Desperate Housewives

This was simply another great episode of Desperate Housewives, the quality of the show still remains unbelievably high. I loved the scenes with Scavo's when Tom sacks the staff and forces all his kids to work there to try to keep the restaurant going. IOn the end he finally had to see what Lynette was saying made sense and give in to the inevitable. Susan's scenes were also very good with MJ turning out to be a real star. She was desperate for him not to like Katherine better than her! Gaby's storyline with using Carlos's boss's secret to get him his bonus was ok as was Bree's with Orson finding out Andrew is paid double what he gets. Roll on next episode!

Lynette (to Tom): "So now we have pretend customers. Gee, what are we gonna do with all the pretend money we make?"



Some people would normally quit while they're ahead or at least abandon ship when it's beginning to sink. In a way you have to admire Tom for wanting to stick it out with the pizzeria. In another way you just want to smack him across the head.



On the plus side this is the second episode in a row that gives Doug Savant something good to do. Unfortunately though you are still reminded that Tom can be arguably too stupid for his own good at times.



Earlier in the season, Tom was set to sell the pizzeria so he could pursue some dumb dream about travelling the country in an RV. This was also part of the reason why we had to endure Blue Oyster as well. Tom's mid-life crisis could probably be described more aptly as a regressed adolescence.



This week he did his best to combat declining customers in Scavos with a stupid bout of improv from the staff. Clearly none of his staff are that convincing as actors because it failed to bring in further custom. However something like this wouldn't deter Tom.



His next move was then to fire his staff, which reeked of stupidity. Lynette had hoped that doing such a thing would be a hint that Tom was going to cut his losses and sell the pizzeria. Nope, instead he decided that child labour was the order of the day by having his kids work at Scavos.



Now having Porter and Preston work there is fine – they're old enough to do so but Parker and Penny most definitely are too young to be working there. Worse still, Tom expected them to work there without pay, which makes him an even crappier TV boss than Ian Beale from EastEnders.



Usually Lynette can be relied on to get Tom to see sense but even she was powerless to stop this stupid plan from going into action. Also like most of Tom's hair brained schemes, it blew up in his face. Never mix family with business.



Not only was Penny out of her depth (even if she was relegated to making salads) but Porter threw a massive hissy fit which resulted in Tom getting rough with him. Personally, Porter's excuse for not wanting to serve some stupid bully was dumb but consistent with the character.



Tom losing it however didn't do him much in the way of favours. Sure, he frightened the crap out of the Porter but he also scared the other kids and Lynette as well as any unfortunate customer who might have overheard the altercation between the two of them.



That being said, I can't sympathise with Porter either. His screwing around with a married woman put his parents in more trouble than usual but his outburst did prove to be the last straw for Tom.



Given that a large percentage of restaurants fail within their first year, Tom should be lucky that his place managed to go for seven years. This episode marked the end of an era for the Scavos with their business but if it means that we're gonna get Lynette away from her family, then Tom's business collapsing could be a God send.



Less of a God send but proving an earlier point is Orson. It's amazing that I've gone from thinking that him and Bree working together could be a disaster to thinking it might work. Now I've gone back to my original thinking – Orson needs to get out Bree's business and fast.



If he can't handle the fact that Andrew is earning more money than him, then that doesn't say a lot about Orson, does it? Orson failed to acknowledge the fact that Andrew more than earned his cash and while spending 400 bucks on a pen is stupid, it's Andrew's money. Orson should be mature enough to realise that.



Unfortunately he isn't and used trickery to discover how much Andrew was earning. What I loved about this episode is that Bree stood her ground on this one. She defended the fact that Andrew was paid more than Orson and she also had every right to remind Orson on how he got his job.



Seeing as Orson had no problem using blackmail to work in his wife's business, perhaps he should button it when it comes to his stepson's salary. However with Orson stealing Andrew's ruddy pen at the end of the episode, I have a feeling that things are only going to get worse for him and Bree.



