Desperate Housewives 1/22

PunditLisa · January 23, 2006, 9:59pm

I thought that Lynette talked to the CEO’s wife, saying how glad she was about the promotion, but she was so stressed at home, and Tom would be traveling, blah blah blah. The wife talked to her husband and they offered the job to someone else.

Shayna · January 23, 2006, 10:56pm

Great episode last night, for a change! Here’s the skinny on Tom’s non-promotion and termination, as taken from the TWOP recaps. One of the recappers refers to him as Gay Matt, not Tom, though, which I think is because of his former Melrose Place character.

From the episode, Impossible, which originally aired 02/20/2005:

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=142&story=7563&page=4&sort=&limit=all

Lynette putters around the kitchen looking typically harried, while letting Peter, Piper, and Picked run hog wild in the living room playing pseudo-hockey. It doesn’t look dark – isn’t this what “outside” is for? Or, if they’re under house arrest, maybe Lynette shouldn’t give them access to any…oh, I don’t know…items? Gay Matt schlumps inside and quietly suggests that his sons take it elsewhere. They ignore him, because they’ve watched Melrose Place and they know what woodwork looks like when they see it. Lynette asks how Gay Matt’s day was, and learns that his big vice-presidential promotion ended up going to somebody else. “I don’t get it,” he says. “How does Tim Duggan, Big Blowhard, get the promotion over me?” He then sighs and admits that he’s just being bitter. Lynette kisses him, presumably so that he knows what real bitter tastes like. Peck, Pickled, and Peppers are still at it in the living room, so Gay Matt ineffectually wonders if they could take the Stanley Cup outside. Hockey fans disagree, as this is the closest they will come to the Stanley Cup for another year, maybe two. The P Patrol ignores Gay Matt again, although I swear, those kids are one more “reprimand” away from mistaking their father for the banister and trying to slide down him. Lynette assumes that her husband is stupid and asks if he bothered to let his boss, Mr. Peterson, know that he wanted the promotion. In a twist, Gay Matt is stupid, because he figured that his eight-plus years of service would speak for themselves against Tim Duggan’s two years and top-notch blowing skills. “I’m not going to beg,” Gay Matt says. “I’m not saying beg,” Lynette replies. “You just have to step up from time to time…Nobody respects a shrinking violet.” Apt advice in some circumstances, but Lynette, the guy is depressed. He doesn’t need you to tell him he’s a giant pussy – the whole room can smell the Whiskas. Gay Matt defensively tries to say that there are many ways to be a leader, and he prefers quiet efficiency, but Lynette interrupts: “TAKE THAT RACKET OUTSIDE,” she yells at Punxsutawney, Phil, and Pgroundhog. This silences them, and they scurry outside on cue, leaving Gay Matt alone with the sound of his own purring.

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=142&story=7563&page=9&sort=&limit=all

Gay Matt sails through the door of his home at the end of the day and says that Tim Duggan survived his triple-bypass with gusto. I’m surprised neither of them snarks, “God. That’s just so like him. Bastard overachiever.” Gay Matt’s moniker takes on actual meaning now, as he reveals how happy he is: He convinced his boss not to keep Duggan’s promotion for him, so Mr. Peterson awarded it to “fit, heart-smart” Gay Matt. Specifically, Gay Matt “walked in and said [Peterson would] be a fool to hold Duggan’s promotion.” Lynette is shocked that Gay Matt called his boss a fool, but I think she’s more shocked that he discovered balls in his trousers. Gay Matt is giddy with his high-risk, high-reward approach. Lynette brushes off the fact that his approach is not the one she’d have taken – honey, don’t call your husband a shrinking violet if you don’t actually want him to fix that – and gives him a congratulatory peck. “Honey…I’ve got the whole West Coast!” Gay Matt rejoices. Okay. Where is that in relation to them? WHERE IS WISTERIA LANE? The Land of Perpetual Summer? Help! Lynette is stopped cold. She thought it was an in-house promotion, but apparently, it’s actually setting up new offices from Seattle down to L.A. “I told you that,” Gay Matt says. Not that we saw, pal. Damn these reality shows and their selective editing! Lynette is now repelled at the news that Gay Matt’s big coup involves big travel, and she backs away from him. She complains that he’s barely there half the time as it is, and now with Big Gay Matt’s Big Gay Boat Ride up and down the West Coast, she’ll never see him. Gay Matt orders her not to ruin this for him, because he’s so thrilled, but Lynette would rather shackle him to the area than let him spread his wings for a while in the hope that another promotion might come that kept him home again. She has four kids. She ought to want him to rake in whatever cash he can. SO SHE CAN PAY A NANNY if she’s so miserable. Lord. Sorry, I have latent Lynette frustration.

