What was on TV? Sun, Dec 12, 2004

20 years ago, the T-Mobile Sidekick was everywhere. It was even cool!

8:30 Arrested Development on Fox

2x05 "Sad Sack"

Available on Netflix

Doing this project means seeing a lot of the T-Mobile Sidekick. This weekend I was at party and when someone took out one of those fancy phones that flips open to reveal a bigger screen I blurted out "it's just like the T-Mobile Sidekick!" This was not what they wanted to hear.

Anyway, in this episode, a major plot development occurs as a result of Tobias' inability to use his T-Mobile sidekick. It is peak Arrested Development and peak 2004 in the best way.

Maeby convincing Steve Holt that her mom is trans to tank her chances with him is also very 2004, in the worst way.

This episode was written by Barbie Adler. She has written for Boy Meets World, My Name is Earl, and Nobody Wants This.

This episode was directed by Peter Lauer. He has directed episodes of Strangers with Candy, Malcolm in the Middle, and Emily in Paris.

9:00 The Wire on HBO

3x11 "Middle Ground (record Desperate Housewives on ABC)

Available on Max

By now, I know that the penultimate episodes in each season of The Wire are where it's at. It's when the pieces truly start falling into place. These episodes are when you feel most acutely that "all the pieces matter," as Lester Freamon once said. In season three's penultimate episode, Carcetti visits Hamsterdam, the police close in on their targets, and Omar and Brother Mouzone meet once again.

This episode is full of great scenes. If we follow the Howard Hawks maxim that a great movie is "three great scenes and no bad ones," this is a great episode of television. You have the cold open with Brother Mouzone and Omar in an old-fashioned standoff, Cutty and Justin at the gym, and of course String's last stand.

But String and Avon on that rooftop tower above them all, in every sense of that word. They reminisce, and talk about dreams. Stringer brings us the episode's epigraph, musing that they "don't need dreams no more." They have real estate, which is better. But I think he's wrong. Stringer and Avon express a sort of dream right there on that rooftop. Their dream is for the world on that rooftop to be real. For friendship, and not just business, the kind that leads to mutual destruction and murder. Maybe I'm just projecting. And maybe that's the point.

This episode was written by showrunner David Simon and crime novelist George Pelecanos.

This episode was directed by Joe Chappelle. His directing credits include Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and several episodes of The Wire, Fringe, and CSI: Miami.

10:00 Desperate Housewives (recorded)

1xx "Suspicious Minds"

Available on Hulu

I seriously cannot deal with the Gabrielle and John the gardener storyline. In this episode, Susan learns the truth, and she's horrified. But the main concern is what it's doing to Carlos, and that Susan might be falsely accused of Gabrielle's crime and embarrassed at a charity fashion show. The show doesn't seem so concerned about the statutory rape of an underage boy, even as revelations in this episode render the situation even more disturbing. Gabrielle's ego can't take seeing John move on, so she seduces him again. And it turns out their affair started when he was 16!

We can say it was a different time. But The OC eventually dropped a similar storyline involving Marisa's romance with the family gardener, and those kids were the same age. And Desperate Housewives recast the role of John with an older actor, since watching Longoria get cozy with an 18-year-old freaked everyone out. Alas, no lessons were learned.

I was pissed about this storyline for the whole episode, and couldn't even focus on Bree collecting her son's urine or big revelations in the Mary Alice case. The end of the episode sees Gabrielle's husband arrested, which will hopefully give us a break from the statutory rape storyline. And it will finally give Longoria something else to play besides a generic hot lady, which is a relief. She's really good in the scene where Carlos gets arrested.

This episode was written by Jenna Bans. She was the showrunner of Good Girls and has written for several Shondaland TV shows.

This episode was directed by Larry Shaw. His directing credits include episodes of 21 Jump Street. Smash, and Defiance.

What Else Was On

• On Saturday, ABC premiered the George Lopez Christmas movie Naughty or Nice on The Wonderful World of Disney. He plays a shock jock who has to be nice after he makes a promise to a kid in a Liar Liar-style twist.
• ESPB premiered 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story, a biopic of the celebrated NASCAR driver who died after a racing crash in 2001. The movie starred Barry Pepper, J.K. Simmons, and Elizabeth Mitchell.
• Someone uploaded tonight's WB commercials to YouTube, where you can see this fun holiday-themed bumper, and this delightful ad the the "shout it out" movie trivia DVD game.

TiVo Status

The three-hour Masterpiece Theater miniseries The Lost Prince and The Office Christmas Special from across the pond (2 hours). 5 hours with 23 hours of space left.