Ellie Kemper returns to the Emmy race for Best Comedy Actress for the second year in a row thanks to her indomitable performance as the titular character in Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” She will try to take down reigning champ Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”), who has claimed this prize for the past five years, and she is hoping the episode “Kimmy Goes to College!” will propel her ahead of her stiff competition.

In the episode, Kimmy has signed up for Task Rabbit, a new phone app through which she accepts all manner of bizarre gigs to earn a few bucks. One task brings her to her dream school, Columbia University, and to the dorm room of Xan (Dylan Gelula), where Xan’s row-team roommates need their rowing machine repaired. Xan is afraid of being associated with her former nanny, so Kimmy tries to help out by adopting a new persona named Tony Ravioli. But the woke teammates love “Tony” thanks to her impressive performance on the repaired machine; Kimmy’s muscles were well trained by years of turning a crank in the bunker. A frustrated Xan then destroys her family’s crest at the university; Kimmy is ready to take the fall for the incident, but the rowing coach storms into the dean’s office to offer her a full scholarship to Columbia.

PROS

There are some classic moments of Kimmy misinterpreting her modern surroundings. For instance, she believes “caffeine-free” means you don’t have to pay extra for caffeine.

The episode is a great physical comedy showcase for Kemper, especially during the Task Rabbit montage in which she hauls a refrigerator up a flight of stairs and inflating a giant union rat.

These moments are also flipped to allow Kemper to showcase poignancy and substance, such as the bunker flashback triggered by the rowing machine: her strength is a result of deep pain. This, coupled with her bubbly personality, makes the character relatable.

CONS

Some of the most memorable moments in this episode come from Tituss Burgess thanks to his side plot in which he takes a singing gig for a conspiracy theorist, resulting in a “Boobs in California” music video. Kemper risks being upstaged in her own submission.

There are episodes towards the end of the season that focus primarily on Kimmy’s storyline. But this installment divides screen time fairly equally between Kemper, Burgess and Carol Kane. Kemper may have less material than her fellow nominees.

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