Desperate Housewives final season now available

ABC's Desperate Housewives finally came to an end last May after eight years on the air. The final batch of episodes is now available on DVD in a five-disc set, collecting all 23 episodes, plus bonus features.

As season eight begins, the four titular housewives, Susan (Teri Hatcher), Bree (Marcia Cross), Lynette (Felicity Huffman), and Gabi (Eva Longoria) are covering up the murder of Gabi's abusive step-father, Alejandro (Tony Plano), by Gabi's husband, Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira). They each handle their part in the shared secret burial in different ways. Carlos wants forgiveness from God, Susan becomes withdrawn. Bree is nervous because her detective boyfriend (Jonathan Cake) is on the case. Lynette just wants physical comfort, made difficult by her separation from husband, Tom (Doug Savant). Gabi, alone, is at peace, knowing first hand the atrocities Alejandro committed against her, and feels only peace with his demise.

Much of season eight, like other seasons before it, is about a mystery surrounding a murder. One by one, others begin to learn of the housewives' dastardly deed, including the men in their lives. Making this killing so personal, with all of them involved in the coverup, forces more strain and stress between them than in previous stories, in which they could present a mostly united front against whatever danger came to Wisteria Lane. It is fitting that they are tested so severely in the end, allowing them to come out the other end stronger than ever.

That's not to say that there are not costs to this act. There are, as the truth comes out in peaces, and eventually certain things are exposed. Others die. Secrets can never stay hidden for long on Desperate Housewives, and that's what makes it such soapy fun.

Of course, not all twenty-three hours are about Alejandro, as each housewife has additional challenges, one even losing a spouse well before the closing credits. Lynette has a marriage she'd like to save, and along with Susan, faces becoming a grandmother when their grown children hook up. Bree battles depression and suicidal thoughts, egged on by a stalker and the return of her ex, Orson (Kyle MacLachlan). Carlos must kick his alcohol habit. Neighbor Renee (Vanessa Williams) senses sparks between herself and Ben (Charles Mesure), but after he gets involved in the Alejandro story, the lies he tells Renee makes it hard for her to trust him. Plus, Ben is in bed with a loan shark. Fan favorite Karen McCluskey (Kathryn Joosten, who passed away in real life last spring) goes another round with cancer.

These are just some of the big stories in the final year. Each of these characters has shown so much growth, and as they overcome these latest hurdles, there is also a sense of finality, growing stronger near the end of the season, that reminds us that their story is almost over. Up until that point, yes, there are some weak spots, as has plagued Desperate Housewives sporadically over the years. Season eight is not the strongest season. But there are enough gems to satisfy most fans, and that includes the last installments.

I won't spoil the ending, but I thought it was a fitting tribute with the return of many familiar faces, and it concluded exactly how it should have. Wisteria Lane is a hot bed of betrayal and intrigue, and no one who remains there will ever find true happiness.

The DVD is a bit sparse on features, sadly. There is a featurette with those involved reflecting on the time they spent making this show, which is definitely the best inclusion. Creator Marc Cherry does provide an audio commentary for the series finale, and there are bloopers and deleted scenes. These are nice, but I would have liked to have seen more.

Desperate Housewives The Complete Eighth and Final Season is available now.

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Desperate Housewives are "Putting It Together"

     ABC's Desperate Housewives is done with its fall run, as "Putting It Together" sets up a cliffhanger for the rest of the final season. Chuck (Jonathan Cake) is closing the noose around the girls, calling each in for questioning, except Bree (Marcia Cross). Chuck now even knows that Alejandro (Tony Plana) is Gaby's (Eva Longoria) stepfather. The friends begin to turn on each other under the pressure, and they all abandon Bree. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) asks Tom (Doug Savant) not to go out of town, which may cost him his girlfriend, Jane (Andrea Parker). Susan (Teri Hatcher), on the other hand, considers fleeing the city by taking an amazing job in New York. Bree turns back to alcoholism, and speaks to the dead Mary Alice (Brenda Strong), who says she isn't unhappy on the other side. And Chuck is hit by a car, driven by someone yet to be revealed. 

