It doesn't take a committee of television experts to figure out that Game of Thrones is one of the best series on television. But does Game of Thrones' number of 2015 Emmys reflect that? Well, it took home four trophies, so I'd say the HBO series had a pretty great night. Even with its hiccups, like the Sansa rape plot that turned many of its fans against the series or the scene in which Stannis' daughter was burned to death at the stake which elicited similar complaints, the series to continue doing what it does best.
As Parks & Rec's Ben Wyatt once said, "It's a crossover hit. It's not just for fantasy enthusiasts. They're telling human stories in a fantasy world." Tell 'em, dude. Not matter how many times this show upsets its viewers, we keep coming back. And it's not because we're weak or we're unable to stick to our guns, it's because at the end of the day, the reason these plots infuriate us so much is because we're so committed to this fictional world. It feels real and it feels like it belongs to us, so no wonder we're going to be the realm's harshest critics. And that passion translates to when the series does or doesn't nab the Emmys for which it's nominated.
And that means that fans are likely pretty excited after the 2015 Emmys, because Game of Thrones nabbed four Emmys by the end of the night. The HBO series won for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, and the biggest award of the night, Outstanding Drama Series, while Peter Dinklage took home the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. It also came up short for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (for which both Lena Headey and Emilia Clarke were nominated), but let's focus on the bigger picture: GoT totally cleaned up.
And while GoT deserved some Emmys love, we should also consider the folks the series was facing off against. In the Best Drama category, Mad Men and Orange Is The New Black alone were competition so fierce they could scare off the Night's King. And in the Best Supporting Actress in a drama category, Emilia Clarke and Lena Headey — who both performed incredibly in Season 5 — faced off against the likes of Christine Baranski from The Good Wife, Emmy winner Uzo Aduba from Orange Is The New Black, Joanne Froggatt from Downton Abbey, and Christina Hendricks in her final turn as Joan on Mad Men. Better Call Saul's Jonathan Banks alone should have put the fear in Best Supporting Actor nominee Peter Dinklage — even if he has won the trophy before. The odds were not in Thrones' favor.
I suppose it's just a good thing that the Emmys don't work like Westeros' game of thrones (you win or you die). At least when you lose here, you get to take yourself out for a nice consolation cocktail.
Image: Macall P. Polay/HBO; Giphy