Speaking of worse, it's alarming that even with a new job; Susan can still get some terrible storylines. Shouldn't we seeing her flourish as a teaching assistant, engaging with her mentor, being a positive influence at her son's private and generally showing viewers that she is capable of standing on her own two feet?



Yeah, that's the Susan that if I were a staff writer on this show that viewers would see more of. Instead she spent this episode renewing a childish feud with Katherine all because MJ has now decided that his father's new girlfriend isn't Satan after all.



Susan really does have an annoying double standard. It's okay for MJ to like anyone she's dating but heaven forbid that the kid likes anyone that Mike is seeing also. What bugs me even more is that when Jackson was acting fatherly with MJ earlier in the season, Mike wasn't keen but he was mature not to let it get to him.



Susan on the other hand can't stand Katherine looking after her son while Mike works around the clock. Twice in this episode Susan got really nasty and personal with Katherine getting along with MJ and the thing about threatening to take Mike back to court was a really low blow. Mike might be boring from time to time but we've seen no evidence that he's a terrible father.



Susan on the other hand could be accused of being a terrible mother. She might love MJ but her behaviour was more about her own needs rather than her son's. She whines that Mike isn't providing and when he works around the clock, she loses it again.



The best part of this episode was Katherine putting her in her place. While it might benefit Katherine and her relationship with Mike that MJ gets along with her, there's no reason to suggest that Katherine is just bonding with the child to keep Mike sweet. After all, why on Earth would have against a five year old anyway?



I have to admit I did get a happy out of seeing Susan squirm. Mike doesn't waste too much time if he's so eager to move in with Katherine. Of course this also further means that Katherine is going to become a target for Dave.



If that hadn't been clear in earlier episodes, it certainly was here. Why else would Dave be so keen to go on a camping trip with Mike and Katherine? Also notice how he wasn't all that disappointed when Edie elected not to go herself. However I'm surprised she didn't find it suspicious when he told her not to tell Katherine that she was backing out of the trip.



Given the way that Dave has been behaving, I'm pretty sure it won't be long until Edie does realise that he's up to no good. The thing with Dr Heller's phone however was stupid. Even someone less intelligent than Dave would've at least put the damn thing on silent. What if Edie had actually found the thing?



Dave won't get many more chances like that. Soon enough someone is going to file a missing person's report on Dr Heller, so if he plans to kill Mike and Katherine, he might want to act a bit faster. However we've also got nine episodes left to go, so Dave is probably going to continue to take his time then.



As for Gabby and Carlos, being rich again is fun but thanks to recession times, losing out on a bonus isn't so much. Of course when your boss is cheating on his wife, you can always use that bit of information to ensure that you get a bonus, even if it isn't legal.



Oh come on, Gabby blackmailing Bradley for a bonus for Carlos is hardly the worst thing she's ever done. It's still selfish but it's consistent with Gabby and fortunately her and Carlos don't escape the episode guilt free. Thanks to Maria announcing her pregnancy, both of them have something to feel bad about.



Out of all the plots this week, it was probably the weakest one that we've had. Bradley and Maria aren't the most exciting of couples but in a weird way, it's nice to see Gabby with another rich woman of sorts. Too bad their friendship will die a quick death when Maria finds out about Bradley screwing around.



Also in "In A World Where The Kings Are Employers"



The "Previously On" was a lot more brief than usual but I guess that there wasn't too much from previous episodes that viewers needed to be reminded of.



MJ (to Katherine): "Thank you."

Susan: "We already thanked her buddy. We don't want to make her feel uncomfortable."



Why was Susan working so late anyway? As a teaching assistant, she wouldn't have to be that long in school.



Alex: "Once you've had a glass of this, you won't remember this evening at all."

Orson: "We'll see."



Edie (to Dave): "Life is brief and mostly sucks. You gotta pick the fun while you're on this side of the dirt."



Bree had three different dogs. Orson crushed by revealing that her favourite one, Munchie was probably put down.



Orson (to the accountant, re Bree): "How about her real hair colour? Trust me; it's not what you think."



