TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE

"Desperate Housewives," 8 p.m., ABC. In the midst of slapstick silliness, last week's episode handed out two key plot points. One was Edie forcing Carlos to agree to marry her. Carlos then hired someone — a hit man, perhaps — to settle things. The other was Bree overhearing that the Mayfairs have secrets from their daughter. Tonight, Bree reports what she heard, Gabrielle rages at Carlos and Lynette gets special brownies.

OF NOTE

"The Gathering," 4 p.m., Lifetime. If you saw Saturday's opener, jump to the second half of the story at 6 p.m. today. If not, settle in for the four-hour ride. The story is a familiar one about modern witchcraft. Still, there's a lot of visual zest and sizzle here, plus a strong cast, led by Peter Gallagher.

"Grease" (1978), 5 and 7:30 p.m., ABC Family. Think of it as your ancestors' "High School Musical."

"Girl Meets Cowboy," 7 p.m., WE. Each week, four city women will work on a ranch and meet a real cowboy; one will win a vacation with him. In the opener, the guy is from Deadwood, S.D. One woman is a Miami real-estate executive; the others — a biochemist, insurance agent and pre-school teacher — are from San Diego.

"The Simpsons," 7:30 and 8 p.m., Fox. First is a rerun in which Bart's dog gets a police job. Then comes a new episode: Marge befriends a bank robber. She promised to visit him in jail, leading to aftershocks.

"Cold Case," 8 p.m., CBS. Back in 1953, a teen rock singer's body was found behind a blues club. The case is reopened, when it's learned that he was killed at the family dime store, then taken there.

"Titanic's Tragic Sister," 9 p.m., History Channel. The Britannic was built as a sturdier version of the Titanic. It became a World War I hospital ship, however, and was sunk quickly by a mine. This film has interesting moments, but spends too much time aimlessly following the search crew.

"Shark," 9 p.m., CBS. Jessica (Jeri Ryan) is stunned by her medical-examiner friend, who tampers with evidence.

"Brothers & Sisters," 9 p.m., ABC. Justin is back from the war and recovering. His mom, Nora, and half-sister, Rebecca, care for him. Meanwhile, Kitty (Calista Flockhart) meets Robert's ex-wife; she's played by Marin Hinkle, who was Rose on "Two and a Half Men."