Emmy-nominated writers take viewers inside their key scenes
We here at The Envelope believe in giving writers their due. Probably because, you know, we’re writers. But also, with the magnificent state of television these days, how could we not salute those few who stood out from the great storytelling that abounds on basic cable and broadcast, pay cable and streaming services? So here, then, we ask the nominees of the drama and comedy series writing categories what it is about their nominated episode that made it so special to them.
Writing for a drama series
“Persona Non Grata,” The Americans (FX)
Written by: Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg
The scene: While retrieving his teenage daughter from a neighbor’s house across the street (a neighbor who happens to be an FBI agent), undercover KGB agent Philip warns her against getting close with the neighbor’s son.
The importance: “There’s all this duplicity going on between these two houses,” says Weisberg. “It’s condensed in these small little spaces we’ve spread out across the whole show.” Adds Fields, “There’s not a lot of dialogue, but the subtleties and nuances in everyone’s performances help you sense so much about the pain and struggle each is going through.”
Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys in a key scene from the Season 4 of FX’s “The Americans.”
“End,” The Good Wife (CBS)
Written by: Michelle King, Robert King
The scene: Mirroring the show’s first episode, the series finale ends with Alicia walking away from her husband in search of her lover and getting slapped by her mentor, Diane.
The importance: “The concluding moment wasn’t an appendage to the series; it was a wrapping up of the series in a haiku-like way,” says Robert King. “Alicia is the victim at the start of the series and at the end, she’s the victimizer. She had this growth, but it wasn’t necessarily for the better.” He adds, “Usually you end things on a happy note. This was a more unsettling note.”
“Episode 8,” Downton Abbey (PBS)
Written by: Julian Fellowes
The scene: When the secret that Edith is an unwed mother is unveiled over breakfast to her fiancé Bertie, it throws a damper on their upcoming wedding plans.
The importance: “It’s a very ‘Downton’ moment,” says Fellowes. “It is funny, at least I hope it is, as well as miserable. One touch I particularly liked was how, when Bertie stood up, having had his heart broken and his whole life shattered, he carefully pushed in his chair before he left. That was Harry’s [Harry Hadden-Paton] idea and it seemed such a wonderfully English statement of control and private grief.”
A clip from “Downton Abbey.”
“eps1.0_hellofriend.mov,” Mr. Robot (USA)
Written by: Sam Esmail
The scene: Elliot meets Mr. Robot on a subway platform and the pair team up to join a secret hacker group devoted to changing the world.
The importance: “It’s a critical scene because it’s the mid-point of Elliot’s journey in the pilot. It’s when Elliot makes the choice to leave his safe but unsatisfied world and go down the rabbit hole. That speech needed to be the thing that not only intrigued him but compelled him emotionally. And it works due largely to Christian [Slater’s] layered, mysterious performance [as Mr. Robot].”
(Warning: Video contains profanity.)
A clip from “Mr. Robot.” (Warning: Video contains profanity.)
“Return,” UnREAL (A&E)
Written by: Marti Noxon, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro
The scene: Rachel is lying on the floor of a limousine surrounded by girls in evening gowns, wearing a “This Is What a Feminist Looks Like” T-shirt.
The importance: “That one image told the story of the series — what do you do when you’ve lost your soul?” says Shapiro. “Rachel is clinging to her identity as a feminist, but is clearly anything but. There was some debate about whether it’s a little ‘on-the-nose’ to put your character’s central conflict in block writing on her chest, but I’m a fan. You are watching this person fight for her soul.”
(Warning: Video contains profanity.)
A clip from “UnReal.” (Warning: Video contains profanity.)
“Battle of the Bastards,” Game of Thrones (HBO)
Written by: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
The scene: Sansa Stark, who was married against her will to Ramsay Bolton (and brutally treated by him) exacts revenge against her abuser.
The importance: The show runners jointly say in an email: “Sansa has suffered greatly at this man’s hands, and watched others lose their lives trying to protect her from him. She has spent a good deal of time plotting her revenge, and Ramsay inadvertently provides her with the perfect method for his own execution. … She watches as Ramsay becomes a victim of his own brutality, and his ravenous dogs satisfy their hunger — and Sansa’s.”
A clip from “Game of Thrones.”
Writing for a comedy series
“Founder Friendly,” Silicon Valley (HBO)
Written by: Dan O’Keefe
The scene: Richard’s imprisoned lawyer, Pete, gets him to realize that he doesn’t really want to leave his company (where he’ll be demoted) to take a new gig.
The importance: “Richard finally admits to himself — or is made to admit to himself — that he can’t leave the company he started,” says O’Keefe. “[Pete] Monahan says, ‘Swallow your pride, or soon you’ll be eating something far worse than [excrement].’ Admitting your limitations can be good for you and productive and useful — and it’s also very funny.”
(Warning: Video contains profanity.)
A clip from “Silicon Valley.” (Warning: Video contains profanity.)
“The Uptick,” Silicon Valley (HBO)
Written by: Alec Berg
The scene: Erlich details how he used an uptick in users to drive up a funding round for Richard and Jared’s company. Alas, the uptick is a fraud.
The importance: “Unbeknownst to Ehrlich, Jared has bought fake users from a click farm. … Richard gets that Jared was just doing it to cheer him up. Jared and Richard [are] left with the key question of the episode: What do we do about this?” Berg says in an email. “Most of the names in Erlich’s speech are real. We needed to figure out who he would actually go see … and what a reasonable result would be.”
“Parents,” Master of None (Netflix)
Written by: Aziz Ansari, Alan Yang
The scene: In a flashback to the 1950s, Brian’s 7-year-old father must kill a beloved pet chicken so that his family may eat.
The importance: “This scene is very personal; it’s based on something that actually happened to my dad,” writes Yang in an email response. “[Ansari] wanted to hear more about my dad’s childhood, and that complicated feeling of amazement at where we were in life, combined with an inability to properly express our gratitude to our parents became the emotional crux of the episode.”
A clip from “Master of None.”
“Mother,” Veep (HBO)
Written by: Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck
The scene: Selena goes through multiple emotions in a short time after pulling the plug on her dying mother, an action she insisted her staff stick around to watch.
The importance: “The episode is not plot-heavy, it’s emotion-heavy,” says Gregory. “Selena’s starting to make decisions that are not all rational, and she’s going to start making mistakes because she’s emotionally fraught.” Huyck adds that the story comes from his personal experience of staying with his grandfather in the room when his grandmother passed away: “Anything real in your life can be television fodder.”
A clip from “Veep.”
“Morning After,” Veep (HBO)
Written by: David Mandel
The scene: Post-Election Day, Selena is in limbo over who won and gives a pro-democracy speech. But in private she has very different feelings to express.
The importance: “It kicks off a whole new season and lets the viewers know what this season is going to be all about,” says Mandel, who stepped in as show runner when creator Armando Iannucci departed last season. “For me, it was important as the new guy — the scene had to land so people would know ‘Veep’ is in steady hands. I wrote it many times before it became what you saw.”
“Episode 1,” Catastrophe (Amazon)
Written by: Rob Delaney, Sharon Horgan
The scene: Sharon and Rob believe they’re saying goodbye forever outside of a hotel after a weeklong fling.
The importance: “This is where the lust story veers into the beginnings of a love story,” write Delaney and Horgan. “We needed to find a way to bridge the gap between a fling and two strangers deciding to have a baby together in a way that was believable and also funny, but not ‘cute.’ So they flirt, but they also lay all their cards on the table in a way that they wouldn’t if they thought they’d see each other at work the next day.”
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