Emmy Picks, Predictions, Unsung Heroes & Oh-No-Nos – 2015

Almost as important a fixture on the television calendar as the Emmys themselves, it’s time for my annual gibberings about why I know better than the TV people about what makes good TV. Now in its fourth year, I’m sure you all know by now how I’m going to take you through this. Who should win? Who will win? Who should have been nominated? Who shouldn’t have been nominated? Why, it’s as formulaic as Andy Samberg’s opening remarks are sure to be.

Or is it? The answer is: not quite. This year, I’ve added a second supplementary post to discuss some of the shows in question, since I found myself going off topic fairly often while I was writing this main post. I spent hundreds of hours watching TV in the last year; the least you could do is read what I thought of it. (Disclaimer: the least you can do is nothing, a course of action that some leading experts would advise.)
There have also been some rule changes this year, which the good people at the Emmys have explained in this handy PDF. You probably do not need to read this to fully understand what I’m on about, but if you’re interested in this sort of stuff like I am, this is the sort of stuff that will interest you.
Now, onto the main bit.

1. Outstanding Comedy Series
Nominated: Louie, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, Silicon Valley, Transparent, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Veep

It’s hard to argue with this selection, but I will nevertheless make a pitch for a few unsung heroes. For the most part, I’m just delighted that The Big Bang Theory is nowhere to be seen.
Louie, Modern Family and Veep are on the list out of habit by now, but each of them had a strong season. Veep was at its best yet for me this year, with Hugh Laurie’s recurring role a highlight, as one of several shake-ups in Selina’s staff and support team. Dynamics among characters shifted all over the place, and the season left us on a bit of a cliffhanger, engaging me more than in previous years. Armando Iannucci’s departure as showrunner is sure to be a blow next year, but there are several good writers behind the show and an excellent cast in front of it.
This is only the second time that Parks and Recreation has been nominated, but I thought this was a fairly uneven final season. The producers advanced the story three years from the end of season six in order to put the characters in a place where they were closer to closure, which worked quite well in some ways, but less well in others. There were a few missteps, but it was a more than decent swanson(g) for a show that has had plenty of critical praise, but very few awards. I’d love to see it win, but it would be my pick more for sentimental reasons than the quality of the season in question.
Silicon Valley‘s second season had a slow start, but by a few episodes in, I remembered all the things I’d liked about its first. The death of Christopher Evan Welch, who played key character Peter Gregory, would doubtless have affected the cast and crew on a personal level, and enforced changes on the direction of the story. However, the season finished strongly, and like Veep ended with a cliffhanger, which is nice.
Transparent had been on my radar for a while, but I only got round to watching it a few weeks ago. It’s a very well done show, and Jeffrey Tambor is excellent as Maura, as are the rest of the cast, her children and ex-wife who need to process her coming out as transgender. The show is funny, and certainly clever, but it feels a little closer to a drama than a comedy series. No matter, though; I’m looking forward to its second outing in December.
My pick for this category, as you may not be surprised to learn, is Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I didn’t think Ellie Kemper’s character fitted in too well on The Office (much like Ann on Parks and Recreation, they never really seemed to figure out what to do with her), so I was unsure what to expect from this show. However, she is fantastic as Kimmy, a woman who has been kept in a bunker for 15 years. Upon her release, she moves to New York, where she cannot recognise anything, and behaves like an overgrown yet oddly wise child. It could have been a much darker look at the psychological impact of such an ordeal, but there is a lot more optimism about this show than you might expect based on the premise and the creative team behind it (Tina Fey, who had previously created 30 Rock, and Robert Carlock, who had previously worked on 30 Rock). Tituss Burgess and Jane Krakowski are both fantastic in supporting roles, too.
Now, a few unsung heroes. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia is missing, of course, despite the gang trying desperately to win an award. Broad City could also quite easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any of these series, although the humour of the show may not quite be to the taste of the establishment. Finally, I was once again very impressed with Episodes, which I think a lot of people assume is terrible without watching it. It’s not, it’s very good, even if it does violate, by my count, at least six of Kenneth Parcell’s own TV oh-no-nos.