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=142&story=7563&page=10&sort=&limit=all

Lynette is pissed that Gay Matt didn’t consult her about his new job. “You told me to step up!” Gay Matt protests. . . Gay Matt washes his hands of her by saying he’s going to go wash the rest of himself in the shower. “Wait!” Lynette calls out. “I know what this means to you…” she begins, but before the inevitable “but” comes, Gay Matt interrupts, “I’m forty-one years old. If I don’t make VP now, it’s never gonna happen. This is my career. It’s important to me.” Lynette points out that her career didn’t exactly mean peanuts, but that she made compromises – specifically, four babies. Gay Matt just looks at her. “I’m going to take the job,” he says with a trace of resentment and condescension in his voice, as if he both can’t believe she’d compare them and can’t fathom why she isn’t doing jumping jacks on the linoleum.

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=142&story=7563&page=11&sort=&limit=all

Pap, Pep, and Pip run screaming into Gay Matt’s office and leap all over him. Lynette arrives a moment later, pushing Pup in her pram and excusing their visit by telling him the Pistons wanted to see him while they were out eating burgers, because they knew he wouldn’t be home that night. Gay Matt shows off his office with a view, and then scampers into the next room to give the boys chair rides. Lynette watches lovingly. The Boss’s Wife enters, because I guess she just hangs around a lot, and glows about how she’s the one who convinced her husband to yank the promotion from under Tim Duggan’s recuperating nose and give it to Gay Matt. “[Gay Matt] is such a workhorse, and he wanted it so badly,” The Boss’s Wife gushes. Look, Lynette! Support! Were this woman a bra, she’d have underwire and extra push-up padding.

Mary Alice sees fit to resume telling this gentle story, chiming in with her heavenly voice-over, “Lynette realized it was in her best interest to lie to the boss’s wife.” In scene, Lynette acts thrilled about the promotion. MAVO: “Provided she wasn’t too convincing.” Lynette: “Of course, I mean, I will miss him being gone all the time,” she begins manipulatively, allowing herself to stare wistfully at the happy-family tableau before her of the three sons of a bitch crawling joyfully all over their father. “He’ll be bringing in more money, but he’s going to miss birthdays, baseball games, first steps…” Lynette continues, even more manipulatively. The Boss’s Wife listens sympathetically. Lynette slathers it on thickly with a closing argument that consists of a resigned shrug, a falsely bright acknowledgement that such is the trade-off, and a convincing “I hope one day [Gay Matt] doesn’t look back and regret being gone so much.” Then she adopts a sly expression, which The Boss’s Wife can’t see but we can, so thank you, Lynette, for being so very unrealistically user-friendly.

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=142&story=7563&page=14&sort=&limit=all

Lynette hops into bed next to a zoned Gay Matt. It seems she went to a PTA meeting; mercifully, we are spared the details. Gay Matt tries to be casual about his admission that his boss called him in and canceled the promotion. He’s holding it for Tim Duggan after all. “Ohhh,” Lynette says, looking guiltier than O.J. wearing a shirt that reads, “Of course I fucking did it, you assrags! SNAPS!” Gay Matt immediately says he’s fine, which means he is not. Then he lies that he didn’t want to work all those long hours, anyway, and gee, remember how he hates flying, and what it does to his back? “All that extra stress, and I would’ve ended up like Tim Duggan ten years from now,” Gay Matt decides. Lynette continues to have the good sense not to look or act triumphant in any way. “Look, you’re going to make VP one of these days,” she tries to coo, which only has the unsupportive effect of making it sound like she didn’t think he deserved it outright in the first place. “It’s okay,” Gay Matt says dully. “Honest. I am really glad it worked out this way.” Then he actually gulps. And then smiles through the most gritted teeth I’ve seen since I gave my mother orange lipstick for Christmas when I was eight and she saw my proud smile and was like, “It’s…just…perfect, honey!” I love my mother so much. Lynette stares off into the middle distance, presumably searching for an image of herself that doesn’t make her want to slap her own selfish face.

