Spoiler warning! There will be spoilers ahead for the shows below, so proceed at your own risk. I probably should have been giving this warning a while ago, but I’ve started trying to be a little more conscientious about it. Given the fact that I do discuss plot points, it’s only fair to warn people. Sometimes I’m reviewing episodes or shows so late that I assume you’ve probably already seen them, but who knows? I have no idea where you are in your viewing journey. Also, I thought I might occasionally mention a film that I’ve watched but have chosen not to review because I’m already backed up on reviews. For example, I recently watched Original Sound, an independent film that had been on my watch list because I was intrigued by the premise. It ended up on Tubi without audio description, which isn’t particularly surprising given the nature of the production and the relatively unfamiliar cast. Ultimately, the movie was just okay. It felt like something I would find on Tubi. The best thing I can say about it is that it’s enjoyable because it’s approachable. The elevator pitch is that a songwriter discovers his song is being used by a much more famous pop singer, and his friend helps negotiate a contract that will get him royalties after proving he actually wrote it. This also gets him connected to the artist, allowing them to collaborate on another song. The story becomes about their journey writing music together, and there are some relatively surprising developments toward the end. I would be fresh on this movie if I had the time to review it, just not exhilaratingly so.

Kicking off the rankings at number one is Vision Quest, Season 1, Episode 7, on Disney+ with audio description. This episode practically demanded the top spot. We finally get to see who the mysterious client has been this entire time, although we still don’t know exactly which deep-cut Marvel character we’re looking at. Meanwhile, I should have recognized that Jo was Jocasta. I don’t know why I didn’t make that connection earlier, because I’m familiar with Jocasta from the comic books. Admittedly, I feel a little stupid, but I also wasn’t seeking out spoilers for the show. Ultron continues to exist in a moral gray area, trying to determine whether he’s ultimately going to choose good or evil, and by the end of this episode, he appears to make his choice. There’s also an interesting exploration of whether Ultron considers himself a father, and whether Vision sees him that way. We learn what happened to FRIDAY as she attempts to help Vision and his family triumph over evil. Vision also makes a tremendous sacrifice to save Lisa for Tommy, despite continuing to believe that he isn’t really Tommy’s father. His journey ultimately requires him to recognize that he is Tommy’s father in order to unlock what he needs to save Lisa. By the end, Lisa and Tommy are technically out of harm’s way, but Vision and Jocasta are left in stasis, Ultron has made a bold choice, and the fates of FRIDAY and Paladin remain uncertain. The audio description was particularly impressive, especially in the way it continued to conceal the client’s identity. There was also a fascinating sequence where Ultron discovers that the room in which he had been imprisoned inside Vision’s mind has been recreated within Jocasta’s mind. The details of that environment and the way it was described were excellent. Similarly, Vision’s journey deep within himself to locate his source code, and the things he encounters along the way, provided another opportunity for the audio description to shine. These artificial minds can create entire worlds, and the description did a wonderful job bringing those worlds to life. An excellent episode all around.

In second place is Golden Axe, Season 1, Episode 6, on Paramount+ with audio description by Descriptive Video Works. This episode had some genuinely funny moments while continuing to advance the larger quest. Our main characters are currently divided into two groups, and one of them includes a particularly amusing sequence involving the beastlike companion eating something it probably shouldn’t have. Another character points out that nobody knows what the thing actually is or whether it’s poisonous, prompting someone to consult a poison guide. Apparently, it’s poisonous to cats, but since this creature isn’t a cat, the response is essentially that they’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Meanwhile, the other group is dealing with a reunion involving some ghostly parents, who may have their own nefarious intentions. There’s also an amusing sequence involving their son trying to play board games. This is just a funny show, and I continue to enjoy the characters and their ridiculous journey. It’s not necessarily doing anything groundbreaking, but it entertained me enough to earn second place on what was otherwise a relatively weak day for television.

In third place is Women in Blue, Season 2, Episode 3, on Apple TV with audio description. There’s some good character development here, along with strong performances, but I’m a little dismayed that we’re following yet another serial killer. Didn’t we already do this in Season 1? I think these women are capable of more than hunting serial killers, but apparently the writers disagree. If there’s a third season and they’re chasing another serial killer, I’m going to start wondering whether these women have any other purpose in life. The funny thing is that they’re not even part of a specialized task force. This isn’t Criminal Minds, where we’re following FBI profilers whose entire job is to investigate serial killers. These are ordinary women who fought their way into the police force, so theoretically they should be handling all sorts of random, mundane, everyday police work. Yet somehow, they keep getting embroiled in serial killer investigations. The audio description continues to be solid, and I want to reiterate something important about international programming. If you’re not watching international shows with audio description, you should be. Because if we don’t watch them, studios and streaming services will continue believing there’s no audience for them. Then, when something comes along that you desperately want to watch, you may find yourself wondering why it doesn’t have audio description. Squid Game initially debuting without audio description wasn’t some happy accident. It reflected an assumption that blind audiences weren’t particularly interested in international programming. Of course, Netflix eventually added it after Squid Game became one of the biggest shows in the history of the platform. But we need to continue supporting international films and television series that do provide audio description, because that viewership helps demonstrate that we want more options from around the world.

