The Emmys Fire Mistake Sums Up 2020 Perfectly

How do you save the day during an Emmys bit that goes epically awry? You make sure Jennifer Aniston is there in a designer dress looking more perfect than any person is allowed to look, and arm her with a fire extinguisher, of course (via People).

In an "oopsie" that could only be overlooked in a year that has been filled with more drama than the shows being honored during the Emmys themselves, the very first presentation of the night, clearly, did not go as planned. Host Jimmy Kimmel pulled a stunt that involved sanitizing the winning envelope for Best Actress in a Comedy Series with Lysol and fire. He set the envelope aflame in an ironic move meant to bring levity to the dumpster fire of a year 2020 has been, and like everything else that has gone to absolute madness this year from COVID-19 to murder hornets, the entire waste paper basket went up in flames (via The New York Times).

On the heels of the West coast fires that have devastated much of California, Washington State, and Oregon, lighting a waste paper basket filled with paper products on fire probably wasn't the best idea, but this is 2020, what could go wrong (via Sci Tech Daily)? As part of the sketch, Jennifer Aniston grabs a fire extinguisher to put out the award envelope not once, not twice, but three times, and even then, the rest of the contents of the waste paper basket ignites into a huge flame.

Exclaiming, "Oh shoot, wait," Jennifer grabs the extinguisher and puts out the flames with an effortless style only she possesses, and without missing a beat, she finishes out the comedic bit before rushing home to hopefully receive her own award for the night. The Emmys fire mistake was, without a doubt, the perfect metaphor for the year we've had so far. Watching Catherine O'Hara win the award was certainly the best way to end the fire mistake — let's hope it's foreshadowing for good things to come.