I’m running out of things to say about Desperate Housewives. I remember the days when the show’s central mystery would be woven into the overall story but I think ever since the terribly mishandled storyline with Alfre Woodard’s character and her son chained up in the basement, things have never gotten back on track. The wonderful Dana Delaney was also wasted during her time on the show, hardly anything more than an extra at times popping in to say hello to Bree and then off again. So far this season, we’ve been treated to Vanessa Williams’ delicious performance — and she gets the best lines week after week — and her interaction with each of the core cast, most of whom she’s alienated already.
I thought the Renee and Gaby storyline this week was going to be about Renee revealing Gaby’s secret regarding her biological daughter but that never came up. No, Gaby’s big secret was a nose job when she was 19. Not a big deal to most people but Gaby has never admitted to having any work done and now that Renee has spilled the beans, everyone is making Pinocchio and Cyrano de Bergerac jokes, which led to the season’s first big catfight in a nightclub where some neighbor we’ve never seen before, Emma Graham (played by singer Dana Glover), decided to hold a cabaret show … with Dave Koz on sax (which turned out to be a sneaky way to sell Dave Koz’s new CD)! I was happy to see Gaby and Renee make up in the end because they are two peas in a pod. Their earlier conversation about trusting each other because they are beautiful was a hoot. Also fun were the scenes with Bree and Keith, and I actually liked that they discovered they appreciate each other for who they really are.
The show’s big mystery plot continues to be Paul Young and why he wants to buy up the neighborhood (and where is he getting all of this money?). So far no one has bitten, but now that we know he was the mystery man last week who took the torn banner with Susan’s picture on it, and that he is now going to blackmail her in order to buy her house maybe his story will finally come into focus. Mary Alice’s narration at least promised that his plan to set neighbor against neighbor was going to succeed, but will it really? Of course not, and that is a problem. When you know that the core relationships are never really in danger what’s the point of trying to make the viewers think they are? I seriously think that if Vanessa Williams hadn’t joined the show this season, I would have stopped watching. So, I’m still hooked for now, but I seriously hope something big happens soon.
“What, are you reading from a boob thesaurus?” – Susan to a client
“Man, I’d love to smack that smile right off her face. Which, by the way, has been pulled so tight it would probably smack me back.” – Gaby venting about Renee
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Oct 25, 2010 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
