# Desperate Housewives 4/17 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2005, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desperate-housewives-4-17/299876 "2005-04-18T12:33:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desperate-housewives-4-17/299876/41 "2005-04-19T17:43:37Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > Holy cow, I can! My mother said _much_ worse to me. Much. And yet, I still never plotted her downfall or destruction with a heart full of evil malice. Nor was I ever able to please _my_ mother after a lifetime of walking on eggshells and bending over backwards, to boot. As I said, I understand teenage anger at a parent all too well. But Andrew’s behavior has gone well beyond “a little bitter,” to downright sinister and malicious. Sorry, but I don’t “get” that at all. So fictional characters must think and act exactly as you do, or you don’t get it? Wow, that must severely limit your viewing and reading options. The behavior of everyone on this show is over the top. It’s a soap opera. It’s unlikely and exaggerated and, well…operatic. The writers have taken “normal” teenage anger towards a parent (and I maintain it’s not entirely undeserved; Bree is a piece of work), magnified it, and there’s your nice dramatic storyline. Mother tells son (essentially) he’s going to hell for being who he is. Son is understandably hurt, and wants to hurt her. That’s a perfectly natural instinct, but stifling impulses would make pretty boring television and certainly isn’t what this show is about. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desperate-housewives-4-17/299876/42 "2005-04-19T17:48:23Z")
> [@Nordic](#): > > So fictional characters must think and act exactly as you do, or you don’t get it? Wow, that must severely limit your viewing and reading options. This isn’t the Pit, so I’d appreciate an adjustment of your tone with me. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desperate-housewives-4-17/299876/43 "2005-04-19T18:00:44Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > This isn’t the Pit, so I’d appreciate an adjustment of your tone with me. Thank you. Your post started with what I perceived to be making fun of my “holy cow,” and that set the tone for the rest of the post, in my mind. Upon re-reading, I see there was nothing else particularly snarky there. If that was not your intention, please accept my apology. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desperate-housewives-4-17/299876/44 "2005-04-20T03:34:19Z")
> [@Nordic](#): > > The behavior of everyone on this show is over the top. It’s a soap opera. Ack! Really? I’m so embarrassed… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desperate-housewives-4-17/299876/45 "2005-04-20T03:38:13Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > What on _earth_ did Bree do to Andrew that he hates her so much that he’s plotting such twisted, evil revenge on her? Others have responded more eloquently, but, as for myself, if she had raised me, I would either hate her or be in a loony bin. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2005, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desperate-housewives-4-17/299876/46 "2005-04-20T19:33:57Z")
I’m inclined to agree that he is a sociopath. Lots of people have messed up childhoods (arguably much worse then Andrew got from Bree- kids get beaten, raped, etc) and lots of people entertain the idea of causing harm to their parents who caused them so much trauma…very few people follow through. Because of this, I would have to say that there is something off with Andrew. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desperate-housewives-4-17/299876/47 "2005-04-21T00:24:56Z")
I can take the character fluxuations, but I hate when the writers stretch the truth to the point of absurdity. Lynette rode in the ambulance with Mrs. McCluskey. How nice, but um…who was caring for her baby daughter? Since when do credit card companies call _co-signers_ when there’s unusual activity on the charge? Why hasn’t Mama Solis’ hit and run been solved? There were tire tracks and it was in the middle of the freaking 'burbs. That pretty much narrows the suspects down to people who live in the neighborhood or who were visiting someone in the neighborhood. No matter what they did to dispose of the car, the VandeKamps can’t erase the paper trail that proved they owned that car. We’ve had two murders (the nosy neighbor and Deidre), at least two murderers (Mike and Paul), one hit and run driver (Andrew), two psychos (Andrew and Zach), one dude who is being sent to jail for fraud and who beat up a guy whom he incorrectly thought was having an affair with his wife (Carlos), a sex offendor (Gabby), and kidnappers (Paul and Angela)…all living in the same neighborhood. Damn! My neighborhood is BORING. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desperate-housewives-4-17/299876.md?page=2)