I first watched Desperate Housewives when it was airing in the 2000s, back when watching TV meant waiting for weekly episodes, and then comes the long wait between each season to see how certain cliffhangers play out. I was eager to know who Mike would end up marrying in season 6, or how the time jump between season 4 and 5 would impact all the characters. When I began the series again this year – basically 20 years later – I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it as much as I did once before. After all, now that I’m older, I’m more attuned to the flaws of the characters, and the dated elements of the show.
As much as I love Gabby, her relationship with John Rowland was inappropriate and just icky. Whenever he appeared on the series, even as an older man, I never wanted them together and was happy when that storyline ended. The whole Applewhite family storyline was not great. They were the first black family that moved to the lane, and their entire narrative was just marked by violence. Betty Applewhite had one son chained and imprisoned in a basement, and her other son was a murderer. It’s the suburbs so I guess diversity isn’t really a thing, but it was certainly a missed opportunity that they never tried to do better seasons later.
I used to have blinders on when it came to the women, which made me dislike the husbands – let’s face it none of them were great – but now I see that things were actually more nuanced than I first realised. For example, Tom and Lynette’s marriage and relationship. I had extreme hate for Tom Scavo, still do actually, but there are moments where I can understand where he’s coming from. Lynette is a control freak, though a lot of her micromanaging stems from Tom not taking the initiative or getting things done. However, Lynette in season 7 is definitely a bit much. She doesn’t support Tom during an important work conference and even embarrasses him, and when he surprises the family with a trip to Hawaii she’s opposed to it and wants the vacation she’s planned, even when Hawaii is obviously a much better vacation. She needs everything in her marriage to be on her terms, and while Tom’s irresponsibility certainly fueled her control issues, she’s myopic to how she’s contributing to the dumpster fire that is their marriage too.
Even though I see the flaws of the women more acutely now, it actually feels authentic that most of them stay true to who they are for most of the show, with some character development happening yet without much change to how the character is fundamentally. Like Gabby learns to be less selfish and superficial, but she doesn’t completely shake these traits as the seasons go by. Bree represses her emotions and doesn’t always deal with her issues, but she does loosen up somewhat, and even though her relationship with Keith wasn’t my favourite, we got to see a more relaxed, carefree Bree in the time they were together.
Some of the husbands improved over time. In the early seasons, Carlos tampered with Gabby’s birth control, forced her to sign a postnuptial agreement so she wouldn’t leave him while he’s in prison and cheats on her with their surrogate. When they get back together for the second time, he’s definitely improved as a character and their relationship gets stronger as well. Carlos during his blind era was truly his best self, and instead of a controlling, jealous man, he becomes more understanding and empathetic. Karl was a cheater and womanizer, but he did display moments of genuine care for Susan and Bree. Orson could have been a great husband, but he loved running people over a bit too much. Still, Kyle MacLachlan was fantastic in the role and made a great villain.
Desperate Housewives did such a good job when it came to those big, tragic episodes. The hostage situation in the mall was tense and had me on the edge of my seat, the tornado episode was upsetting and tearjerking, and the riot episode escalated so suddenly that it became quite frightening. These episodes were really the highlight of the show, though at times the show used these tragedies to get rid of complications so things were easier for the main characters. Like when Sylvia Greene gets blown away by the tornado, or when Mona Clarke gets hit by the plane since she was blackmailing the Bolens.
Most of the viewers’ frustrations are with the last season, as they feel that the whole Alejandro storyline is far too dragged out, as well as the unnecessary death of Mike Delfino. In an interview with TV Guide, Bob Daily shared that the showrunners wanted a blockbuster moment and so explored the possibility of killing of one of the characters. Mike was chosen as they felt his death would have gravitas and impact as viewers loved him. I understand why they did it, especially considering the pathos it would bring to the episodes of Susan mourning his death. But as a fan, it did make me sad that Susan and Mike never got to have their happy ending, that Susan ends the series the way she started, as a single mother raising a child. She doesn’t even get a flashforward like the other characters, so we don’t get to see what her life was like after.
Another point of contention is the housewives never getting together again after their last poker game. It makes sense to real life, as besides living in the same area, all these women didn’t really have much in common with each other. But giving them all super successful lives feels a little too much like wish fulfilment. Still, I can understand that the creators would desire to have these characters they worked on for so long end up in a good place at the end.
There are very few TV shows that manage to stick the landing, and while there are issues with some of the elements of the show’s conclusion, I think the moments building up to it were fantastic. The concurrent set of moments playing out all at once – Julie giving birth, Ben and Renee getting married, and Karen McCluskey’s death. It was brilliantly done, and for us to feel so much as Karen passed on is a testament to how good the show was in developing even its minor characters.
Desperate Housewives isn’t perfect TV, but it’s good enough for a fan like me.
