Is this the year Diana Rigg finally wins an Emmy for her work as Olenna Tyrell?
Game of Thrones is a favorite of Emmy voters — in fact, it’s won more Emmys than any other drama series in history, and it still has two more chances to pick up awards. Due to airing later in the year than usual, the cast and crew weren’t eligible for their work on season 7 at the 2017 Emmys. But they’ll get their chance come September 17, when the 2018 Emmys go down at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
And when they do, I’m hoping for one thing above all else: it’s time to give Dame Diana Rigg a statue for her work as Lady Olenna Tyrell. She’s been nominated in the category of Best Guest Actress in a Drama before, after seasons 3, 4 and 5 (she appeared in too many episodes of season 6 to qualify as a “Guest Actress”), but a win has always eluded her.
Until now. She appeared in only two episodes of season 7, and one of those contained arguably her finest scene on the show: her withering, brutal send-off in “The Queen’s Justice,” when she used her final moments of life to twist a knife into Jaime Lannsiter’s gut, revealing the truth behind Joffrey’s death and casting a pall over his relationship with Cersei that still hasn’t gone away.
As usual, Rigg delivered her lines with snap and wit. She turned what could have been a maudlin scene into something almost triumphant, but still dripping with menace. It was one of the best moments of the season, and a great reason to honor an actress and character who’ve been killing it on Game of Thrones since their introduction in season 3.
According to awards site Gold Derby, Rigg is the odds-on favorite to win Best Guest Actress in a Drama this year, ranking above contenders like The Handmaid’s Tale’s Samira Wiley and How to Get Away with Murder’s Cecily Tyson. It’s not over ’til it’s over (the nominations are announced on July 12), but since Rigg won’t have another chance to delight and frighten us as Olenna, this feels like her time. Olenna may have died, but she deserves to come out ahead.
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