     Desperate Housewives is really going to a dark place here, putting Bree in similar shoes to Mary Alice in the "Pilot." Will Bree follow in her former neighbor's footsteps and take her own life? One would think, after everything that Bree has been through, and knowing how Mary Alice's suicide hurt everyone so long ago, that she will know better. And yet, Mary Alice, who must be a projection of Bree's own mind, tells her that death isn't unpleasant. This means Bree is considering permanent, drastic measures. Bree is pretty alone right now, with only Ben (Charles Mesure) showing her kindness. If she were ever going to do it, this would be the time.

     But the wives will surely pull back together again. "Putting It Together" doesn't even mark the halfway point of this season. With so many more hours to go, it's not yet time for anyone to get caught. And while various characters have falling outs over the years, they never fail to reconnect when times are tough. Never have times been more tough than they are right now.

     A saving grace for the girls is Chuck's accident. Whether he is dead or just out of commission for awhile, having Chuck get hurt eases the pressure. Clearly Chuck isn't working as part of an investigative team, as he is allowed to toy with the housewives, rather than just arrest them. If other cops were involved, they would not allow such a thing. Chuck is operating on his own personal vendetta against Bree, seeking to hurt her as she hurt him. Which means that all of the important facts of the case that he has, he probably hasn't shared with anyone.

     Renee (Vanessa Williams) catches Ben giving Bree a sympathetic ear in "Putting It Together," and does not take kindly to it. Bree is single, so it might be understandable that Renee would get jealous, seeing her boyfriend gab with the pretty neighbor. And Renee and Bree aren't too close, the murder isolating the four main Desperate Housewives from their other friends to some degree. Ben is in the know, which might hurt his budding relationship with Renee, if she doesn't ruin it herself.

     It's about time that Lynette lets Tom is on the secret in "Putting It Together," as he is the last husband to be in the loop. Her intention is to make sure that someone is around for their kids, but it might also bring the couple closer together, considering that Tom staying in town likely ends things between him and Jane. The problem here is, Ben now helps cover up the murder, Mike (James Denton) buries the body, and Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) is the killer, so adding Tom expands the list of vulnerable people in Desperate Housewives. There are now eight people involved in the conspiracy. If the police ever learn the truth, half of the lane stands to go down for the crime, and no one's children will be taken care of.

     Desperate Housewives continues its final season in January on ABC.

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Article first published as TV Review: Desperate Housewives - "Putting It Together" on Blogcritics.

Desperate Housewives The Complete Seventh Season out on DVD

     Coming to DVD this Tuesday, August 30th from ABC Studios is Desperate Housewives The Complete Seventh Season. Subtitled "Wild, Wild Westeria Edition," just because, as all of the DH DVDs have 'edition' titles, it contains all twenty-three episodes of the hit dramedy's penultimate season. Getting back to the show's roots, the seventh season returns some characters not seen in quite awhile, and tries valiantly to recapture the original tone. Couples fall in and out of love, and secrets get darker. This DVD set is a must-watch for anyone who hasn't seen the series yet. And like other ABC shows, it is only available on DVD, not Blu-ray.

     As season seven begins, Paul Young (Mark Moses, Mad Men), fresh out of prison, moves back to Wisteria Lane, determined to get even with the neighbors who abandon him after his trial. He brings along a new wife, Beth (Emily Bergl, Southland, Men in Trees), who also has a dark secret of her own. Beth is actually Felicia Tilman's (Harriet Sansom Harris, Frasier) daughter, there to get revenge on Paul, who murders Felicia's sister, Beth's aunt, in season one. As both Paul and Beth try to carry out their plots, emotion gets in the way, and Paul soon finds unexpected compassion from one of his old friends. It's a great throwback to what is arguably the best storyline from the entire series, even though it happened at the very beginning.

     Joining the cast in season seven is the amazing Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty) as Renee Perry, an old friend of Lynette's (Felicity Huffman) who moves to town. Renee stirs up trouble and shakes up the dynamic of the housewives in deliciously interesting ways. Williams manages to hold her own against the long-time stars, and actually carves herself a nice little niche that she will sadly get to occupy only one more year, before the series goes dark forever.

