There Won't Be Trumpets

Season 1, Episode 17, Aired
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Episode Summary

There's a change in Mama Solis' (guest star Lupe Ontiveros) condition for the better as she finally wakes up from her coma, but it doesn't last long. The residents of Wisteria Lane all attend the unfortunate funeral of Juanita Solis as Carlos and Gabrielle fret over their financial and court issues. Lynette befriends a deaf woman, Alisa Stevens (guest star Marlee Matlin), whose children also attend Barcliff Academy with Porter and Preston, but her newfound friendship is tested when she butts into her disturbed marital problems of her husband saying things behind her back.''Meanwhile, Bree encounters more trouble with her son Andrew when it comes to disciplining him and tries to convince Rex that he needs serious help. Lastly, Susan finds herself attracted to Edie's hunky new contractor (guest star Rick Ravanello) who's sticking around the neighborhood, but Edie doesn't want her to go with him as a favor to their fragile friendship.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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  • good episode

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By danny7277, Oct 30, 2011 Report Abuse
    this was another enjoyable episode of desperate housewives, there was a big shock this week and that was the death of juanita colis which made gabby rather happy i thought the scenes at the funeral were really funny, the other stoeylines were also good this week i liked the susan edie conflict that it always funny to watch and the lynette stuff was also good with the deaf woman overall another soild episodemoreless

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  • Pese a que pasan varias cosas imptactantes en el episodio, por alguna razón no alcanza a capturarnos del todo.

    9.2
    "Superb"
    By chupisfunky, Mar 05, 2008 Report Abuse
    Este episodio nos deja varias revelaciones sobre el comportamiento y los sentimientos de varios personajes. Primero: Susan en verdad tiende mucho a soar, verdaderamente se enamor de Mike y le est doliendo mucho no estar a su lado.
    Segundo: la relacin entre Bree y Andrew se pone cada da ms complicada, paralelo al mejoramiento de la relacin marital con Rex.
    Tercero: Carlos se muestra como un muy buen hombre, que amaba a su madre, pero que sabe diferenciar muy bien el amor de madre del amor y respeto que le tiene a su esposa, y obviamente los celos que puede mostrar.
    En el episodio tambin aparecen Lynette y Edie pero ninguna de los dos, en mi concepto le trae algo importante a la trama, Edie continua su guerra con Susan y Lynette muestra que su matrimonio con Tom es uno de los ms fuertes que hay en la serie.moreless

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  • This is where I discovered Marlee Matlin.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Writer2000, Dec 01, 2006 Report Abuse
    This is one of my personal favorites of all of the season one episodes of Desperate Housewives and from the series as a whole. This is also where I discovered the actress Marlee Matlin. Of all the guest stars that they've had on Desperate Housewives, Marlee is one of my all-time favorites. She provided a lot of funny moments in this episode. Before this episode of Desperate Housewives, the only other thing I had seen her in was an episode of Seinfeld, but that was years ago, and I don't remember her from that episode all that well. After I saw this episode, I began to see her everywhere, and all I can say is that I love her work. She's a real inspiration to me since I lost some of my hearing when I was younger, and now where hearing aids. My favorite scene from this episode is when Alisa is signing to Lynette, and she has her daughter interpret the conversation. Bree is my most favorite character on the show, and I loved her in this episode, but this was the first episode that I really liked Lynette. All in all, this was a really great episode.moreless

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  • Mama Solis, that brat Andrew, and Susan...

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Jacky17, Aug 30, 2005 Report Abuse
    This was a very interesting episode. I found it quite odd how a person that had been in a coma for the last five months would just wake up and start walking around. But, it could be just me

    I'm really starting to get sick of Andrew, seriously! He's like my age and I can't stand him!! I mean, come on! The boy smokes pot, runs over a person, disobeys his mother If I ever disobeyed, tripped, spit or did anything he does to Bree to my mother I would already be six feet under! How can Bree stand for that? What she did was the best thing (for her and Andrew).
    When Susan received the letter from Mike, I so wanted her to open it! But she didn't!! Why? Why? I don't understand If it was me, I would have opened it the second I got it. She could have given Mike another chance but at least reading the letter. If Mike took the time to explain the reasons why he did what he did, I think it was because he really loved her. If he didn't love her, he wouldn't even bother doing it. It just broke my heart when I saw Mikes face at the end when Susan returned the letter.

