The 95th Academy Awards definitely wasn't like last year's ceremony – and for that, the people behind the scenes are probably breathing a sigh of relief.
After "the slap," the Academy instituted a crisis team that was on hand to make sure things didn't get out of hand.
But Sunday night was devoid of that type of drama – and of many surprises.
As expected, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" was a big winner, taking home the awards for best actress, supporting actor and actress, best original screenplay, best picture and best directing categories.
Brendan Fraser bested Austin Butler for best actor, which wasn't exactly an upset as they were both leading contenders.
The closest thing that came to a shocker was Sarah Polley's win for best-adapted screenplay for "Women Talking," a small film that felt very much the David that beat out the Goliath of a blockbuster, "Top Gun: Maverick," in the category.
All of this meant the show was allowed to let the talent and their heartfelt speeches shine.
From Ruth E. Carter, who paid tribute to her centenarian mother who recently passed away as she became the first Black woman to be awarded two Oscars with her best costume design win for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," to Daniel Kwan admitting to feeling imposter syndrome with his wins as co-director and co-writer of "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
Even the humor seemed to flow without much controversy, even if Kimmel did throw in a dad-type joke here and there.
It felt like a throwback to an era where the ceremony celebrated the art and artists minus the moments that go viral for the wrong reasons.
It will remain to be seen if such positivity was a positive for the ratings.
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