     Also appearing in an arc throughout much of season seven is Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills, 90210 and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) as Keith, a much younger love interest for Bree (Marcia Cross) after Orson (Kyle MacLachlan) finally moves out. MacLachlan is missed, but Green is also great, in a totally new-flavor way. John Schneider (Smallville, Dukes of Hazard) plays Keith's dad, who takes an interest in Bree, too, a more age appropriate, albeit wrong, choice. Both are gone by season's end, but then Jonathan Cake comes along as Chuck Vance, Bree's newest love interest, so it's safe to assume that Bree's bed won't remain empty for long.

     The seventh season of Desperate Housewives ends with quite the cliffhanger, and a beautiful set up for the final season. All of the housewives, and one of the men, are involved in a murder and the cover up of said murder. For those who haven't seen the episode, I won't spoil the twist with too many details, but needless to say, their actions are not evil. But this does set up a very intriguing final season plot where the four women have to band together as never before to protect each other and stay out of prison. Making matters even more complicated, Bree's new guy, Chuck, is a homicide detective. Talk about a conflict of interest!

     Of course, the real soul of Desperate Housewives is provided by the four main women, all of whom undergo major upheavals in their lives in season seven prior to the awesome finale. Bree not only searches for a new man, but also helps son Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom) deal with the alcoholism he inherited from her. Susan (Teri Hatcher) faces her own mortality. She and Mike (James Denton) also face money problems, and have to temporarily move off of Wisteria Lane. While Mike goes out of town to find work, Susan becomes a sexy online cleaning lady for her landlord, Maxine (Lainie Kazan, My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) discovers her and Carlos's (Ricardo Chavira) eldest daughter, Juanita (Madison De La Garza), was switched at birth in the hospital, and their biological child is being raised by illegal immigrants who must flee authorities. It's an Emmy-worthy performance for Longoria, though she is not nominated.

     Lynette faces the possible end of her very long marriage to Tom (Doug Savant), the most stable relationship on the series, up until now. This is a very sad state of affairs. While Mike and Susan have had extremely rocky patches over the years, and Gabi and Carlos even divorce for a time, Lynette and Tom have always been rock solid. With that foundation crumbling, and the threat of a permanent divorce looming, it's going to take much effort to come back from the brink. Given the final season status, a reconciliation would seem to be a no-brainer. But seeing how bad things are as season seven ends, it won't be an easy fix, either.

     On Desperate Housewives The Complete Seventh Season, there are an average number of bonus features for an ABC release, but they are mostly worthwhile extras. Twelve deleted scenes are interesting, but don't add much. Most are from the episode "Assassins." More than four minutes of bloopers seem like too much, yet they are pretty entertaining. A five-minute feature called "Desperate for Trivia" finds the four main women, their three steady men, and Mark Moses answering trivia questions pertaining to all seven seasons of the show. It's hilarious to see who knows what. For instance, did you know that the episode titles in Desperate Housewives are all Stephen Sondheim references? Ricardo Chavira does! Though it's also easy to understand how just being on a series doesn't mean you retain every intimate detail.

     The best bonus feature is "Growing Up On Wisteria Lane." In it, a number of the child actors, especially those who grew up on the series and were never recast, talk about what it's like to be on the set. Some of the adults also provide insight about working with these particular kids. It's a poignant retrospective, appropriate with the end so close. It's also touching that the children, who are forgotten about from time to time, get their very own ten minutes of focus among so few other features. A very worthy addition!

     Make sure you check out Desperate Housewives The Complete Seventh Season, on sale this Tuesday, August 30th.


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Article first published as DVD Review: Desperate Housewives The Complete Seventh Season on Blogcritics.

Desperate Housewives - "And Lots of Security...; Come On Over for Dinner"

     Seven seasons in, ABC's Desperate Housewives doesn't need the big finale build up. In fact, despite the fact that the season finale is billed as a two hour special event, unlike in the past, both hours are separate episodes, with their own arcs and stories. In the first, "And Lots of Security...," the Paul Young (Mark Moses) / Felicia Tillman (Harriet Sansom Harris) feud is resolved once and for all. In the second, "Come On Over for Dinner," a new intrigue begins after Carlos (Ricardo Chavira) kills Gaby's (Eva Longoria) sexually abusive stepfather, Alejandro (Tony Plana, Ugly Betty), and Bree (Marcia Cross), Susan (Teri Hatcher), and Lynette (Felicity Huffman) help him cover it up.