    But all this together is what makes a good show and makes you come back for more :)
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  • Heroes, Villains, Whingers And Golddiggers Written by Joey Murphy And John Pardee Directed by Jeff Melman

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By shawnlunn2002, Jul 19, 2005 Report Abuse
    Five months stuck in a coma and bam! Mama Solis snaps out of it and before she can rain on Gabrielle's parade and expose the truth she falls down a flight and dies. We've had freakier deaths on Six Feet Under that have less anticlimactic than this. The biggest problem that is, is the distinct lack of poignancy and sensitivity surrounding Juanita's passing. Even I could help but laugh when she fell down those steps. I know Marc Cherry and company are pretty adamant to keep Gabby's infidelity a secret but for crying out loud, couldn't they have resolved this plot a lot better.

    Even Juanita's funeral doesn't have a trace of emotional content as it gets played for laughs, we get a hot button quote from Bree but mainly Mama Solis' demise is little more than a vehicle to send Carlos and Gabrielle on opposing paths. I've slated Gabrielle's behaviour in previous reviews but never has the character been so downright dislikeable than she was here. Juanita may not have been her favourite person in the world but Gabrielle's lack of compassion was horrifying. She actually smiled when told the news through telephone and she behaved like a total bitch at the funeral. Adding insult to injury she also managed to get the hospital to cough up while keeping her husband in the dark. Even though Carlos is no saint, I did respect his desire to give his mother a good send off, Gabrielle should have to but I have to admit he scared me towards the episode's end. He may be going to jail but he's still determined what little control he has over his wife. There have been hints in past episodes earlier on in the season that this relationship could take an abusive twist and with these anxious to screw the other over, it looks more imminent now than ever.

    Speaking of truth, the Susan plots absolutely bored me this week. Her constant whinging over how Mike has "betrayed" her is really getting old and like I said last week, I find it hard to sympathise because everytime he tries to plead his case, she rebuffs it. This week it's through a letter which she stupidly decides not to read and then in a painfully trite way of getting on with things accepts a date with Bill, even though Edie gives a "hands off" warning. Susan doesn't listen, Edie finds out and fires Bill before deciding to renew her rivalry with Susan, who in turn is given a few home truths by her pseudo suitor and while they may have sunk, I won't be surprised if she's forgotten them by next week. Enough with the moping, it's getting so annoying even Julie can't stomach it which is a good indication for the writers to either reunite Susan and Mike or to give her plot with a bit of balls in it because this current one is dull, dull, dull. I also really hope her and Edie aren't completely back to their old ways as she's the only hope of keeping Susan watchable at this moment.

    Thankfully, there are plots that make this episode passable and after a succession of filler plots, Lynette's latest one is fortunately more fun. Spending quite a while on the television without pity forum recently, i'm pretty disgusted with the amount of hatred posters have for this character. Okay what she did to Tom in "Impossible" was pretty shitty but overall she is the most realistic housewife out of the bunch and was definitely the most likeable in tonight's ep. The way Lynette handled was level headed and mature and stemmed from the actions of a genuinely concerned friend. Alissa (brilliantly played by Marlee Matlin – please bring her back) may not have needed the help but Dennis was a complete jerk, using her disability to his own advantage by bad mouthing her in public so I don't blame Lynette for calling him out. I think anyone would've done the same thing. It's just a pity it blew up in her face. What is about Lynette and her inability to get on with the other mothers at Barcliff? Maisy went out of her way to humiliate her, Jordana was a pill popping freak, Tammy tried to blame the twins for spreading head lice in the school and after one spat, Alissa seemingly wants nothing to do with her. Tom came through once again as the sweet decent husband which is great given that Doug Savant will be a regular next season.

    Not to be outdone though, Andrew the amoral asshole in need of a kick in the rectum got his own desserts tonight. Fresh from making out with Justin in his last ep, the world class idiot manages to get expelled from school after his treatment to a security guard, kicks Bree and spits at her when his ass gets hauled off to Camp Hennessey. Shawn Pyfrom is really making this character into something truly detestable. I almost wanted to hit Andrew myself for his treatment of his mother and just like Gabrielle, I seriously wonder if this guy actually does have a conscience or not? Andrew really steps into the hate category just as Rex gets better. Once again we had him and Bree working as a team and I cheered when he threatened Andrew for his abusive behaviour. This was effectively the best plots of the episode, with Lynette's coming in second.

    Also in "There Won't Be Trumpets"

    The opener: Dreams of better lives were the janitor winning the lottery, the night guard retiring to somewhere exotic and the nurse leaving her husband.

    Gabrielle (to Carlos): "She treated me like trash! God rest her soul".

    Seeing as Juanita was comatose for five months it was slightly implausible given her age that she would be so mobile. It was also weird that Bree and Rex didn't confront Andrew over Juanita's death even though technically he's not responsible for it.

    Lynette: "Didn't you once say, never mix business with pleasure?"
    Edie: "No, I said never mix pleasure with commitment".

    Susan's pseudo suitor wasn't actually that bad looking but was he really that desperate to date her; he put a nail in her tyres?

