Mama Spent Money When She Had None

Season 5, Episode 14, Aired
EDIT

Episode Summary

Bree reaps the success of her new book by treating herself to a new car, while Lynette and Tom resolve to sell his Mustang for some extra cash. Susan is determined to send MJ to the best school, even though she and Mike can't afford it. Meanwhile, Gabrielle joins Edie's no nonsense boot camp to get herself back into shape, and Lee is conflicted over whether to tell Lynette and Tom some disturbing facts about Dave.moreless
8.7
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Great
240 votes
  • Your Rating: 10
    "Perfect"
  • Your Rating: 9.5
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 9
    "Superb"
  • Your Rating: 8.5
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 8
    "Great"
  • Your Rating: 7.5
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 7
    "Good"
  • Your Rating: 6.5
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 6
    "Fair"
  • Your Rating: 5.5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 5
    "Mediocre"
  • Your Rating: 4.5
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 4
    "Poor"
  • Your Rating: 3.5
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 3
    "Bad"
  • Your Rating: 2.5
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 2
    "Terrible"
  • Your Rating: 1.5
    "Abysmal"
  • Your Rating: 1
    "Abysmal"
Rate It

Watch Online

Netflix
Subscription
Amazon
Buy
iTunes
Buy
Hulu Plus
Subscription

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Fan Episode Reviews (14)

See All

  • It all comes down to money......

    8.0
    "Great"
    By danny7277, Jun 07, 2011 Report Abuse
    i actually really liked this episode i thought it was entetaing and im sure the theme of this episode would be relatable to alot of other people out there..
    I thought gabys storyline this week was pretty funny with her joining a keep fit class a filler storlyine but entertaining non the less
    Susan had a pretty funny episode aswell however it was a bit daft breaking into katherines house to steal her pearls
    Lynette and bree shared a storlyine this week which was also nice, i liked the tension bretween these two characters Overall a good episode nothing special or game changing but still fun and entertainingmoreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 0

  • The Credit Crunch

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By mobbs456, May 01, 2010 Report Abuse
    another fine episode of season five, this time showcasing how the credit crunch is affecting the women and men of wisteria lane. First of all its nice to see 'more' of Dana Delany. She has recently been underused this season but now her role is becoming more jucier and firmer. Susan's new job could open up new prospects for the character. She was quite funny in this episode from her stealing Katherine's necklace to her "look at my sorry face!" At the end. Quite a touching speech too.
    I'm surprised that Lynette didn't kill Bree when they clashed. I have noticed that Mrs Hodge is slowly moving away from her circle of friends - perhaps something will happen? But the best thing was seeing glamour Gabby back. Eva Longeria is a beautiful woman and I'm glad to see her back in shape. And Dave is becoming more freaky each time...
    Overall another fine episode of our ladies.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 0

  • Good solid episode with plot and character development.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By XooKey, May 27, 2009 Report Abuse
    Lynette and her family are having money problems; the pizzeria is not busy. They had to sell Tom's Classic Mustang to bring in some money. Later in the episode Bree offers Lynette $20,000 to help out and Lynette says no, but decides to take it for a 15% stake in their pizzeria.

    Susan is trying to get MJ into a private school but can't afford it. Mike gives Katherine a pearl necklace and Susan thinks that Mike is spending money on his girlfriend that he should be spending his son's education. The necklace turns out to be fake and cost only $129. Susan ends up offering her services as an art teacher at the school she wants MJ to go to because employees get a 50% discount. She gets the job.

    Carlos is going to take Gaby to the Palm Restaurant for their anniversary and she wants to wear a certain dress that is still to tight. She joins a boot camp workout and learns the meaning hard work, dedication, and friendship. In the end she is able to get into the dress she wants to.

