The Story of Lucy and Jessie

Season 5, Episode 17, Aired

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When Susan tries to impress Jessie (guest star Swoosie Kurtz), a teacher at work, Jessie comes away with the wrong impression. With the wrong intent, Gabrielle convinces Carlos to hire Lynette, and Carlos finds himself working with an old acquaintance (guest star Lesley Boone as Lucy). As Orson's shameful habit grows, Bree will protect herself from embarrassment at all costs, and a suspicious Edie slyly digs further into Dave's past.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (13)

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  • the story of lucy and jessie

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By danny7277, Jun 07, 2011
    there was alot to like in this episode i thought the susan and jessie storlyine was pretty funny and the ratings grabber kiss between eva and teri was pretty funny
    gaby had a funny week aswell as she grows jealous of carlous old girlfirend
    bree also had a rather funny week but im not really liking this whole orson stealing thing its abit werid
    Edie starting to dig into daves past wa pretty good maybe that storyline will get more exciting when edie know the truth
    overall a pretty entertaining week on wisteria lane and of course as eventful as ever for a ladiesmoreless

  • Another funny one

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By mobbs456, Mar 12, 2011
    Another hilarious episode of season five! People will be talking about the various female-female snogging sessions, but they weren't a bigger deal.
    Susan made me laugh in this one - it was actually nice to see her doing some work. Jessie was also a good character mean to begin with but then nice. Bree made me laugh too. Her desperate attempts to return the items was hilarious. Orson also enjoying every moment was nice to see - he is crafty!
    Lynette and Gabby were the best however. Lynette spying on fat-Lucy was a chuckle and Gabby noticing Lucy's affections to Carlos was also funny. Don't worry Gabby, Carlos won't run off from her!
    Meanwhile, Dave moves his pawns into place and Edie digs further - she's better be careful. Her days and Katherine's are numbered! Let Season Five continue.moreless

  • moves things along in a solidly enjoyable fashion ...

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By sramv9, May 28, 2009
    Susan's little misunderstanding with her boss, and subssequently winning her over as a friend through a very sincere compassionate heartfelt exchange was kinda nice. Sort of making the point that beneath the labels there are basic human abilities to relate as people - quite apart from all the romantic/dating stuff. The Dave plot was downplayed this week, but there was a little move forward on that as Edie found out more about his past and Dave coaxed Katherine to go on the camping trip. My favourite part was Lynette dealing with job interviewing as an older candidate. I loved the scene with the two young ad exec women joking about the perils of aging in the biz and then Lynette getting called in for the interview. That was funny. Gabby - wow she is so self-serving and yet still manages to have good friends and be a very likeable character - I think that it has to be fairly good writing and acting that makes that possible. Interesting angle that Carolos could be attracted to a woman who is not the typical svelte model type and that GAbby is able to grasp this concept (and then see the woman as a rival). I will be interested to see where that ends up. Almost forgot - Orson reveals to a shrink that his motivation in stealing is very much a rebellion against Bree's total controllingness. Wonder how she is going to take that news when it gets to her? This wasn't a WOW episode but it was very solid.moreless

  • 'The Story of Lucy and Jessie' might as well be called 'the one withs the token lesbianism' thanks to that ratings grabbing scene between Gaby and Susan, which probably shocked delicate sensibilities across middle America, but hey, it's mindless fun.moreless

    8.0
    "Great"
    By screenagedkicks, May 03, 2009
    Along with 516, my review of this episode disappeared when I suffered a most unfortunate power cut and so I'm going to be fairly brief, while trying to salvage some of what I had written. 'The Story of Lucy and Jessie' might as well be called 'the one with the token lesbianism' thanks to that ratings grabbing scene between Gaby and Susan, which probably shocked delicate sensibilities all over middle America, but what the hey, it's mindless fun. It's also refreshing to see such non-heteronormative beats treated with little fanfare within an episode of prime time television (even if the fanfare in the media was gargantuan... seriously, it was all over the TV and newspapers days before the episode aired). Swoozie Kurtz is excellent as the smitten Jessie and her story with Susan is both wickedly humorous - check out that scene in the classroom, where subtext becomes text within about 30 seconds - and decidedly sweet. Our other new character, Lucy, is certainly less likeable, although this is obviously the intent. The decision to gel Lynette's story with Gaby and Carlos's looks to be a promising one, getting the Solises in particular out of the repetitive rut they've been stuck in since Carlos magically recovered from being blind. However, the ease with which he becomes President of his company is a little ridiculous. What else? Still no sign of the camping trip, but at least Edie's on her way to digging up the truth and the writing staff sensibly concentrate on Bree's reaction to Orson's kleptomania in order to keep this rather unsavoury and irritating storyline above water. Pretty damn good all round then.moreless

  • Gazelles And Rhinos Written by Jordan Nardino Directed by Bethany Rooney

    8.0
    "Great"
    By shawnlunn2002, Mar 22, 2009
    Bree (to Gabrielle, re Juanita): "Whenever my children stole, I sent them to bed without supper. Just a thought."

