Desperate Housewives

Some may call this a filler, some may not. Whatever people think its entertaining - isn't that all that counts? Bree and Karl's breaking was hilarious and Orson's cry of It wasn't me! was rather funny, though the ending was quite revealing.

Lynette putting Tom off surgery was also funny - The Joker indeed! Meanwhile we learn that Gabby isn't quite so selfish and that she still has some fears.

Katherine and Mike are getting married - hooray! But why did she delete Susan's email and fake Mike's text? Was she afraid that Mike would back out?

Susan is never going to live happily is she? Even though the marriage was a sham, i felt sorry for her desperate cries at the end as Jackson was whisked away. At first i thought Mike or Kathy had grassed him up, then realised Psycho Dave was behind it...

this was an ok episode with a few good stories

I was glad that jackson is being deported because i really dislike his character because he is so annoying

bree continues with her divorce i could certainly feel some sexual tension between karl and her i have a feeling that there may be an affair on the way

lynette had a filler storyline this week with her whiney husband wanting a face lift god that man gets on my nevers

katherine was a little sneaky this week but hey thats what we like

overall a ok episode but not very exciting considering that the season only has two episodes left

i have to admit that it took me the whole summer till i finally decided to watch the last three episodes of season 5 that were left for me. in my opnion throughout the season with all the ridiculous orson stuff going on i kind of lost interest. the beginning of the season was so good, but then it didnt make fun anymore...

now that ive watched the episodes i have to say: its getting better! bree robbing her own house was hilarious! her "oh my god, orson we got robbed" was one of the best dh moments in a long time. mike marrying catherine?? please... i kind of dont like her... but we all know how that will work out.

im just hoping that desperate housewives will be up to its old strengths and that it will keep me hooked next season.

Susan (re Jackson): "Can't this wait? We're about to get married."

Immigration Officer: "Not today, you're not."



You can tell we're around season finale time because some episodes feel a little light weight and this is certainly one that could've used a bit more oomph to a degree. Only Bree's plot was the one that spelled impending danger.



She's desperate for Orson to get out of her life that she's only too willing to listen to every bit of advice that Karl throws her way. One of those sound pieces of advice also included staging a break in at her own home. Sometimes logic really does get scattered in this show.



If this show didn't have its element of predictability, Bree would've instantly refused Karl's idea on the spot. At first she made some valid arguments against the idea but Karl was able to goad her into accepting such a risky proposal. Robbing your own house, what could possibly go wrong with that?



Just about everything when you think about it. Bree and Karl didn't exactly wear balaclavas, neither of them looked too careful with making sure they didn't leave DNA evidence that could be traced back to them and Bree spent too much time fussing over her house.



Karl's repugnancy aside, he raised a point. If it was up to Bree, Orson would've sussed a lot quicker than he did that the home invasion was a little too suspect. Orson's first reaction of 'I didn't do it' when him and Bree walked into the mess made me chuckle. What gave Bree away in the end was the matter of her putting the stolen items into storage and Orson having access to her cell phone when the woman in charge over storage called Bree. Last year Bree forced Orson to go to prison and I have a feeling that Orson might have no problem in repaying the favour to Bree. The previews for the finale more or less indicate that as well. With Bree's illegal activities set to backfire on her ass, it's Dave who still seems to be getting away with things even if Jackson's presence does pose a lingering threat to him. How do you deal with someone that could potentially get in the way of you having your revenge?



We've already seen Dave kill Dr Heller in cold blood and he was prepared to strangle Edie to death as well (prior to her getting frazzled). With those events being recent, there was the nasty feeling that Jackson was going to end up dead by the end of the episode. Luckily for him, Dave used the legal system to get Jackson out of the way.



Blowing Susan's hopes for another wedding by calling immigration was a pretty smart move on Dave's part. Jackson gets deported, which means he can't put Dave in the firing line but at the same time, Dave solves a problem without having to resort to murder. Which is exactly what he's going to do to Susan and MJ however.



Susan and Jackson's marriage plot didn't kill the episode but it was really hard to feel for Jackson getting deported as well. Whatever love that might have been there between him and Susan earlier on in the season, doesn't really seem to be there now. Susan herself even wanted to tell her friends that their wedding was a sham. Jackson however wasn't keen on spilling the beans.



Then there was how this affected everyone else. MJ's reaction was surprisingly uncovered by the whole thing, even though Mike tried to raise the issue and if it had been up to Katherine, Susan and Jackson would have had a shot gun wedding with her aiming the barrel at Susan.



