Latino Hollywood must be scratching their collective heads over the recent Oscar, Tony and now Emmy awards that have consistently overlooked or openly snubbed deserving Latino films, TV shows, and the talent behind and in front of the camera.
So Much for Diversity
Of the dozens of potential Latino Emmy nominees TV series and on-camera actors eligible and worthy of an Emmy nomination, incredibly only a grand total of TWO Latinos were graced by the voters with Emmy nominations: Colman Domingo is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama TV Series for his portrayal of Ali in Euphoria and Oscar Isaacs for his Leading Actor Emmy nomination for his role as Jonathan in HBO’s Scenes From A Marriage. And as Porky Pig would say: “That’s all folks!”
But the Gomez snub for her work as an actress in Only Murders in the Building is especially galling because it begs the question of the Emmy voters: “What the heck were you people watching?” Gomez was lauded by Deadline Hollywood as “the glue that holds the show together.” How is it the voters looked right past that insightful and accurate bit of news?
Chemistry 101
The chemistry between the main characters in Only Murders in the Building Is cited as a major factor in the huge success of Hulu’s Original TV series which has earned 17 Emmy nominations including two for its male leads, Steve Martin and Martin Short., for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy series. The two comic actor legends have worked together in films like The three Amigos, Father of the Bride, countless other collaborations, so the chemistry between these two comedy amigos was well-established. But the question going into season one of Only Murders in the Building was how Selena Gomez would fit in with her two veteran comic co-stars.
From the very beginning, Gomez’s character, Mabel Mora, has proven to be a pivotal one in the storyline. Gomez’s portrayal of Mabel Mora as a potty-mouthed, droll, street-smart young New Yorker who delivers her one-line acid rejoinders with lethal deadpan accuracy, is the perfect foil and contrast to the Martin and Short characters. Gomez is the active chemical agent in this potent comedic trio.
Steve Martin’s character, Charles Haden Savage, is a former TV star of a cop show, Brazos. Savage is a bit world-weary and somewhat of a cynic. However, Martin Short as Oliver Putman is a kinetic, hyper theatrical out-of work Broadway director. The three residents of the iconic Arconia Hotel team up to solve a murder that has occurred in the scenic old structure.
But Mabel’s allegiance to the crime-fighting team, her personal agenda, sexual identity and dark past connection to the Arconia Hotel are cleverly not made clear by the writers of the show. Over the succeeding episodes in season one and continuing into season two Mabel’s true character is slowly peeled away and revealed one onion layer at a time.
At times, Savage and Putman are not quite sure if Mabel is an ally, a BFF, a conniving femme fatale, or even a murderer, it’s obvious Mabel is the emotional focus of their lives. Regardless of their suspicions, they admire Mabel because she is cool, hip, smart, and has what old-timers like Savage and Putman nostalgically used to call “moxie.”
Without Mabel, Savage and Putman are just two old fuddy duddies fumbling around trying to solve a murder mystery. Mabel is the much-needed catalyst that drives the plot and whose caustic charm compliments and completes this oddball May-December crime-fighting trio. Gomez is without a doubt the glue that holds it all together.
The Other Snubbed Main Character
From a certain angle or critical perspective, you could argue that the two main characters in Only Murders in the Building are actually Mabel Mora and the Arconia Hotel. By placing all the action in the historic dwelling with its grand, spacious old New York City apartments, the writers have made the setting of the Arconia Hotel a universe unto itself.
At the center of that universe is Gomez as Mabel Mora. Mabel’s emotional tentacles are wound through and around the Arconia Hotel. The true hierarchy of characters is made abundantly clear in the opening credits. That opening credit shot sequence is a basic tutorial in scene analysis and cinema language. It begins with a shot of the outside wall of the hotel. First, we see Steve Martin through the window of his apartment. As we pan upward, we see Martin Short in his window. Finally, we reach the top and there looking demure and mysterious is Gomez. In classic movie scene structure, the character in the superior or higher position is the dominant character, the one in charge, the focal point of the scene.
So apparently and most painfully, the Emmy voters not only neglected to watch Only Murders in the Building, or notice Gomez was even in the cast and therefore did not fully appreciate her wonderful acting talents, but also totally missed the clues as to her true stature in the TV series shown in plain sight in easy to understand film studies cinema language in the opening credits.
Only Murders in the Building has been renewed for a third season. No doubt next year the series will again receive Emmy nominations. Hopefully within this time, the bag of plenty we will see a slip of paper with the name of Selena Gomez nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series along with her two crime-solving compadres, Messrs. Martin and Short. The Emmy voters need to take Gomez off the snub list and recognize her vital comedic contributions to the success of Only Murders in the Building.
Season Two of Only Murders in the Building is currently streaming on Hulu.