The Envy Awards, for the best TV moments you may have missed

So many great moments on TV, so little time — especially during the Emmys. Although the cast, crew, writers, producers and directors will all spend their brief time in the spotlight on September 12, there are hundreds of moments from the past year on television that will never get their claim. That’s what the Envy Awards are for: to look at television not for its great acting, scripts, sets, or production values, but for the unique moments that also deserve a statue. Or at least the idea of ​​a statue. The proposal of a statue. A casual mention of a statue.

The most annoying use of a terrible trope

Killing Eve Series Finale (BBC America)

Killing Eve’s ending may have been satisfying for its writers, but some of its most passionate, vocal fans (including Luke Jennings, author of the Villanelle books) had a real issue with the death of one of its key characters in the BBC America finale – especially after finally finding some happiness in a same-sex relationship. While there were a number of reasons to fight off Villanelle – such as that she was an assassin and causing sheer mayhem – it’s a tricky proposition in a storytelling world where happy same-sex relationships always seem to end in death or tragedy . There’s a reason the trope is smugly called “bury your gays.” The message the audience gets? Same-sex love only makes sense as a prelude to pain and suffering. Do better writers.

Lack of explanation award

The Goats of “Severance Pay” (Apple TV+)

The surreal world of Lumon Industries in Severance is packed with so much razor-sharp Kubrick humor (Is it scary? Is it funny? Is it both?) – from waffle party rewards to departments like optics and design to the “break room” . ” Punishments – that it is difficult to single out the strangest moment. The place is a nightmare. And yet: Mark and Helly briefly stumble into an unfamiliar white room where a man in a suit is sitting on a toy barn feeding baby goats. There’s no explanation other than the man saying the goats aren’t ready yet. But ready for what… remains unsaid.

Song in Your Heart award

“Stranger Things” (Netflix)

Is there a series that hasn’t had a musical number yet? If not, just wait, it will come. From the opening credits of “The Peacemaker” (HBO Max) to Yasper’s rap in “The Afterparty” (Apple TV+), to singalongs from “The King & I” in “Pam & Tommy” (Hulu) and happiness personified in “The Boys” (Prime Video), musical numbers are everywhere. But while a fun musical number can brighten a story, we have to thank Stranger Things for showing how Kate Bush’s music (particularly 1985’s “Running Up That Hill”) literally saves a life (in this case, Max’s). ) and introduce a song to a new audience that made it to the charts some 37 years later.

The most unexpected feminist duel

Julia (HBO Max)

When Julia Child slid her chair into Betty Friedan’s seat at a WGBH event in “Julia”, there was a little surprise: who would have thought that the paths of these two creators of their time had ever crossed? Then came the other shoe: Friedan lectured Child about how what she was doing in the kitchen was hurting the feminist cause. Was it? The mind exercise brought some weight and context to the series’ soufflé foam that it had previously eschewed and was a refreshing exchange. (Though really yelling at Julia Child? How gauche!) Unfortunately, here’s a third shoe to drop: There’s no record of Child and Friedan ever crossing — or swords.

Great of the year

“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (Paramount+)

Talk about Pike’s Peak! Look, we know Paramount’s logo is a mighty mountain peak, but was the intention with Capt. Pike’s towering gray quiff intended as a trademark? Truly, it was an amazing feat when it came to defying gravity, worthy of a SAG card of its own. Long may it wave.

Smartest meta world building

‘MS. Miracle’ (Disney+)

Disney will find a Marvel Comics property for every single person on planet Earth or die trying. The good news is that “Ms. Marvel” is charming and cute (and gives a voice to a first-ever Muslim superhero from the franchise). That ka-ching The news is that Disney somehow managed to create a world where everything is a potential connection: Kamala is a huge comic nerd, so she and her pal surround themselves in all things superhero-related (of course Marvel), giving Disney free rein to sell themselves to audiences over and over again.

truth price

“The 94th Academy Awards” (ABC)

Reality TV went to the Oscars as an uninvited gate-crasher in March when Will Smith took offense at a joke Chris Rock made on stage about wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia areata (which has affected her hair) and slapped Rock during the ceremony. That was weird enough, but even weirder was that for some time afterward, few people knew if it was a staged joke that stayed flat or if we’d just seen an Oscar nominee (who became a winner moments later ) had attacked a co-actor realtime. Once again, truth wins when it is difficult to distinguish real from fiction.