What was on TV? Fri, April 15, 2005

20 years ago,

8:00 Avatar: The Last Airbender on Nick

1x08 "Winter Solstice Part 2"

Battles, vision quests, twists and turns, oh my! I confess I miss the whimsical adventures where Ang and the gang visit an exciting new location and learn some lessons, and I hope we get back to those soon. The animation was awesome in this episode though, especially in the big fire nation scenes.

8:30 Fingersmith (recorded)

When you watch a lot of period dramas, you learn to recognize a too-faithful adaptation, even when you aren't familiar with the source material. Overly mannered dialogue, a lack of flow from one scene to the next, lots of voiceover, and so on. This miniseries is adapted from a Dickensian noir/lesbian romance novel from 2002 and not a stuffy 19th-century classic, but it bears all the marks of a too-faithful adaptation.

I wish I could say this is some buried queer classic, but I cannot. This miniseries features Sally Hawkins as a horny woman in dire straits, Charles Dance as an evil uncle, and Imelda Staunton as a matron who's more than she appears. And somehow, I found none of them compelling. Clearly, there are bigger problems here. The whole thing just feels a little stale. The story takes some truly wild turns worthy of Dickens himself, yet the tone and style remain flat and somber. The effect is ridiculous. A huge bummer. At least the kissing was good.

Later House (recorded)

1x17 "Role Model"

Obama was one of the defining figures of the 2000s, so it's strange to find that even as late as 2005, he's barely mentioned on the news and in popular culture. In just two years time he will be running for president! So it's almost reassuring to find him here, in an episode of House. I mean, it's not Obama, but Joe Morton plays a new senator from inner-city Trenton who's determined to uplift everyone and change the country. Turns out that the stress of public speaking and politics is triggering his epilepsy and endangering his life, but it's worth it for the greater good. Yep, that's Obama. Well, not Obama, but Obama as he existed in the popular consciousness, which is almost more important, especially in the 2000s.

What Else Was On

Dick Wolf tried to make people care about the flagging Law and Order: Trial by Jury, staging a crossover with SVU and the mothership. (It didn't work, Trial By Jury was soon cancelled).

Late Night

Do you want to hear Jeff Goldblum discuss his sexual fantasies about the Evil Queen from Snow White? Here you go.

TiVo Status

TV movies Sucker Free City and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Five Hours total.

TV journalism, 20 years ago

In honor of Fingersmith, please enjoy this amazing insert from the trade magazine Broadcasting and Cable which tries to explain gay culture to mid-level TV executives.