Interestingly, someone had actually mentioned to me that Amazon eventually, at some point, rectified the lack of audio description on the Sticky, and wanted to know my thoughts. I just haven’t swung back around to a show whose pilot I did see, but it didn’t have audio description at release. So I moved on. Now, Amazon has cancelled the series, giving me even less of a reason to return. Truthfully, this is another case of sketchy labeling, because I saw it labeled as a limited series to begin with, so a renewal or cancellation decision would be moot. that is what limited means. Now, it means… we’re not sure.
TV Shows Watched: The White Lotus: S3E2 (MAX) with audio description, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: S1E7 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Tracker: S2E10 (Paramount Plus) with audio description, Suits: LA- S1E1 (Peacock) with audio description, XO Kitty: S2E7 (Netflix) with audio description, and Last Week Tonight: S12E2 (MAX) no audio description.
Best Episode: Last week Tonight- I just really need this in my life.
runner Up: The White Lotus- I see the pieces starting to come together, but sometimes I wonder if the cast isn’t too broad to support them all. I’m still trying to figure out who most of the cast even are, but there are a few starting to stand out. This show also really isn’t about anything in terms of an elevator pitch, other than a White Lotus resort, because the cast is so big, everyone has their own plot and set of achievable goals for the season.
Best Audio Description: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man- Spidey really gets beaten pretty bad in this episode. the fight sequence was pretty hardcore, and that surprising rescue at the end may make this series worth watching in the long haul if they don’t immediately dive into territory already covered in live action movies.
Runner Up: The White Lotus- Lots of little description focused on peoples facial expressions, and how they are positioned throughout the show. I still feel like I didn’t get a great depth of character description in the pilot, and I was hoping for more as the series moved on, but we’re just not going to get that. The reality is, if you have a pilot that introduces a host of brand new characters, far more than your average small ensemble, you may need to find ways of continuing to describe them in successive episodes. Nothing was really bad today, so I could have put any show as the runner up.
Best Performance: Walton Goggins (White Lotus)- The part that really got me was his meditation session, when he’s asked if there was ever a moment he was at peace with no stress. Goggins reveals some really interesting truths that I think a lot of people feel or struggle with, and even though his characters backstory is wildly specific, I think the end result, of how he sees himself is extremely common.
Runner Up: Stephen Amell (Suits: LA)- To be clear, the pilot is not good. It has no idea why anyone liked the original Suits. It has no similarity in plot to the original Suits. this is basically like if Harvey had been the central character, and it was just centered around one bad ass lawyer who knew he was bad ass, and had a complicated past. The pilot poorly introduces and writes the entire supporting cast, especially the women, and puts this entire show on Amell’s shoulders so you can’t help but feel that he gave a great performance. He is the show. There’s no grand hook, like a man who passed the bar without going to law school. there’s just this guy, and he takes up all the space. Amell does a good job taking up all that space.
Best Moment Of Audio Description: Happy Endings? (The White Lotus)- There’s a massage sequence, which doesn’t feature a happy ending, but does feature a little soldier that is standing at attention. i thought the way that scene was described, had some appropriate humor, and even gave us the facial response from the masseuse. She was not having it.
Runner Up: The Eye Of The Spider (Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man)- there’s a focus on Peter’s sight in this episode through his high-tech suit. At first, when he’s being battered, it starts to distort. The moment that got me, is when Peter is near death, and one of his fake eyes has popped out, revealing his real eye that is bruised beneath. It landed the weight of the sequence, and made us wonder… is this the last of Peter Parker?
Worst Of….- While it has actors I enjoy watching, Suits: LA is the worst thing I watched. The audio description is fine. not a ton of extra character stuff, but it did mention at least one of them has a beard. I didn’t pick up on any ethnically specific descriptions, and Amell has a brother who is disabled in ways the show doesn’t verbalize,nor does the audio description. I know the three lead actors are all white guys, so maybe this is just the whitest show on television. I just didn’t like that it seems to believe the only reason you are here is for the Suits name, and it doesn’t need a hook or interesting twist to get you to stay. Plus, and I cannot state this enough, the women here are poorly written, poorly directed, poorly acted, almost across the board. There’s odd amounts of sexual undertones coming from characters, but nothing in the script to support it. It is as if this show was created by and written by men. I’m not happy with this, but it’ll probably be a huge hit for NBC. Huzzah for mediocrity.
