Outlander – Emmy watch: Discussing the technical submissions!
Now, let’s take a look at some of the specific technical submissions — while Outlander has a tremendous cast, it would be a mistake to say they are the only spectacular people working on this show. It’s a community of hard-working people coming together to make this end product as great as humanly possible, whether it be the writers, the directors, the costume designers, and many more. We’ve at least seen Emmy nominations within this category before, and we have to think that some are possible again.
The specifics of these submissions come courtesy of GoldDerby.
Best Directing (Drama) – “Blood of My Blood”
Denise Di Novi is an appropriate choice, given that this episode was a wonderful showcase of specific character interactions. It wasn’t necessarily the biggest episode in terms of scale, but it was one of the most important in terms of establishing Jamie’s relationship with biological son William, and then also some of the feelings that Claire and Lord John Grey have towards each other.
Best Writing (Drama) – “The Birds and the Bees”
Matthew B. Roberts and Toni Graphia were the wordsmiths behind arguably the biggest episode of the entire season, and we’re not even sure that there was another choice here. The merging of Brianna’s story with Jamie and Claire just led to such an abundance of big, emotional reveals. Its impact is inescapable.
Best Cinematography (Single-Camera Series, One Hour) – “Man of Worth,” “Providence”
Of these two choices, “Man of Worth” stands out mostly for its ability to really deliver on so many different visual wonders — think in terms of Jamie’s attempted infiltration into the Mohawk village, the scene of Young Ian proving himself to the tribe, or the Roger/Brianna reunion scene at the end of the episode. Not only was this a stellar episode visually, but it was arguably one of the most challenging.
Best Costumes (Period) – “Common Ground”
This is the final year of Terry Dresbach bringing her outstanding costume work to Outlander and we hope that this is the year she wins. We do think this was a perfect episode for her given that it showcased both the 18th century and also the 20th. Not only that, but you had the styles of Jamie and Claire juxtaposed against the Native Americans. You basically had three very different sort of styles combined into one single show.
Best Makeup (Single-Camera Series, Non-Prosthetic) – “The Deep Heart’s Core”
Given what the makeup team had to do with Roger within this episode, you can make a pretty clear case for it. Also, you had both the Frasers and the Mohawk featured prominently here, which simply meant more opportunities.
Best Picture Editing (Single-Camera Drama Series) –“The Birds and the Bees”
Without great editing, the Jamie/Brianna meeting scene would not have had anywhere near the same emotional impact that it ultimately did. They showcased some of the best from Sam and Sophie, let alone the emotional reunion with Claire and Bree after the fact.
Best Production Design (Narrative Period/Fantasy Program, One Hour or More) – “Providence”
This is an episode that did feature a number of locations and with that, a lot of variety for Jon Gary Steele’s team. Think in terms of the prison, or your first look at the Mohawk village. The challenge here is to make all of these locations feel living and breathing, while also a part of the same world. Mission accomplished? Feels that way.
Photo: Starz