Trivia
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Trivia
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Goof: If the trunk goes under water that means that the air within it has left, anyway later the trunk gets out the water and that means that it still has air in it that make it back up. So it is impossible that the trunk could do both things.
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This is the first episode that shows the real sets that will be shown the whole time. The reason is that the pilot episode had slightly different sets (like Lynette's and Bree's houses).
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In the first episode Susan has an old silver Volvo 240 (we see it on her driveway) but from here on she has one of the newer Volvo models instead (v70 or XC maybe?) and it has a different color.
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Right before John escapes through the window, you see that he's wearing underwear under his towel. But when he was pushed out of the window and his towel fell off, he suddenly isn't wearing any.
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We learn in this episode that Mary Alice died on September 26, 2004, which was a Sunday (the original airdate of season premiere of "Desperate Housewives" prior to schedule re-shuffle). At the beginning of the pilot episode, however, Mary Alice describes "an unusual day she had last week" and says it was a Thursday.
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How could that little boy Preston knock over that heavy middle-aged woman so easily on her side when she was attacking Lynette?
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Why does Lynette have her infant daughter strapped to the front seat of the car next to her driving? Isn't it made by law that children under age 12 should be in the backseat of cars at all time?
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When Mrs. Huber comes over to Susan and Julie's house to ask for donation clothing for Edie, Julie tells her that Susan is at the Van De Kamp's house, but in the next scene she had just come home from shopping with Gabrielle Solis.
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Quotes
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Mike: Actually, he was my wife's dog and one of the last things she said to me in the hospital before she died was to be sure I looked after him and I promised her I would. Mary Alice: (narrating) And just like that Susan could suddenly see something she had never seen before. Mike: He meant so much to her. Mary Alice: Mike Delfino was still in love with his late wife. Mike: And if somthing had happened I would have felt like I failed her. I know that sounds stupid but- Mary Alice: And she knew right then that neither she nor Edie would be laying claim to his heart anytime soon. Susan: No it doesn't. Not at all. Mary Alice: So she decided, for now, she could settle for just being his friend.
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Paul: (about Mary Alice) I don't care what her reasons were. Maybe she was depressed. Maybe she was bored. It doesn't matter. She abandoned her husband and her son, and I'll never forgive her.
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John: Ah. This is great. I got tons of homework tonight. It's so easy to concentrate after sex. Gabrielle: Well, I'm glad I could help. Education is very important.
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Mary Alice: Yes, as I look back at the world I left behind, it's all so clear to me. The beauty that waits to be unveiled, the mysteries that long to be uncovered, but people so rarely stop to take a look, they just keep moving. It's a shame, really... There is so much... to see. (the toy chest comes out of the lake).
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Mary Alice: Susan was furious with Edie for using a dog to ingratiate herself with its owner. She was also furious with Mike for not seeing through this blatant maneuver. But most of all, she was furious with herself for not having thought of it first.
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Mrs. Huber: Susan, do you have anything to contribute to the clothing drive for Edie? The poor thing is running around in next to nothing! Susan: Oh, Mrs. Huber, I thought that was Edie's idea behind it all. Mrs. Huber: Oh, Susan! Edie may be trash but that doesn't mean she isn't a human being!
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Edie: Oh God, look at all these things, all these beautiful things that my ex-husbands worked so hard for, burnt to a crisp.
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Bree: It's the age old question: how much do we really want to know about our neighbors?
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Beefy Middle-Aged Woman: Listen, it seems to me like you have some anger management issues. Lynette: I have four kids under the age of six. I absolutely have anger management issues.
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Mike: Should I have told her we were having steak? She's not like, a vegetarian or something, is she? Susan: Oh, no, no. Edie's definitely a carnivore.
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Carlos: (to Gabrielle) When a man buys a woman expensive jewelry, there are many things he may want in return. For future reference, conversation ain't one of them.
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Bree: Do you remember when you proposed? Rex: For God's sake. Bree: We sat on Skyline Drive and drank a bottle of apple wine and when we finished it, you turned to me and you said, 'If you marry me, Bree Mason, I promise to love you for the rest of my life.' And even though I was engaged to Ty Grant, and even though my father didn't like you, I said yes.
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Susan: Julie? Mike Delfino just invited us to dinner Friday night. Julie: He did? Cool. Susan: But only I'm going. Because you're gonna come down with something semi-serious that requires bed-rest and fluids. (Runs up the stairs as she squeals)
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Gabrielle: So now you're taking Julie on your dinner date with Mike? Susan: Yeah, well, if Edie's gonna be there, I'm gonna need emotional support.
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Julie: Dear Diary, Mike doesn't even know I'm alive. Susan: Shut up. Julie: If you wanna date him, you're gonna have to ask him out. Susan: I keep hoping he'll ask me out. Julie: How's that going? Susan: Shouldn't you be making brownies for your nerdy friends?