My Pick – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
My Prediction – Veep
My Unsung Hero – It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia/Broad City
My Oh-No-No – Modern Family

2. Outstanding Drama Series
Nominated: Better Call Saul, Downton Abbey, Game Of Thrones, Homeland, House Of Cards, Mad Men, Orange Is The New Black
N.B. Orange Is The New Black is competing for awards based on its second season, not its recent third.

The final season of Mad Men was met with a mixed reaction, with some fans feeling the ending was quite cynical, and others finding it fitting. I thought that Don’s storyline took him in the wrong direction for a few episodes, but ultimately his arc ended very well. So too did Peggy’s, who I admit to not paying enough attention to early on, and I think would be a fascinating character to keep a closer eye on during a rewatch of the series. The season could have done with more Joan, although they all could if you ask me, but overall I was happy with the conclusion of the show.
House of Cards seemed to take itself a bit more seriously this year, and is the better for it. The dynamic between Frank and Claire is more believable, and we begin to see what Frank is actually like as a policy maker, now that the power-grabbing has hit a plateau. He’s surprisingly liberal, as it turns out, and both he and Claire have various political and personal battles to fight over the course of what is probably the strongest season of the show yet.
Better Call Saul could have gone either way (as you may recall, I was pretty excited about it last year), but I would call its first season a success. References to its parent show, Breaking Bad, were kept to a minimum, with a few subtle nods rather than Walt or Jesse walking around in the background. It builds slowly, with a look into how Saul (or “Jimmy,” to use his nickname) got to where he was when we first met him doing one of his delightfully cheesy adverts on Jesse’s TV. Definitely worth a watch for fans of the original show (almost everybody), and deserving of a nomination here.
Orange Is The New Black feels more at home here than in the comedy category, although it has elements of both. The second season – now a distant memory – shook things up a bit by bringing in a new power struggle in the prison, and splitting up Piper and Alex. OITNB is my pick because it’s the most complex show on TV, and yet one of the most accessible. There’s a lot going on, and it somehow manages to follow 15-20 characters and multiple story threads across an hour long episode, while also throwing in flashbacks and developments for each of its characters. Get it watched, obviously.
The Newsroom and Ray Donovan were both shows I enjoyed very much, but are not included in the nominations, despite both of the lead actors (Jeff Daniels and Liev Schrieber respectively) being shortlisted. I have my theories on why both were overlooked, available in the other blog I mentioned earlier. Orphan Black is a cracking watch, but it’s perhaps not serious enough to succeed at the Emmys. The premise (human cloning, for those outwith the know) is a bit out there, but plenty of science fiction series and films have bagged awards. My main criticism of Orphan Black is that it is a bit inconsistent; sometimes it’s quite serious, and other times it’s very silly, but it’s still hugely entertaining and well-written. The supporting cast isn’t too strong, but Tatiana Maslany, who plays several main characters, is fantastic, and more than enough to carry the show. Her nomination is well-deserved and overdue, but the show itself is also capable of standing next to the other nominees here.

My Pick – Orange Is The New Black
My Prediction – Mad Men
My Unsung Hero – Orphan Black
My Oh-No-No – Game Of Thrones

3. Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominated: Anthony Anderson, Don Cheadle, Louis C.K., Will Forte, Matt LeBlanc, William H. Macy, Jeffrey Tambor

