The Walking Dead: 5 reasons Danai Gurira deserves an Emmy nomination

Danai Gurira has been overlooked for an Emmy for The Walking Dead for too long

The nomination period has begun for the 2020 Emmy Awards and AMC has submitted a list of actors and actresses for consideration. The Walking Dead has always been overlooked at the prestigious awards ceremony, but perhaps 2020 will be the year that changes. Let’s take a look at the top 5 reasons Danai Gurira deserves to be nominated for an Emmy.

2020 marks the final opportunity for Danai Gurira to be nominated for an Emmy, as the nominations cover shows that aired June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. That means that only Gurira’s work from season 10 can be considered, and since she left the show in the second half of season 10 it’s the only chance she has to be nominated.

Gurira’s work has always been strong over the years. As Michonne, she has shown incredible range as a warrior, peacemaker, wife and mother. Unfortunately, as the TWD Family knows the Emmys (and many other awards shows) have always favored Game of Thrones and snubbed The Walking Dead. Andrew Lincoln never received a nomination, and now his opportunity has passed, but perhaps 2020 will be the chance for Danai Gurira

5 reasons Danai Gurira deserves an Emmy nomination

5. She Has An Epic History On The Show

Actors are frequently rewarded for their final seasons on shows with nominations. The thought process is that longtime cast members tend to go out with a bang during their final seasons, and that is generally true. In Gurira’s case, her door remains open because she is on a mission to find Rick, and so her fate is undetermined.

However, Michonne’s legacy on the show cannot be disputed. She killed the Governor, she helped Carl find a picture of his family, she brought formula and diapers to the prison when she was nothing more than a stranger. Her top moments list is a mile long.

The Emmy voters can’t do anything about the past, but they can acknowledge that a major character who leaves a show after so many seasons deserves her run to be capped off with an Emmy nomination.

4. “What We Become”

Episode 1013 was Michonne’s final episode of the season and it was a master class in acting. Gurira had an opportunity to revisit some of her biggest moments on the show from the lens of being on the other side. Instead of ending up with Rick’s group, one change leads her down a completely different path and she ends up becoming Negan’s right hand woman.

The journey to get to these flashbacks came after Michonne and Virgil returned to the island and Michonne helped to clear a room full of Virgil’s dead friends, colleagues and family. Yes, Michonne was the one who put his family to rest. As we saw in season 9’s “Scars” this wasn’t the first time she had to kill children, only this time they had already turned.

The range Gurira showed while Michonne was deep in her hallucinations was incredible. But it was in the final moments of the episode, when she was talking to Judith on the walkie talkie, that stole fans’ hearts.

If that episode wasn’t Emmy material, I don’t know what is.

3. Michonne is the Quintessential Character

Anyone who has ever watched awards shows like the Emmys and the Oscars know that awards shows tend to have a “type.” For a while, voters favored major physical transformations, including Nicole Kidman’s nose prosthetic in The Hours (this was a thing!) and Charlize Theron’s serial killer look in Monster.

As a character, Michonne is complicated, with layers that help her to navigate the complexities of life in the apocalypse. She lives by Carl’s creed and wanted to believe that the Charter between communities was enough, but the Whisperers destroyed everything. She is a fighter, a mother and for a long period of time she was the person who kept Alexandria safe.

Gurira owned the role. She embodied Michonne and brought her to life with fierce dedication, season after season, episode after episode. If the Emmy wants to celebrate a strong female performance, then Michonne needs to be on that list.

2. She Deserved To Be Nominated for “Scars”

It goes without saying that as soon as fans spotted the X-shaped scar on Michonne’s back, everyone wondered how it happened. The answer came in episode 914, “Scars”. Michonne was pregnant with RJ when her friend Jocelyn came along and unleashed her untethered group of kids on Michonne, forcing her to make enormous sacrifices to rescue Judith.

The scene of a pregnant Michonne wielding her katana, ready to kill children if need be (and she needed to), should have gotten her an Emmy nomination. Unfortunately, Emmy voters cannot consider past performances but they can certainly right the wrongs by nominating Gurira for her equally brilliant work in season 10.

1. It’s About Damn Time

Ok, this isn’t exactly a reason. But it is, kind of. After years and years of watching Game of Thrones win major awards, fans of The Walking Dead have had to sit back and watch their show as it has been overlooked time and time again.

Gurira’s performances have been nothing short of incredible for several years, and the Emmys need to acknowledge it. They have given major awards to other genre shows without hesitation. Gurira deserves the nomination for best actress. Period.

The voting period runs from July 2 through July 13, and then Emmy nominations will be announced on Tuesday, July 28.