While Daenerys didn’t get the ending she envisioned on “Game of Thrones,” Emilia Clarke could get hers at the Emmys. She just received her fourth career nomination, and now she could snatch her first statuette – with fire and blood, of course. But unlike the last three times, when she was nominated for Best Drama Supporting Actress (2013, 2015-2016), she’s now competing as a lead. The episode she has submitted to Emmy voters for consideration is the eighth and final season’s fourth outing, titled “The Last of the Starks.”
In this episode, after the Night King and his army have been defeated, Daenerys mourns the death of her advisor and friend Jorah (Iain Glen) during a funeral for the fallen. Following the ceremony there are festivities to celebrate the victory of the living, but with her ascension to the Iron Throne in jeopardy, Daenerys is not in a party mood. Instead she begs her lover (and nephew) Jon (Kit Harington), the actual rightful heir to the throne, to keep his Targaryen parentage a secret.
Then, after strong disagreements with the rest of her war council over plans for their attack on King’s Landing, Daenerys agrees to travel to Dragonstone with a small group of others. But they’re ambushed by the Iron Fleet, which kills one of Daenerys’s dragons, Rhaegal, and captures her advisor Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel). She’s grief-stricken and angry, but still agrees to meet with Cersei (Lena Headey) to try to negotiate a truce. However, with neither queen willing to surrender, the attempt fails, leading to Missandei’s execution and a furious, attack-ready Daenerys leaving the capital.
Can Clarke ride the dragon-size wave of support for “Thrones” to her very first win? Let’s consider the pros and cons:
PROS
Daenerys’s storyline received the most criticism in the final season, but not because of Clarke’s performance. She had to navigate vastly different waters all season long. And thanks to Clarke’s nuanced work, every bit of angst, heartbreak and fear that she goes through, specifically in “The Last of the Starks,” is seen, felt and entirely earned. Her effort here to lay the groundwork for Daenerys’s abrupt turn in the following episode, “The Bells,” is arguably the only reason why it felt somewhat palpable. So voters could check her out of sheer respect for elevating such difficult material.
Since seven actresses are shortlisted for Best Drama Actress this year, Clarke would theoretically prevail with only about 15% of the vote. She has a lot more than that going for her, though: she has never won for this role, it’s the last chance to reward her for it and “Thrones” is coming off a historic nomination haul of 32. And luckily for her, she faces no internal competition and therefore won’t have to worry about splitting the vote with a co-star as she did two out of the three times she was nominated in the supporting category.
CONS
She faces stiff competition from TV and/or movie vets Viola Davis (“How to Get Away With Murder”), Laura Linney (“Ozark”), Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”) and Robin Wright (“House of Cards”), as well as first-time nominated breakout stars Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”) and Mandy Moore (“This Is Us”). While Clarke is in no way the newcomer in this race, she doesn’t have the veteran prestige of the first four or the breakout glow of the last two – at least not anymore. Might voters take her performance for granted?
“Thrones” has undoubtedly put Clarke on the map and turned her into a household name, but no cast member besides Peter Dinklage has ever actually won an Emmy. This trend could certainly be broken with “Thrones” potentially getting a big farewell hug from voters, but Clarke isn’t the only one hoping to receive one: Wright is competing for the final season of her show and is even more overdue with a zero-for-seven track record. And speaking of overdue, 10-time nominee Oh is also aiming to rake in her first statuette.
Be sure to make your Emmy predictions today so that Hollywood insiders can see how their TV shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions as often as you like until just before winners are announced on September 22. And join in the fun debate over the 2019 Emmys taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our television forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
