I did hear in fact that WBD did check to see how easy it was to take candy from a baby, and it was not easy. Unfortunately, that toddler was already upset and distressed about all the cancellations on his favorite streaming service, and went all John Wick. So, taking candy from a baby is not as easy as WBD assumed. They’re still going to axe your favorite show, they just aren’t playing around with babies anymore.
6) 6) Gossip Girl (HBo MAX)
English Audio Description?: Yes
I’m glad this show settled once and for all the great debate as to whether Max was a… wait a minute. Aren’t these kids minors? Should we be watching them have sex? Am I getting too old? Anyway, I was in this great debate about whether or not to let Gossip Girl go and start catching up on other shows, now that it is dead, or to finish. I’ve decided, I’m moving on. I think I’m going to keep watching Doom Patrol, and that’s the bargain I’ve made with myself. I’ll see that through to the end, but free up my time by letting Gossip Girl and Titans go.
Episode Grade: B-
5) National Treasure: Edge Of Glory (Disney plus)
English Audio Description?: Yes
I might have actually learned something in this episode. However, we need to talk about acting. I’ve been there before, and I still coach actors. There was a scene in this wake episode with Lewis and Clark references, where Catherine Zeta Jones is talking to some random bad guy who doesn’t have an Oscar, and he’s obviously been given a written line. It ends with “…but Salazar….” And then clearly Catherine is supposed to cut him off. She decides to take his sweet time, and in that moment, this actor held true to the script. The idea is that, even when a line isn’t written, you should know what your character would have said had he not been cut off. Unfortunately, Catherine is giving her barebones performance here, waited too long, and there’s a pregnant pause here that tells me the actor was ready to be cut off, wasn’t, and just waits. This is a combination of a failure of direction, and acting. Do better. My college students grasp this concept, and they aren’t in a Disney Plus series.
Episode Grade: B-
4) The Daily Show With Wanda Sykes (Comedy)
English Audio Description?: No
So, I said I’d be checking out at least one episode from every host. I felt about Wanda about the same as Leslie. Both have strong suits, and are funny as hell. I’m not 100% sure that this structure is for them though. Leslie probably would be better suited having a show of her own like inside Amy Schumer or That Damn michael Che, whereas I think Wanda might work as a no bullshit panel member on something like The View, or one of it’s knock offs. I do love Nia Long, and I think her statement about black movies is a bold one. Don’t just think of them as black movies, but rather universal stories that happen to have a black cast. It’s clear from her recent choice of missing, that she is clearly moving in that direction. Very nice interview.
Episode Grade: B
3) Bumper in Berlin (Peacock)
English Audio Description?: Yes
I’d like this show a lot more if the song Bumper wrote was actually a song, and not sixty seconds or whatever. It was literally like a verse and a chorus. And somehow that won him a spot? SMH.
Episode Grade: B+
2) The Rookie (ABC/hulu)
English Audio Description?: Yes
I was asked to suspend my disbelief at least once during this episode, but overall it was an average episode of this show. I feel like smitty is getting more and more screentime, and he’s even been on The Rookie Feds. I wonder if they’re looking to kill someone off this season, but don’t want to mess with the dynamics of the main cast.I’m suspicious when an extremely minor character starts to get more screentime, but isn’t being elevated into the main cast.
Episode Grade: A-
1) The Peripheral (amazon)
English Audio Description?: Yes
Well, that’s a wrap. I hope Amazon keeps this show around. I know they are spending a billion on The Rings Of Power, so something like this might be too expensive, but Jonathan Nolan really did create a show I fully enjoyed the first season. If nothing else, I need one more episode just to explain that finale to me. I’m quite confuzzled.
Episode Grade: A, Season 1 Grade: A