Thank You For Being A Fearless, Forthright Friend

There were, as always, a lot of hopes that went unfulfilled at last night’s Emmys – like when Elizabeth Banks noted the five female directors nominated only to have the sole man win. But the moments of solidarity and friendship, on and offscreen, felt like they were larger than the cynical Philo T. Farnsworth view of television, and in the interests of not minimising them… 

As a contender for various awards in the Limited Series categories, Dying for Sex had no chance. Adolescence necessarily won everything in it’s vicinity, and correctly so - but I had hoped, a little bit, for a nod to the most beautifully rendered female friendship on TV this year. Michelle Williams, pictured in Chanel with her husband Thomas Kail, plays Molly, a woman determined to explore her sexuality before she dies of cancer (I swear, it’s funnier than it sounds!)...

…but the love story of the show is really about Molly and her best friend Nikki, the best role Jenny Slate has ever played. Whether she ‘deserved’ to win is a weird value judgment over Erin Doherty and the other women in the category - whether she turned in truly incredible work in partnership with her costar Michelle Williams is undeniable, and beautiful, trophy or no. 

Her dress is Rosie Assoulin and it is absolutely perfect for this moment. She can hang this picture fondly. 

The idea of women in partnership came up again with the Gilmore Girls segment, which – first of all, these throwback anniversaries were weird and arbitrary: Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls, and… SVU, which will still be on the air long after all of us are gone? (Also, Nate Bargatze was clumsy in many places tonight, but it wasn’t great that his biggest gaffe and/or punchline was about the show aimed at women, right?) 

Secondly, didn’t it seem like the writers for this Gilmore segment were much sharper and tighter than the rest of the show? Like, watch it back here.

If you’ve never seen the show, this isn’t exactly Gilmore Girls, but it’s a not-dissimilar rhythm, and it would only work with these two women who have become so linked and so attuned to each other’s rhythms over the years that it sounded not like canned patter, or like Gilmore Girls fanfic, but like maybe they’d workshopped it themselves, or twisted Amy Sherman-Palladino into it or something?  A cursory look at the writers didn’t turn up any obvious links, so I will continue to wonder… especially since Lauren Graham both writes and directs these days… 

Also, obligatory ‘they looked awesome’ comment here – somehow even though they’re now much ‘closer’ in age than when the show was on (shut up, I understand how time works) they’ve both stayed on pace and grown to look more like peers – I can’t explain it but I was happy to see it. 

It feels silly, on the one hand, to write a piece that could be seen as amounting to “Yay Best Friends!” – but on the other hand, I was reminded of how the best friendships lift you up to be even better than you already are:

Watching Jean Smart win for Best Actress in a Comedy Series early last night wasn’t that surprising, aside for the part where her dress, resolutely and gorgeously forest green on the carpet, was rendered a dull black on air.  Still, a very deserved win, and for her, it looked as affecting as her first: 

Jean Smart has won her seventh acting Emmy.

— Film Updates (@thefilmupdates.bsky.social) 2025-09-15T00:21:28.000Z

Similarly expected, but so welcome, was how warmly she shouted out her castmates, particularly and obviously Hannah Einbinder. You could theoretically make a show like Hacks without a strong and palpable bond between the two leads, but I doubt it would last – let alone create the kind of solid grounding support that let Hannah Einbinder  throw down a casual, charming, off-the-cuff barn-burner of an acceptance speech after her surprise win. She called Jean Smart ‘the sun’, praised her warmth - and ended with a line that was almost certainly not scripted, seeing as how she hadn’t expected to win: 

"I just want to say, go birds, fuck ICE and free Palestine," "Hacks" star Hannah Einbinder at the #Emmys

— Phil Lewis (@phillewis.bsky.social) 2025-09-15T00:50:33.695Z

The first mention of Palestine of the night (during the broadcast) was met with a huge round of cheers, and it was far from a glib remark. Asked about her speech backstage, not only was she calm, articulate, and incredibly thorough about why she’s taken this position,  but she reiterated points in a memorably powerful speech she made earlier this year where she spoke about her responsibility as a Jewish woman and a queer person to speak out on the atrocities in Gaza.

Jean Smart looking so proud

— Charbles McBerkely (@summerofmoops.bsky.social) 2025-09-15T03:47:59.953Z

The most pertinent line in the post above, though, is about how proud Jean Smart looks – thrilled and proud to support Hannah’s right to have and speak on her stance. Which in turn creates a culture where others, like their colleague Meg Stalter, also decide to speak out in their own way: 

Meg Stalter stuns at the 2025 #Emmys with a “Ceasefire!” purse

— Film Updates (@thefilmupdates.bsky.social) 2025-09-14T22:29:09.000Z

The other notable voice for Palestine was Javier Bardem, whose prominent multicoloured keffiyeh served as an open invitation for journalists to ask him about it, and who was very ready every time some journalist, half-quaking, decided to broach it: 

https://bsky.app/profile/pauleric70.bsky.social/post/3lyuaic2y422d

Three bold-faced names making overt statements in support of a ceasefire, are, by any measure, a few voices – but the more they are held up by the people who love them, especially those more powerful or influential, the more likely there will be louder choruses to come – and the more people feel able to speak freely, the more likely they are to realize they’re not alone.