I finished two shows yesterday. I gotta say, I enjoyed Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix), but from a directorial standpoint, this season finale was so close to ending on a cool line of dialog to set up next season, but instead it kinda pushed further into that diorama scene, which it didn’t need. There’s one of those “What’s next?” Type statements, and that would have been the place to cut, I think. It felt like a stronger ending. At this point, for season two, I hope the audio description is more immersive. There are a lot of fans of the series, and the show this is based on is old enough that there are likely people who were able to see it, and now can’t see the adaptation, which works in favor and against. In favor, because of the familiarity of the source material, but also fans like to know how their thing is being adapted. I think there were some strong moments in the description, especially in the spirit realm, but overall the character descriptions were lacking, and the set design often felt underdescribed outside the spirit realm. This is a fantasy show, and fantasy/science fiction have the highest degree of difficulty, because so many parts of the show have no real world counterpart, like Oppa. Overall, this is pretty good stuff, but I can be improved on. Middle/Top tier.
I also finished The Regime (MAX), which had a short-lived life as my top audio described program after Halo ended. This Kate Winslet show didn’t always work for me as a show, as its tone was constantly shifting, but she was fierce in it. The winner here is the narrator, who brings out the absolute perfect vocal performance. Dave Wallace, I believe. I’m pretty sure he’s done other things where I haven’t been able to appreciate him before, properly, like Solar Opposites. His attention to mood, and being able to read the intentionality behind certain scenes, narrating them almost like he’s creatively part of the process is what makes this truly special. The written script is strong enough, but this is an example of a narrator who exemplifies every reason to continue to hire human talent over AI voices. Top tier, and the best show I was watching in terms of audio description. Now that title will shift to something else.
It won’t shift to The Completely Made Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin (Apple Plus), though I love this series, and the audio description here is one of the best audio description tracks currently for a comedy series. There’s quite a big of sight gags, physical comedy, and utter absurdity that actually is captured in the audio description. In this episode alone, Dick had to have a contest against a rival where their hair had to blow just the right way while staring off very dramatically. That scene was described surprisingly well, considering this series isn’t lacking in dialog. I’m begging Apple to renewe this, and for everyone to watch it. It might be my new favorite show this year. And that is a tall order. Top tier.
I also finally caught up on the most recent episode of Ghosts (Paramount Plus), which saw an unwelcome guest return after finding a glitch in the rewards point system that allowed him to stay there for free for a year. The best part wasn’t the main story, but the B-plot, where Thor slept with Carol to prove to Pete that she’s still a cheater.Poor Flower is going to be so heartbroken if anyone ever finds her. Middle/Top tier.
Overall, a solid day of audio description.
