When it comes to TV-watching, there isn’t much I haven’t done. (I say that with a combination of shame for all the hours I waste watching TV and a weird sense of pride.)I very rarely abandon TV shows (I stuck with “Heroes” and “Nip/Tuck” to the bitter end). However, one of the things I’ve never done is abandon a TV show…and come back!
And that’s what I’m going to attempt to do with “Desperate Housewives.”
I completely missed the show last year because I forgot to record the season premiere and, with so many shows starting at the time, I fell hopelessly behind. It also didn’t help that season 6 was, perhaps, the show’s least buzzy season, even with a lesbian storyline.
Last night, I caught up with the first two episodes of season 7, and I was mostly struck by how easily I could still follow the show.
Sure, I have no idea why Orson is in a wheelchair now (and since Kyle McLachlan is no longer a series regular, it doesn’t really matter), or why Bob and Lee are now on the outs (which is fine because no one really cares). I can even fill in the gap on the relatively big changes (like the fact that Susan and Mike are now officially poor, according to M.J.)
The new season seems to have addressed the show’s biggest problem in recent years: the lack of a compelling Big Bad. (No offense to Neal McDonough’s Dave, or Drea de Matteo’s Angie.) Sure, if you would’ve told me a few years ago that Paul Young, of all people, would come back to wreak havoc on Wisteria Lane, I would’ve responded with a big fat, “Him?!” (Followed by a prolonged, “LAAAAMMMMEEE.) Instead, I’ve become a fan of the stylings of Mark Moses thanks to his work on “Mad Men.”
The show has previously introduced characters who were tied to the four main ladies (Katherine, for example, was an old friend of Susan’s), but I think bringing back a character that we in the audience have a history with (even if it’s a lukewarm history) is an interesting way to go.
Paul is back and he’s looking to exact revenge on the neighbors he felt abandoned him when he was falsely accused for the murder of Felicia Tillman. It’s interesting that everyone is still creeped out by him, despite the fact that he’s been presumably cleared of murder. (We, of course, know that he murdered Felicia’s sister.)
It’s early, but I like what I’m seeing from this storyline so far. I like that I don’t know what Paul’s plan is. I really like that the woman he married while he was in jail never really expected him to get out. (That can’t end well.) And I LOVE that Felicia Tilman all but guaranteed he’d be dead in six months time. (I’m not sure how, but I’m inclined to believe her.)
What’s really interesting is that the show may have a second Big Bad on its hands, in the person of Vanessa Williams’ Renee Perry. Once again, the show was smart to introduce a character who has an existing relationship with one of the Housewives (they learned from the Betty Applewhite fiasco). It’s good to see an actress who can go toe-to-toe with Felicity Huffman (Doug Savant is still great, but Tom is basically a puss). It was obvious from the beginning that Renee would be sticking around for the long-term, and I’m interested to see how her character becomes integrated with the rest of the cast. (The scene with Williams and the other Housewives in which Rene insulted Susan’s jewelry was a good start.)
The reason I’m tentatively referring to Williams as a Big Bad is because I’m generally wary of her thanks to her fantastic comedic villain years on “Ugly Betty” and because it was revealed that she and Tom share a secret. (I can’t be as simply as the fact that they slept together back in the day, right?)
It seems like Williams will soon be interacting with Bree for the attention of Brian Austin Green’s aggressively shirtless contractor/handyman Keith. Last night, Bree (who, apparently, is a vehicular homicide waiting to happen) fired Keith because she was having trouble resisting her sexual urges, but ended up asking him back so he can help her rebuild her life/house. This being “Desperate Housewives”, I’m sure Keith has some secrets of his own, but hopefully the show will have some fun with Bree’s May/September romance.
When we found out in the premiere that Juanita is not Gabby and Carlos’ biological daughter, I’d figured the show would get a bit of mileage out of the mystery. Instead, Gabby found out almost instantly following Juanita’s hospital visit after being hit by Bree’s car. (I saw Gabby’s joke about Bree’s family killing all the Juanita Solises in the world coming, but it was still funny.) Another thing that hasn’t changed on this show, is Eva Longoria Parker’s ability to take material that is downright stupid on paper and making it work. When she learned that Juanita couldn’t be her and Carlos’ daughter, Gabby convinced herself that she’d accidentally cheated on Carlos and tried to establish sex-somnia as a valid excuse.
Finally, let’s have a round of applause for the show’s writers for devising a way to get Teri Hatcher in skimpy underwear. Susan and Mike are hard up for money, but their new landlord Maxine (Lainie Kazan) offered Susan a job in which she’d film herself cleaning her apartment in sexy clothes. Yes it’s absurd, but I prefer this silly, harmless storyline over Susan being a completely incompetent doormat, as she has been in years past.
So what’d you think of this episode? Doesn’t Carlos look a little like Kurt Warner now that he’s clean-shaven? How angry would you be with your wife if you found out she was doing what Susan is doing? Finally, what’s Tom and Renee’s secret?
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