    Interesting! So what do you do to grown men who exactly the thing that Juanita is being falsely accused of? Give them a time out? Maybe even the naughty step perhaps. Orson's mad thieving continued to bring embarrassment to Bree and her way of dealing with things was questionable. Confronting him was a good thing as was allowing him to offer up a decent explanation as to why he's so become so compelled to steal from their neighbours.

    However Bree simply telling him not to interact with them unless she was around was always doomed to fail. While she was going around trying to return every item had nicked from their friends, he was still continuing to pilfer as many thing as he could and still managed to get caught.

    It's a good job that Orson hasn't tried theft on a grand scale because he'd definitely be in the slammer in less than five minutes. It's a wonder that Bree didn't actually go to the authorities after she caught him stealing from Bob and Lee. She certainly did look like she was about to pop a vein when she caught him again.

    And if banning him from their friends was a disastrous move, then sending him to therapy was another one as well. Bree just effectively planked him there and skirted off. I on the other hand, had I'd been her would've stayed so I could hear Orson's truthful explanation.

    So Orson's stealing because it's something that Bree can't control and that gives him a happy? Yes, it's creepy and boy, didn't Kyle McLachlan sell it as especially creepy but it's believable. Orson's lost pretty all of his status and power thanks to Bree and this is his way at getting back at her.

    It's not morally right but it's believable and if Bree wasn't so self-involved, then maybe she'd figure it out. That doesn't condone Orson however. Yeah, he might feel powerless but this is stupid and only going to blow up in his face more than Bree's when it comes down to it.

    I did however enjoy the scene where Bree made the error of returning the wrong item to Gabrielle and automatically put Juanita in a bad position. If the little brat had kept her mouth shut, she probably would've kept her party. I bet next time Juanita won't be so quick to accuse Bree, even if she is right. As for Gabrielle, when she's not taking down birthday parties, she's delighting in Carlos's new found promotion. Going to Bradley's funeral turned into a delight when Carlos got a promotion and while it was tasteless for her to be so openly happy at a sad occasion, it did make for a hilarious scene no less.

    Gabrielle also kept the funny stuff coming when she helped Susan figure out a little sexual problem by kissing. I'm probably in a small minority of men who didn't find the kiss between Eva Longoria Parker and Teri Hatcher remotely sexy but it did come across as a lot less naff than I originally thought it was going to be.

    Gabby also then mastered the wonderful art of shrugging when Lynette pestered her for a job at Carlos's place. Although Gabby could've been a bit more helpful at first, I did appreciate the fact that she was being honest in not knowing whether or not Lynette was actually qualified for the position in question.

    Of course it did become clear that as soon as Gabby got a little jealous of Carlos working with his ex-girlfriend Lucy that she would eventually score Lynette a job at her husband's firm for her own selfish motives. Nothing like a little bit of old fashioned jealousy to help out a mate.

    As for Lucy, I like her and I like the fact that Carlos barely blinked at the fact that Gabby was surprised he once slept with a woman who wasn't a size zero. I even didn't mind Carlos and Lucy's flirting but at the same time, I am hoping that the writers evade doing an affair with them.

    Also it was fun to actually to watch Lynette figure out why Gabby wanted her to work with Carlos in the first place and for the two of them to hash it out. Both of them had selfish motives this episode but at the same time, both of them have done far worse things and I liked how quickly their feud resolved itself.

    Lynette's job fears did hit home. Okay I'm not in my late forties but I have been out of work for enough time that when I do start doing interviews for vacancies, it's the one question I am dreading being asked, even if I do have more valid reasons (college, personal/family problems, etc). For Lynette however, she had to deal with the fact that she had younger women vying for the same position she wanted and a potential boss who believed her to be a lot older than she actually was. Neither of which are wonderful for the old self-esteem in all fairness.

