TV News: Netflix informed me that shortly after my post asking my readers to listen to It’s What’s inside with audio description, the viewership numbers just went through the roof. I know all of you did that, and I’m sure everyone is just flabbergasted by the particular verbosity of that audio description script, and are now in a deep meditation. Plus, I didn’t have any real news.
TV Shows Watched: Daryl Dixon: S2E2 (AMC Plus) no audio description, Love Is Blind: S7E3 (Netflix) with audio description, Grotesquery: S1E4 (Hulu) with audio description, The Ark: S2E11 (Peacock) with audio description, Queen’s court: S1E1 (Peacock) with audio description, Tulsa King: S2E4? (Paramount Plus) with audio description, and Emily In Paris: S4E8 (Netflix) with audio description.
Podcasts: Political With Gavin Newsome, Marshawn Lynch, and Doug Henderson (Interview: Leslie jones)
YouTube: Deep Focus Lens (Review: Joker Folie Aux Deux), Jeremy Jahns (review: joker Folie Aux Deux), breakfast All Day (Review: Joker Folie Aux Deux), Adam Does Movies (Review: Megalopolis), Perry Nimaroff (For Your consideration: Best Actress Predictions), The Critical Drinker (Is the Rey Movie Cancelled?)
Movies: Salem’s Lot (MAX) with audio description, Paranormal Activity: Next Of Kin (Paramount Plus) with audio description, The Platform (Netflix) with audio description.
Doesn’t Eminem rap about Salem’s Lot in Lose Yourself? Anyway, as I branch interestingly more into reality TV audio description, i decided to check out this nonsense called Queen’s Court, as their second season dropped. So, either they found three new queens, or Season 1 is a complete failure. Good to know. Three ladies, who I get the feeling have been on reality tV before, are given 21 men to choose from. I’m pretty sure this is an entirely black cast, but there were 21 guys, and we definitely did not get that much audio description in one episode. In comparison, love Is Blind is all, rather ironically, about character description. Other than not fully being able to structure the, for lack of a better term, “dating room’ in a way that a sighted human described it to me, this has been pretty excellent audio description. I’m still watching this atrocity largely because the audio description has these little opportunities of brilliance. Yes, the contestants talk a lot, and the AD team tries to make the most out of it, but really it’s tough sometimes. Every once in a while, everyone shuts up at just the right moment, and a flood gate of perfection hits you, and suddenly you know so much more. Love Is Blind has bafflingly great at time audio description.
As this genre often seems to lack in greatness, when it happens, it is appreciated. Queen’s Court, which I am a season behind on, has more typical audio description. These reality show staples love to talk a lot as well, and this dating show is full of it. I never got the big bomb drop moments of audio description like I did with Love is Blind. Both shows very infrequently have silence, and it is about using that silence to full effect. Love Is blind knows it has a large cast, and they are a bunch of nobodies, so sometimes it keeps reminding you how old someone is, or what they do for a living. Other times, you get this really in depth look at what they look like, ethnic/racial breakdowns and all. Queens Court hasn’t had those moments, but also I don’t think the audio description is bad either. It just is struggling to find that balance.
In summation, while the narrators often get the attention, the writers are the most integral part of this whole thing. If you happen to be lucky enough to grab a writer who can actually juggle proverbial chainsaws, put a motherfucking ring on it. Sorry, I know that was a bit much, but I keep watching dating shows where people are instantly in love and proposing marriage after one episode.
