TV Shows Watched: Man On Fire: S1E4 (Netflix) with audio description, Margo’s Got Money Troubles: S1E4 (Apple) with audio description, Deli Boys: S2E3 (Disney Plus) with audio description, Rise Of The TMNT: S2E8 (Paramount) with audio description, Scarpetta: S1E4 (Amazon) with audio description, SNL: Olivia Rodrigo (Peacock) with audio description, and Running Point: S2E7 (Netflix) with audio description
Man On Fire- Shockingly, still not renewed, even though when I see it in my watchlist it has the title of Most Liked. I made a comment yesterday about Aldis Hodge living in the shadows of Morgan Freeman in Cross, and how I don’t think he rises to the occasion, but here with Man On Fire, I’d argue that Yaya Abdul-Mateen does meet Denzel, if not pass him in some regard. There’s always a benefit to series, if you’re willing to take apart a character and build them, and Mateen is benefitting from that reconstruction, which Denzel only had the film to match. The series, however, is very obvious. I wish it was less obvious where we are headed with Scoot McNairy’s character. The AD here is very good, making sure in the torture scene that we know that finger didn’t come from that kid.
Margo’s Got MOney Troubles- nick Offerman is gonna break my heart this season, I feel it. He’s so freaking good in this. Fanning is fun too, as is Pfeiffer. I don’t buy Kidman as a wrestler, ever, in any circumstance, but otherwise I liked the episode. I heard a rumor she was originally supposed to play the mother, but shifted into a smaller role due to scheduling.If true, she would have made more sense in Marcia Gay Harden’s role, which is also seemingly one and done. Nice audio description, though I’m not entirely sure what exactly Jinx walked in on.
Deli Boys- One of the better TTS tracks out there, but it still is obviously not human. This show is packed with notable guest stars. The shows producer has said plans for Season 3 are in the works, but my concern is that most shows that have an episode order cut (the first season had 10, the second had 6) don’t continue on. Maybe hulu has found six episodes is the sweet spot? it certainly is a win for comedy and diversity, if kept on the air. It is also worth noting, they slid AI AD onto this, which has been largely unprecedented on original scripted programming until now. So, they are treating Deli Boys like a burn off. I wonder if the producer is being too optimistic?
Rise Of The TMNT- The Night Ninjas go after Scratch to save the dogs. Meh. They’ve had better villains. This was cancelled before Season 2 dropped, because the new owners of Paramount didn’t see the viability of the brand. They are still developing a Mutant Mayhem theatrical sequel, which was already in the works. But, the next TV gig for the Turtles is rumored to be aimed at preschoolers. Because what we all need is a Paw Patrol inspired Ninja Turtles.
Scarpetta- The most Jamie Lee Curtis we’ve had so far, and she’s delightful, from her Fupa comment, to her freaking out in the morgue, and forcing Bobby Cannavale to eat something different on the menu, she’s like a ball of energy in a dark procedural. Love her.
SNL- Surprisingly, Olivia Rodrigo is down for some goofy comedy. Sadly, most jokes relied on her being able to sing. I did really love her cover of Driver’s License in the monologue though.That was gold. I love the AD track to this 99.9% of the time, because it is so distinctly human. There’s something so reassuring about hearing the narrator giggle a little as they describe, because it reminds you this AD was done live, and they are humans and not AI. The written description, like when they tried to describe the stair sketch, and how those guys didn’t hurt themselves, was done very well. I also like how they describe Home Base in the opening.
Running Point- This AD had a moment to shine when the roof collapsed near Marcus. I do hope things work out for Isla, because this show has given Cam a lot of latitude as an addict, as someone who can supposedly hide this part of his life, despite not being able to before. I’m not really buying it, but I assume the season ends with Cam going back to rehab. Also, the fuck happened to Ray Romano? What is the point of going out and making him the new coach if he’s only in like one or two episodes? There should be a Romano moment in every episode.