    Work was also something of an issue for Susan as well. It was clear from the start that her idea of creativity with the kids wasn't sitting well with Jessie and Susan had more reasons to worry when one of the kids pointed out that Jessie had a history of sacking people who didn't jibe with her opinions.

    Susan could've simply just ignored the heads up from the kid and hoped that maybe Jessie wouldn't sack her but to be fair, I couldn't imagine any of the ladies doing that so Susan's attempts to make sure she didn't lose her job were plausible from my standpoint.

    However to be fair to Jessie, she didn't exactly seem like an ogre to begin with. When she critiqued Susan's setting for the class, I didn't remotely think she was being mean spirited, just aware of the fact that the kids parents expected a certain standard that Susan's idea didn't essentially cater to.

    Still it was nice for Susan to try her best to keep niceties with Jessie and I have to admit I did like them socialising at Susan's house, drinking wine and talking about love. Also the drunken kiss that Jessie left on Susan was worth it for the later scene with Lynette, Lee and Gabby.

    It's the reason why Gabby planted two smackers on Susan's lips and it was nice that Susan was just confused about what impressed she had left on Jessie because the only housewife I'd reckon who'd date another woman is probably Edie or maybe Gabby at a stretch.

    However if you're going to explain to your boss that you're not into them, it might help not to do it in front of youngsters. I know the show used gazelles and rhinos as euphemisms but I'm pretty sure at least one or two of those kids figured out what Susan and Jessie were really arguing about.

    The nice part about this episode is that the aftermath was maturely dealt with. Both Susan and Jessie discussed their attitudes on love, decided to remain friends (in fact Susan's whole speech on friendship was really sweet) and better yet, Susan still has her job, which also hopefully means that Jessie will pop up every now and then.

    Onto the more darker element of the episode, you've got to admire Dave's determination in a twisted way. When he finds out that Katherine wants out of the camping trip, instead of going crazy, he plays on Katherine's insecurities about her relationship with Mike to get results.

    Buttering her up and telling her that she means everything to Mike is both low and extremely clever because it's enough to get to reconsider and join the men on the camping trip. With seven episodes left, I'm pretty sure that Dave will probably fail in whatever he really plans to do with them on that trip.

    As for Edie, it's better late than never but I do love that she's digging up dirt on Dave. When she discovered that he lost a child as well as a wife, the scene where she asked him about having kids was really gripping. Unfortunately she's gonna discover way too late that Mike's his intended target. God help her when Dave finds out what she's been really doing as well.

    Also in "The Story Of Lucy And Jessie"

    I loved Gabby's list of reasons for her dislike of funerals but the fact that lilies made her sneeze was the most surprising of the bunch.

    Owen (to Carlos): "Please tell me you'll accept."
    Gabrielle: "He sure will. The man has a plane to catch."

    The old man at the Gazette badmouthed Edie for being a pain but from what we saw, she was actually quite polite.

    Gabrielle (to Bree/Susan): "Well candy plus Juanita. You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to solve that case."

    Lynette (to Nikki/Mary Anna): "Do me a favour. If you hear a gunshot, tell my four kids I love them."

    Lynette stated in this episode that she was 43 and Tom mentioned he was 41, which made them a lot younger than they probably were back in the "Pilot"

    Jessie: "It'll be nice to look forward to a home cooked meal."
    Susan: "Keep looking because I don't cook and Shanghai Panda delivers."

    Lynette (to Susan): "Congratulations, you're dating a lesbian."
    Lee: "See you at the parade."

    I notice that we're getting a lot more of Lee this season than we are with Bob. I've grown to like Lee a lot more now as well.

    Carlos (re Lucy): "You're not gonna see her on a runway."
    Gabrielle: "Except maybe in an airport."

    Tom: "You're 43? I'm only two years younger."
    Lynette: "No-one cares about your age."

    Bree borrowed Aspirin, from Tom, a screwdriver from Katherine, Cumin from Susan, tried to get two eggs from Gabby, all while she was trying to return the items Orson stole from them. He also stole Gypsy cup from Bob and Lee.

    Jessie: "You're probably worried about the lesbian inside you trying to get out."
    Susan: "Actually I'm more worried about the lesbian from outside trying to get in."

    Katherine: "Dave, do you really think I make that much of a difference in Mike's life?"
    Dave: "Absolutely. If he lost you, it'd destroy him."

