Normally, on a Monday, i would be praising Outer Range yet again. I finished that last week, so who made it to the top of this Monday’s chart?

1) Night Sky (Amazon)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

Something interesting is finally happening to the secondary storyline, as it becomes more clear that for some reason our Latinx family is here to hunt down Jude. But what really made this show work had nothing to do with the science fiction,and everything to do with the quiet work JK Simmons has been building on all season. Some absolutely heartbreaking work from him came through, as the guy who once admitted to his neighbor in a bar that he knows he loves his wife more than she loves him, was met this episode with the full on betrayal of the letter she wrote telling Franklin why she was leaving and heading into the night sky. His speech to her about being the one to get the phone call, and having to be strong for her when their son committed suicide, and the realization that she would knowingly put him through all of that again, just reveals the kind of complicated show night Sky really is, and why Amazon needed to stick with it for more than five seconds before writing it off. It’s not just a science fiction extravaganza, it’s also an incredible character study of a couple who have survived a tremendous loss and somehow are managing to work their way through their twilight years. I’m not sleeping on Sissy Spacek’s performance either, as she had to sit with the totality of the choices she made as Franklin slept somewhere else that night. This is a fantastic show, and I will finish this first season because it deserves to be seen.

Episode Grade: A

2) Breeders (FX/Hulu)

English Audio Description Available?: No

I never sleep on this show, and once again this comedy managed to navigate some lighter moments, like the existence of the Jared character as Luke’s best friend. Clearly far too artistic for his own good, as Paul calls him the best source for new artisan cheeses in town. But heavier moments, especially when its revealed that Ava, who thought her best friend wouldn’t make it into the new school, failed her test to stay with her friend, only for her friend to pass and then leave her behind. Then when she admitted this much, Paul finally lost his cool this season, and we found out that Ava’s friend is also mad at her because it’s insulting to not believe your friend is smart enough to pass on their own. this is considered a comedy, by the way.

Episode Grade: A

3) Last Week Tonight With john Oliver (HBO/HBo MAX)

English Audio Description: no

After weeks off, it always sucks to see him not be able to tackle everything because the main story takes up so much time. But john Oliver talked about inflation. Then, he covered those creepy dollls, and what’s up with his offer to that city in Australia.

Episode Grade: A

4) Under The Banner Of Heaven (Hulu)

English Audio Description Available?: No

Not having audio description has directly impacted my ability to enjoy this show. That’s it. That’s all there is. Andrew Garfield is giving a great performance, and I’m watching tenants of the Mormon church come tumbling down. But there are long quiet moments I have no idea what’s going on.

Episode Grade: B

5) The Old Man (FX/Hulu)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

This was near unwatchable. To the point where there was so little dialogue I fell asleep halfway through, so i can really only grade the first half. Putting audio description on only the first two episodes is asinine. There are frequent moments in this show where I take myself out of the show, and think about punching someone in the face repeatedly. Notably, the entire scene not in English, because I can’t read fucking subtitles. The people who make the decision to not audio describe a full season of this show are assholes. I hope one day they can enjoy the experience they’ve created for themselves, and watch shows like this with no audio description, and their eyes blindfolded. See how fun that is.

Episode Grade: B- (Based loosely on what I could follow).

6)Resident Evil (Netflix)

English Audio Description Available?: Yes

There was an action sequence in Episode 3 that really made this more interesting, and this had the best use of flashbacks so far. However, keeping Billie alive this long is unnecessary, and Everytime Jade meets some new random people, they always die. She’s not a hero, she’s a curse.

Episode Grade: C+