Tom: "We'll love working together."

Porter: "We don't even like living together."



I thought it was around this episode that Jackson was supposed to resurface, despite Susan dumping him. Are we going to see Gale Harold again on the series?



Tom: "You said you were behind me one hundred percent."

Lynette: "Really? That doesn't sound like me."



Orson (to Bree): "You should know that's why people call you rigid. Because you never let loose."



Orson used the porn star name to get Bree's password so he could find out about how much Andrew was getting. Orson: "I'm your husband for God sakes."

Bree: "Yes and we all know how you got the job."



Maria: "I'm gonna buy a golf club."

Gabrielle: "A baseball bat would be cheaper. I'll let you finish."



Isn't it weird that ever since Gabrielle got glammed up again we haven't seen how both Juanita and Celia have reacted to it?



Gabrielle: "We're the good guys here, Carlos."

Carlos: "Really? Because it doesn't feel like it."



Katherine: "I'm being nice to the child of the man I'm dating. That doesn't make me evil."

Susan: "That makes you devious."



Chronology: None is specified since the previous episode.



I have to admit that while I liked some of the themes in this episode, I just found "In A World Where The Kings Are Employers" to be one of the least interesting episodes that this season has tackled so far. I'm sorry but I wasn't all that gripped with this one.

this was a pretty rubbish episode unfortuantly

The lynette storyline wasnt very good this week it was to serious i thought the scene where tom wass shouting at porter was a pretty intense moment

Susan came off abit unlikable this week i mean katherine was just trying to be helpful and to be honest susan was being horrible to her, i was glad when katherine told susan that mike is moving in with her, i didnt feel sorry for susan at all

Bree had a average storyline aswell it was abit werid when orson stole the pen

Gaby had an ok week but nothing special

the dave thing contuinues to drag itself out painfully so

Overall i was extremly let down by this episode next week should improve

The Wives are under pressure - everything is slowly unravelling and falling apart for everyone.

First of all its nice to see Dana Delany increase her role in the show. I thought Susan was going to throttle her. Speaking of Susan I felt really bad for her. The fact MJ prefered Kathy over him made her and me feel really sad. MJ is adorable again.

Gabby and Carlos made me laugh, especially when Gabby discovered Bradley at it with another woman. And the scene where they become Godparents too.

Bree and Orson are heading for Meltdown. Orson is jealous and Bree can't understand why. Its a shame.

Lynette and Tom prove they have a strong marriage in the five year jump. Tom admitting he is selling the pizzeria and Lynette passionately kissing him was for me the most emotional scene. Overall another fine episode for our ladies.

Tensions are rising with Dave getting ready to carry out his 'mission', Susan trying to keep MJ from bonding with Katherine, Gabby allowing her love of money and jewelry to paint her into an ethical corner, and Orson getting uncontrollably jealous over Andrew's higher rank and pay in Bree's catering business. Tom has a moment of truth about his restaurant's viability - and it's very hard for him to let go of his dream. The MJ/Katherine/Susan plot was funniest and my favourite (although they all complement each other). Mike left MJ with Katherine a few times and MJ quickly appeared to get really attached to her (especially her cooking). MJ now was disdainful of his once favourite white bread peanut butter sandwich made by Susan. Instead of eating what Susan made, he snuck over to Katherine's to get her to make him a panini. Susan when she found out just couldn't deal with it! Teri Hatcher played the insecure mom very well - I felt bad for Susan because not only is she having to leave her child and go to work for the first time, but her son is showing this sudden attachment to another woman/mother figure. Of course it's too bad she can't just be glad that there is another adult to love MJ and teach him new things.... but she'll get there eventually! This season has been awfully good...