In the episode, Fear No More, which aired on 05/01/05, Tom’s former girlfriend enters the scene at his place of work. The following week, in the episode, Sunday In The Park With George, Lynette stages the French Maid outfit thing, but falls asleep waiting for Tom to get home from his late night at the office (with the ex, of course). Then we have the episode, Goodbye For Now, on 05/15, wherein Lynette’s machinations get Tom fired. . .

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=142&story=8014&page=3&sort=&limit=all

Lynette is walking into Tom’s office, carrying a half-flat of grocery-store cake, the kind with the inch-thick Crisco frosting. [“My favourite! Seriously, it is. Loves me some icing.” – Wing Chun] “Welcome back Dugan,” it reads. Lynette is wearing a pretty sundress and a light dusting of makeup – all in all, a good showing. Tom gives a surprised “Hey Lynette,” and asks what she’s doing there. Apparently, Dugan’s back in the office today, recovered from his heart attack, and Lynette just, you know, wanted to do something special for him. Such as bring him a Crisco-frosting welcome-back cake. “Uh huh,” says Tom, “and this wouldn’t have anything to do with you checking up on me and Annabel.” Lynette tries to play dumb, but the facts do not lie: yesterday, she brought Tom pictures of the kids; the day before, soup. Tom: “Lynette, honey? It’s got to stop.” Lynette tells Tom a couple times how she does not fear Annabel. Then who should sweep by but Annabel, looking very office-sexy in rolled-back sleeves and a pencil skirt. “Ha, speak of the devil,” Lynette says. “And I mean that.” Wait a minute, I thought that last week Lynette and Tom had gotten past the Annabel issue, what with their empowering Nighttime Necessities outfits. But now we’re right back to Lynette being paranoid and clingy? Sigh.

Lynette and her cake follow Annabel into the lunchroom. Annabel comments that Lynette’s becoming a regular fixture around the office. Lynette sticks to her story: she’s there because she wanted to do something nice for Dugan. Annabel: “I suppose filling his blood stream with butterfat might be considered nice.” Lynette: “Actually, it’s fruit-juice-sweetened. Can I cut you? [Big pause] A piece?” From the other room we hear boss Peterson gathering the troops. Apparently, Dugan had a relapse last night and he isn’t coming back after all. And since they’re officially down a man, everyone has to step up. Peterson doles out some of Dugan’s accounts to people in the office, and he gives Annabel the lead on the “Traveler’s Hotel chain.” She leaves for Hawaii in three days. Annabel insists that she can’t handle Traveler’s all by herself, especially if they’re “moving into print.” I’ve always thought businesses typically started out with print advertising and then, as they began making more money, to television, but maybe the Hawaiian Traveler’s Hotel heretofore limited itself to web promotion? Skywriting? Peterson agrees, and allows Annabel to pick someone to take with her. Because it’s not like they’re a man down or anything – now’s the perfect time to put two people on a one-person job. And Annabel? Picks Tom. Surprise. Lynette – who’s been bustling around her cake this whole time-- sort of leans toward Annabel, cake knife in hand, and Tom, without even turning his head, senses her menacing form and puts his hand up to restrain her. Annabel gives them both a “take that” smile.

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=142&story=8014&page=7&sort=&limit=all

Lynette is at lunch with an ex-co-worker and, in a shocking nod to the fact that she actually is a stay-at-home-mother, the baby girl P is with them, cooing in a high chair. Lynette, it appears, is in full-throttle bad-idea mode: she has heard that her old company is hiring, and for a second the woman thinks Lynette is looking for her old job back and gets very excited. But no, the job is for Lynette’s husband. Disappointment floods the woman’s face. Lynette launches in to the hard sell: “Tom’s ideas are spectacular” (like that brilliant side-of-shopping-cart Spotless Scrub campaign pitch?), “he’s passionate about his work, his visual instincts are off the chart,” of course neglecting to add the most compelling reason to hire Tom: it would get him away from his attractive ex-girlfriend co-worker. “Is he,” the woman interrupts, “as good as you?” This gives Lynette pause, but then she explains that Tom is apples, and she is oranges. The woman, however, doesn’t need apples; she needs someone like Lynette, “someone cutthroat, ruthless.” Lynette, not exactly flattered, thanks the woman for making her sound like a shark. And yet a shark is what they need! Happily, Lynette just so happens to know of a shark – a “very pretty shark.”