Emmys host Andy Samberg can consider himself hard done by not to be among the nominees here for his role as Jake Peralta on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a show I got into a few months ago, and which is discussed in more detail here. However, there are still a few strong nominees here.
Don Cheadle is always good value, and I enjoyed House of Lies despite having some problems with it. His character, Marty Kaan, inhabits a world that I find quite disgusting, as he and his colleagues attempt to make themselves as rich as possible at the expense of others. They are very elitist, and this even leads to Kaan’s resenting other sections of the African American community (his rant about the ‘hood rich,’ people who find themselves with more money than they ever thought they would have and no idea how to spend it, is quite unpleasant). There is repeated use of the word ‘tranny’ in some early episodes, and several examples of bi-fetishisation as well as other alpha male womanising clichés, so he and the other characters make me quite uncomfortable at times. However, Kaan is also a loving father, championing his young son’s battle against gender norms and accepting him for who he is, for the most part. He does have some trouble getting to grips with his son’s friendship and later relationship with a trans boy, but this is more ignorance than prejudice. Like It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, House of Lies is full of unpleasant characters, but unlike the former, the latter does not manage to make them relatable or sympathetic much of the time. Also unlike the former, the latter seems to have no trouble being nominated for Emmys. Then again, it’s just business, as they say.
Louis C.K. continues to excel at the relatively easy task of playing himself, as well as at modestly playing down his own performance. As the only regular character on Louie, a lot of the work is on his shoulders; comparisons to Seinfeld are apt in terms of premise only, as the style of humour and the structure of the episodes are both very different. Season four took a bit of a dramatic turn, with season five returning to the more familiar ground of comedy. For someone who is half his age, I identify with Louie much more than I find comfortable, and almost every episode leaves me with something to think about after the laughs subside. There’s still a touch of drama to the show, as is inevitable in what is largely a character study (particularly one so dark), and it remains one of the best things on TV.
As I mentioned earlier, Jeffrey Tambor is a treat to watch in Transparent; I wouldn’t be disappointed at all to see him win, but Matt LeBlanc is my pick for this one. It’s fair to say that the fictionalised version of LeBlanc has a complicated relationship with the husband-and-wife writing team with whom he works, but for the most part they are friends, and his reaction to their perceived betrayal of him this season was very well done. He is a strong lead, which is unexpected after his long run as a largely two-dimensional member of an ensemble, something that is a key element of the series itself early on, and he is a crucial part of a very underrated show. Go on, give him an award.

My Pick – Matt LeBlanc
My Prediction – Jeffrey Tambor
My Unsung Hero – Charlie Day/Rob McElhenney
My Oh-No-No – None

4. Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Nominated: Edie Falco, Lisa Kudrow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Amy Poehler, Amy Schumer, Lily Tomlin

This has been Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s award for the last three years, and it’s hard to argue. She continues to impress as Selina Meyer in Veep, and makes a good case for winning a fourth time, but surely it’s Amy Poehler’s turn by now? She has a fantastic supporting cast behind her, but she’s been an enormous part of what has made Parks and Recreation such a terrific show over the last six years. I suspect it won’t be seen this way by the powers that be, but I’d be happy to be proved wrong.
I like shows about shows, and I’m a Lisa Kudrow fan generally, but I found her character in The Comeback unlikeable and annoying at first, which made it difficult to like the show, since she’s on screen around 90% of the time. She shouts a lot, possibly because she’s used to being on a multi-cam sitcom with an audience, but that seems inconsistent with the show’s intelligence and level of self-awareness. I warmed up to her more during the second season, during which the show became even more self-referential than before, almost painfully so. I liked the change in dynamic between Kudrow’s Valerie and her husband Mark, and also the new working relationships she had with Paulie G and Seth Rogen. The character became more sympathetic and believable, and the second season was much stronger than the first, I thought. After watching the first few episodes, I didn’t think I’d be saying this, but I’m looking forward to the third season, whenever that may be.
Either or both of the Broad City girls could quite comfortably be here, and Ellie Kemper can also count herself unlucky to have missed out. I was unsure how strong a lead she would be, but she carried Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt very well, albeit with a little help from Jon Hamm (nominated, didn’t win).

My Pick – Amy Poehler
My Prediction – Julia Louis-Dreyfus
My Unsung Hero – Ilana Glazer/Abbi Jacobson/Ellie Kemper
My Oh-No-No – None

5. Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Nominated: Kyle Chandler, Jeff Daniels, Jon Hamm, Bob Odenkirk, Liev Schreiber, Kevin Spacey