     After seven seasons and various murders and secrets, it is fitting that Desperate Housewives moves into what will likely be its final season with all of the main women engaged in a cover up together. It is a justified murder, done in the name of protecting an innocent woman from her long-time tormentor. While police should have been called immediately, that would take away from a concept that has been ripe for quite awhile, and thus, it is time for it to happen. This will cement their deep friendship, as well as right things between Carlos and Bree, who have not been on good terms lately. It will be interesting to see if, one by one, all of the other neighbors eventually become complicit, or the secret will stay confined to five individuals. Both possibilities could be good.

     There is little doubt none of the five will break, but that doesn't mean there won't be an investigation. Plenty of the neighbors have to have seen Alejandro sneaking around, and there will be evidence that leads back to Carlos and Gaby. The question is, is this a good enough mystery to sustain a full season of plot, or will it be one of those stories gone, then quickly forgotten?

     It is not likely to be forgotten because of season seven's themes of the past catching up to people. Paul returns to Wisteria Lane to settle an old score, getting even with the neighbors for their perceived disrespect of him. Felicia follows him to get revenge on Paul killing her sister. Paul tells Susan in the penultimate hour that the past always has a way of coming back, and he ends up confessing to the police for Martha's murder, an event that happened all the way back in season one. It would be folly, just after such a story, to abandon the new arc now, without finding out what the consequences of the housewives' deception are.

     Hopefully, the lead investigator will be Detective Chuck Vance (Jonathan Cake), the recently introduced love interest for Bree. Poor Bree has gone through a couple of husbands and several lovers, but it would be only too appropriate that a happy ending will be out of reach for her because she covers up a murder from the man she is currently seeing. Chuck's presence is what leads the ladies to hide the body in the first place, rather than discussing a more rational plan. Will Bree be able to cope with the stress such an omission can put on a serious relationship?

     It seems that Tom (Doug Savant) and Lynette are finally over. The series's only steady couple who have been together since before day one have found their recent arguments unwinnable, and the pair can barely stand to be in the same room together anymore, let alone spend any time alone. It's a sad, sad end to an era as they separate, and something is profoundly unfair that not one couple on Desperate Housewives manages to go the distance. The only hope is that resolution can be found before divorce is finalized.

     Tom and Lynette's problems have been happening for years, but they've always managed to demonstrate good communication skills and work through whatever happens to them. This time, neither even really try, both choosing to be selfish. Lynette's controlling manner has been a source of contention, but once Tom gets money, he demands more control. She is unwilling to give up even a little. Lynette has trouble with humility, but now, so does Tom, and two egos do not a good marriage make.

    Thankfully, the other couples are as solid as ever. Susan and Mike (James Denton) finally have their home back, and have returned to Wisteria Lane. Susan is past her health issues, and Mike's business seems to be recovering. Gaby and Carlos, too, have found financial and household stability. While neither couple has been married the entire series (Susan spent years wooing Mike, and both couples were divorced for a middle portion of the series), they have been together quite a while. Perhaps monogamy is not a total bust.

     What remains to be seen is if Bree will find a romantic happy ending, as well as new neighbor Renee (Vanessa Williams), who, after a mere one season, has gotten closer to breaking into the main group than anyone else up til this point. Many have tried, some with varying degrees of success. Renee has befriended all four leads, without being too abrasive.

     Renee works because she is an interesting, lively character, who balances bitchiness with heart. She also wants to be part of the group and have lady friends, since up until now, she has defined her life by her marriage. Here is a woman approaching middle age who is just learning who she is and what she wants out of life. Williams has delivered an excellent performance this year, and hopefully she will give an even better one next season.

     Desperate Housewives has already been renewed, and will return next fall to ABC.

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Article first published as TV Review: Desperate Housewives - "And Lots of Security...; Come On Over for Dinner" on Blogcritics.