Desperate Housewives is about to make another brief departure from our screens for three short weeks (bloody networks!) but before it does, it takes something of a bold leap and centres an entire episode on exploring the less-than-desirable characteristics of a number of its key characters. It's risky business this, tampering with the viewer's perceptions of the 'people' they enjoy watching week in, week out and while, when done successfully, it can add many welcome layers to the cast and humanise them to a greater extent, which in turn allows for an increased level of empathy because, let's face it, we certainly aren't perfect, all too often, the attempt is botched and what we're left with is a considerably bitter taste and the feeling that, honestly, we've been cheated out of our previously established allegiances. Here, we are subjected to plots that demonstrate the distinctly unlikeable sides of three of the main players: Tom Scavo, Susan Myer and Orson Hodge (I don't count Gabrielle because, well, what we get here is nothing new). Let's start with Orson, as his is perhaps the best executed.



So this week, Bree's husband discovers that plush-living gay Andrew (her son) is making more money than he is, working as Mrs. Van Der Kamp's PA. Which, quite frankly, he should be. He runs around after Bree, picks up all her messes, organises everything for her, makes sure everything goes according to plan and even waits on her hand and foot. Basically, he's the mechanics of the entire operation, turning the cogs and letting Bree be the pretty front. The only thing he doesn't do is cook. Orson cooks. And that's about it. So how would it not be fair for Andrew to earn more than he does... even if it is double? Frankly, that's none of his business and his qualifications as a dentist don't make an ounce of difference. At the end of the day, it's Bree's business, Bree's pay scheme and she actually let him have the job in the first place. With no relevant qualifications or experience, I might add! Thus, as soon as Bree opens her mouth to defend her position, she's unquestionable in every aspect. It's good to see her standing up for her decisions and not bowing to the pressure placed on her by her husband; she puts him in his place, which is exactly as it should be. Effectively, this a competent vehicle for Marcia Cross' character, allowing her to counter some of the questionable compromises she has made for Orson in the earlier hours of the season. So this one works: while we certainly don't empathise with Orson, his position is understood, resolved and quietly put to bed without much damage to his character (frankly, the kleptomaniac thing seems rather fun!)



The same cannot be said for Susan Myer and Tom Scavo, however. Susan in particular is just unforgivable here. While it does seem to chime with her character that she would be jealous of Katherine, it's just plain irritating, especially given the double standard it seems to be inherently predicated upon. Just a few weeks ago, she expected Mike to be fine with the idea of Jackson spending time with MJ which, despite his initial reservation, he simply bluntly accepted. No forced confrontation with the man, accusing him of trying to steal his son away from him. Now the boot's on the other foot and Susan isn't happy... which, frankly, I'm surprised the writers didn't address (missed opportunity, much?) But of course, this is an exercise in plot manoeuvring. The purpose of Susan's unjustified vehemence is so we can get to the point where Mike moving in with Katherine can be revealed. Resultantly, this feels a little contrived, even if Susan's objections are arguably in character. And perhaps more worryingly, it's just frustrating watching her whine about MJ's need to be with Mike, not his girlfriend. Change the bloody record, would ya? Tom Scavo, meanwhile, is just plain insane. While I certainly buy that he would be desperate to save his pizza place, I do not accept that he would get his underage children to work there. Porter and Preston, maybe, okay. But Parker? Penny?! She's nine years old! NINE! It's bloody illegal and there's no way Tom would flaunt the law so outrageously. He wants to keep his business, not lose it due to legal action. I understand that the writers evidently want to demonstrate just how much he wants to make the place a success and not let go of it, but couldn't they have found a better way of illustrating it than by completely throwing his character out of the window? No, this is not something that Tom would do ever. And it certainly not something that Lynette would agree to. Ever. In fact, it's something that no one would do. EVER. And are you telling me that the neighbourhood would let them get away with it? That they wouldn't object to having a nine year old behind the cash register, desperately trying to remember last week's Maths lesson in which they learned how to subtract big numbers from one another? Hello, it's a small community, someone would notice! Hell, Edie's there in one of the scenes! *rips hair out* It's just sloppy writing: finding the easiest method of getting to a desired point rather than the most organic.



