If you asked me two months ago who would win Guest Actress in a Drama Series, I would have put all my money on Allison Janney (Masters of Sex) for her masterful portrayal of a sexually frustrated housewife. However, after watching the tapes, it looks like there is another contender trying to stab her in the back (I very carefully chose this wording).
This is a category where the loudest performance often wins. From Ann Margaret for Law & Order: SVU to Sally Field for ER, it seems like if you play a heightened character, then you are due. This year, almost every single performance is extremely understated, except Kate Burton (Scandal).
SPOILER ALERT FOR SCANDAL! In her episode submission, entitled “A Door Marked Exit,” she murders her gay cheating husband in the first scene by stabbing him repeatedly in the back. If that doesn't get a voters attention, then I don't know what will. Then, throughout the episode she cries and screams her way through a cover-up for said gruesome murder. END SPOILER.
It's just the type of performance that wins this category. Another consideration is that Janney is also nominated in the Supporting Comedy Actress category for Mom (see our predictions here). The judging panels will be different, however if voters think there's enough Janney to go around, they may be inclined to mark the clear alternative.
Although Janney gets to cry in her episode, Burton's submission is all out madness. I still have Janney out front. Despite everything I said so far, she still has momentum on her side. However, don't be surprised to see Scandal take yet another acting category.
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1. Allison Janney, Masters of Sex (“Brand New World”)
2. Kate Burton, Scandal (“A Door Marked Exit”)
3. Jane Fonda, The Newsroom (“Red Team III”)
4. Kate Mara, House of Cards (“Chapter 14”)
5. Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones (“The Lion and the Rose”)
6. Margo Martindale, The Americans (“Behind the Red Door”)
Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.