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Gabrielle: I can't believe she wormed her way in. How did you let her do that? Susan: I don't know, I was gonna take her out at the knees, but it all happened so fast. Gabrielle: Well, you know what you need to do. You need to get there early, spend a little time with Mike before little barracuda gets there. Susan: That's a good idea. Edie will get there at 5:45, which means her breasts will arrive at 5:30, so I should shoot for five.
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Mary Alice: An odd thing happens when we die, our senses vanish. Taste, touch, smell and sound become a distant memory, but our sight? Ah, our sight expands and we can suddenly see the world we left behind so clearly. Of course most of what's visible to the dead could also be seen by the living, if they would only take the time to look.
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Notes
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The titles of this episode and almost all of the following episodes are either a line from or the title of a Stephen Sondheim song.
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When camera pans to a secret map of Wisteria Lane in Mike's house, we learn that a Nelson family lives in the house between Susan and Gabrielle (Trent and Debra who are in their 30s). The producers keep that house off-screen as it had already been used in the 60's sitcom The Munsters and is therefore quite recognizable. We also learn that Susan (Teri Hatcher) is 35, Lynette (Felicity Huffman) is 41 and Bree (Marcia Cross) is 42, while Gabrielle's age is conveniently covered by a picture of Carlos. Mike does not know how old Tom and Carlos are, but is 42 just like Bree and Paul (Mark Moses) is 40. According to Mike's map, Julie (Andrea Bowen) is only 12, Danielle (Joy Lauren) is 14, Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom) is 15 and Zack (Cody Kasch) is 16. Also, Mary-Alice (Brenda Strong) was 38 when she shot herself (and that is in line with the dates of her birth and death on her grave).
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Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) lives next door to Gabrielle's neighbors, the Nelsons (4353). The Hardy boys lived there in their 1970s series. So did Elijah Wood in the 1998 flick Deep Impact.
The house that Mike Delfino (James Denton) rents (4356) is across the street from Lynette. It had previously been used in the NBC 1999-2002 drama Providence.
Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross) lives next door to Mike and across from Susan (4359). Her house appeared in the 1989 Tom Hanks comedy The Burbs.
Busybody Martha Huber's (Christine Estabrook) house (4350) is next to the Young's house. It had been used in the 1950s police drama Dragnet. -
Bree's (Marcia Cross) maiden name was Mason.
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At the Museum of TV & Radio's Annual Paley Television Festival, the series creator Marc Cherry told the sold-out auditorium that in addition to using his mother as general inspiration for the show, he saluted her parental skills by retelling the incident in which she punished him for misbehaving in her car when he was a little boy, leaving him in the street and driving away, through the character of Lynette (Felicity Huffman) in the second episode.
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The rarely-seen ex-Munsters (now Nelsons, later Oprah) home located on 4354 Wisteria Lane, used to be known in the 1960s as 1313 Mockinbird Lane.
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According to Mike's map, if you go out of the Huber, Young or Van De Kamp house onto Wisteria Lane, the center of the city of Fairview is to the left and the park is to the right, down the road.
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The Youngs live next door to Bree and across the street from "The Munsters home" (4352). It is an exact replica of the Cleaver home used in the 1950s sitcom "Leave It To Beaver". It was constructed for the 1997 Beaver movie. Although the exterior belongs to Mary-Alice's family, the interior of this house is used for filming of scenes taking place at the home of Van De Kamps.
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Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) lives next door to Susan (4355). Her house was used in Ronald Reagan's Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) and Doris Day's Thrill of it All (1963). Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) will get a new home in the vacant lot next door.
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Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) lives on 4349 Wisteria Lane, Fairview, Connecticut. Her house had previously been used in the James Stewart 1950 comedy "Harvey". Its Mediterranean decor is highlighted by Andy Warhol-style prints of the lady of the house and a very sturdy dining room table - a lovemaking location in the show's premiere episode.
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Mike's (James Denton) dog is called Bongo.
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The date of Mary Alice's death is September 26, 2004, because ABC originally intended to air the series premiere of "Desperate Housewives" on that day. On Wednesday, August 11, 2004 they announced via official press release, that the pilot episode would be pushed back a week to Sunday, October 3rd. Episode #2 with the tombstone scene had already been produced prior to that schedule re-shuffle.
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Aired on Channel 4 in the UK again pulling in huge viewer ratings with 5.1 million viewers.
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This episode establishes the the opening credits of the series featuring 3D graphics of past "Desperate Houswives" in society.
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According to this episode the character Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) lived from November 18, 1965 and died on September 26, 2004 as it's written on her tombstone.
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Allusions
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Episode Title: This episode's title refers to the song "Ah, But Underneath" from the Sondheim musical "Follies"
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Dr. Albert Goldfine: "I don't think Freud would approve of this." Dr. Goldfine is talking to Bree Van De Kamp about Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud was a famous psychoanalyst who did studies in the early 20th century on the human unconciousness. He is very popular in the psychology arena.
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