Yes, 3 of them (Lynnette wasn’t there), for all of about 15 seconds, about only 1 of their problems. One scene in an entire episode. Nope, not good enough. This show was originally about their interactions. The dinner party scene where Bree revealed that her husband cried when he climaxed was classic. When Lynnette got hooked on her kid’s meds, the friends rallied around her to help her through it. They got together and gossiped frequently, and they were all trying to figure out why their friend committed suicide.
Now, only Susan knows the truth and none of the rest of them seem the least bit interested. That one throw-away scene last night was stupid, and even if you want to count it, doesn’t even come close to comparing to the interactions from last season. The whole show seems completely disjointed to me now – it’s about 4 different women who lead 4 different lives and deal with 4 different sets of problems. Of the two Wisteria Lane residents who interact the most, one of them technically isn’t even considered one of the “desperate housewives” (Edie). And so far, the only one who has had multiple opportunities to interact with the newest neighbor is also Susan (who is the “housewife” who most frequently interacts with Edie).
Too many details get dropped or changed. No one seems to care that their now deceased best friend’s teenage kid is on the run and missing, except for Susan, who only pretends to care so she can bed Mike. Two women were murdered last season and neither one even merits a mention in episode after episode after episode.
It was funny when Susan accidentally burned down Edie’s house. It was hilarious when Bree accidentally almost killed Rex with onions in his salad. It was funny the first time Lynnette’s kids were monster brats in the swimming pool at the funeral. It was funny when Edie tossed Mrs. Huber’s ashes in Susan’s face.
It’s not funny when a grown man manipulates a young boy into a violent act in order to get him sent away to an institution that his mother has described as brutal. It’s not funny when a grown woman sends a minor child off on his own to a different state, not having any real idea where he would end up or how he would survive on the streets. It’s not funny watching Lynnette be a bad mother and seeing her children suffer for it.
It was a hoot watching Gabrielle try to cover up her affair with the gardener by sneaking off during a party and mowing the lawn in her sequined gown. It is not funny seeing her incite a prison riot merely by walking through a courtyard in skin-tight outfits. It was funny when Susan ended up locked out of her house in the flower bed naked, and layed there casually having a conversation with the guy she was trying to get to like her. It was not funny watching her fling ice cream all over the place and then lie to him about having gotten hungry while looking for his lost son. Not even the slapstick is working this year.
Basically, the show sucks this season, and with all the other good television and all the other non-television things I could be spending my time doing, I believe I’ll catch up on Desperate Housewives periodically, when the mood strikes (like I’m bored to tears otherwise) and by reading the threads to see if anything freaking progresses already.