    Edie (to Susan): "You know, I so want to like you but you just won't let me".

    Rex (to Andrew): "The next time you touch your mother like that again, I will throw you against the wall. Do you understand?"

    Anyone else notice that Andrew was watching Lost, ABC's (and by August Ch 4/E4) other monster hit of the 2004-2005 TV season? Cool.

    Bree's "controversial" catholic comment was edited in US transmission of the episode (well the Pope had died the day before), so it's nice that we got the comment.


    Lily (translating for Alissa to Lynette): "And you just got to come in on your white horse and come to the rescue? Well guess what? I didn't need to be rescued".

    Tom: "I love you because you did the right thing and I admire your bravery"
    Lynette: "I love you because you find ways to compliment me when you could have just said ‘I told you so' (Tom/Lynette kiss, then he signs something) … You just signed ‘I told you so', didn't you?"
    Tom: "You'll never prove it".

    Seeing as there was a hero subtext in the episode, anyone noticed Susan drawing Joan Of Arc? Something the writers wanna tell us?

    Recapping what I pretty much just said, "There Won't Be Trumpets" is a disappointment. I really wanted to be sucked in by the hour but there were a few good times I tuned out. This didn't grip as previous, even slower episodes had done and I was thoroughly dismayed with the way Juanita's death was handled. That being said, every show is allowed a dud or two and even Desperate Housewives is no exception to that rule and at least next week's ep looks more tempting.
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • Continuity Error: Rex mentions that Andrew was two months away from graduation, but it's been previously stated that Andrew is only 16 and Andrew still appears to be in high school in the next season. Edit
    • When Bree asks Andrew to take out the trash, he's watching the first episode of the first season of "Lost". Edit
    • Felicity Huffman grew up playing tennis and did her own playing for the tennis scene in this episode. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • The Season 1 DVD includes a deleted scene from this episode in which Rex and Bree are seen talking to Andrew's principal (former guest star Trisha Simmons). Marc Cherry explained that as the scene focused more on the principal and not on Bree and Rex, the scene was deleted and another scene was shot instead. Therefore, Trisha Simmons does not appear in this episode and is not credited. Edit
    • When this episode was shown in Britain (April 20, 2005) Bree's (Marcia Cross) line at the funeral was restored to "Catholics sure know how to grieve." Edit
    • Guest-star Marlee Matlin who plays the deaf Mrs. Stevens is herself deaf. Despite her disability, she has had a succesful career in movies and TV for over 15 years, appearing in a number of high-profile shows, including regular roles on "Picket Fences" and "The West Wing." Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • (Susan is standing in kitchen daydreaming) Mike: Susan, I know you're in there. We have to talk. (Susan opens the door) This is crazy. Susan: I know. (Mike kisses her passionately)... Mike: (After Susan opens the door again) Everything the cops said to you is true. I did kill somebody. But there's one thing they didn't tell you... I killed for you, Susan. (Susan kisses Mike passionately) Mike: (After Susan opens the door again, Mike is standing there holding a gun) Susan, if I can't have you, no one else can. Susan: Shut up! (Susan kisses Mike passionately) (Flash to real life, Mike is knocking on the door and calling for Susan. Horrified, she hides behind the counter and crawls to the door.) Mike: I was hoping we could talk. (He slides a letter under the door and Susan pulls it through and holds it) Mike: Susan.. maybe you should have waited 'til I left to do that... Edit
    • Mary Alice: We all honor heroes for different reasons. Sometimes for their daring, sometimes for their bravery, sometimes for their goodness. But mostly we honor heroes because at one point or another, we all dream of being rescued. Of course, if the right hero doesn't come along, sometimes we just have to rescue ourselves. Edit
    • Mary Alice: In the Coma Ward at Sacred Heart Hospital, the dreams begin just after midnight. The pitch black of night gives way to vivid images that comfort the dreamer until the morning. Gus, the custodian, dreams of someday winning the lottery and quitting his thankless job. Howard, the security guard, envisions a luxurious retirement in the tropics. Ruth Ann, the night nurse, fantasizes about leaving her husband. But the most vivid dreams of all belong to the patient in Room 312. Yes, Juanita Solis had been dreaming steadily for five months. Sometimes of the shocking secret she had uncovered. Other times, she dreamt of the accident that had put her in the hospital. But her most common dream was the one in which she finally told her son the truth. And then one night...Juanita Solis decided it was time to wake up. Even though she knew she was about to die, Juanita didn't care. The truth was finally going to come out. Sadly for Juanita, this was one dream that would never come true. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Episode Title: This episode's title comes from a song in the Stephen Sondheim musical Anyone Can Whistle. Edit

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