Katherine's need to get close to Mike was covered in Season Three when Edie used similar tactics to stay with Carlos. It didn't work back then and it still doesn't work now. Mike proposing to Katherine felt false. He did it because of Susan and Jackson, not because he actually felt it was the right thing to do.



Katherine even knew that but still accepted the proposal. Heck when Susan had to ask Mike to keep paying alimony, Katherine decided to pretend that Mike would agree by presumably paying it herself. Is Mike really worth that kind of an effort? Not to be nasty but no. Also this is so gonna blow up in Katherine's face by finale time.



When it comes to cautionary tales, the rest of the women got some interesting ones as well. Gabby in particular who's never been shy of her love for spending Carlos's cash came to a horrid realisation when she saw one of her former friends Fran eating from a soup kitchen.



Gabby made some pretty natural assumptions about how Fran might have come to lose her wealth but either way, it was hard not to feel sorry for the woman. Gabby's been poor before, so brushing off Fran's warning wasn't her smartest of ideas though by the end I got the feeling that things were sinking in a little.



Speaking of warnings, how many more does Tom need before he learns to get a grip? I know the job market is competitive but even he can't be dumb enough to actually think that getting a nip and tuck is going to make him stand out?



All season we've had to deal with his various forms of mid-life crisis but like so many viewers I've gotten past the point of caring. Lynette tried several times to emphasis how ridiculous the idea was and Tom blew her off. Even if you don't end up like Bruce, Tom should consider that financially, surgery might not be that beneficial after all.



Also in "Marry Me A Little"



Karl's earlier (but more obvious suggestions) for Bree to avoid paying Orson included a second accounts book and a secret bank account. Maybe she should be talking to Carlos on that one.



Bree (re Orson): "Wouldn't it be easier to have him killed?"

Karl: "As your lawyer, I can't condone that."



When Karl was describing a possible younger woman that Orson could end up dating, I couldn't help but think about him and Brandi.



Susan: "Can I at least tell the girls?"

Jackson: "No way. They don't call her Gabby for a reason."



Carlos: "I thought we were trying out the vase?"

Gabrielle (to Ellen): "I'll explain it to him later."



Gabby finally realised that while Juanita might be a brat, Celia doesn't speak at all. The bobble head nickname was funny if kinda cruel.



Karl: "This place has to look like it was ransacked by robbers, not someone's personal shopper."

Bree: "Well, do you have to do it with such relish?"



Bree: "Orson, we've been robbed."

Orson: "It wasn't me, I swear."



Tom is another TV character that hasn't grasped the art of Twitter. I always find it weird when this show references current trends (it can be so detached from reality at times).



Mike: "I know, not the most romantic proposal in the world. I shouldn't have lead in with the teeth cleaning."

Katherine: "I'm gonna overlook that."



Bruce: "Now, you might not be able to tell I've had work done."

Tom: "Really? Have they finished?"



Chronology: A few days since "Bargaining".



Not the greatest of set up episodes, though to be fair, "Marry Me A Little" doesn't really set up all that much apart from Bree and Susan's arc. Can't imagine that Gabrielle and Lynette are going to get anything as taxing.

This was an okay, filler episode - I just can;t wait for the season to finally kick in high speed. I thought that the Lynette/Tom storyline was COMPLETELY arbitrary and ridiculous, Bree was somewhat entertaining, though I'm getting tired with her, Gabby was WHATEVER... Seriously, the only somewhat interesting part of the episode was the Susan/Jackson part, and I do NOT want to see Gale Harold go! It was so sad when the feds came to pick him up - and seriously, how STUPID are the people on the street to not figure out something is wrong with Dave? Seriously.

Well - what did we learn this time? Bree is quite the little crook when she wants to protect her material interests. Orson now has knowledge of this - what will he do with it? Will he.... punish her? Will she....end up in jail? I'm seeing Bree doing some time maybe in the future. Can you imagine? Maybe there's a Martha Stewart guide to the big house or something like that that she can use to help her cope. She's really set herself up for some nasty future fall out.



Catherine is a snake. What she did to prevent Mike from learning the truth about Susan's marriage being a fake went way over the line of what is acceptable in a trusting relationship. Something tells me she's gonna regret this one!



The Dave calling immigration on Jackson was a bit lame. I've lost interest in the Dave plot quite frankly. I think the show was crazy taking all the steam out of this line with Edie's death and the switch to a new target (from Mike to Susan).