This was probably the toughest category for me to pick, but I’ve gone with Jon Hamm because this is his eighth nomination for playing Don Draper, and he’s never won. He’s never won. He should have won by now.
I’ve also quite controversially chosen Kyle Chandler as my Oh-No-No, because it’s a bit of a cop-out to keep selecting nobody, and while his performance in Bloodline was good, I thought it was the weakest of the six nominees by some way. I found his character quite boring, but I should say before I’m attacked that I have never watched Friday Night Lights, so I don’t get the love surrounding the guy. (I know, I know, it’s on my list.)
Bob Odenkirk deserves his spot here, after being continually passed over in the supporting category for Breaking Bad. He manages to show a familiar character in a completely new light, keeping him recognisable but also fresh. He is first and foremost a comic actor, which fits Saul well, as he is so often a comic character in a drama series, but in this spin-off he is able to show us a bigger picture of Saul’s life, and a more serious side to him.
Jeff Daniels won this award two years ago, in a surprise twist, because The Newsroom has never been very popular. I was a big fan, though, as you’ll have gathered, and I thought he was in great form again for the show’s final season. I doubt he’ll win it again, as he has some stiff competition here, but he wouldn’t be a bad choice at all. Meanwhile, the win from 2013 has brought new life to Daniels’s career, having previously been most widely recognised from his starring in Dumb & Dumber, hardly the most flattering of roles.
I started watching Ray Donovan quite recently, unsure of what to expect, but found I really enjoyed it after it got going. Liev Schreiber stars as the eponymous fixer of various problems in Los Angeles, for whom things seem to be going pretty well, until his father is released from prison, and Ray suddenly has a bunch of his own shit to fix. (More on this story later.) Schreiber is a strong lead in a good show, and, while a lot of this subject matter has been done before and done in more detail, the main character is surprisingly original and the storylines engaging. Schreiber would not be a bad pick for this award at all.
House of Cards had its most serious year yet, as I said above, and Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood is less outlandish and more realistic. While the slightly silly, off the wall stuff was what made the show in its first couple of seasons, I think this works better overall, and allows the actors to show themselves at their best. Both Spacey and Robin Wright were excellent, and made up for some rather loose storytelling (at times) that didn’t really go anywhere. I think Spacey will take home the wee statue this year but, while he was very good, wouldn’t be my first (or second) choice to win.
I would have liked to see Michael Sheen recognised for Masters of Sex. The second season delved a bit deeper into Bill Masters’s past, and into his very complicated relationship with Virginia Johnson. Masters dealt with an abusive and overbearing father, something that still strains his relationship with his brother, and Sheen portrayed very well the struggle Masters has in trying to be a better father himself, while having a definite inclination to prioritise his work. This is a very well-made show, with a lot more depth than might be initially evident, and is well worth a watch.

My Pick – Jon Hamm
My Prediction – Kevin Spacey
My Unsung Hero – Michael Sheen
My Oh-No-No – Kyle Chandler

6. Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Nominated: Claire Danes, Viola Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Tatiana Maslany, Elisabeth Moss, Robin Wright

It’s taken her three years to get a nomination, so I don’t expect Tatiana Maslany will suddenly walk off with the award itself, but it’s surely deserved. I can absolutely see why Orphan Black is not to everyone’s taste (it’s very silly; more on that on the other channel), but she does an incredible job of playing multiple distinct characters. It’s a difficult thing to describe, but if you know the characters, you can spot when one of the clones is pretending to be another (something that happens quite frequently, and is a lot of fun). The supporting players are important, but Maslany is an enormous part of what makes this show great, and it’s about time her performances were recognised. I’d love to see her win, and not just so I can hear how her name is pronounced. Let’s hope John Travolta isn’t giving out any of the awards.
Were that to happen, though, I would feel bad for Elisabeth Moss, who has been nominated several times for her role as Peggy Olson, but like her Mad Men co-star Jon Hamm, has never won. She’s a terrific character with a great arc, as I said above, and despite starting strongly, has constantly improved throughout the show’s run. Emmy or no Emmy, though, I’m sure her performance will be recognised as an integral part of an excellent series.
I doubt How To Get Away With Murder would have been the surprise hit that it was without the show-stealing performance of Viola Davis. She plays Annalise Keating, a lawyer who teaches a university course, and becomes involved in two related murder cases through a group of her students. Her background, as well as her connection to the victims, gives the show a unique take on an idea that has been done many times before, but it is Davis’s performance that really makes it. She shows us a professional woman, a woman in love, a heartbroken woman, a woman who must face intense scrutiny in the wake of personal tragedy, a woman who might lose everything, a woman who takes control of an impossible situation, and a woman who remains strong yet human throughout all of this. Much like Maslany, she makes the show, and certainly has a case for winning.
Lizzy Caplan was nominated last year, but I was surprised to see she had been omitted this time around, after what I thought was an even stronger performance. She and Sheen have excellent chemistry, which is just as well, given the complexity of their characters’ relationship.