    Things could not be going better for Bree Hodge. Her book is selling and she is being offered a 3 book deal. She bought a new car and is showing it off to the rest of the neighborhood. The only problem is with the loan to the Scavo's, the money has driven a wedge between her friendship with Lynette

    Tom finds out that his best friend Dave is the one who gave the information to the police about his son. Tom confronts Dave an punches him out. On his second attempt to punch Dave, Dave manhandles him and basically tells him to let it go.

    This was a great episode with plot development and character development.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    1 0

  • Money and friendship can be a dangerous combination

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By sramv9, May 25, 2009 Report Abuse
    This episode was well-constructed in its exploration of different tensions and dynamics running through the friendships. Relationships are scrutinized and go through changes. Gabrielle and Edie bond over boot camp - Tom finds out Dave is not his true friend - Bree tries to help Lynette with her money problems and only succeeds in alienating her with blindingly narcisstic self-congratulation and insensitivity - Susan and Katherine and Mike have an interesting interaction around money issues as they relate to MJ's tuition at an expensive private school.... It was interesting the many different ways in which money played out in the relationships, which are themselves dynamic and changing to begin with. The most impressive storyline was the Bree and Lynette one - and both actresses did a great job.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    3 0

  • Topical? Desperate Housewives? The show about four achingly perfect women and their quest to keep on the right side of sane in the idyllic suburbs of America? You're having a larff ain't ya?moreless

    7.5
    "Good"
    By screenagedkicks, May 04, 2009 Report Abuse
    Topical? Desperate Housewives? The show about four achingly perfect women and their quest to keep on the right side of sane in the idyllic suburbs of America? You're having a larff ain't ya? Well, actually, no. Marc Cherry's magnum opus manages to be just about as relevant as page 2 of The Sun this week (you know, the bit with, shock of shocks, the politics) as the production crew take the global recession and run a few blocks with it (despite the show being set five years into future, natch). Or about as far as Gabrielle manages to get with her fitness regime in the first twenty odd minutes, at any rate. So both Lynette and Susan find themselves struck down by the credit crunch monster: business isn't exactly booming for either lady, but poor Mrs. Scavo's case, the recent finger-pointing and damning media coverage of evil Porter is hampering sales of her fabulous pizzas even more.

    Mrs. Myer, meanwhile, desperately wants little MJ to go to a private school (I mean, don't all parents? Or at least, all parents in bloody American television shows, the snobs... does no one care for the merits of state education any more? For actually being introduced to that important little thing called life? Apparently not. Rant over) and when she is faced with the phenomenal bill, she does everything in her power to get Mike to cough up the pennies. Thankfully, this somewhat selfish streak is addressed within the narrative and before long, she's pimping herself out to the headmaster, insisting that she'll do anything to get the boy in. I'm quite surprised the guy doesn't turn to camera with a wry grin on his face and exclaim, "aanything?!" but we'll bypass that missed opportunity for now. What is more troubling is the ease with which Susan manages to ingratiate herself within the faculty: why does being an illustrator of children's books qualify you to be a teacher's assistant? Teach being the operative word in the sentence. Don't you need some sort of, oh, I don't know, teaching qualification?! And if Susan has one, it's not exactly evident from her conversation with the man: all she shows him is a copy of her art work, no mention of her educational history is made! Oh, and while we're nitpicking, would he really not offer her the assistant to the Art teacher's role immediately after she suggests working in the department? He held back that nugget of information because she was 'over qualified'? Where? Where were her credentials? Give me a sodding break!

    Things are somewhat stronger in Lynette's corner, if only because the narrative has the added bonus of highlighting the distinct changes in Bree's character. The marriage of the two housewives in business is a novel idea and the staging of the downturn in their friendship at the restaurant works really well. Largely, the credit goes to Marcia Cross and Felicity Huffman as the two are on the ball yet again, perfectly encapsulating the gulf that can develop as a result of financial oscillation. And then, of course, there's Dave, whose story manages to take an additional step forward through this as finally, someone gets to see through the guy's crap. I imagine everyone with a working conscience was delighted at Tom's right-royal punch-out: I know I was egging him on to giving the psychopathic g*t a good seeing to. I am not a violent person. Honest.

