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‘Desperate’: May series finale approaches

Courtesy of abc.com. Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross) remembers a dispute with her late husband Rex (Steven Culp) in the March 18 episode of “Desperate Housewives.” ABC and show creator Marc Cherry agreed to end the series in May 2012 after eight seasons.
Courtesy of abc.com. Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross) remembers a dispute with her late husband Rex (Steven Culp) in the March 18 episode of “Desperate Housewives.” ABC and show creator Marc Cherry agreed to end the series in May 2012 after eight seasons.

Murder mystery weaves intricate plot, claims beloved character

Courtesy of abc.com. Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross) remembers a dispute with her late husband Rex (Steven Culp) in the March 18 episode of “Desperate Housewives.” ABC and show creator Marc Cherry agreed to end the series in May 2012 after eight seasons.

Marc Cherry and company have always kept life interesting on the lane. I am, of course, referring to the infamous Wisteria Lane inhabited by the most fashionable, fierce, “Desperate Housewives” on television.

Premiering in 2004, ABC’s dramedy series— that’s drama and comedy— has successfully seen me through high school and college (almost!) So, it was with a heavy heart that I swallowed last summer’s announcement that the 2012 season would be the series’ eighth and final season.

“Desperate Housewives” has its fair share of haters in the world of television audiences. While the premiere season averaged more than 23 million viewers per week, the numbers have dwindled as the years have passed, with many expressing the belief that “it had just gotten a little too ridiculous.” Perhaps I am a bit blinded by my love for Eva Longoria, but what about season one’s suicide-adultery-imprisonment triangle wasn’t also completely ridiculous?

My point is simply this: If you expect to see a realistic American neighborhood in “Desperate Housewives,” you’ve got the wrong show— though, now that I think about it, “Real Housewives of [insert populous urban setting]” is every bit as catty. No, the true brilliance of life on Wisteria Lane is Cherry’s incredible scriptwriting, and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity it gave actors such as Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman to make a comeback at an age which Hollywood typically deems “past their prime.” And did I already mention Longoria?

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Though the mystery, the drama and the romance have always been paramount, some seasons have certainly been better than others (two and six, namely.) After getting off to a solid start in 2004, the second season proved to be a huge letdown, as Cherry turned the reins over to a clearly less-talented writing crew who came up with the central conflict of a mysterious neighbor (Betty Applewhite, played by Alfre Woodard) who kept her son locked inside. Nothing says exciting like a character that is rarely seen until the season finale, right?

And don’t get me started on Bree Van de Kamp’s random fling with her decorator Keith Watson (played by Megan Fox’s real-life husband Brian Austin Green) or the many serious medical issues that miraculously cure themselves— Susan Meyer’s failing kidney, Carlos Solis’ blindness and Mike Delfino’s amnesia, to name a few.

There’s plenty of ridiculousness in this series but, as Marilyn Monroe once said, “It’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” Enter murderers, massive tornadoes, vengeful lovers and angry PTA mothers. And with just a handful of episodes left to go, the finale season is literally, and metaphorically, sending the series “out with a bang.”

It all began with a neighborhood dinner party that went horribly, horribly wrong. Longoria’s character, Gabrielle Solis, was cornered by the stepfather who had molested her as a child and, acting in Gabrielle’s defense, Carlos accidently kills her stepfather by hitting him over the head with a candlestick in their living room. The scene was so perfectly “Clue” that you could almost imagine Miss Scarlet in the room.

This accidental death sets off a whirlwind of conflict on the lane, as each of the four main characters struggles to cope with their guilt . . . and the looming threat of the local police. Adding to the drama is Lynette’s husband Tom’s new girlfriend Jane, who threatens their already rocky trial separation, Susan’s daughter Julie’s out-of-wedlock pregnancy and Wisteria Lane resident Ben Faulkner’s meddling with a threatening loan shark. And, the season seven addition of former Miss America Vanessa Williams as Renee Perry never ceases to amuse.

Teaser-trailers for the March 11, 2012 episode made it clear to viewers that one of their beloved cast members was about to be killed off. Unfortunately, many learned of the victim’s identity before the episode actually aired, due to a fury of articles posted online surrounding another former cast member’s pending lawsuit against Cherry, for the alleged wrongful death of her character and termination of her role in the series. Those who avoided potential spoilers witnessed the vengeful loan shark exacting revenge on Susan’s husband, Mike, by shooting him on his front porch in a drive-by attack.

I am only a little embarrassed to admit that I cried during Mike’s televised— albeit fictional— funeral.

As a regular viewer since the premiere season, I cannot help but to have adored his character, if not just for putting up with Susan on a regular basis.

To make an already incredibly long, intertwining and scandalous story short, after its fast-approaching termination, “Desperate Housewives” will likely join “Sex and the City” and “Friends” as the series you can always count on being played during Saturday afternoon marathons on slow network days.

For viewers like me, “too ridiculous” will never be “too much.”

Catch “Desperate Housewives” on ABC Sundays at 8 p.m. while it lasts.

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