Emmy Snubs: Why Killing Eve deserved more Emmy nominations

BBCA’s critically acclaimed and female-led crime thriller received history-making recognition at today’s Emmy nominations, but it deserved even more.

First and foremost, major congratulations are in order for Sandra Oh, who just became the first Asian actress to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

The nomination is especially gratifying for fans and presumably Oh herself since she has struggled to land substantial roles since she left Grey’s Anatomy in 2014.

For her role as fan-favorite surgeon Cristina Yang, she earned five Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series nominations. She was the only cast member to receive five nominations in any acting category and the only one to be nominated for the show’s inaugural season.

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Killing Eve is the first show since Grey‘s that has given Oh the opportunity to demonstrate her incredible range as an actress. Oh’s Eve Polastri is brilliant, funny in a dry way, knows her worth and isn’t afraid to take risks no matter to the cost to herself. She struggles to separate her personal life from her work as she goes on an all-consuming journey inside the mind of a serial killer.

Throughout it all, Eve remains refreshingly relatable to viewers. For example, she barely knows how to use a gun, even though she tries to pretend like she does. She runs in terror from a serial killer like a normal person, the first time anyway.

Alternatively, she also embodies a curiosity about serial killers that viewers undoubtedly share, even if don’t want to own it as readily as Eve does.

Turning now to Jodie Comer, who brilliantly brings Killing Eve‘s assassin Villanelle/Oksana Astankova to life, she should absolutely have been nominated alongside Oh.

In theory, it should be pretty cut and dry that in a show with a serial killer and an MI6 officer trying to stop said serial killer, viewers would root for the officer. Comer makes that choice much harder.

Comer gives an astoundingly layered performance that makes Villanelle, who enjoys murdering people, likable and even sympathetic. Just as Eve is drawn to Villanelle so too are viewers.

On the one hand, she is incredibly charismatic, which is actually not an uncommon trait of sociopaths and part of why she’s so entertaining to watch.

On the other hand, Villanelle is extremely emotionally immature, almost child-like, and seems to have a soft spot for certain people, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.

Such characteristics make it even harder to root against Villanelle since you can’t help feeling that she likely went through terrible ordeals of her own as a child and that, maybe, part of her simply wants to love someone and be loved by them.

Killing Eve has already been renewed for a second season, so hopefully, Emmy voters won’t make the same mistake of overlooking Comer next time.

Series developer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, best known as the writer/creator of the award-winning British dramedy Fleabag, received the show’s only other nomination.

She was recognized in the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series category for Killing Eve’s pilot “Nice Face.” The episode quite skillfully and engagingly sets up show’s premise and gets viewers hooked, so the nomination is well-deserved.

Next: 2018 Primetime Emmy nominations

However, the fact is that the entire series was “outstandingly” well-written and well-acted. Admittedly, competition is stiff, but the series racked up five Television Critics Association (TCA) nominations, including Outstanding Achievement in Drama as well as nods for Oh and Comer.

So, here’s to hoping Killing Eve wins big at next month’s TCA Awards, snags both its Emmys and is heavily-nominated for the 2019 Golden Globes.

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