What was on TV? Sun, April 24, 2005

20 years ago, a man posted a video of his trip to the zoo on a site called YouTube.com. Let's see what was on TV.

7:30 Malcolm in the Middle on Fox

6x19 "Motivational Seminar"

On tonight's episode of Malcolm, Reese thinks he's a dog, Dewey gets a full chest tattoo, and Malcolm has nothing to do. So it was definitely time for the show to start winding things down (I'm guessing the writers agreed, the next season was its last).

However, the storyline in which Hal accidentally becomes a motivational speaker and then inadvertently hand-picks his own future boss and convinces him to make his life hell is awesome. I would read a fanfic where Walter White goes to one of Hal's motivational seminars.

9:00 Deadwood on HBO

2x08 "Childish Things"

The "new piece of technology comes to town" episode is a staple of TV period dramas. Mad Men and Downton Abbey both did so many variations on this episode. And I suspect many of those episodes were inspired by this one, in which a telegraph, a camera, and a bicycle all arrive in Deadwood.

This episode beautifully conveys the joy of playing with something new and innovative. The scene in which the whole town marvels at the bicycle, chasing it down the street, is infectious. Of course, it also provides cover for fratricide and for Wolcott and his evil, murderous, capitalist ways worming their way into this community. I am feeling very hostile towards new technologies these days, so I appreciated that touch. But if you're going to argue against new technology, it's always good to show the fun of it first. Cover your bases.

And I got my wish from a couple of episodes ago! Joanie beat up Wolcott. I was hoping that she would kill him, but hurting and humiliating him might be even better. Deadwood may be full of Shakespearean dialogue and deep themes, but it also offers baser pleasures, just like all the best TV shows.

10:00 Grey's Anatomy on ABC

1x05 "Shake Your Groove Thing"

We don't want to believe that the people who cut us open are fallible. But we also love watching TV shows about the people who cut us open, and infallible people make for bad TV protagonists.

Such is the paradox that all medical dramas must confront. Grey's Anatomy confronts it here, as Meredith makes a mistake in surgery and must decide what to do about it. Meanwhile, the hospital discovers that they left a towel inside poor Kathryn Joosten five years ago. Cristina is assigned to investigate, and she must reckon with the fallibility of her bosses and teachers. In the end, Grey's Anatomy argues that there is valor in owning your flaws, which is a very Grey's Anatomy take. These doctors are going to be making some big mistakes and their lives are going to get very messy in the coming episodes. It's good that the show laid some groundwork for all that craziness here.

What Else Was On

• The CBS Sunday Movie was Locusts, starring Lucy Lawless as a scientist trying to stop a plague of the titular pests. It was followed by a sequel, Vampire Bats.
• ABC aired "Sorting Out the Dirty Laundry," a Desperate Housewives recap special. Save all those new episodes for sweeps!
• Fox aired "American Top 40 Live" hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Ads promised all the biggest stars, but "no awards" or "boring speeches." It flopped hard, unde 4 million viewers. It got beaten by the aging Charmed on the WB! I guess people like awards and boring speeches...
• It is worth watching this segment from the "Top 40 Live" special in which a very 2005 collection of people (Ashlee Simpson, J-Kwon, Switchfoot) recall the first time they heard themselves on the radio. My favorite was Jesse McCartney, who heard a Usher song right after he heard his own. That was how he knew he'd made it.

TiVo Status

The TV movies Sucker Free City and Everything You Want, and two episodes of Mystery! 6 hours.

YouTube, 20 years ago

Me at the Zoo is notable for being the first YouTube video. Taken on its own? Boring as sin. But "My Snowboarding Skillz," posted the same day? That still holds up. Fail videos never fail.