Golden But Not Included

The Emmy nominations were announced today--and no, I did not wake up at 5:30 AM to watch; I checked once I woke up at a suitable hour (I am NOT a television addict). Truthfully, the one person that I immensely wanted nominated I wasn't worried about. I thought, " Katey Sagal won the freaking Golden Globe! No way is the academy going to miss her!"

I truly thought that Kurt Sutter (Sagal's husband and series creator of Sons of Anarchy) was being his usual dark and pessimistic self and paid no mind when he tweeted SOA would receive no nominations. Turns out Sutter was right, and I really didn't see it coming.

If you haven't watched Sons of Anarchy--you're a fool. My husband (the die hard Shield fan) tuned in before I did, but it didn't take me long; especially because I also love Sutter's work. The show is brilliantly written by Sutter and his staff. Granted because it's Sutter it's dark, depressing at times, dirty, bloody, some WTF moments (I mean, almost boinking your sister?!), but at the end of the day it's honest.

It's very rare that a show and an actress portray a rape survivor with such realism and heart. Sagal as Gemma embodies so much of what makes women powerful, vulnerable and calculating. Sutter and Sagal are so fantastic that at times, because of my experiences, the show can be hard to watch. But to not recognize an actress just because you may not want to discuss/like the experiences of the character is bull sh*t.

The reality is the nominations, in large part, are politics. For this reason, I salute Sutter. He, most likely, will never receive a nom because he isn't in this business for the politics; he wants to create art and tell stories. It's tragic that an award for television acting isn't based on the talent but on politics. Katey Sagal steals every scene she's in (sorry, Charlie) and you can't help but feel her emotions through your television. I have cheered her on, bawled my eyes out, thought "oh sh*t," been troubled by some of her decisions, and moved by her vulnerability.

There is no other show on any network that tells darker tales and yet still inspires a close knit family. That's right--family. Yes, SOA is about a biker gang; and yes, the premise was influenced by Hamlet (still praying Sutter doesn't kill everyone). But the base line and heartbeat of the show is family: Gemma and Jax, Jax and Abel, Clay and Jax, Gemma and Clay, Jax and Tara, and finally the large extended family of the Club. If you don't believe me, rent the first three seasons on DVD or Blu Ray (Season 3 will be released on August 30). Or if that's too much of a time commitment, tune into FX in September. As long as you don't expect rainbows and bunny rabbits, you won't be disappointed.

I won't say the Academy got all the nominations wrong; after all, Walton Goggins (the only reason I will probably see Cowboys vs Aliens) is finally recognized. But based on the screw up where nominations are concerned overall, I won't hold my breath (sadly) for him to win for fear of passing out.