I found the Lynette and Tom plot to be funny and refreshingly honest. I thought it was dumb that he would not know what Twitter is. That did not seem plausible. Everyone knows Twitter now. But other than that, it was nicely done. The Gabby thing with the friend who lost everything due to family illness; hospital bills was a bit satisfying. Will it make any kind of a lasting change in her world view I wonder?

I really feel bad for Orson here. Sure, one can argue that he made his own bed and now must go to sleep in it, but I have always enjoyed the Orson and Bree relationship and really hope they can work through this. They are definitely my favorite couple on the show and hopefully they ride this out.



On another note, I really hope Jackson is gone for good this time around. I just never found him entertaining in the least bit and he is not the kind of character who is going to bring out the best in Susan either. It'd be best if they just made a clean break with him.



With the season finale coming up I am really surprised at how uneventful it appears to be. Just a few weeks ago I was uber hooked, but now not so much.

It's been a while since I've liked anything coming from the Bree/Orson- thievery storyline, but with the addition of Susan's ex, Karl helping Bree get ready for a divorce, that plot has been injected with some new life. Really, I'm not sure if that counts, since it was really Bree and Karl together that I truly enjoyed. Polar opposites in every way, it was hard not to like the uptight priss and the a-hole lawyer as they bickered back and forth througout the evening. Here are two people who see the world in completely different ways, but honestly, they have great chemistry. While robbing her own home, (some great lines!) Bree and Karl were bordering on flirtation the entire time. They're last scenes in his office weren't very subtle, but I am entertaining the idea of them together. It would make for some great stuff next season, because let's face it- Orson's a bore. Unfortunately, I think Karl might only be just trying to get in bed with Bree, with no real interest in a serious future. He's a dog, not a do-gooder. But could you imagine if BOTH of Susan's ex's were with BOTH of her best friends?



The other couple I'm referring to, of course is Katherine and Mike, and man am I glad to see Dana Delany get back into the thick of things here on Wysteria. Upon news of Susan and Jackson's (fake) engagement, Mike finally proposed to Katherine. He seemed so casual about it, and it is obvious that he still loves Susan, but Katherine is so desperate at this point she doesn't care. So much so, that she insists on Susan and Jackson's marriage even after hearing it's fake (Canada?! Brrrr!). It was kinda fun watching her cheer the couple on, and she even pretended to be Mike, lying about the alimony checks that Susan would still need to take care of MJ. Speaking of MJ, Dave's plan is running out of time, so the neighborhood creepster wasted no time in calling deportation and having Jackson taken away (just in time- I hate him!) before he could be questioned about the fire. Now maybe nothing will stand in Dave's way moving towards the possible murder of MJ (confessional next week?) and I can't wait to see what happens. I feel if they kill Susan's child, she will be unbearable to watch next year.



Gaby decided to take Juanita to a soup kitchen to teach her a little humility. I was eager to see how that would play out, but the story took a much different turn. Gaby ran into an old friend who used to be rich and now is very poor. It was a weighted lesson for Gaby to learn, but coming right after the "you don't need makeup to be pretty" story, I'm worried Gabrielle's plots will fall under the 'after school special" variety. Let's get back to being edgy, please! My favorite moments came from Lynette and Tom (again!). Tom, feeling insecure about his age, decided to maybe look into getting a face lift (this is hilarious in so many ways!) Leave it to Lynette to passive-aggressively try and steer Tom in the right direction: she invited over a co-worker who had the same work done, but to very drastic results. "Very clever, Lynette-inviting The Joker over to scare me." L.O.L. My jaw hit the floor when I saw this guy, Bruce. I don't know if that face was real or not, but DAMN!



And then came the moment where Lynette quelled her husband's worries about wrinkles: "I see our whole life together. This is you worrying about how you're going to provide for us. This is Penny falling out of the tree house and breaking her arm. This is my cancer. These are the millions of laughs that got us through all those tough times. It's like a map of our marriage, and I don't wanna lose it." Wow. In the hands of a lesser actress this might have come off pretty cheesy, but leave it to Felicity Huffman to blow it out of the water yet again! A nice touch to have Tom try the same thing- no go, lol



A good episode overall. Not monumentally perfect or anything, but clever, nicely paced, and the mask theme was used well. I'm eager for the finale next week.

It's been a season with ups and downs, but now we're finally getting there, it looks like the end is gonna be good. A review of the storylines:



--Susan--

This was definately a Susan-centric episode and while she wasn't seen that much, a lot of the story evolved around her. Dave is getting desperate to cover up the final tracks to the fire and murder he's responsible for, earlier this season, and his webs are finally closing in. The final scene was a nice reminder of the season 2 episode, also with Susan in a wedding dress while her fiancé took off and I was glad it wasn't handled over-dramatic. Nice storylines for the finale for this lady.



