What was on TV? Wed, March 30, 2005

20 years ago, Jennifer Aniston filed for divorce.

8:00 Lost on ABC

1x18 "Deus ex Machina" (record American Dreams on NBC and America's Next Top Model on UPN)

Up to this point, Locke is a miracle. He was in a wheelchair, now he walks. He's a cool guy who hunts boar, counsels addicts, and builds cribs. And he believes that the island is special and magical and he wants to know why, which made him beloved among the show's hardcore fans.

For awhile there, it seemed like the island really had fixed Locke. "Deus ex Machina" shatters that illusion. He's insecure, desperate, reckless. He leads poor Boone to his doom, and Boone follows him because he still wants to believe in the person Locke pretends to be. And Boone pays the price. This is all parelelled with the story of how Locke's long-lost father conned him out of a kidney then abandoned him. It's absurdly tragic.

The final moments of the episode show us who Locke really is. He wanted to believe in his father, he was desperate for validation. In the end, he lost a kidney and could only star through a gate and cry and scream in his car. Now, he looks to the island instead. And this time, he manages to hurt an innocent in the process, only to end up in the same place, banging on the hatch and screaming at the universe. Only this time, the universe answers back. Only time will tell what that means for our tragic, pathetic hero.

I also must take a moment to salute this episode's B-plot, in which Sawyer gets glasses. It's funny, the perfect counterpoint to a very dark and sad episode. But it also shows this makeshift community working together so beautifully. Sun has a whole apothecary going now, even if it can't help with Sawyer's problem. Kate convinces Sawyer to ask for help, and Sawyer gets over himself and accepts it. Jack gets the job done even though his bedside manner sucks. Hurley makes a joke. It's genuinely heartwarming. Just in time for things to get messy and bonds to be tested as the season finale approaches. All that, plus Sawyer's glasses...part of Lost's success was the way it showcased its insanely hot ensemble. Sawyer's glasses are a prime example.

9:00 Alias on ABC

4x13 "Tuesday" (record The West Wing on NBC)

It's a Marshall episode! The crew is quarantined and Sydney is buried alive in Cuba, and our local geek is the only one who can solve this! It's always fun to see Marshall doing spy stuff. He tracks cell phones, speaks bad Spanish, fires a gun by mistage, and even gouges out and eye! Fun times. I love the way the show contrasts him bumbling through with Sydney tearing it up. It reminds you that Sydney is a freak, and I love that.

I don't love the way this episode treats his wife Carrie though. She's treated like a clueless drip. But didn't she used to work with the gang? She could and should be involved, she should be a real character. Instead she's reduced to wife on phone. Justice for Carrie.

Later America's Next Top Model (recorded)

4x04 "The Girl Who is Contagious"

Oh dear. It's the blackface episode. Except it's not the blackface episode, it's a blackface episode. Because the show did this again!

I knew this was bad, but I was still unprepared. No light darkening here, we get full caked on horrors. They are told to portray the "personality" of their assigned ethnicity. Because ethnicities have personalities? I can't believe that they made them hold actual real life toddlers for this photoshoot. Of all the times to deploy this gimmick! Those poor sweet angels. Contestant Lluvy remarks that she's excited to portray a different race instead of an alien or a fish. And that just tells you so much about the show.

What Else Was On

• ABC premiered Eyes, in which Tim Daly played a risk management consultant and solved crimes.
• Jessica Sierra went home on American Idol. She released some music, but is more famous for appearing on Celebrity Rehab.
• Bravo had found success with Showbiz Moms and Dads. So they followed that up with Showdog Moms and Dads.

Late Night

Zach Galifianakis was on Late Night. I'm glad be became famou and staued

TiVo status

A Frontline documentary and the TV movies Sucker Free City, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Ladies Night, the miniseries Fingersmith, two episodes each of The Starlet and American Dreams, and one episode each of The West Wing, Carnivale, and Desperate Housewives. 16 hours total.

Music, 20 years ago

I don't talk about Michael Giacchino's Lost score enough. This is one of the best tracks from season one.