As an unexpected bonus for my faithful visitors I thought I would do a season finale recap/analysis for you as this year's new programming winds down.
I missed the finales of The Office (my favorite) and Earl, but I did catch Housewives Sunday night and will likely be roped into The Bachelor for a few minutes by my wife. I will definitely be finishing the Heroes story arc as well.
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Desperate Housewives
Tom and Lynette
Recap: Tom and Lynette have been having problems. Tom opened a pizza restaurant and Lynette joined him behind the counter. She didn't like wearing the orange shirt. Her kids' babysitter was found to be housing her dead husband in the freezer--but this was all explained as quite natural considering he didn't leave her as the benefactor on his social security checks.
Tom's unexpected daughter has fit in with absolutely no sibling rivalry. They made it look like Tom had died, but he really just hurt his back. Lynette made the pizzeria profitable by bringing in a handsome chef. They got flirtatious. When the flirtation was acknowledged, Lynette fired the guy. Lynette stopped speaking to Tom. Lynette was diangosed with lymphoma and really clammed up. Her mom showed up in the season finale, and it looks like she'll be around next season as Lynette goes through chemo. Comment: Unless we're all going to learn something life-changing and important about cancer, let's make this cancer story much to do about nothing. They already spent almost an entire season with Tom in bed yelling at Lynette for help, don't add another season with Lynette lying in bed with a skull cap on striving to be a good mom while yelling at Tom for help. These are the best, most realistic characters on the show. Stop turning them into The War of the Roses--every year one of them gets hurt (remember Lynette's bullet wound?)
Gabby and Victor, Carlos and Edie
Recap: Gabrielle divorced
Carlos just when I began to care about him. During the first season, he
was a real cad, then suddenly he changed into this layered and
interesting guy. Then Gabby wanted nothing to do with him. She spent
the season dating more cads until she found a rich one. She impulsively
decided to marry him when he got into a bit of a public relations
scandal which she brought on. Their relationship seemed to be a tender
one until the finale where he seems to be working Gabby more for her
benefit to him as a political ally than for love. Carlos became
obsessed this season with becoming a father and started a relationship
with Edie simply because he wanted to play dad to her young son. But
when the real dad returned from his humanitarian missions trip, it
became clear that Carlos had no real interest in Edie. She manipulated
him into trying to start a family, but when he discovered the
manipulation, he ended things. She is shown hanging herself in the
final frames of the season finale. Comment: Is Edie really dead? I
think so. There's really no point in bringing her back. For the first
two seasons she served as the Great Nemesis--particularly to Susan--but
now that she's become sensitive and vulnerable, and is a fully embraced
member of the Housewives fraternity, there's really no purpose for her.
They need a new straw that stirs the drink. And everyone must know that
Gabby and Carlos are destined to end up together--whenever this show
ends its run (this was obvious even before last night). Good to see
Mike Farrell playing the evil political mastermind/ father to Victor.
Susan and Mike and Ian
Recap: Susan danced between her two
fiances all season, finally settling on the one we all knew she had to
marry. Comment: Glad they married last night and ended the dance. I'm
not sure where they can go from here, though I'd expect a baby some
time next season, and daughter Julie will likely begin to sow some wild
seeds to create marital turmoil. What would really be good is if Susan
began to have wild suspicions and paranoia about someone
again--possibly MIke as there are unanswered questions about his past.
Though, do we really want a recap of the Bree-Orson story?
Bree and Orson
Recap: I honestly can't remember how much of their story was
contained in this year's season, and how much was last year. I wasn't
that faithful a viewer at the beginning of the season. Needless to say,
Orson seemed to settle into respectability as the burning questions
about his past seemed to dry up. Though he is still a lurking threat to
all that the neighborhood stands for (whatever that is). I don't quite
understand why little miss perfect (Bree) would haphazardly jump into
these oddball relationships (George, Orson) when she is so careful
about everything else in her life (cooking, house, yard, children).
Bree disappeared for much of the season as Marcia Cross was on bedrest
(in real life). She's always been the most fascinating character, but
the show seemed to carry on fine without her. The guy who plays her son
Andrew remained employed by appearing in a few meaningless scenes at
the Scavo's pizzeria while the daughter (Danielle) was absent from the
screen. The final episode reminded me that Danielle is at a nunery
hiding her unwanted pregnancy while Bree perpetuates the cover story
that she's studying abroad. In the biggest twist of the night Bree is
shown 4 months pregnant, but is in fact wearing a harness. Clearly, she
is playing fake surrogate for her daughter's baby, which she will pass
off as her own when the time arrives. Comment: We can see delicious
drama with this one as many baby-stealing sequences are likely between
mother and child.
Expert analysis: This program continues to get mileage out of its first, inspired season. To me, Desperate Housewives has the opposite problem as Lost. On Lost, the issue is the producers have a long and winding plan that is never, ever revealed until the series ends. On Housewives, the first season solved every mystery, and I guess the intention was to have a new mystery every year but in season 2, it was not much of a mystery and by season 3, they didn't even try. Instead, we've grown attached to the characters and watch to see what outrageous thing is going to happen to them next. But soon, we'll care even less. What the makers of this show need to do is find a layered storyline and reveal, reveal, reveal through the next couple of years. Let us see that there's a point to all this, and give us satisfying epilogues every month or so. If not, Desperate Housewives will cruise through year 4 and then limp to the end of the series (proably season 5).
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