--Katherine--

Probably the best episode for Kathy this season: we finally see her desperate, manipulating side again. She must be really -yes, again - desperate for Mike to marry her, since she knows why he's doing it. I just wish - I know it's not gonna happen - that Mike and Susan would just be over. Pick someone and stick to it, please!



--Lynette--

Worst of the episode. It wasn't that interesting and I think we're all over Tom's mid-life by now, so it's time to drop this storyline. The final conversation was good though, but am I really supposed to believe Lynette/Felicity didn't have some work done? You may not be able to see Tom's wrinkles, but that counts for you too girl. Filler and probably the same for the finale. Too bad, because it started off with potential. And I'm pretty sure they won't bring back Warren Schilling. A shame.



--Gabrielle--

A good and touching story, but underused. I was expecting to see something leading up to the finale and the cousin-storyline, but nothing there. It was filler, but it was nice to see some continuity in Gaby's character (two weeks of nice-ness, wow!) and see Father Crowley back. Celia and Juanita are hilarious and I'm starting to like them more than MJ, who's character is becoming a bit flat.



--Bree--

Hallelujah and welcome to television paradise! Almost every scene was priceless, especially the amazing first one, and is a classic Bree storyline. I like how they're building up the relationship between Karl and Bree and the break-in was superb. I'm glad there has finally come an end to the 'Yes, no'-situation Bree was in. Orson's discovery at the end is relly promising for the finale and I can't wait to see what happens.



A very good episode, with some character development and grown-up storylines - at least - I've been waiting for this year. I hope the finale will be good and that there's something to look out for next season. I'm glad the Dave storyline is finally over, because it's been dragged out enough and isn't interesting (anymore). Next year a real mystery, please!



A little disappointing: the promo for next week almost gives away the end, when Dave's talking about MJ. I don't see it as a goodbye video, more as a 'recap' of the situation... But I'll see if my thoughts turn out correctly next week.

Let me just start off by saying that all things considered I absolutely loved this episode. I thought that all of the storylines were great, but I have to say that Bree's storyline was definitely my favorite storyline of the episode. I love watching Bree and Karl together. They are so funny together. I thought that Marcia Cross gave an amazing performance in this episode. Susan's storyline was definitely my second favorite storyline of the episode. I hope that what happened at the end of the episode with Jackson doesn't mean that Gale Harold is going to be leave the show anytime soon because I'm a huge Gale Harold fan. I thought that Lynette and Tom's storyline was pretty funny. Gabrielle's storyline was great too. I also loved Katherine in this episode and how manipulative she was. I can't see what happens with her. In closing, I thought that this was a very well written, well acted and well made episode of Desperate Housewives from everyone involved, and I can't wait to see the season finale of Desperate Housewives.

As a lead-in to next week's grand season finale, 'Marry Me a Little' feels rather underwhelming. While the stakes are certainly raised for a few of the housewives, the stories themselves suffer from a number of irritating flaws. Take Susan's marriage of convenience to Jackson: not only do the writers continue to annihilate all the character development she's acquired since deciding to go it alone earlier in the season, by having her mutter gloriously pathetic lines like, "oh I've been so lonely without you Jackson!", but now they're funnelling the thoroughly artificial cracks in Mike and Katherine's relationship through it as well. How utterly, utterly predictable that Mike would start to realise that he's still in love with his ex-wife as soon as she turned up on his doorstep with her new beau in tow! Oh, and just in case there's any doubt as to the truth of that, Mary Alice even remarks, over a shot of Mr. Delfino at episode's end, that 'others cover up a love that continues to linger'. Well, that's just great. There's nothing like stringing a fanbase along for five seasons, playing seemingly never-ending games of will they/won't they with a couple, putting them together, splitting them up, promising marriage, giving him amnesia, getting them together again, splitting them up again and now... well, more than probably getting them together. Again. Don't tell me that as soon as she gets the first whiff of feeling from Mike, Susan isn't going to run head first into his plumberly arms, abandoning all of her feelings for Jackson and pretending like the last few years never happened. It's the only story that the writers know how to tell, the only one they seem to think will reward and engage their audience (remember the British guy in season three?) Well sorry guys, but I've got a newsflash for ya: we're tired of it. We're sick of being jerked around, sick of being promised something but never truly given it, and most of all, we're sick of being expected to buy into every insipid twist and turn in this most ghastly of narratives. How are we ever supposed to invest in any of the other relationships that Mike and Susan may individually become involved in, if they're always going to abandon them for each other by the time the season finale comes around? And more importantly than that, how are we supposed to care about them being together at all if you're just going to screw it up and take it away from us again? Frankly, I'm done with the whole thing.



