Desperate Housewives welcomes new characters

ABC's Desperate Housewives has arguably undergone more changes in the first two episodes of this season than at any other time, with the exception of the five year leap forward in time a few years ago. There are new characters arriving, old characters leaving, and some unexpectedly familiar faces popping back up in big ways. Plus, there is an air of danger and mystery that has been absent from the series for some time now. The show has still been strong and interesting for awhile, but these turn of events are refreshing, and has raised the bar once more for Housewives, which has just begun it's seventh season.

The biggest news is that former full-time character Paul Young (Mark Moses, Mad Men), who went to jail way back near the beginning of the series for murdering Felicia Tilman (Harriet Sansom Harris) has been released, and has once more been signed to star in the show. Felicia was found alive and well, and is now serving what will likely be an eighteen month sentence for framing Paul. Meanwhile, with his large settlement check in hand, Paul has moved back to Wisteria Lane in a rental, while angling to buy his old home back. He has not come alone. While incarcerated, he met penpal Beth (Emily Bergl, Southland, Men in Trees), who now finds herself living with a man she never thought that she's see except through the jail bars. It's a weird dynamic to be sure, and one that is far from played out.

The second biggest change is the inclusion of Vanessa Williams, seemingly snapped up by Housewives as soon as Ugly Betty was canceled. Williams plays Renee Perry, and old college friend of Lynette's (Felicity Huffman). After being dumped by her baseball playing husband, Renee turns to Lynette for comfort, and decides to stay. Although she and Lynette's husband Tom (Doug Savant) has a past that they're keeping under wraps, I don't feel like she's a threat to their marriage. She has moved into the late Edie's (Nicollette Sheridan) house, though, and it's obvious that the two have a few things in common. Her inclusion in the neighborhood won't be a quiet one. By next week, she will already by competing with Bree (Marcia Cross) for a man.

Speaking of Bree, her husband, Orson (Kyle MacLachlan) has gotten his divorce and run off with his physical therapist, leaving her all alone. It's a pretty sad development, and MacLachlan will definitely be missed on the show. No one else quite brings what he brought to the table. After a small mental breakdown, Bree has decided to redo her home. To accomplish this, she hired hottie handyman Keith (Brian Austin Green), and the sparks are already starting to fly. Especially after she hit him with her car. As mentioned above, Bree isn't the only one interest in Keith, who is much younger than the ladies on the lane. Green is charming, and I hope he stays around for at least a few episodes. I don't think he'd make a great third husband for Bree, but hopefully he will loosen her up a bit.

Susan (Teri Hatcher) and Mike (James Denton) have left Wisteria (it's their house that Paul is renting) for smaller digs after their money problems blew up at the end of last year. Mike doesn't see a way out of the whole, but Susan has convinced him that she can make enough money off of homemade jewelry to do some good. I'm sorry, but the fact that he buys her load of crap is pushing the boundaries of reality for me. Her jewelry is hideous, as the other characters have all indicated, and there's no way she'd make anything off of it. What Susan has really done is taken a job cleaning her house in her underwear for a web cam. Her boss and landlady, Maxine (Lainie Kazan, My Big Fat Greek Wedding), has convinced her that it's an honorable profession. But Susan cannot think too highly of it, since she refuses to tell Mike where the money is really coming from.

Despite all of that juicy gossip, the best story so far goes to Miss Gabrielle (Eva Longoria Parker) and Mister Carlos (Ricardo Chavira) Solis. Apparently, a nurse switched their daughter, Juanita (Madison De La Garza) with someone else's baby when she was born. Eight years later, the nurse confessed on her death bed. The hospital first approached Carlos, who blackmailed them into keeping the secret from his wife and the public. It was a noble sentiment, done to protect his family from the emotional torment sure to follow such a revelation. It worked for one episode, until Juanita ended up in the hospital, and her blood type, inconsistent with her parents', was pointed out to Gabrielle. At first, Gabi amusingly assumed she must have had an affair when drunk and not remembered it. But Carlos cleared it up for her, instead of leaving it hanging. Next week, Gabi will begin seeking out her biological daughter, without Carlos's knowledge.

Surely, we have the makings for quite the season! Paul brings the threat, Renee brings the slut, Keith brings the steam, and Beth brings the mystery, while the titular housewives all do their best to make their lives as good as they can be, overcoming anything that comes their way. I'm certainly excited. Now if the writers would just get Bob (Tuc Watkins) and Lee (Kevin Rahm) back together, all would be right in their little suburb.

Desperate Housewives airs Sunday nights at 9pm on ABC.

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Article first published as TV Review: Desperate Housewives welcomes new characters on Blogcritics.

Desperate Housewives stays calm, but delivers plenty of new mysteries

 
     A far cry from the plane crash from last year, the biggest (physical) thing to happen on this season's Desperate Housewives finale, "I Guess This Is Goodbye", was when Patrick (John Barrowman) blew himself up.  What a triumphant moment for Angie (Drea de Matteo)!  It showed just how tough and smart she is, and it really made me wish the show had found a way for her to stick around longer.  Her heartfelt goodbye to Gaby (Eva Longoria Parker) was even more moving, and I was sad to see her leave.

     But there will be some new neighbors when Housewives returns to ABC next fall.  For one, though it was spoiled in online news reports, Paul Young (Mark Moses) is back, and back to stay, at least for a season.  It's hard to believe that his stint in jail for murder is already help.  Even better, it was recently announced that Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty) has signed on full-time next season, to help fill the void left by all the departing and already departed women, and she will not be connected to the big mystery of the season.  Don't be too disappointed about that.  Keeping her out of the immediate drama may allow her to stay longer, and she will surely stir plenty of waves.

