511: 'Home Is The Place'
Wr: Jamie Gorenberg
Dr: David Grossman
Synopsis: Bree clashes with Alex's mother (guest star Joanna Cassidy) for their sons' affections. Gabrielle urges Carlos to take a six-figure job, even though it means spending more time away from home. Susan turns to Lee for company while Jackson is away. Lynette catches Preston talking to Porter on the phone. Mrs. McCluskey and her sister, Roberta (guest star Lily Tomlin), arrive at Dr. Heller's office in Boston to talk with him unaware that he's recently deceased. Meanwhile, Edie grows weary of Dave, whose strange behavior hasn't abated.
Review: Welcome to the single gayest episode of Desperate Housewives ever. Seriously, those homosexuals are everywhere this week; look, there's one having dinner with a Christian cookbook author! And there's another by his side! Of course, they don't actually do anything (I mean, ew, who'd want them, I can barely bring myself to write it, getting close?!) but still, there they are, out and proud. But wait... there's more! One of them's a lawyer! Ack! Quick, get the Governor on the phone... these people can't have normal jobs! Shouldn't he be working in a brothel or something? And as for that other one, the spoiled brat in the kimono who takes Susan to a gays bar, well, just look at him prancing about the place, stealing our women. These people are a threat to the fabric of our society and this programme is their propaganda tool! Get it off the air this instant!
Oh, sorry, I'd mistakenly tuned this blog to Evangelist Daily for a moment there (sponsored by the Family Research Council, 'providing you with all the bigotry and hatred you need to get you through your day'). I do apologise. 'Home is the Place' is, of course, a delightfully fun episode: while Susan's narrative is effectively just an exercise in padding, it's done with such comedic panache that you can't help but be roped in. Gabrielle's reaction to the possibility of Lee and Susan getting it on is absolutely hysterical. The other gay element is also rather inviting: Andrew and Alex's relationship is carefully and faithfully handled and the narrative into which it is entrenched is well constructed. Lynette's story, meanwhile, is as compelling as always and it's only really Gabrielle's, yet again, that disappoints: with Carlos returning to work, it feels rather like we're back at square one, rehashing stories of years past. A solid episode on the whole, however, with a great deal going for it. 8.5
512: 'Connect! Connect!'
Wr: Jordan Nardino
Dr: Ken Whittingham
Synopsis: Connections lead to surprising resolutions, as Susan and Edie are forced to spend time alone together when they accidentally lock themselves in a basement. Bree doesn't like it when Alex (guest star Todd Grinnell) indicates that she is emasculating her husband. Gabrielle loses control of her children and turns to Carlos for help. The ongoing search for Porter leads Lynette to her mother, Stella (guest star Polly Bergen). Katherine and Mike define their relationship. Meanwhile, Dave gets a step closer to exacting revenge.
Review: Still gay? Oh yes; well, considerably gay, thank the Lord. Andrew and Alex are at front and centre once again, albeit at the service of Bree's narrative, but at least it gives the characters something other to do than sit around looking pretty or addressing their sexuality. Choosing to have Alex be Bree's foil is a stroke of genius and one that assures the character's (relative) longevity... here's hoping Cherry chooses to go all out and gives us a delightfully subdued wedding for these two crazy cats in the forseeable future. There's much else to enjoy in 'Connect! Connect!' too: having Polly Vergen return as Lynette's embittered mother lifts the entire production. She's absolutely wonderful, perfectly pitching her performance to convey the depth of her resentment and sorrow. While Lynette's decision to fake either a serious injury or even death is a somewhat questionable decision and one that doesn't seem to fit entirely with her character, Bergen salvages the entire thread by giving a painfully believable reaction that is guaranteed to at least put a knot or two in your stomach. The characters' subsequent reconciliation over a whiskey or two is also a nice touch, even if it is tainted a little by the ludicrous 'end' to the 'Porter is accused of arson' story (seriously, they just drop the charges?! That's it?!) Elsewhere, Dave's story continues to be thoroughly contrived... I mean come on, Mike just so happens to see him cast out of his home and invites him to stay with him? Ack. I'm still reeling from the revelation that it's bloody Delfino who Dave's after anyway so perhaps I am a little biased toward picking at this narrative's scabs. It just smacks of lazy writing and would have been far more interesting with a completely unexpected different character. Still, at least we get the revelation that Mike might just be in love with Katherine which, provided the writers don't screw it up by throwing Susan back into the mix, could actually make for an engaging, refreshing storyline. And speaking of Myer, her half an hour of soul searching with Edie is nicely played by all involved, veering pleasingly from comedy to fulfilling insight and back again with each scene. These two have such great sparring chemistry; shove them in a closet and throw away the key more often! Susan is now enjoying being alone 'for the first time in her life', apparently. I give it four weeks before she's part of a love triangle. Still, cynicism aside, a successful episode. Let's hope my fears about future narrative trajectories are assuaged in the coming weeks. 8.2
513: 'The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened'
Wr: Bob Daily & Marc Cherry
Dr: Larry Shaw
Synopsis: When neighborhood handyman, Eli Scruggs (guest star Beau Bridges), passes away, the residents of Wisteria Lane come to realize just how much he affected their lives. Gaby recalls how Eli helped her make new friends when she moved in. Lynette remembers how he came to her aide when she was overwhelmed and neglected Penny. Susan reflects on how he was always there for her as a shoulder to cry on each time a man walked out of her life. Edie looks back on their special friendship. And Bree thinks fondly of how a small gesture he once made helped get her to where she is today.
Review: Desperate Housewives reaches its 100th episode and, frankly, the jury's out. Perhaps wisely, Marc Cherry chooses to reject conventional expectation and eschews the action-packed in favour of a quiet, reflective piece that studies the personalities of our central cast through the eyes of an outsider. Beau Bridges is instantly loveable as the utterly selfless Eli Scruggs; he brings an understated intelligence to the part that prevents his 'role' as mechanic for the housewives' hearts from becoming overly clichéd or hokum. It is certainly fun to watch his rather overly successful attempt to reassure Edie that she hasn't lost her 'touch' (the moment that she pushes him onto the bed is priceless), and the sequence in which he comforts Susan in the aftermath of her break-up with Mike is one of the highlights of the season. The dialogue is pitched perfectly and contains a great deal that has needed to be said for quite some time: finally, Susan gets the recognition she deserves for being brave enough to open up her heart, time and time and time again. All too often, the show either berates her (usually through Edie) for not wanting to be single, or makes comedy out of her poor track record with men. It is good to see her strengths being highlighted here; it certainly makes a refreshing change. Eli's other contributions to the housewives' lives are also relatively interesting - particularly Lynette's, as Felicity Huffman proves she's the best damn actress on the show, yet again - but therein, perhaps, is the problem. The stories may be of interest but they don't truly grip: sure, it's nice to see how Gaby becomes accepted by the group but is there really anything in this to be truly excited about? Eli rescues Bree's first attempt at writing a cook book from the trash and gives it back to her following Rex's death. Again, a nice morsel of a plot point but nothing truly engaging. And the final sequence, in which the housewives gather for Eli's funeral, takes the episode into truly corny territory; Bree's 'I wanted to fix something for Eli' is a completely unnecessary vocalisation of activity. The scene would arguably have had a far greater level of poignancy without it. Clearly, this is the emotion Cherry was aiming for and, for a significant proportion of the episode, he achieves it. It's just a shame the things he had to say about our housewives couldn't have had a little more substance. Still, nice to see Mrs Huber, Yao Lin, Rex Van De Kamp and Mary Alice again. 7.7
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