My Pick – Tatiana Maslany
My Prediction – Elisabeth Moss
My Unsung Hero -Lizzy Caplan
My Oh-No-No – Claire Danes

7. Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominated: Andre Braugher, Tituss Burgess, Ty Burrell, Adam Driver, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key

I find it quite interesting that Andre Braugher has been nominated for the second year in a row for playing a less hilarious version of Ron Swanson, while Nick Offerman has been overlooked since the dawn of time, but here we are. (What’s he on about? Find out here!) That said, Braugher is great to watch on Brooklyn Nine-Nine as stony-faced police captain Raymond Holt, and he’d probably be my pick were it not for Tituss Burgess. Titus Andromedon is forced to take in Kimmy Schmidt as a flatmate, and teaches her all about the (non-bible-bashing) world, and all the changes that have happened while she was underground. He managed to reduce me to fits of laughter in each of his few appearances as D’Fwan on 30 Rock (he taught me to d’fwink responsibly), and he was able to do so again in a starring role. He won’t get it, because he’s not on Modern Family, but he should. He really, really should.
As well as the inevitable yet totally justifiable moan about Nick Offerman’s appalling annual snub, I think Martin Starr could quite easily be on this list. After being the best thing about Party Down (no easy task) and one of the best things about Freaks and Geeks (also a big ask), Starr is now the best thing about Silicon Valley. And he does it all with only one facial expression. Remarkable.
Offerman’s co-stars Aziz Ansari, Chris Pratt and Adam Scott could all quite easily be here too. So it goes.
I don’t have anything against Keegan-Michael Key, but I don’t watch his show, and it feels like a bit of a cop out to keep leaving the Oh-No-No spot empty, so in he goes.

My Pick – Tituss Burgess
My Prediction – Ty Burrell
My Unsung Hero – Nick Offerman/Martin Starr
My Oh-No-No – Keegan-Michael Key

8. Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Nominated: Mayim Bialik, Julie Bowen, Anna Chlumsky, Gaby Hoffmann, Allison Janney, Jane Krakowski, Kate McKinnon, Niecy Nash

As good as Julie Bowen is on Modern Family, and she is good, it would also be good if someone else could win it for a change. Anna Chlumsky and Gaby Hoffman are both strong candidates, but I’d prefer to see it go to Jane Krakowski. Her character (Kimmy’s boss) on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is not enormously different from her character on 30 Rock, but she does a great job of managing to confuse Kimmy even further about the world into which she has been released. There is definitely more to come in her character arc, which I’m looking forward to seeing, but she was excellent in a background role during the first season.
There are plenty of Parks and Recreation actors (all) who can feel hard done by to have missed out on Emmy nods, but apart from Nick Offerman’s (obviously), the perpetual omission that puzzles me the most is Aubrey Plaza’s. I’ve heard people dismissing her character as just being grumpy and negative, and the actor herself as a one-trick pony, but I don’t think this is fair at all. Yes, April hates most things and is very dismissive, but she is consistently funny, and she grows a great deal over the course of the series. This is true of most of the main characters, but particularly of April and Andy, who are fortunate enough to find in the world somebody and something that they do not hate. If Mayim Bialik can be nominated year after year, then I’m not sure there’s any argument for keeping Aubrey Plaza out. No, wait, I am sure, there is not an argument for this.

