two sockets seem to be shorted out or blown in my rear lights and my rear window brake light does and doesn't work.I think that socket is gone too, seems a bit melted

What happened is that one bulb had been burnt for a while and all the amperage supplied for the both lights went to the other one. ( OR someone put a WRONG bulb into it - Make sure you use the proper bulb for the application ) Usually a resistance thing corrosion or whatever. Replace both bulbs and sockets. The third brake light is a different system than those so that is probably just bulbs - good luck

One possibility comes to mind. On those older toyotas the lead contacts on the bottom of the tail light bulbs actually start flattening out from the constant pressure applied to them. They get so wide that they start to touch each other and short out. Initially you will notice your dash lights dimming when applying the brakes, as the two contacts are just barely touching. Take your bulbs out and inspect the bottom lead contacts to see if this could be your problem. I have seen it more than once.