For my Small Screen Diaries today, I figured I would actually try to mention something about the shows I watched, even though I wasn’t really sure I wanted to do this. But I should at least honor the few titles I managed to check out before Doomsday happened.

Let’s start by giving a shout-out to Lanterns, Season 1, Episode 4, which is available on HBO Max with audio description produced by International Digital Center, written by Dakota Green, and narrated by Ren Leach.

I was, of course, excited to see this episode when I woke up, like anyone who didn’t watch it live and caught it the next day. Once again, we had another divisive episode. Even though Lanterns is doing excellently in the ratings, there’s still a subsection of the internet yelling and screaming about how the show is ruining their lives. You don’t have to look far to find its detractors. The people who were complaining that The Odyssey didn’t have any actual Greeks in the production have apparently moved on to greener pastures, literally, by complaining about the Green Lantern show.

I don’t have any problems with it. I totally pick up its vibe. It’s a more adult approach to a superhero series, which DC has already done with Peacemaker, except this is more of a crime drama in the vein of True Detective or Fargo. This time, our true detectives have special abilities and powers, and they’re tracking down a Manhunter.

The audio description in this episode was pretty solid. I’m constantly amazed by how deep Ren’s voice is when he narrates because it’s not what he sounds like whenever I talk to him. I really enjoy his work on the series, and I think Dakota has written a lovely script to accompany it. The cow sequence was probably the standout, if I’m being honest.

After that, I moved on to another episode of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, which is available on Netflix with audio description. Emma Myers’ Pip starts to lose her mind a little as the verdict is read in Max’s trial. I’m hoping that, at some point, Max gets hit by something—not a real car, but something cartoonish. I feel like he needs to be hit by an ice cream van or something equally weird. It should feel like a once-in-a-lifetime targeted attack because, as a character, he’s done. He doesn’t offer anything to the series anymore except to piss everybody else off.

We’re dealing with a completely different mystery now and don’t need Max in the series. He was a Season 1 villain who has somehow remained present in Season 2. No, I haven’t read the books, so I have no idea why he’s still here, but whatever. The audio description was fine. I don’t remember the company, and I don’t want to miscredit anybody.

Lastly, the final thing I watched coherently was Ghosts, Season 5, Episode 13, which is available on Paramount Plus with audio description by Media Access Group. This is the episode in which Hetty can be seen and heard by the living for one day. She wants to set up a date but gets stood up and ultimately becomes a waitress at Jay’s restaurant. The B-plot involves Jay’s sister, Bela, having lucid dreams involving Trevor. The audio description is actually pretty good for a half-hour sitcom, so I have no complaints.

In fact, all three audio-description tracks were good, so I have no complaints about any of them. I did try to start watching The Shards. Technically, I watched an entire episode, but I wasn’t able to focus on it at all, so I only vaguely remember what happened. It wouldn’t be fair to grade the audio description based on how little attention I was paying to it because of certain things.

If I had to pick a winner for the day, I would give it to Lanterns. It had the best standout moment with the entire meatpacking-factory sequence, the way all those workers ignored the Lanterns, and then the cow sequence. I thought all of that was really well done. So, kudos.