Emmy Episodes: Getting On

It’s always my policy to watch every Emmy-nominated episode each year, which leads me to sample a handful of shows that I don’t tune in to on a regular basis. This year, I’m making a special effort to spotlight each of those installments to offer my perspective on shows that I don’t review each week.

Getting On: Season 3, Episode 2 “Don’t Let It Get in You or on You” (C+)
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Niecy Nash)

I don’t understand this show, and I was perplexed beyond belief that it got Niecy Nash nominated for an Emmy last year. Unfortunately, this year the show expanded to two nominations. This is the first chronological episode cited, one that focuses on a number of weird, depressing plotlines that are very, very occasionally funny and otherwise just off-putting. It’s hard to know when to laugh on this show, and that’s even truer of Nash’s scenes, since she’s so quiet and unenergetic in her delivery. In this installment, DiDi has to contend with her sister-in-law stopping by the hospital to confront her about things going on in her personal life, namely the deteriorating health of her mother-in-law, which is still a major plotline in Laurie Metcalf’s submitted episode. She gets the chance to assert herself a bit when she talks to her sister-in-law, but I still don’t quite understand the appeal of her performance. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that it’s not particularly dramatic or particularly funny, and I can’t comprehend why she’s nominated with the likes of comediennes like Allison Janney and Kate McKinnon and strong dramatic performers like Judith Light and Gaby Hoffman. This is Nash’s second consecutive nomination, and being joined by Metcalf this year bodes well for her, but she also managed to achieve three separate nods for different projects this year, indicating that when it comes to her it’s all about the actress. If Nash won, I’d be floored, but the fact that she made it in twice a row is still making my head spin.