emmys): June 16th

It's time for this week's installment of "State of the Race," so let's break down any changes in this week's lineup.

Best Drama Series

1. Breaking Bad (=)

2. True Detective (=)

3. Game of Thrones (=)

4. House of Cards (=)

5. The Good Wife (=)

6. Mad Men (=)

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7. Masters of Sex (=)

8. The Americans (+1)

9. Homeland (-1)

10. Downton Abbey (=)

I think, unless the Emmys really don't care about truly recognizing the best, Homeland won't be in for a return nomination, so I'm sliding it further down my list. Homeland and Downton Abbey have both been nominated here multiple times, but I think their buzz is dismal and won't make a splash in this race, as opposed to the shows trying to sneak into the lineup, like Masters of Sex and The Americans, which jumps up one slot this week, although I still think this race is down to the top seven contenders.


Best Comedy Series

1. Modern Family (=)

2. Veep (=)

3. The Big Bang Theory (=)

4. Orange Is the New Black (=)

5. Louie (=)

6. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (=)

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7. Girls (=)

8. Silicon Valley (=)

9. Parks and Recreation (=)

10. Shameless (=)


Best Drama Actor

1. Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad (=)

2. Matthew McConaughey - True Detective (=)

3. Kevin Spacey – House of Cards (=)

4. Jon Hamm - Mad Men (=)

5. James Spader - The Blacklist (=)

6. Woody Harrelson - True Detective (=)

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7. Michael Sheen - Masters of Sex (=)

8. Matthew Rhys – The Americans (=)

9. Jeff Daniels - The Newsroom (=)

10. Damian Lewis – Homeland (=)


Best Drama Actress

1. Robin Wright - House of Cards (=)

2. Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife (=)

3. Claire Danes – Homeland (=)

4. Kerry Washington – Scandal (=)

5. Elisabeth Moss – Mad Men (+1)

6. Tatiana Maslany – Orphan Black (-1)

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7. Vera Farmiga – Bates Motel (+1)

8. Lizzy Caplan – Masters of Sex (-1)

9. Keri Russell - The Americans (=)

10. Michelle Dockery - Downton Abbey (=)

Tatiana Maslany is having a great season on Orphan Black, but the show itself isn't getting the level of praise it was last year. Her performance(s) is/are great, and she's certainly got a lot more name recognition this go around, but I'm not confident to put her too high on my list, so I've slotted her in sixth, bumping up Elisabeth Moss, although she could easily miss the cut, too. That could make room for Vera Farmiga and Lizzy Caplan. I moved Farmiga up one spot because she's getting good buzz and seems like she could return, but last year's lineup was super-sized and with stiff competition, it's not guaranteed, especially when I'm not confident that the Emmys would drop Moss and I'm still believing Maslany will get the nomination. But maybe we will get seven nominees again this year and drop some of the less deserving ones in favor of those who've really earned it. But this is a tough race. There will be big snubs, regardless.


Best Comedy Actor

1. Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory (=)

2. Louis CK – Louie (=)

3. Andy Samberg - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (=)

4. Don Cheadle - House of Lies (=)

5. Johnny Galecki – The Big Bang Theory (=)

6. Matt LeBlanc – Episodes (=)

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7. Robin Williams - The Crazy Ones (=)

8. William H. Macy – Shameless (=)

9. Thomas Middleditch – Silicon Valley (=)

10. Chris Messina – The Mindy Project (=)


Best Comedy Actress

1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep (=)

2. Amy Poehler - Parks and Recreation (=)

3. Lena Dunham – Girls (=)

4. Taylor Schilling - Orange Is The New Black (=)

5. Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie (=)

6. Anna Faris – Mom (=)

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7. Mindy Kaling – The Mindy Project (=)

8. Emmy Rossum – Shameless (=)

9. Melissa McCarthy - Mike and Molly (=)

10. Zooey Deschanel – New Girl (=)

Best Drama Supporting Actor

1. Aaron Paul – Breaking Bad (+1)

2. Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones (-1)

3. Dean Norris – Breaking Bad (=)

4. Josh Charles – The Good Wife (=)

5. Mandy Patinkin – Homeland (=)

6. Jon Voight – Ray Donovan (=)

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7. Charles Dance – Game of Thrones (=)

8. Jeff Perry – Scandal (=)

9. Jeffrey Wright - Boardwalk Empire (=)

10. Jim Carter - Downton Abbey (=)

I've moved Paul up, but it really won't matter until we see what tapes they submit (assuming they're both nominated, which...I mean...c'mon). It's possible that the double dip of an assumed Paul-Norris nomination could improve their chances, although that wasn't the case last year with Paul and Jonathan Banks. I'm also still not sold on Voight and maybe even Patinkin making it in, but I really am not confident enough to put anyone below #6 in the top tier yet. Overall, not the best of years for this category (and I feel like I've been saying that for years...).


Best Drama Supporting Actress

1. Anna Gunn - Breaking Bad (=)

2. Christine Baranski - The Good Wife (=)

3. Maggie Smith - Downton Abbey (=)

4. Christina Hendricks - Mad Men (+1)

5. Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones (-1)

6. Michelle Monahan – True Detective (=)

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7.  Bellamy Young – Scandal (=)

8. Monica Potter – Parenthood (=)

9. Archie Panjabi - The Good Wife (+1)

10. Joanne Froggatt – Downton Abbey (NEW)

FALLING OUT: Lena Headey - Game of Thrones

Lena Headey falls out this week because, after lots of pre-season buzz about what might be a great season for her, she really didn't have much to show for it. I feel like it's always that way with Headey's character, as she gets a few great scenes over the course of the season, but not enough to warrant a nomination. I feel the same could be said of Emilia Clarke this season, as well. Her story really stalled and the main thing she has going for her is that she was nominated last year and voters might just want to reward a GoT actress and stick with her. In all actuality, it should be Sophie Turner or Maisie Williams, but those young actresses have less of a chance than Clarke and Headey. So I bumped Clarke down a spot and moved Hendricks up, but only because I'm less confident in Clarke, not because I think Hendricks has a greater shot at the nom. I'm really thinking Bellamy Young sneaks in (and deservedly so), but I don't know who she would knock out among Monahan, Clarke, and Hendricks (assuming the top three are most likely safe). 


Best Comedy Supporting Actor

1. Ty Burrell - Modern Family (=)

2. Tony Hale – Veep (=)

3. Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Modern Family (=)

4. Eric Stonestreet – Modern Family (=)

5. Andre Braugher - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (=)

6. Adam Driver – Girls (=)

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7. Ed O'Neill - Modern Family (=)

8. Timothy Simons – Veep (=)

9. Simon Helberg – The Big Bang Theory (=)

10. Reid Scott – Veep (=)


Best Comedy Supporting Actress

1. Allison Janney – Mom (=)

2. Mayim Bialik - The Big Bang Theory (=)

3. Julie Bowen – Modern Family (=)

4. Sofia Vergara - Modern Family (=)

5. Anna Chlumsky – Veep (=)

6. Kate Mulgrew - Orange Is The New Black (=)

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7. Merritt Wever - Nurse Jackie (=)

8. Haley Cuoco-Sweeting - The Big Bang Theory (=)

9. Jane Lynch – Glee (=)

10. Chelsea Peretti - Brooklyn Nine-Nine (=)

I will be in England for a month starting next week, so my Emmy updates may become a little infrequent but I'll definitely be posting my final predictions the week of the nominations, so just keep checking back!