    An encouragingly well thought out episode overall, then, with an engaging set of narrative strands and even some relevance to the current socio-economic climate. There are elements that leave a slightly bitter taste and once again, Gabrielle's story proves difficult to reconcile, even if it is occasionally amusing, but generally, this is an enjoyable forty five minutes. Fairly standard Desperate Housewives fare but that's certainly nothing to complain about.moreless

    DO YOU AGREE?

    0 0
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • When Susan takes out the trash, she puts it in Bob and Lee's trash can. Edit
    • This episode either points out a new downturn in the economy or that the economy is still in bad shape after 5 years, since the current year on Desperate Housewives would now be 2014. Edit
    • The zip code for Wisteria Lane in Fairview is established as 00057, as per Lynette's check ($1500) to Bree. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Episode Titles: Czech Republic: Mít a nemít peníze (Having Money and Not Having Money) Edit
    • Due to the one episode narrated by Rex Van de Kamp (Steven Culp, "My Husband, the Pig", for which Mary Alice provided the original narration in the Previously on "Desperate Housewives" segment), this is the 100th episode that has been narrated by Mary Alice Young. Edit
    • Although credited, Shawn Pyfrom (Andrew Van de Kamp), Charlie Carver (Porter Scavo), Max Carver (Preston Scavo) and Kendall Applegate (Penny Scavo) didn't appear. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • (Susan swipes Katherine's pearls to pay MJ's tuition. Katherine chases her into the street wearing only a towel) Katherine: Susan Mayer for God sake, give me back my pearls. Susan: (Susan grabs hold of the towel) Pearls or towel, you decide. Katherine: You wouldn't dare! Susan: I have been naked on this street, it would be nice to take the heat off that story. Edit
    • Gabrielle: I know some of these women in your exercise class. The most exercise they ever get is cut a piece of cake! Yaniv: That's a lap! Gabrielle: Excuse me? Yaniv: In the contract, there are words I do not tolerate: cake, tired, can't, doughnut. If I hear them, you owe a lap. Gabrielle: (she chuckles) It's an exercise class. Why would anyone say doughnut? Yaniv: That's another lap! Gabrielle: (she takes the contract back) You know, maybe I should give this a little gander. Edit
    • Mr. Hobson: Congratulations on your new job. Susan: Congratulations on getting me out of your office. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Episode Title: The title of this episode comes from a line in the song "Children and Art", from Stephen Sondheim's musical Sunday in the Park with George. Edit

Show Forums

See All
Last Activity
Replies

Watch Desperate Housewives Full Episodes

See All

Related Shows

Season 5 Episodes

See All
Ep 24
If It's Only In Your Head (2)
Ep 23
Everybody Says Don't (1)
Ep 22
Marry Me a Little
Ep 21
Bargaining
Ep 20
Rose's Turn
Ep 19
Look Into Their Eyes and Y...
Ep 18
A Spark. To Pierce the Dar...
Ep 17
The Story of Lucy and Jessie
Ep 16
Crime Doesn't Pay
Ep 15
In a World Where the Kings...
Ep 14
Mama Spent Money When She ...
Ep 13
The Best Thing That Ever C...
Ep 12
Connect! Connect!
Ep 11
Home Is The Place
Ep 10
A Vision's Just a Vision
Ep 9
Me and My Town
Ep 8
City on Fire
Ep 7
What More Do I Need?
Ep 6
There's Always a Woman
Ep 5
Mirror, Mirror
Ep 4
Back in Business
Ep 3
Kids Ain't Like Everybody ...
Ep 2
We're So Happy You're So H...
Ep 1
You're Gonna Love Tomorrow

Contributors

Become a contributor
More
Less

TV Listings

Full Listings
BROWSE | Shows | Videos | News | Listings | Forums | People | Photos | TV.com Blog

CBS Entertainment | About TV.com | About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Ad Choice | Terms of Use