Sure, I'm possibly jumping the gun here; perhaps the writers won't reunite the two and surprise us all, but I don't exactly have high hopes given their past record. And in any case, look what it's done to Mike and Katherine's relationship. You can pretty much kiss that one goodbye in the season finale, now that he's made the most pathetic and insincere marriage proposal EVER and she's acted like an emotionally transparent idiot, giving completely over-the-top reactions to Susan and Jackson's matrimonial bliss and, most ridiculously of all, pretending to be Mike so that the wedding will go ahead. This one is so full of holes, it barely even holds together: so Susan receives a message saying she'll get the alimony. What's to stop her actually CALLING Mike back about this rather huge issue that probably shouldn't be discussed by the medium of text? Okay, so Katherine could just choose not to answer... but um, Susan will inevitably communicate with Mike at some point in the not too distant future, seeing as, you know, he's doing her this huge favour. Katherine can't intercept every call she might make to the guy, or be around him 24/7 so that she can turn the tide of the conversation. The cat will inevitably come scampering right out of the bag and her duplicitous antics will be revealed in all their ill-thought-out glory. This is just lazy writing, desperately trying to manufacture some additional conflict in a relationship that is already going down the drain thanks to all the 'oh, they want different things' anvils we've been hit over the head with for the past few weeks. It's not needed, guys; in fact, this entire fracturing of their relationship isn't needed, as we can all see it for what it really is: a tired excuse to reignite a spark that was lost years ago.



The other narratives fare a little better but they're still not without their problems. The writers continue to assassinate Bree's character by turning her into a criminal, even going so far as to include an unnecessarily over-dramatic pre-credits sequence in which a late night conversation between she and Karl reads like the kind of top secret rendezvous between a pair of dirty government agents you might see in a show like 24. It's shot in the shadows, with the characters almost completely in black, as if, because their dialogue is duplicitous, they have to look duplicitous too... like how, if I'm feeling happy, I always wear bright colours and if I'm angry, well, I venture deep into the red section of my wardrobe. Sure, the scene is well shot and it does make for a nice homage, but as a believable piece of the plot, it falls horribly flat. It doesn't help that the whole thing is completely out of character for Bree, either. She's happy to commit fraud? She'll burgle her own home? I really, really don't think so. While it's nice to see Richard Burgi again, delivering those delicious one-liners with great aplomb, and there is at least some form of redemption being offered for Orson as he begins to see how his actions could have affected other people, there's too much suspension of disbelief for it to work, too much 'fitting the character around the story', so to speak. Let's hope the writers course correct in the finale, restoring the equilibrium by having both parties realise how selfish and ridiculous they've acted for the past few weeks.



At least this narrative appears to have some form of direction, however: Lynette/Tom and Gaby/Carlos's stories have been wandering around aimlessly for a while now, lacking the momentum that is needed to keep us interested for those crucial final hours. Their stories are self-contained here, serving little purpose other than to reinforce certain facets of their characters. While Tom's dalliances with plastic surgery are mildly amusing at times, and the scenes between Gaby and the lady at the soup kitchen are well written and acted, they are relatively pointless time-fillers, contributing nothing to the on-going plot. This is not always needed of course; there is certainly scope for introspection and character development, but this late in the season, the writers really need to be upping their game, not resting on their laurels. And sadly, that's a good summation of the episode. We fall back, once again, on the familiar: from Tom's mid-life crisis to the bleeding ballad of Mike Delfino and Susan fracking Myer, there's very little here that we haven't seen before. This doesn't make 'Marry Me a Little' a bad episode; it just makes it one that it's hard to really care about.

Susan and Mike plan an engagement party. Tom tries to look younger. Bree attempts to hide her true intentions from Orson. Gabby runs into an old friend who has lost everything since the last time they saw each other.



I liked this episode. I loved Katherine's reaction to Susan's engagement. I'm not crazy about the Lynette and Tom scene in the beginning, and it was weird to see them try to talk about Twitter. Gabby is amazing, though. I love her. Bree's scenes were good, and I liked the opening scene. It was very different. Aw, Mike still likes Susan! Wow. Not a bad episode. It was enjoyable, even in the first 19 minutes. Can't wait for the season finale!