What was on TV? Fri, April 1, 2005

20 years ago, Terri Sciavo finally died. Let's see what was on TV!

8:00 The West Wing (recorded)

6x21 "Things Fall Apart"

And so we arrive at the Toby and his astronaut brother storyline. I hate this story. The final act of The West Wing has its virtues, but I can never get fully behind it when it so throrougly disrespects my beloved Toby. This storyline feels totally disconnected from my favorite West Wing character, and it's just a boring drag on top of that. John Wells, I will never forgive you for this one.

Later American Dreams (recorded)

3x16 "No Satisfaction"

There's only one episode remaining of this delightful show, and the ending of this episode confirms that the finale will feature Milo Ventimiglia as Meg's annoying, sanctimonious, wishy-washy, hippie ex-boyfriend. I hate that guy, even though I understand his appeal. You just know he grew up into the worst sort of boomer (I think Meg turned out okay. I imagine she's a fun grandma and she does a lot of phone banking).

10:00 Battlestar Galactica on Sci-Fi

1x13 "Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 2"

Now that was a season finale. A pregnancy, an assassination, an epic fight, and enough weird religious mumbo jumbo to make my heart sing. Every arc is concluded in glorious fashion, every character is pushed to the edge and then into an exciting new status quo for the next season. We expand the world with terrific new settings like that ruined museum on Caprica and what I'm pretty sure is the University of British Columbia's Chan Centre on Kobol. And there are just so many terrific scenes: Gaius accepting his destiny, Sharon confronting herself (selves) and then succumbing to her fate. Adama bleeding out on the console as Lee embraces him. Starbuck vs. Six, a true fight for the ages, and then the incredible way Sackhoff plays the discovery of Helo and then Sharon. Every note of Bear McCreary's score. This was everything I love about television.

Like all the best season finales, I wanted to start the season all over again after finishing and then speed straight ahead to season two.

Late Night

Conan's interview with Pam Anderson convinced me to watch her silly show (it's called Stacked and she works in a bookstore. Get it?). She's just so goshdarned likable! She's so excited about working with Christopher Lloyd, advocating for people with AIDS, and the fresh challenge of working on a sitcom. And I guess she did take to the challenge. As she proved just this year in The Naked Gun, she's totally game and a real comedienne given the right project.

TiVo Status

A Frontline documentary and the TV movies Sucker Free City, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Ladies Night, the miniseries Fingersmith, one episode each of American Dreams and The Starlet. 11 hours total.

Music, 20 Years Ago

My favorite track from the Battlestar finale. I've never heard music like this. So much texture and variety and emotional range! This is just one color in a rich tapestry.