This episode's overall feel is tainted somewhat by these two frustrating exercises in futility (oh and Gabrielle's story is just a damn retread of every other narrative she has ever had). While the writing staff prove that they can explore more human, less desirable character traits successfully with Orson's story, they completely botch it with Susan and especially Lynette/Tom's stories by either making completely out-of-character, thoroughly unbelievable decisions that even a six year old would pick holes in or simply making the emphasis too great on that which is irritatingly unlikeable. It's a brave attempt, I'll give it that, but 'In a World Where the Kings are Employers' can only be described as partially successful.

Let me just start off by saying that all things considered, I loved this episode. I didn't absolutely love everything about this episode, but I still really enjoyed it. Bree's storyline was definitely my favorite storyline. Marcia Cross was absolutely hilarious in this episode, especially in the scene where Orson discovers that Andrew got a huge raise. Gabrielle's storyline was definitely my second favorite storyline in this episode. I thought that Gabrielle was really funny in this episode and was just being classic Gabrielle. I also really enjoyed Susan's storyline with Katherine. M.J. was so cute in this episode. My least favorite storyline in this episode was definitely Lynette and Tom's storyline. I just found it pretty boring. In closing, I thought that this was a very enjoyable episode of Desperate Housewives. I didn't love everything about this episode, but I still really enjoyed it, and I can't wait to see the next episode of Desperate Housewives.

I am really loving this season episodes. The writers are really doing their jobs.



So let's begin..



Lynette and Tom has a way to make us see what marriage is truly is about. The way they try to make it through together and hold their family together, are something that really touches my heart.



As for Susan, I am more and more disappointed by her. Sure, she has her shortcomings but she's always driven by her self-pity, her jealousy and her insecurities. She never once sit and really talk with Katherine. She always make assumptions. I know, I know it appears that I am a Susan-hater here but, this season she really irritates me. I used to like her.



I'm just glad that Katherine knows where to stand in this whole thing. I feel bad for MJ for being caught up in all Susan's drama.



For Orson and Bree, oh well, Bree should be more sensitive when it comes to Orson's feeling. I really feel for Orson specially when he pocketed Andrew's Mont Blanc pen.



I also wish Gabrielle will be more the same Gabrielle when she thought she lost everything and be not greedy when it comes to material stuff. But that's Gabrielle, I think and I really love her no matter what.



And lastly, I really hope Dave just stop and if not I hope he won't succeed on his evil plan against Mike.

Everybody is evil this week as Tom takes his job a little too seriously, Orson steals Andrew's pen and Dave gets ready to complete his mission years in the making. And who quite knows what Katharine is up to.



This episode was unique in the sense that it was really dark and not as light-hearted as the majority of this show's past installments. Sure Orson trying to figure out Bree's porn name to get to her password and Gabrielle blackmailing her husband's boss were good for a few laughs, but this was more about gearing up for the wild ride that this show is about to take in the final episodes of the season. One thing is certain that a number of people are about to snap.



My only complaint about this was the whole Susan/MJ dealio here. Just felt really boring as I wanted to see Susan on the job, not running around acting overprotective.

First of all, not so positive, is that the opening narrations are starting to get really lame. The one in this episode was probably the worst one yet. In previous seasons, they made you laugh or curious, but now: nothing. Hope this gets better soon.



Susan storyline was ok, I guess, but it's still about Mike, which I don't like. Her final showdown with Katherine was pretty cool, since Kathy finally got a little b*tchy once again. MJ was cute, as always, and it was almost as if he was dating Katherine, like when he was in the doorstep and said: 'I had a great time', or something like that.



Gaby's back! The manipulating model from the first seasons is back and even though her hair is hidious right now, I like her. Too bad we're not seeing the kids anymore, but I guess they'll show up later.

Which I also like is that they're getting a storyline which lasts longer than one episode and they aren't really in the middle of the drama. Can't wait to see how this goes further.

But I don't like how Gaby's lost so many weight: it's only been a few weeks since the fire in The White Horse. Please, show some reality, people!



