I guess after a few weird days, you’re finally getting some semblance of normalcy with today’s post, although I’m still kind of knocked out from these things and not watching quite what I used to. I haven’t seen a movie in a few days, which is unusual for me. I actually haven’t even posted a review to my YouTube channel since YouTube told me that my opinion did not matter. So, did I watch any shows to fill out a Small Screen Diary today? I think so.

I did start off with Ted Lasso, Season 4, Episode 7 on Apple TV+, with audio description done by Pixelogic. This is just a delightful, warm, kind, funny series to watch when you’re not in a great mood. I thought this was one of the few things that kind of cheered me up. There’s something so lovable about Ted Lasso that has powered four seasons of this show and keeps people coming back, even with all the stuff around him. He seems like a guy who just gives really good hugs, and as a byproduct, his show feels like a big hug in return. The episode was nice, as Ted tries to navigate whether he should or should not have a dating profile online, while his assistant coach learns to say yes more, and Roy ends up getting a bit of an answer as to which direction he should move in terms of relationship goals. I liked the audio description and didn’t note any problems with it, so this was a solid track.

I followed that up with Black Torch, Season 1, Episode 4, which is still building on itself rather interestingly. It’s on Crunchyroll, with audio description by Global 3, written by Melvina Babu. It’s synthetic narration that is written really well, which is what I keep saying every time I review one of these shows. Global 3, at the bare minimum, went and found some excellent writers who really bring these lush anime worlds to life because there’s a lot happening in these shows. They’re not normal. These are not normal things happening here. Every single one of these shows becomes increasingly harder to describe the longer I watch it because it keeps getting weirder and weirder. Black Torch seems to be using its main hero, who is a ninja with a Mononoke, basically an immortal being attached to him, who is now working for a secret agency that is using him for his abilities, keeping an eye on him, and also using him as bait. That’s kind of the plot moving forward. He’s now an inexperienced agent in whatever it is that Black Torch does. It’s interesting, and I don’t hate myself for watching it.

I moved on to the only other episode I had ever watched of MobLand, Season 1, Episode 2 on Paramount+. It has decent audio description that I don’t have a problem with. However, I do have to say I think the second time around is better for me because I’m enjoying it a little bit more than I remember enjoying it the first time around. After watching both this and Young Sherlock versus some of the stuff Guy Ritchie has been sending to theaters, he’s making far better television now. Between those two plus The Gentlemen, his television output is pretty solid, while something like In the Grey is kind of awful.

I did at least press play on Dancing with the Stars, and I will continue to do so until such time that it adds audio description. When it does, then we’ll officially talk about it. But there was no audio description the next day. I wonder if there ever was audio description for the live viewing and it just needs to port over. The interesting thing, and the reason I bothered to bring this up at all, is that the last time I tried to watch Dancing with the Stars was the Jordin Sparks season, and Disney+ had remembered that. So instead of taking me to the current season, it had me back in the Jordin Sparks season. When I pressed play, there was audio description for something that was four seasons ago. So, at some point, they do put audio description on Dancing with the Stars, or at least they did. I will find out gradually how long it takes them to put it on the show. We are officially on the Dancing with the Stars Tracker on Disney+.

I decided to start another series. I hadn’t started Ride or Die yet on Amazon, so that was Season 1, Episode 1, the pilot episode, with Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer. Hannah plays an assassin, Octavia plays her friend, and the first episode ends with Octavia finding out what Hannah actually does. I guess from there, the fun will begin, although I don’t know that I would classify this as a straight comedy. This is one of those things where people start throwing around “dark comedy,” but we’ll see how it goes moving forward. The audio description here was well written, at least. I couldn’t tell who did the narration, and Amazon didn’t let me sit through the credits this time. Sometimes it depends on which device I’m using to watch a show as to whether or not I’ll ever get to hear the credits.

And don’t get excited because I haven’t mentioned it yet, but I actually was trying to get through Best Medicine. The Fox drama ended up on Netflix, where its audio description tracks actually exist. I was on the episode where they’re dealing with the patient who’s impaled, which is the best way I can describe that with limited spoilers, and Martin’s father, Robert, is in the episode. So there are two Dr. Bests in the episode. There was this really interesting moment where I caught the audio description, which I think is synthetic, say “Martin Doc” instead of “Doc Martin.” That made me think, are they not allowed to say “Doc Martin” at all? Was that intentional? Because nobody ever puts “Doc” after somebody’s first name. That’s so weird. I started wondering whether it had to be that way because Best Medicine is the American adaptation of Doc Martin and maybe they are unable to actually use that specific progression of words. It made me think. It’s not a great audio description track, and while I checked out on Best Medicine during the first episode the first time I tried to watch it, it has proven to be better than I thought it was. Still, this is not quality television. Y’all deserve better than this show. Love yourselves more than this. This is for people who like Virgin River and needed a medical drama. Other than Virgin River, which is technically a medical drama. She is a nurse. Don’t look at me like that.

I also tried to watch A Tale of Two Cities, but I don’t want to officially say anything about it because I was barely paying attention. I find it incredibly boring. If somebody asked me about the audio description, I would not be able to have cohesive thoughts. I would have to go back and rewatch it if I was quality checking because I was bored out of my mind. I’m really going to try to persevere and push through it, though, because I never read the book, and I figure if I can get through four episodes of the show, maybe I’ll have some semblance of what this story is. But I find it really slow and really dull. God love you if this is your thing. It’s just not mine.

Instead of doing a best or worst today, because nothing here was really “Oh my God” in either direction, I want to end on something different. Although Best Medicine and the questionable “Martin Doc” thing might have ended up at the bottom anyway. Also, that voice has got to be synthetic. I never get to hear the credits, but it just feels very much like a synthetic voice.

I’ve been recapping The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 through these diaries, and I’ve also covered the previous two seasons, as well as the entirety of Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live, all off AMC+. But suddenly, after I posted a review to Rotten Tomatoes for The Walking Dead: Dead City where I openly discussed the fact that AMC+ managed one of eight episodes with audio description at the time of release, I was contacted by some creatives from The Walking Dead universe. Not AMC. Not people representing AMC Networks. People who actually work on the show. I thought that was pretty amazing and cool. They apologized to me for the lack of audio description and were surprised to learn that this whole thing existed: blind film criticism, audio description, the whole thing. The fact that my review actually reached the people who make the series was meaningful.

I hope it actually does something in the future because, as I mentioned to one of them in an email reply, the original Walking Dead flagship series has no audio description at all. It’s easily one of the most requested titles I see from blind audiences who would love to dive into the 11 seasons of The Walking Dead. Much like I know people are dying for Gilmore Girls. Don’t worry, it’s on Amazon now. I’m sure they’re working on synthetic voice tracks, if they’re not already on there. But it was nice to see some interested parties who wanted to make sure the material they’re producing has the best representation for all audiences, not just sighted audiences. I think there has always been this debate about whether audio description would be accepted by the industry, and this absolutely shows that it can and would be.

So instead of a best of the day, I’m giving a winner of the day to The Walking Dead: Dead City creative family. They showed me that even when the studio or distributor drops the ball, the people actually doing the art, the work and the craft still care, and still find it egregious when our accessibility needs are not met. The Walking Dead: Dead City escapes Lucille’s wrath for the day.