In fourth place is Black Clover, Season 1, Episode 7, on Crunchyroll with audio description. This series is remarkably linear, sometimes feeling like a movie that’s been chopped into smaller pieces. That makes it relatively easy to follow, although the world-building is happening at a fairly leisurely pace. We’re still following the two central characters introduced at the beginning, Asta and Yuno, who have now found themselves in their respective Magic Knight squads. They’re essentially attending the equivalent of Hogwarts, except instead of simply going to classes, they’re learning how to become more powerful magic users and receiving quests from older, higher-ranking members of their respective groups. It’s a fairly straightforward progression, and I don’t necessarily mind that. The series is taking its time establishing the characters, their abilities, and the world they inhabit. If you enjoy anime and you’re also a Harry Potter fan, Black Clover might be exactly what you’re looking for.

In fifth place is The Daily Show on Paramount+, without audio description. This was Monday’s episode, featuring Jon Stewart ahead of the midterm elections, and it was interesting watching him behave like an absolute nervous wreck while anticipating what might happen. I cannot wait to see what next week’s episode looks like, particularly now that we know the results. Much like its similarly minded counterparts, Have I Got News for You and Last Week Tonight, The Daily Show is a program I consistently enjoy. Its position in my rankings tends to fluctuate based on the quality of everything else I’m watching. Fifth place is generally something of a neutral midpoint for me. The shows above it tend to be programs I’m actively recommending, while the shows below it start getting a little sketchier. So there’s nothing particularly wrong with The Daily Show landing here. It’s simply where it ended up today.

In sixth place is Yaga, Season 1, Episode 1, on AMC+, sadly without audio description. The episodes are actually shorter than I expected, so this isn’t some punishing hour-long drama. There’s an intriguing mystery at the center of the series, and, as you might have guessed from the title, we’re exploring the mythology surrounding Baba Yaga. We have investigators trying to unravel what’s happening, along with a mysterious stranger who enters the picture and begins flirting with one of our central characters. There’s clearly something interesting happening here, and the show has been receiving some pretty good reviews. Unfortunately, without audio description, I feel like I’m limping through it. I can follow some of what’s happening, but I’m not nearly as invested as I probably would be if I had access to the same visual information as everyone else. I don’t think it’s a bad show, and there’s certainly potential here. I’m just not particularly enthusiastic about continuing a mystery series when I’m missing information that could be essential to understanding the mystery.

In seventh place is Tires, Season 3, on Netflix with audio description. In the previous episode, Shane hooked up with a potential new love interest, although I have serious doubts that this show will ever allow him to have a meaningful romantic relationship. This episode opens with him waking up next to her and discovering that she’s apparently a believer in the whole “my body, my choice” philosophy, which immediately sends him scrambling to get out of bed. I couldn’t help thinking that this wasn’t a particularly great look for Shane Gillis, especially considering the controversy surrounding his past Saturday Night Live comments. I understand that Gillis intentionally cultivates provocative humor and that this is very much his brand, but that doesn’t mean every joke works. Sometimes it just becomes cringeworthy, and I thought this entire episode was pretty cringy. Much of it revolves around Will’s insecurities, including a sequence where he apparently needs Shane to teach him how to perform oral sex. I could have done without pretty much all of that. However, the episode did end with a genuinely great moment courtesy of my hero, Thomas Haden Church. I swear to God, if Church ever leaves this show, I might stop watching Tires altogether. He comes in and reads Shane and Will the riot act over their incompetence, essentially deciding that he’s had enough and severing his business partnership with them. It was a terrific scene, and I’m actually looking forward to the next episode simply because I want to see the ramifications of that decision. Unfortunately, almost everything leading up to it was a chore.

With those shows in the bank, the winner of Best Audio Description is easily Vision Quest. Compared with everything else I watched, it offered such a rich collection of environments within the minds of artificial intelligences, where the possibilities are practically limitless. The way those worlds were constructed and described was impressive, and the audio description also understood when to preserve a mystery rather than reveal something prematurely. It was an easy victory.

And down at the bottom, the loser of the day has to be Yaga. AMC+ now supports audio description on some titles, which makes the continued release of new original programming without audio description all the more frustrating. At this point, we should be having conversations about when AMC+ intends to back-catalog its programming with audio description, not wondering how the company randomly decides which new shows deserve accessibility. The service is something of a mind-boggling middle finger of love to the blind community. On one hand, it offers audio description and even identifies which programs have it. On the other hand, there are a myriad of titles owned by AMC Networks or its subsidiaries, including IFC and Shudder, that already have existing audio description tracks, yet those tracks haven’t necessarily made their way onto AMC+. So we’re dealing with a company that can’t consistently provide audio description it already has, while simultaneously failing to commission audio description for new programming like Yaga. What are we doing here? And now that the country has demonstrated that it isn’t particularly interested in your anti-DEI nonsense, perhaps it’s time to embrace accessibility again. Because, as it turns out, the majority of Americans aren’t inherently evil. So get your shit together, put audio description on this fucking show, and let’s get our act together, AMC.