Lynette's story wasn't as interesting, but I guess we can say an era has passed: it has been exactly 2 seasons since Scavo's openened (episode 3x15, I've always said the writers liked the meaning in their episode numbers) and I think it got a nice goodbye. They underused the set this season, at least to my opinion, and with the remodelling (as I saw today) it's sad to see it go.

Which I hated about this storyline, is how Lynette almost gave Tom a lapdance after he crushed his kid's skull. The scene with Porter/Preston, I don't know, was really intense and had some superb acting, but the writing in the scene afterwards was horrible.

I know she was trying to comfort him in his decision to sell the restaurant, but jeeeeesh lady, he just assulted your child. Good to see a serious Tom though, it's like his talk with Dave really changed him.



Bree's story was pure filler and I don't want to be rude or anything, but Andrew doesn't have good taste, as far as I think. Did you see the color of the walls in his house? I felt like it was only there to match Bree's outfit.

Orson trying to figure out what Bree's dog was called like was hilarious, but the same goes for the start of his new storyline.

You're jealous of the things the kid of your wife gets and you start stealing them? I don't like the idea of Orson stealing anyway, but the way they started it was absolutely ridiculous.



And Dave... ah, finally a good portion of evolution in that story. Nice writing in the bedroom, where Edie heard Dr. Heller's phone ringing. The only thing I do think, is that they wrote this in because the fans were talking about the doctor's sudden disappearance since the fire. There was not said a word about him and I'm glad to see how they wrote this in, although I think the body would have been identified by now and that is some sloppy writing. I hope they're going to get a good excuse for that. Maybe they release that information on the day Dave's going on that camping trip with Mike and Katherine, so he's going to have to abord the whole thing. They're obviously not going camping, so...



Overall, a pretty good episode, better than the last one, although I don't like how they keep mentioning the crisis in their storylines.

I want to see what Dave is up to and what's next in store for Gaby, Edie, Lynette and Bree (or at least kinda) and it's pure torture that we're going to have to wait another three weeks to find out what everybody's up to on Wisteria Lane.



Someone's going to die, a male guest star who has appeared in several episodes, and since Dave encounters a priest next episode, I wouldn't be surprised to see one of our two recurring priests (Bree's and Gaby's) moving on into the light...

It's nice to see Gabby back to her old glam ways and blackmailing the boss for a bonus is just like her. But to not give away the affair to the wife was interesting and her and Carlos as godparents is just comedy gold. They did a great job with all the reactions and interesting to see how it goes.



The Scavo drama was quite good with Tom coming up with the wild idea of using his own kids to cut costs. Surprised that Porter would raise such a stink about being recognized by classmates. Surely being arrested for arson would be bigger than being made fun of. But the moment of Tom slamming him was quite powerful and the scene of Lynette comforting him after he decided to sell was quite moving, showing once more why this marriage works so perfectly.



The Orson/Bree stuff was mostly filler but does show yet again how Orson struggles under Bree's rule which can be troubling. Of course, is just like Bree to still buy the "puppy gone to the farm" story. The Susan/Katherine stuff was good too, pushing the tension with Mike as Susan clearly wants him back but too proud to say it. Of course, Dave's revenge scheme is kicking in and Susan has no idea she's literally dodging a bullet as things start to heat up nicely storywise.

Aw, the beginning was so sad with MJ. Susan tries so hard, though. Teri Hatcher also looks good. So does Marcia Cross in the scene at Andrew's new house. Haha, I loved Bree in that scene. She was thinking of things to say! I'm tired of hearing about the economy if it's supposed to be 2014! LMAO! Gabby ordered 10 lobsters because the boss isn't giving Carlos a bonus. Tom's idea to bring customers was good. Too bad it didn't work. I can't believe Edie is leaving! I like where the Dave storyline is going. Orson has been pretty jealous and different this season. LMAO at Orson's remark about Bree's real hair color. Tom's idea to make the children work is horrible! I liked the scene where Gabby saw Carlos' boss cheating, too. It's only 9:22 and I'm already liking the episode a lot. Pretty good episode!