Yesterday, I used The Small Screen Diaries to lament the narration for Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney plus being nominated for excellence in audio description. Several people reached out, supportive of what I was going through, or agreeing, and encouraging me to still be a voice in the room. I want to be that voice, but now I fear that the call is coming from inside the house. So, while the diaries are on hiatus, enjoy a stream of consciousness style approach to audio description.

Basically, I’m concerned at the people who voted for the show, and I’m worried that they want subpar audio description. The only way to fix that, is to educate the blind community on audio description, what it is, and why you should be looking for different things. Also, why we need it, which is going to incorporate some non-audio described content yet once again. I feel like I need to prevent things like this from happening in the future, and I need people to understand what to look for, and whaat they should be demanding from their audio description.

So let’s break it down.

Cobra Kai (Netflix)- S6E1

The long awaited premiere of the final season of the former YouTube series turned Netflix hit. The ensemble is back, they’re all too old to play high schoolers, and must get to graduation ASAP. But first, they have to decide on a name for the dojo. Plus, Kenny deserves a spot in the upcoming tournament they are all preparing for.

What I Look for In Audio Description: it’s the sixth season of the show, so character descriptions are unnecessary. If someone makes a dramatic change, like how hawk once did with their hair, then sure. but, it has accumulated a very large ensemble over six seasons, so simply using audio description to track these characters in place of facial recognition is really important. While we should know where they are, these are all modern locations, since this is set in present day. The depth of description in terms of costuming and location can be “as needed” or ‘as time allows”. Primarily, this show is about Karate, and these actors go through extensive preparation for their fight scenes as many of them do their own stunt work. The first thing that makes this successful is do I know who this person is, but right behind that is the depth of the fight choreography description. If done well, throwing kicks and punches can sound really engaging. If not, it wouldn’t work.

What it does: the first episode does have one fight sequence that is well described, and the episode goes out of its way to remind us of just how many people are in this cast. Basically, every major character was mentioned at some point, even if they didn’t have dialogue. there was one scene I had a little difficulty with when Miguel and Robbie try to double date so Samantha and Tori can work on burying the hatchet. The girls call them out, and I couldn’t tell if they were having that conversation as a group, or two different couples.

Final thoughts: I have always had a positive opinion of Cobra Kai, because the fight sequences are well done, and it has done a good job of keeping track of its massive ensemble. I think I counted 17 series regulars/heavy recurring characters who were all named in the first episode as doing something, or being present. that’s in addition to episode specific bit parts, like the guy Johnny buys the axe from. Without audio description, this show would just sound like a bunch of grunting noises every time they fought, and we would be having to tune our voices to every single actor to try and follow when they speak, never noticing characters who are present but not speaking in any given scene. While the cast is diverse, all of these characters are previously introduced, and theoretically would have had their character initial descriptions a long time ago.

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (Netflix) S1E9

The kids finally arrive at the facility storing all the dinosaurs, and reunite for the first time, while Ben is deeply concerned that Bumpy might be dying.

What I Look For In Audio Description: this animated show has grown up a lot since it started out as Camp Cretaceous, and Chaos Theory has not been shy to kill off humans. So, capturing those big dinosaur moments, is kind of the whole point of anything Jurassic. Also, the five main kids, all established from the flagship series, need to be tracked, as does bumpy, who needs even more audio description as a non-verbal lead character. While the kids often describe what Bumpy is doing, the audio description’s detail regarding its mannerisms and reactions are really what sells bumpy. Especially in this episode, which pulls at the heartstrings as Ben wrestles with whether or not Bumpy is dying. All of these characters were previously introduced in another show. I’m less concerned about their individual character descriptions. While this is technically its own show, it would be a little like watching The Lost World and being upset because you felt IIan Malcolm’s character description was non-existent. My answer would be to just go watch Jurassic Park, which that narration team would be responsible for his initial description.

What It Does: This audio descritpion track is great at capturing these moments between characters, pulling out the emotional content, and does an excellent job with Ben and his grief throughout this episode. there are direct references to specific types of dinosaurs, so if you are a junkie, hearing Allosauras might be fun for you. These episodes always have a little bit of danger and tension, and the audio description does a good job of holding that. Where this show is right now, I have no complaints, and there wasn’t a moment I didn’t understand, as the kids snuck around the facility. This audio description track does a nice job of helping to bridge the gap for blind and sighted audiences.

Final Thoughts: I think the strongest moments of this episode were between bumpy and Ben, as the AD team really did capture Ben’s complete devastation, and Bumpy’s ability to really only convey emotion through her eye, as she’s confined in this tiny enclosure which gives her no room to move. very nice work.

Interview With A Vampire (AMC Plus)- S2E2

In the second episode of the second season, our vampire lovers tell the story of how they met, to an ever impatient reporter, while questions still loom about what happened to Claudia.

What I Look for In Audio Description: it’s a highly sexual vampire horror series, featuring plenty of graphic attacks on humans, being drained of their blood,. Up until this point, this show has done many things that have suggested great violence, it has alluded to rape, and the show tackled grooming. there’s plenty of sex, though at this point it is typically between the same sex, but the show has featured a variety. It’s also a period drama, and as the vampires don’t age, time passes by, and they end up in different periods, and in different parts of the world. First, though, it is a vampire story, so we have to have the horror description. Secondly, it is very sexual, so you can’t be afraid to go there. third, the cast is intentionally diverse, changing from the initial casting of the Tom cruise film, so i would have required that definition from the very beginning. With some characters, it’s is obvious because race is such a huge part of the plot and theme of the show, but it doesn’t mean you should make assumptions. And fourth, let’s dig into each location and period. finally, while the show has an expansive cast, it actually has a much smaller set of regulars. People are killed off, or the main characters move. It is a lot easier to keep track of the handful of regulars, as we get introduced to brand new recurring players.

What it Does: Quite frankly, it doesn’t. AMC Plus doesn’t provide audio description for this show, and it’s maddening. For awards consideration purposes, I’ve been catching up on this. I’m a member of gALECA, and this was nominated there for multiple awards. So i was kind of forced to update myself. i also feel like, since there will be a third season, that when it comes around again, I’ll have to have some opinion, even fractured on this series. but, AMC has completely and totally missed the boat on accessibility, and this show is unwatchable and pointless without it. The reason I’m just at the beginning of season 2, is because I initially couldn’t get through it without audio description, but I have forced myself to for awards voting purposes, and I really don’t have a solid grasp most of the time, and a lot of the craft is lost.

Final Thoughts: i do not recommend this show to any blind or low vision person in its current state. However, I do believe there is a quality show here, with solid performances, and a fantastic score. seriously, this show has some of the best music of any TV program right now. but, I haven’t been posting about it because it lacks accessibility. i feel like now I need to remind people though what it is we are fighting for.

Join me again tomorrow for a few more picks and breakdowns, as we continue to learn what audio description is, why we need it, what we need from it, and what actual excellence in audio description is.