Monday, July 2, 2012

The Samantha Marquez Award- Female in Action


Named For: Samantha Marquez (Las Vegas)
Awarded To: The best female character in an action series
2009 Winner: Sarah Walker (Chuck)
2010 Winner: Sarah Walker (Chuck)
2011 Winner: Mags Bennett (Justified)

10. Regina Mills (Once Upon a Time) 0 points

9. Jessica Hamby (True Blood) 5 points
3rd by Matt

8. Ava Crowder (Justified) 7 points
2nd by Tyson

7. Sarah Walker (Chuck) 9 points
3rd by Jack, 2nd by Me

6. Fauxlivia (Fringe) 12 points
1st by Jaydon, 3rd by Me

5. Dany Targaryen (Game of Thrones) 14 points
1st by Tyson

4. Olivia Dunham (Fringe) 14 points
1st by Jack, 1st by Me

3. Cersei Lannister (Game of Thrones) 15 points
2nd by Matt and Jack, 5th by Me

2. Arya Stark (Game of Thrones) 20 points
1st by T-time

and the Poolie goes to...

1. Carrie Mathison (Homeland) 26 points
1st by Cecil, Larry, Matt, Mags, and Bonz, 4th by Me


This is Carrie Mathison's first nomination and win for the best female character in an action series.  Here to discuss her talents this year is Poolie voter Larry.
________________________

Homeland came into our lives this past Poolies season, and given I haven’t heard a person say they couldn’t get into it, I would say it has been a pretty big hit for Showtime. How rare is it that a show with a definitive woman lead has been this well-liked by Poolie voters? Of the shows nominated in Action and Drama, only a couple even qualify (and Revenge is not even good).  Claire Danes does such a good job portraying an emotional, bipolar CIA analyst that it seems like she is cheating, and you know what, she is. Being a woman is like taking HGH and being bitten by a werewolf when playing a character like Carrie. My guess is she just plays herself, making sure to respond to “Carrie” instead of “Claire” and she is good to go. No man could play this role, it just wouldn’t be believable. The award is well deserved, but when we look back in ten years this will most likely have an asterisk next to it.

by Larry Avitabile

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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 2, 2012 at 10:48 AM

    Olivia and Fauxlivia combined have the same points as number 1, 26 points.

    And they are both Olivia Dunham and played by the amazing Anna Torv.

    Isn't it strange that when you give a character an illness to explain its behaviour, the actor gets bonuspoints,

    but if a characters behaviour is not explained in anyway, only through some facts over 4 seasons, the actor gets attacked?

    See how people viewed Olivia Dunham, closed off, clearly damaged by her abuse by Walter and her stepfather,
    I understood the character and loved the acting from the start.

    Many people and critics did not, and that was simply because they did not give Olivia that label.

    So Carrie has bipolar, that explains her behaviour.

    Olivia Dunham is severly damaged in several ways in her childhood, explains her behaviour.
    If only they would have introduced her that way in the pilot,
    Anna Torv would have had an Emmy from S1.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. WalternateJuly 2, 2012 at 11:57 AM

      There is definitely truth to that. And yeah, it's much better storytelling to reveal character slowly.

      But if the Emmys weren't going to nominate John Noble's performance on Fringe, they certainly weren't going to notice anyone else. Honestly, I've never seen a better acting job on television than the half-dozen versions of Walter that Noble does.

      A sci-fi show on a major network that never generated great ratings was just never going to win Emmys. Emmys are about buzz and starpower. They do reward acting performances, but there are other hurdles to clear before you can get into the discussion. Maybe it's not fair, but that's what Poolies are for.

      Delete
  2. Dan ForcellaJuly 2, 2012 at 8:57 PM

    Yay for the Poolies!

    ReplyDelete

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