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=142&story=8014&page=9&sort=&limit=all

Annabel is in Peterson’s office, clearly getting some good news. As soon as she’s done, Tom comes over to ask her for the juice. Annabel has had a crazy day: first the people from Mitchell and Kerns (Lynette’s old company) called to offer her a job, and then Peterson countered by making Annabel VP! You know, Dugan’s job? The job Tom had briefly, before Lynette managed to get it taken away? Tom goes stomping into Peterson’s office, demanding he be told just what the hell is going on. Well, they just couldn’t lose Annabel – not since they were so short-handed. “Well, guess what, you lose me!” Tom shouts. “'Cause I quit!” Peterson tries to calm Tom down, but Tom will not be calmed. When they passed him over the first time, he took it like a “good soldier,” but since Dugan’s heart attack, he’s already been doing the job; then Peterson goes and hands it to Annabel? Tom: “You make crappy decisions on a daily basis, Dan, I gotta tell you, but this one? This is the stupidest.” Tom, already way too far to turn back now, gets out the flamethrower and starts really torching that bridge, telling his boss that he’s been running the company into the ground since the day he got there. Peterson: “All right, Scavo, you want to know why I gave it to Annabel – why she got the nod instead of you? It was Lynette.” Peterson tells Tom how Lynette begged Peterson’s wife to get him to kill the promotion, claiming that the extra traveling was going to hurt their family. Tom, with sad music swelling: “She did that?” Peterson, nodding: “And now I feel like a chump for helping you guys out. I guess it was another one of my crappy decisions. Have your desk cleaned out by tonight.” Bye bye, Tom.

And the rest is history.

elfkin477 · January 24, 2006, 8:01am

I’ll confess to not paying close attention last night. When he got there for the interview, didn’t Tom imply that he used a fake name (an anagram)? If so a. wouldn’t the fire you for lying about your name b. do they know he’s Lynette’s husband?

Carlos is an ass. Gabbie said she told them before they married (and us too, way before she got pregnant) that she didn’t want kids. And he dares use her unchanged opinion as a reason to threaten annulment? She should be the one doing the threatening - for false pretenses since he’d tricked her into thinking “no kids” wasn’t a big deal to him.

Larry_Mudd · January 24, 2006, 8:37am

Tom’s keen intellect is as apparent in his anagrams as it is with his marketing ideas. “Tom Scavo” was cunningly rearranged as “Tom Cavos.”

Lynette said that she told her boss that Tom was her husband and that he was “cool with it.”

gigi · January 24, 2006, 3:08pm

She went there looking to talk to him, and he happened to be in the confessional. Even though he led off with the question*, it quickly degenerated into a chat (she basically said, forget the pretense, it’s me Gabrielle), especially since in confession the priest wouldn’t be asking who has had sex with whom. It’s all about the person confessing, not others’ activities.

*The normal process is the person confessing says “Bless me Father for I have sinned, my last Confession was x amount of time ago. These are my sins:…”

D-bear · January 25, 2006, 2:30am

Well it looks as if NBC has KILLED Daniel. Too bad too. I really liked this one, although I guess I’m in the minority.

D-bear · January 25, 2006, 2:32am

Darn it. Wrong thread. Sorry. First time in 6 years, I swear.

Wolfian · January 25, 2006, 5:59am

Wait, wait, wait. Lynette did all that and *she’s * the one who doesn’t want it mentioned again? Where the hell does she get off?

irishgirl · January 25, 2006, 9:24am

I cried when Carlos and Gabby made up…I could see it coming and it was just the right way to resolve the whole thing…but I cried.

jsc1953 · January 25, 2006, 3:17pm

My point exactly (up in post #8).

kls68 · February 27, 2011, 4:23am

One thing that strikes me when it comes to how responsible Lynette is or isn’t for the promotion being killed is the fact Peterson out and out lied to Tom about what Lynette said and did. Why the need to change her words? If what she really said should was a legit reason to kill the promotion why couldn’t her true words have stood on their own? No accident he had to jack them up, in reality they were cliche and lame. Sorry, but is it really supposed to have been a news flash a dad with 4 small kids needs to figure out issues of sacrificing family time if he takes a traveling promotion>

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Desperate Housewives 1/22

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