     Back to the season finale, thank goodness Lynette (Felicity Huffman) was able to keep calm, and show her true compassion.  That ended as well as it possibly could have.  The show even had me feeling saw for Eddie (Josh Zuckerman), despite the atrocities he committed.  Any chance he'll get off on an insanity plea, and that, after a reasonable stay in a mental hospital, he could return to Wisteria Lane?  Call me crazy, but that could work, and be quite interesting.  He and Lynette had a really neat bond that was real, proved by her letting him hold the baby he just delivered while she called the cops.

     The secrets have already began swirling for next season.  Who took home a baby from the hospital that wasn't theirs?  What will Gaby do now that Bree (Marcia Cross) has confessed who killed Gaby's mother-in-law all those years ago?  Why would Paul even want to come back?

     Desperate Housewives will return to ABC in the fall.

Housewives leaves on another cliffhanger

     ABC's Desperate Housewives bowed out for the calendar year last night with a 'big event'.  Though reports of a place crash were prevalent on the internet ahead of time, it was not a large liner (as indicated by an early false rumor that it might be an Oceanic Airlines plane that came down) that landed in the street, but a small two-seater.  This must be the most unlucky block in the country, already hit by a tornado, multiple murders, suicide, hit and runs, etc.  Predictably, it took out the woman about to cause huge issues for one of the housewives, newcomer Angie (Joey's Drea de Matteo).  It also killed at least one other in the Santa house, but of course, Mark Cherry will leave us hanging until January to find out who.  It is unlikely that Bree (Marcia Cross) died, but Orson (Kyle MacLachlan, Sex and the City), or more likely, Karl (Richard Burgi), has also bitten the dust.  After the tornado cliffhanger, its more frustrating than exciting waiting to find out for sure.

     This season has only been all right so far.  On the good side, the fued between the Scavos (Felicity Huffman and Doug Savant) and the Soliss (Eva Longoria Parker and Ricardo Chavira) has been handled in such a way where no one is demonized, but you can still see how they would have had such a falling out.  The suspense has been built, with both sides acting in reasonable manners, but still managing to make things worse.  Surely, this fight will be over post-crash, especially since Lynette (Huffman) saved the Solis daughter as the plane came down.  Also, the addition of the new neighbors (de Matteo and Jeffrey Nordling) has been interesting and mysterious.  The couple is likable, and hopefully whatever their issues are, they will be able to work them out and stay on the block.  Plus, Karen (Kathryn Joosten, The West Wing) is appearing more than ever, and even has a love interest!

     On the other hand, the return full time of Julie (Andrea Bowen) has been less than satisfactory.  The wise teenager who parented her mother has turned into a whiny adulterer.  The delightfully complex Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom) is gone with almost no explanation.  And Katherine (Dana Delany), the first new housewife that could have rivaled the originals, has sunk into a dark, sad, depression-fueled mental condition.  It's sad, really.  So much wasted potential in that character.  There have also been mini-episodes during the commercials, but they have been completely uninteresting.

     Will the show pick back up in January?  It looks like many of the plots of this year are resolved or close to it, but there is plenty more to come.  Given the ratings and long term contracts, it looks like Wisteria Lane has plenty more chances to get things right, as they have done more often than not in the past.

Lopez and Sykes: changing the color of late night

     In the past few days, two people who look a bit different than what is expected joined the ranks of late night television.  George Lopez, a Latino man, is now on Monday through Thursday on TBS, while Wanda Sykes, an African-American lesbian, will appear Saturday nights on Fox.  Their shows are called Lopez Tonight and The Wanda Sykes Show, respectively.  But has anything really changed?

     Lopez, according to the show's press packet, is trying to make his series more audience interactive and fluid, drawing from Arsenio Hall as an influence.  To be honest, though it was slightly more edgy (Eva Longoria Parker danced on a stripper pole and audience members tested racist stereotypes), it didn't seem that much different than any other late night show.  He did ditch the desk, and he also asked the audience for questions, but the tone was fairly mild, and many of the traditional conventions were there.  The biggest difference was the cheering audience, but that seemed reminiscent of a daytime show, think Oprah.  Lopez is supposedly going for a party atmosphere, but he is clearly working under a set of restraints that keep him from straying too far off the beaten path.  Either that, or perhaps just the first episode was.  After all, he has said that shows may begin with a performance rather than a monologue from time to time.  In full disclosure, I admit I've never found the man funny, and his show underwhelmed me.  Other than the couple of things mentioned, it seemed like more of the same with a Latino face.  Or faces, as his guests included Carlos Santana and Parker.

     Sykes, on the other and, showed no sign of the leash.  While airing on Fox, she freely went after Fox News, and her sidekick is a drag queen.  Of course, her show is significantly different than Lopez's.  Hers is a combination of standup and humorous conversations with celebrities.  It could easily have aired on Comedy Central, fitting right in with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert with her biting political commentary.  In fact, a surprisingly large portion of the show concerned her talking about President Obama.  Her humor is quite edgy.  One entire segment involved her trying to make sex toys go green.  Guests got to sit and drink alcohol while chatting at her long table, all of them appearing at once.  I highly recommend tuning in, as I often found myself chuckling out loud.  It truly is a new, fresh show.  On top of all that, Sykes is working double duty right now, as she continues as one of the leads in CBS's The New Adventures of Old Christine.