Oscars 2019 deviated from the script, but signified a step forward, too

2019 Oscars' evening was dominated by people of colour and women - something that hasn't happened before

The Academy Awards are known for following a script – in terms of not just the ceremony’s narrative but quite often the winners themselves. Like most awards, the Oscars are preceded by speculations and calculated predictions, and the final results, with few exceptions, are hardly surprising. This year’s Oscars, though, deviated from the script in multiple ways.

The obvious difference was the absence of host. The Academy, presumably mindful of the goof-ups in the last host-less Oscars, didn’t try anything flashy. The ceremony was straightforward, quiet and, there’s no kinder way to put it, dull. But given the messy lead-up