Finally allowed back to work after the hurricane, so the days of having a ton of shows on this list on weekdays is now back to normal.
1) The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
English Audio Description?: Yes
I love the dynamic this season. One question I did have from how our audio description was structured, was that Luke ultimately was successful in these code violations, which led me to believe that maybe the property was a dump. There really wasn’t enough description of Serena’s property to be able to tell if the code violations were just little things, or big things. If she was living in what looked like one of those dilapidated homes kids are always exploring in horror films, I would have let her stay in that filth and grime. That’s just me. But now, she’s with a woman who I would immediately describe as “a bit much”.
Episode Grade: A
2) Uncoupled (Netflix)
English Audio Description?: Yes
Ah, the eventual “giant penis” episode. Why do I feel like that guy became a doctor just so he could have easy access to those drugs for… reasons. We are slowly fleshing out the ensemble, but as I was talking about this show with a friend, I still feel like I only know the supporting cast as they are necessary to interact with Michael, and not as actual people. Darren Star did such a good job of fleshing out the casts of his other shows, like Sex and the City. I hope he does the same here.
Episode Grade: A
3) The Rookie (ABC/Hulu)
English Audio Description?: Yes
Nolan got his first taste of being a training officer himself, meanwhile Lucy fielded a job offer, and someone was having a baby. It felt like someone was missing from the episode, but I can’t put my finger on who.
Episode Grade: A
4) Quantum Leap (NBC/Peacock)
English Audio Description?: Yes
I’ll just be honest and say it’s going to take me a long time to fully accept the fact that there is a character in this show we are supposed to call Magic. And not just that, but he’s the highest ranking official of the group. I just… can’t take that seriously. But this episode about a boxer was interesting, and the series long mystery continues to unfold. My bet is that Ben found Sam, and they are leaping to bring Sam home, and Scott Bakula will make a surprise guest appearance in one episode (or possibly two if it is a two parter) in the somewhat near future should the series last that long. Considering NBC is considering dropping its 10PM programming, that could cause a lot of cancellations, or shows being shifted to Peacock.
Episode Grade: A-
5) Pretty little Liars: Original Sin (HBo MAX)
English Audio Description?: Yes
The adult cast, and at this point I’m taking no prisoners, so that includes Lea Salonga, is universally awful. The teens are fine, and act like teens most of the time. Their writing is better. But the adults all are way overacting, which ruins a perfectly good mystery, and a slasher series with a nice backstory and whodunit twist. Fire the casting director, write better scenes for teh adult cast, and stop having these awful exchanges. Anytime an adult speaks in this show, I want to put my head through a wall.
Episode grade: B
6) Maggie (Hulu)
English Audio Description?: Yes
Maggie’s love life might have been on a tarot card that her mom just decided was her thing. That’s what this episode was really about, Maggie’s mom spending too much time with her. In the end, it wrapped up nicely. We had a subplot where her friend was trying to figure out if a guy would make for a good boyfriend or roommate. That plot was far less interesting, but i appreciate the attempt at fleshing out Maggie’s ensemble by giving them their own things to do.
Episode Grade: B