My Pick – Jane Krakowski
My Prediction – Julie Bowen
My Unsung Hero – Aubrey Plaza
My Oh-No-No – Mayim Bialik

9. Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Nominated: Jonathan Banks, Jim Carter, Alan Cumming, Peter Dinklage, Michael Kelly, Ben Mendelsohn

This is quite a tricky one for me to choose. As I say in the other blog, I thought Bloodline was good but believes its own hype a bit too much, but Ben Mendelsohn’s character Danny was the best thing about the show. (Norbert Leo Butz, previously totally unknown to me, was also very good as his brother Kevin.) Mendelsohn seemed to have about as much screen time as Kyle Chandler, though, so he could easily be in the lead actor category, but never mind.
I enjoyed the developments with Michael Kelly’s character, Doug, on House of Cards this season; more recently I’ve been watching The West Wing, and it’s interesting to compare the relationship President Bartlet has with his staff to the dynamic Underwood has with his. Well, I say interesting, but there’s not much of a comparison to be made, really. Underwood leaves Doug out in the cold until he thinks he might be useful to him again, during which time we see Doug getting to grips with a lot of mad stuff that’s happened to him, before going back for another helping.
I saw Alan Cumming in a pub the other week, but I haven’t seen The Good Wife (I know, I know, it’s on my list), so I can’t evaluate his performance. I can, however, tell you that he likes a drink or twelve, was very rude to some fans who asked for a selfie, and eventually had to be dragged from the premises at chucking out time, yelling “Do you know who the fuck I am? I’m Alan Cumming! I’m on The Good Wife! I did a mildly offensive accent in a James Bond film! I was in an episode of Frasier one time! I need one more fucking hit!”*
One of the things I most hoped to see in Better Call Saul was the early stage of Mike and Saul’s relationship, and I got it. It was very good, I thought. Jonathan Banks played Mike in four seasons of Breaking Bad, and we found out very little about his character, because he loves keeping himself to himself. We learn a bit more in Better Call Saul, and saw how he came to be in New Mexico at just the right (or wrong, depending on how you look at it) time, as well as the loss that might explain why he is so closed off. There wasn’t much of him in the first few episodes, but my disappointment soon ebbed as Banks got more opportunity to show us who Mike really is. He’s my pick.
After infuriating viewers as the insufferable Connor in Angel, Vincent Kartheiser went on to infuriate viewers as the even less sufferable Pete Campbell in Mad Men. His characters may be horrible objectionable slimeballs, but yee-haw, he’s good at playing them. He’s the guy we love to hate, and he’s my shout for an unsung hero in this category.

My Pick – Jonathan Banks
My Prediction – Peter Dinklage
My Unsung Hero – Vincent Kartheiser
My Oh-No-No – Peter Dinklage

10. Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Nominated: Uzo Aduba, Christine Baranski, Emilia Clarke, Joanne Froggatt, Lena Headey, Christina Hendricks

I was surprised to see Christina Hendricks on the list; she had very little screen time in the final season of Mad Men, as bemoaned above, but she was excellent, as ever. This category, though, begins and ends for me with the first nomination (alphabetically). Uzo Aduba’s character Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren annoyed me quite a lot during the first season of Orange Is The New Black, but I came to really enjoy her stories in the second. (She was even better in the third, but that’s not relevant here.) I’d like to see her win, and I think she will.
The unsung hero is a tough one to pick; the other nominees could all be made up of Aduba’s co-stars, and I doubt I’d have a problem with it. I’d also like to see some recognition (by which I mean a nomination) for Alison Pill for her role on The Newsroom; her arc became a bit tired during the second season, but it was worth it for the final run of six episodes, and she was excellent. However, the spot goes to Linda Cardellini, for playing Meg Rayburn in Bloodline. Her character has a tough time being everyone’s confidant while various warring factions emerge within the family, and she has to keep on everyone’s good side so that there is at least some peace and order. Quite predictably, she fails at this, but she is probably the nicest, most genuine member of the family, and Cardellini’s performance was top drawer.

My Pick – Uzo Aduba
My Prediction – Uzo Aduba
My Unsung Hero – Linda Cardellini
My Oh-No-No – Lena Headey

Well, that’s all I’ve got, really. If you haven’t already, have a look at my other post discussing some of these shows in more detail, unless you’ve had enough of my opinions, in which case please feel free to not bother. Thank you, have a nice day, enjoy the Emmys, and I look forward to my annual struggle between wanting my faves to win and wanting to be right.

*This anecdote is mostly untrue. Only the first sentence has any basis in reality. Mr. Cumming seemed a perfectly affable chap from a distance of several feet, which was as close as I was prepared to get.