TV News: Again, as of me typing this, The Handmaids Tale: S6E8 still does not have audio description. This would be more shocking, or more of a grace period for a little mistake if Hulu didn’t routinely miss out on next day audio description, and not include audio description day and date on titles coming straight to them from the house of Mouse. it truly is that this service does not care. if you have Hulu but not Disney Plus, did you check out any of that content on loan? Because, those Star Wars films have audio description on Disney Plus. If you already allow apathy to be your mantra, then when perhaps a mistake does occur, you’ve lost all ability to ask for patience. And in other news, Netflix has renewed the Four Seasons for a second season because of course they have. With that cast? Even Steve Carell’s Space Force eeked out two seasons.
TV Shows Watched: Andor: S2E11 (Disney Plus) with audio description, the Studio: S1E9 (Apple Plus) with audio description, Bet: S1E1 (Netflix) with audio description, overcompensating: S1E1 (Amazon) with audio description, North of North: S1E10 (Netflix) with audio description, Your Friends And neighbors: S1E5 (Apple Plus) with audio description, the Four Seasons: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Octopus: S1E1 (Amazon) with audio description
Best Episode: Andor- I mean, pretty much from Episode 7 on this thing is a different show altogether. it benefits from the slow burn and perfect chess movements of the cast, but the second to last episode of Andor is excellent. pins and needles. I am on them.
Runner Up: bet- Even with The Studio in play, I was instantly charmed by this manga adaptation at Netflix. it is so quirky, and maintains the charm of feeling like an anime come to life. If we were still doing those “season pass” things on our DVR’s, one episode would have gotten this a season pass for me. I’m hoping it continues to be this light and fun series moving forward (with a hint of darkness to it).
Best Audio Description: Andor- I’m not really sure there can be another answer. there was a good amount of space travel, and some fighting, but even in the smaller moments, from Deirdre fixing the collar on her uniform, or the tattered state that the building is in with the safe house, and the mention of that blinking red light, I got an immersive experience with all the visuals lined up nicely.
Runner Up: The Four Seasons- the runner up could be a handful of shows, but the reactions here well supported from the cast. We have Ann working out her frustrations, and later her surprise and embarrassment at what was on her TV, as well as what was on her TV being described. But, we also had Claude’s reaction to just randomly hearing his partner was taking a job that would put him away for months, without ever talking to him first. Supporting actors is as important as making sure we know the guy gets punched in the face really hard.
Best Performance: Bryan Cranston (The Studio)- First, kudos to him for playing the joke of being actually 82 years old. But, also his studio CEO talking about the possibility of a sale, and the important of nailing CinemaCon only to find himself later stoned out of his mind, and the cast scrambling to get him ready for the presentation was the highlight of the episode. For someone who spent a lot of time playing a drug dealer, he’s also remarkably good at being on the receiving end.
Runner Up: Phoebe Waller-Bridge )(Octopus)- Since this is only a two-part docuseries, and I think she might face stiff competition whenever I finish her series, i just wanted to say her narration on this is delightful. she brings a lot of humor to the table and Octopus doesn’t feel like your typical nature doc by any means.
Best Moment Of Audio Description: Shut Your Face (Andor)- I don’t know how much the hand was on her face, but considering the trajectory of everything, there was something oddly satisfying about the end of Diedra’s interrogation when she’s talking, and the person she’s talking to apparently put his hand on her face and forced her to shut up and sit down. he did not need her incompetence.
Runner Up: Character descriptions (Bet)- From the opening scene that felt very “breakfast Club”, to our lead being transferred to a new school, we met a lot of people. And some of them have some very particular designs, since this is a live action adaptation of manga. so, like one character has a face mask like Bane, and they all have these very specific ways they dress. I thought it did very well for the first episode. no idea what ethnicity anyone in the cast is, but other than that, it felt like a live action cartoon, which I think is the idea.
Worst Of…- Everything had audio description, so Hulu could still win here for not fixing the Handmaids Tale. But, as a Floridian, I need to talk to the writers of The Four Seasons. man, this fourth episode… like… have they ever left NY/LA? is this just the perception of what other areas go through? in the fourth episode, the gang has been staying at this yert resort on the water, and i swear as God as my witness, a fucking hurricane comes out of nowhere. They call it a hurricane. they have to evacuate the yert resort, basically as the hurricane is rolling on shore. for the giant chunk of the population that lives in areas where this could happen, we will all testify that a hurricane doesn’t just jump scare its way onto land. Like, I know it seems really sketchy because we’ve fired nearly every employee at NOAA and the NWS, but I think they’d have a bit more lead time than ten seconds. You may think it plays for laughs, but I’m not sure it does. the same scene works if you actually write it like you know how a hurricane works, and have people evacuating in advance… likely because there has been an evacuation order in place. I mean, they are literally running from the storm and you can hear it happening. I’ve gotten hurricane watches or warnings, and evacuations based on projected strength, when it is a day or so away, and looking outside would give you nothing but a bright sun. This felt like Tina fey didn’t understand what a hurricane was.