“Oh my god. Are we on?” Dan Levy asked halfway through the 78th Annual Golden Globes. It was an apt question for a show that unfolded in fits and glitches, with celebrities delivering strained Zoom smiles as well as jokes that reverberated in empty living rooms. But while the pandemic version of the Globes was certainly awkward, it didn’t lack for entertainment, whether intentional or not. The Crown was the big winner, nabbing four awards. Chadwick Boseman won a posthumous award for best actor in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, while Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm and Nomadland won best picture in the comedy and drama fields, respectively.
Here are some of the most memorable moments of the night.
Read More: See All the Winners of the 2021 Golden Globe Awards
Worst: Amy and Tina’s Monologue
In an interesting gambit (of the non-queen variety), the Golden Globes decided to beam in its hosts—Tina Fey and Amy Poehler—from opposite coasts, with Fey presenting at the Beverly Hilton and Poehler at the Rainbow Room in Manhattan. The decision was likely informed by a desire to reflect the fractured nature of the year, as well as to nab both L.A. and N.Y.-based celebrities to present awards. But when it came to the monologue as well as Fey and Poehler’s subsequent bits, the ploy felt like a self-inflicted mistake. In past years, Fey and Poehler have excelled at hosting the Globes precisely because of the way they supported and enabled each other while shoulder to shoulder, giggling as if they were the only ones in the room or throwing back high fives. And while they tried to make it work, their chemistry and timing were noticeably off. With limited audiences to absorb their jokes, Poehler and Fey rushed through punchlines, sometimes inadvertently stepping on each other. With their celebrity targets not in the room, some of their industry-specific barbs fell flat, receiving only uncomfortable chuckles from the first responders in the crowd. While Poehler and Fey are two of the funniest comedians in America, this monologue probably won’t be going on their highlight reels.
Best: Kenan Thompson and Maya Rudolph’s Bit
Some of the show’s best moments played like SNL. skits, whether it was Jason Sudeikis’ loopy hoodie-clad acceptance speech or Tracy Morgan’s yelp of “SAUL!” (when he meant to say Soul). Perhaps the funniest moment of the whole show was when two of Studio 8H’s foremost legends—Kenan Thompson and Maya Rudolph—came out in person to flirt, sing and speak gibberish while accepting the fake award “Least Original Song.” In regular years, the weirdest jokes at awards shows often only receive strained laughter from a buttoned-up A-list audience. In contrast, being in front of a studio-sized audience and wearing ridiculous costumes allowed Thompson and Rudolph to fully unleash their full zaniness.
Worst: The “Next On” Segments
Celebrities: they’re just as awkward as us in Zoom meetings! Before every commercial break, the five nominees in the next category were put onscreen and given no prompts or instructions, leading to some excruciating mugging and small talk. Only one of those segments paid any dividends: after Tracy Morgan botched reading the name of the movie Soul, the camera immediately cut to a group including Jason Sudeikis, Don Cheadle and Ramy Youssef, who began gleefully rehashing the moment and riffing off his blunder (“Soul’s Pizzeria!,” Sudeikis exclaimed).
Worst: Technical Difficulties
The Globes operate on a standard level of chaos, but even Ricky Gervais’s worst behavior couldn’t compare to the raggedness of this telecast. The first acceptance speech of the night, in which Daniel Kaluuya found himself unable to unmute his microphone and then repeatedly yelled, “You’re doing me dirty!” was a harbinger of things to come. Poehler and Fey were at times on a delay with each other, leading to awkward moments like “Ladies and gentleman, the absolutely—NORMAN LEAR!” Microphones clipped; cameras flickered; there were blips, echoes and freezes. Award winners were unsure of when to start speaking and when to end. The disorder was partially charming but mostly just cringe-inducing.
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