Comedy and Drama Writers Analyze What Makes Their Nominated Episodes Shine

Can an entire episode of a TV show be distilled into one single — if key — scene? Maybe that shouldn’t be the case, but it’s fun to think so! While one scene alone can’t win a show an Emmy, it can highlight what makes a show unique, powerful, and moving. According to this year’s nominated writers and producers, these are the key scenes that unlock their stories for you.

‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (FX)

Episode: “Pride Parade” (written by Jake Bender and Zach Dunn)

Here’s the key: Nandor crashes down from space as Laszlo and other vampires host their neighbor Sean’s Pride parade.

The big deal: “Our goal was to ground this insane outer-space storyline by rooting it in Nandor’s insecurity,” Dunn explains. Bender adds, “The physics of Nandor flying up to space and plummeting back to Earth probably wouldn’t hold up to scientific scrutiny, so we’re hoping Neil deGrasse Tyson never watches this.”

‘Girls5Eva’ (Netflix)

Episode: “Orlando” (written by Meredith Scardino and Sam Means)

Here’s the key: Taffy, a lifelong Girls5Eva fan now married to a billionaire, throws herself a birthday party and brings the band along. Dawn sees her as a figure of pity.

The big deal: Taffy turns out to be more self-aware than Dawn realizes. “She might be embarrassed by the bad messages they were sending back then, but there’s something she misses that she can tap into now, that fearlessness when you’re younger,” Scardino notes.

‘The Other Two’ (HBO)

Episode: “Brooke Hosts a Night of Undeniable Good” (written by Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider)

Here’s the key: After falling face-first into a diaper filled with his own urine, Cary finally realizes what’s missing from his life.

The big deal: “Is Cary going to realize that he needs friendship and community?” asks executive producer Andrew Singer. “And then … nope! He learns the exact wrong lesson.”

‘Hacks’ (HBO)

Episode: “Bulletproof” (written by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky)

Here’s the key: Ava confronts Deborah with her lies and betrayal, then blackmails Deborah for the head writer position.

The big deal: “Ava uses all the lessons she’s learned from Deborah against her, shifting the power dynamic completely,” write Aniello, Downs, and Statsky. “Deborah and Ava both understand that nothing is more important than comedy. It’s complicated because Ava is doing this for the good of the show and Deborah because she knows they’re better together.”

‘Abbott Elementary’ (ABC)

Episode: “Career Day” (written by Quinta Brunson)

Here’s the key: Janine reveals to Gregory that she’s received an offer to temporarily leave her job as a teacher and take a fellowship at the school district.

The big deal: “This scene hits on the will-they/won’t-they nature of Gregory and Janine’s relationship and forces the characters to weigh how much they care for each other with how much they care about the job,” explain co-showrunners Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker.

‘Shōgun’ (FX)

Episode: “Anjin” (written by Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo)

Here’s the key: What starts as straightforward questioning of ship pilot John Blackthorne devolves into chaos as he challenges the priest translating for them.

The big deal: “Blackthorne identifying his true enemy — the idea of translation itself,” write Marks and Kondo. “Turning the tables on this adversarial priest is his greatest triumph. The manipulation of language is central to our show.”

‘Shōgun’ (FX)

Episode: “Crimson Sky” (written by Rachel Kondo and Caillin Puente)

Here’s the key: Lady Mariko announces publicly to Lord Ishido and Lady Ochiba that she will not be held captive, creating a diplomatic crisis.

The big deal: “Mariko upends societal rules and reclaims her identity. This scene is a point of no return. Her defiance sets her on an unstoppable trajectory,” write Kondo and Puente.

‘Fallout’ (Prime Video)

Episode: “The End” (written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner)

Here’s the key: A nuclear disaster interrupts a child’s birthday party, leaving a movie cowboy to try and escape with his daughter.

The big deal: “It’s the 1950s, but not our 1950s. It builds toward a man trying to escape with his daughter during a nuclear war on a horse. It’s emotional, violent, and raises the question: How can you escape the world’s end on a horse?”

‘The Crown’ (Netflix)

Episode: “Ritz” (written by Peter Morgan and Meriel Sheibani-Clare)

Here’s the key: In a flashback to V-E Day in 1945, princesses Margaret and Elizabeth escape the palace, and Margaret finds Elizabeth dancing with American GIs in the Ritz Hotel basement.

The big deal: “Young Elizabeth is more carefree than ever. Margaret recognizes her sister’s fleeting happiness and allows her to enjoy it. This episode is a tribute to the closeness of the two sisters,” write Morgan and Sheibani-Clare.

‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ (Prime Video)

Episode: “First Date” (written by Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover)

Here’s the key: Newbie spies John and Jane try to unwind after their first mission, realizing the weight of their new life together.

The big deal: “This is a moment of real vulnerability — two lonely people admitting things to each other they’ve never shared before,” writes Sloane. “They’re comforted to have someone to say goodnight to for the first time.”

‘Slow Horses’ (Apple TV+)

Episode: “Negotiating With Tigers” (written by Will Smith)

Here’s the key: River realizes that Spider, his arch frenemy and former fellow agent, was in on the sting that caught him.

The big deal: As the climax of River and Spider’s rivalry, it seems Spider has the upper hand. “He even gloats, ‘The gods are shining on me today,’ little knowing he is as out of his depth as River was,” writes Smith.

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

Source: Los Angeles Times