So this is a world without commercials?

We’re watching Desperate Housewives last night (yes, we were watching Desperate Housewives, what of it?) and within the first 5 minutes the overt product placement had me completely nauseated. I mean, sure… when Steven Colbert chugs an ice-cold Sierra Mist it’s funny. Or when Tina Fey looks directly into the camera after plugging Verizon or whatever and asks if they can have their money now… THAT’s funny.

But last night, the one lady that totally looks like a dude gets home from shopping with her psychopath husband, and they CASUALLY lift a bunch of shopping bags from the trunk. Oddly enough, front-and-center is a screaming yellow SPRINT bag. Huh. Must’ve need a new phone.

But the WORST of the WORST was when the control freak shows up in her new Lexus. Ooh boy  everybody is going crazy. “Please tell us about it!” APPARENTLY, it has a refrigerator in it. And it’s a HYBRID. And it can PARK ITSELF!!! Then the camera pulls away from the women to settle and focus directly on the Lexus logo on the trunk. Seriously. I mean really seriously.

Is THIS what we get for abandoning traditional broadcast marketing? And why should I have to pay the price!? I HAVE to watch the commercials! I don’t have a fancy DVR or whatnot. I don’t know if I can take much more of this.

UPDATE: I go out looking for screen-grabs of the episode in question, particualarly the awful product placements, and I find this episode re-cap at EntertainmentWeekly.com. My brain nearly exploded when I was looking for some criticism of the ham-fisted attempts to sell us a $40,000 car and they act like nothing happned. In fact, here’s what they wrote:

Lynette was stressing out as usual, and her worry only became even more amplified when Bree — fresh off the success of her best-selling cookbook — rolled up in her brand-new Lexus. (Apparently, Lexus now makes cars that feature a refrigerator in the backseat and a self-parking mechanism! What will they think of next?)

DUDE WHAT? Am I taking crazy pills here?!:!!?!

And I’m not so naïve as to think that this sort of thing hasn’t been going on for a long long time, but let’s step it up a notch there fellas. I mean, you don’t have to smash us over the head with it.

This is as close as I could get to an example of what I’m describing, but just be aware that they’re ACTUALLY talking about the car. And if this is satire, it didn’t work. If it’s subtlety, I’m friggin’ Ponce De Leon.