    This episode still didn't feature any of the Scavo kids, MJ, Celia, Bob or Andrew/Alex.

    Jeffrey: "I like rhinos too."
    Jessie: "Yes, we know Jeffrey. We've seen you playing hopscotch during recess."

    Susan (to Jessie): "Love doesn't happen for everyone. You know what, I don't even know if it's gonna happen for me anymore."

    Chronology: A couple of days since "Crime Doesn't Pay".

    With the last couple of episodes not being so great, "The Story Of Lucy And Jessie" is a big improvement. More like this I say, especially now that things are picking up.moreless
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  • TRIVIA (1)

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    • Continuity Error: In this episode, Gabrielle states that Juanita went over to Susan's to invite MJ to her birthday party, and later blackmails Juanita to try and get her to confess to stealing Mrs. McCluskey's sleeping mexican statuette (which Orson stole), saying if she doesn't tell the truth her party will be cancelled. This obviously indicates Juanita's birthday would take place somewhere in the near future. However, in the season six episode "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid", set several months after the events of this one, Juanita commemorates her birthday.

  • QUOTES (10)

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    • Gabrielle: Lucy Blackburn? Please, tell me it's a coincidence that your new V.P. has the same name as your ex-girlfriend. Carlos: She wasn't my girlfriend.. We were roommates. We shared an apartment. Gabrielle: You told me you slept with her! Carlos: Well, it was a small apartment. Come on. It was a casual thing, and it was a million years ago. Gabrielle: I don't care! Why couldn't you have told me this before she's about to appear on my doorstep? Carlos: I wanted to... but you were always next to something sharp.

    • Orson: What do you want me to say? Bree: I want you to explain to me why this insanity is still going on. When you stole the tape recorder, you said it was a one time thing, an impulsive act of revenge. Orson: It was, at first. But then... I know it sounds odd, but... it started giving me a thrill. Bree: A thrill? Stealing a ceramic duck gives you a thrill?

    • Mary Alice: (closing voiceover) You can find them almost anywhere. Friendly people with hidden agendas. The woman who uses her neighbor to get herself a job. The wife who uses her influence to hire a friendly spy. The husband who uses his charm to steal from his friends. And you can be sure, the friendliest people of all, have agendas that won't ever be discovered. Not until it's too late.

    • Orson: (about Bree to Dr. Bernstein) Do you know why she's so angry? Because this is something she can't control... and I love it. (he smiles.)

    • Lynette: The house lights are up, Gaby, you can drop the act. You only helped me get this job because you needed a spy. Gabrielle: How dare you! And yes, I did.

    • Carlos: Gaby! You think I'm that shallow that all I go by is looks? Gabrielle: Yeah, I thought that was something we had in common.

    • Gabrielle: So what kind of kiss are we talking about? Susan: A regular kiss, on the mouth, that lasted a little longer than I thought it would. Lynette: So was it a good old fashioned American kiss, or are we talking the infinitely superior French variety?

    • Susan: Ah, jeez. How did it get so late? Is there a school policy on turning up to work drunk? Jessie: It's frowned upon.

    • Mary Alice: (voiceover) You can find them on any sidewalk in any city. People with agendas. The woman who calls up an old friend, because she wants to borrow some cash. The man who takes his boss to lunch, because he wants the corner office. The girl who looks after her uncle, because she wants to be in the will. Yes, you can find these people almost anywhere, doing what they can to keep their agendas hidden.

    • Mary Alice: (opening voiceover) Gabrielle Solis hated going to funerals, for all sorts of reasons. Black was not her color. Crying depresses her. And lilies made her sneeze. Also, Gabrielle despised any event where she was not the center of attention. Luckily, at this funeral, that would not be a problem. (later) Yes, Gabrielle hated going to funerals. Mostly because she couldn't pretend to be sad when she wasn't.

  • NOTES (3)

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  • ALLUSIONS (2)

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    • Gypsy: A Musical Fable In this episode, Bree learns that Orson has stolen a coffee mug from Bob and Lee, which contains a promotional image of Bernadette Peters in the theater musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable, a production with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim , a Marc Cherry favorite. The musical premiered on May 21, 1959 at The Broadway Theatre, and has been referred to as the greatest American musical by numerous critics and writers. Peters played the role of main character Gypsy Rose Lee in the 2003 revival, a role originated by Ethel Merman.

    • Episode Title: The title of this episode comes from a song in the 1971 Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical Follies.

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