- Eva Longoria has done some of her best work in the whole Grace storyline, and it will be interesting to see what happens now that Juanita knows Grace is Gaby's daughter.
- Now that all the dumb hoopla about Susan's stint on the Internet is over, we get to see what her money troubles are really like. Mike is away in Alaska working and she's a nanny for her BFF Lynette.
- And Renee, while still annoying, has proved her worth on the lane. She loves Tom, even if she'll only admit it when less than sober. It gives her a reason for being there.
When I heard the show would end it's mid season finale with a riot, I'll admit, I rolled my eyes. Plane crashes, tornadoes, what hasn't happened on Wisteria Lane? But the way the riot developed, the way it went down, it was actually.... dare I say, realistic.
I was on the edge of my seat. I even teared up a little. Gaby and Carlos looking for Juanita. Susan and Renee fighting and then Susan being pushed away in the crowd. Gaby falling under the car. Juanita in Bob and Lee's backseat. Renee on top of the car looking for Susan ('I think she's hurt!'). Bob and Lee being attacked by rioters, with a frightened Juanita in the backseat. And, ah, that moment the Gaby realized Juanita was in the car. Seriously. Awesome. Oh, and Lynette running over to help Lee, of course ('He's my neighbor!). Jeesh.
The episode could have ended there, but then.... Paul Young got shot.
Who do I think it was? I'm suspicious of....
Lee- He would be the obvious choice, since he threatened to kill Paul AND had a gun... but I just don't think Lee is capable of that, do you?
Bree- only because she had a gun in this episode. I don't really think she had a reason to go after Paul.
Lynette- She might be Paul's biggest adversary on the lane, but like Lee, I don't think she would do it.
His wife (sorry, I forgot her name)- A few episodes ago, I would have thought she was a shoe-in for the shooter. But now? I don't know. I guess maybe she could have been really disturbed by the riot and decided to go along with 'Momma's' plan after all.
Mike- not the biggest fan of Paul Young to begin with, we haven't seen Mike in weeks and then this episode, we see Susan urging him to come home. She was the most hurt (of our leads) in the riot so Mike has plenty of motivation to go after Paul.
Someone hired by Felicia Tillman- Seems like a scapegoat for the writers.... so it's likely.
1 comment:
It was "actually...realistic"? What reality did you have in mind where what would be a neighboring street or 10 (Hydrangea Circle, et al) essentially comprise a collective of overeager thugs who thrive on turning an HOA-concern-slash-minor-civic-event into an ultraviolent version of an out-of-control frat party? If not for the "filler" of these uncounted dozens of walk-on "next-street-over" extras looking for an excuse for some anonymous mayhem, there would be no critical mass for this "realistic" riot.
Desperate Housewives might be a watchable soap, but it bears no hint of realism in any aspect--realism would undermine its own premise. As for jumping the shark, you may be right that these antics may not qualify yet. They are intentionally over-the-top and fit with the general fantasy tone of the show, as you point out in your list of other season devices.
The one thing that should be obvious to everyone is this: despite the greatly compressed backing timeline, this plot device is unmistakable. Anyone care to buy an I Shot J.R.--err, Paul Young-- t-shirt?
If you didn't recognize it, that's too bad. Even if you did, you may be tempted to think of this as a clever send-up. It's really just evidence that Hollywood is regurgitating all the B-grade stunts from 70s/80s movies and TV for a new mass-media audience, and thanking us all the way to the bank for our viewership.
Hmmm....who shot J.R.... Maybe they HAVE jumped the shark.
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