Well premier was in HD and looked GREAT. Looks like ABC has their transmission down well. No problems that I noticed.

What dog?

Mike's German Shepherd.

So who's in Alfie Woodard's basement?

Well premier was in HD and looked GREAT. Looks like ABC has their transmission down well. No problems that I noticed.

I had the picture freeze for several seconds in the final minute as Alfre Woodard came down the stairs. I was watching through Comast-Philadelphia on a 6412 DVR. Anyone else have a problem, or was it my DVR acting up (again)?

Amazingly, no breakups on my HD Tivo via Directv channel 86 (WABC DT NY).

We had to start watching this at 9:25 pm on Sunday as the missus didn't want any water cooler spoilers at work, or GMA giveaways...etc.......

And back and forth so far for the first 45 mins! Audio dropouts etc. The worst I've ever seen. C'mon ABC 15 .... get it together! :mad:


Just got my new Samsung 6168 saturday, and the sa8300hd. Let's just say my wife was less than pleased with missing about half the audio of dh's season premiere. Is this sort of sd/hd switching/audio dropout syndrome relatively common, or more of an anomaly? Just wanna know if i should do a backup recording of all shows on our sd tivo's just for cases like this....

Yes, do a backup recording. I have been doing that for 4 years now. THings are much better now than 4 years ago. I rarely have to go to my SD backup anymore. UNlike 4 years ago, when it was a common occurance.

We had audio issues right before going to commercial, and it got pretty bad during the commercial(s), but it was fixed by the time the program came back.

Thought the episode itself was the worst ever for DH. I hope they transition quickly to the new season story lines.

It just showed an arm reach out to pick something up off the plate (after the mother and son and shut the door and left). The arm was in a shackle.

Thanks! :D

-JR

I have not been watching "Desperate Housewifes" but at my daughter's urging I watched the first episode of the new season last night and loved it. I thought the scene in which Lynette had her final interview with the ex-jock boss was very funny. Felicity Huffman is a talented lady. I also thought the funeral scene was wonderful -- funny and moving at the same time. I was so impressed that I just ordered the DVDs of the first season from Amazon.com so that I can catch up.

So who's in Alfie Woodard's basement?
Her husband..? the red rose would indicate love, or is it passion(I forget) so it would evidently be coming from the mother...it looked like a male hand. For a few seconds there I thought there was a older woman/younger man type situation going on, possibly even an illicit mother/son relationship.. :eek:

Definitely need more data on this... :p :D

P.S. She did ask her son why the widower remark when they were talking to Bree, so my guess is it must be her husband.

I assumed it was the Father, since the Mother said something like "So now you're saying your Father is dead?"

I assumed it was the Father, since the Mother said something like "So now you're saying your Father is dead?"
That's what I meant, his father/her husband...maybe the guy's deranged, or they're scamming his SS or pension or something..this would be absolutely normal behavior for Wisteria Lane.. :D

gwsat: Welcome to the club.
"DH" is a sometimes annoying addiction, but it is a fun one.

I assumed it was the Father, since the Mother said something like "So now you're saying your Father is dead?"

But the hand was white. While she could certainly have a white husband, based on the skin color of her "son," it is reasonable to assume that he has two black parents.

And how do we really know that that is his mother?

But the hand was white. While she could certainly have a white husband, based on the skin color of her "son," it is reasonable to assume that he has two black parents.

And how do we really know that that is his mother?

Looked like a light-skinned black man to me. I'll double-check my recording tonight when I get home...

But the hand was white. While she could certainly have a white husband, based on the skin color of her "son," it is reasonable to assume that he has two black parents.

And how do we really know that that is his mother?

It didn't appear white to me. Maybe it's b/c I wasn't watching it in hd like the rest of the Phoenix people who may have tried to watch the show last night but our stupid affiliate kept switching from sd to hd with no. I finally had to watch it on my sd Tivo. Luckily I setup a season on my sd Tivo for these kind of problems.

Sorry about the rant but I had to do it. Also, did anyone else think that the funniest line from last night's show was when Bre told her mother-in-law that she isn't invited to the funeral and if she does show up, "there will be guards there with sticks and if you try to get past them they will beat you with those sticks on command". That was classic.

But the hand was white.

Not on my TV :D

It was a light skin black.

I have not been watching "Desperate Housewifes" but at my daughter's urging I watched the first episode of the new season last night and loved it. I thought the scene in which Lynette had her final interview with the ex-jock boss was very funny. Felicity Huffman is a talented lady. I also thought the funeral scene was wonderful -- funny and moving at the same time. I was so impressed that I just ordered the DVDs of the first season from Amazon.com so that I can catch up.

The first season DVD is fantastic. Great transfer and the extras are great. I listened to the pilot with commentary by creator and writer Marc Cherry, and it was the best commentary I've heard on a DVD to date. Great scene-by-scene commentary interlaced with great behind the scene stores of the production, stars, and filming of the show. Eva's Longoria's commentary on her favorite scenes was hilarious.

But the hand was white. While she could certainly have a white husband, based on the skin color of her "son," it is reasonable to assume that he has two black parents.

And how do we really know that that is his mother?

I don't think that is really her birth son, as Alfie Woodward has stated, "Maybe I'm a little too snugly with my son". And you could sense the relationship was more than mother/son by the physical contact on the porch. Even though writer Marc Cherry says the story of what's going on in the basement is creepy, I don't think even DH is going to get as creepy as having a mother/son incestual relationship.

Just experimenting via editing, posting, and then deleting posts immediately after posting, to get the Spoiler tags correct (first time attempting this). I often edit my posts a few times to correct misspellings. grammar, etcetera. In fact, I just edited the above post to add a comment by director Cherry in this week's TV Guide.You know the "preview post" feature works pretty well for this kind of thing too ;).


ron

Just experimenting via editing, posting, and then deleting posts immediately after posting, to get the Spoiler tags correct (first time attempting this). I often edit my posts a few times to correct misspellings. grammar, etcetera. In fact, I just edited the above post to add a comment by director Cherry in this week's TV Guide.

What kind of e-mail notifications do you receive? You receive an e-mail after every post?
There is a test forum for this. Use it.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=46

.......Even though writer Marc Cherry says the story of what's going on in the basement is creepy, I don't think even DH is going to get as creepy as having a mother/son incestual relationship.

Probably not; it takes Nip/Tuck to go there. :D

Upon further review, I am of the opinion that the arm/hand is indeed black, although my first impression when watching it live was it was white. Probably just trying to fool us. It might be Jason Kidd they have down there :-)

Re: Slap in the face

wow even though that was kinda sick I was LMAO!!!

Re: Slap in the face

wow even though that was kinda sick I was LMAO!!!


Same with Terry Hatcher's character throwing the kid off the bicycle when she threw the paper at him, and then running over her x husbands lover.

Are we sick?? :o

Upon further review, I am of the opinion that the arm/hand is indeed black, although my first impression when watching it live was it was white. Probably just trying to fool us. It might be Jason Kidd they have down there :-)
What difference does it make what color the arm is?

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column of Monday, October 3, 2005 at Mediaweek.com)

“Led by mega-hit Desperate Housewives, ABC scored a clean Sunday sweep…. Desperate Housewives stood head-and-shoulders above the rest, with an 18.4/26 in the overnights, 26.71 million viewers and an 11.8/27 among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m. Comparably, that beat NBC’s once dominant Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Overnights: #2, 9.1/13; Viewers: #2, 12.00 million; A18-49: #3, 3.4/ 8) by a hefty 102 percent in the overnights, 14.71 million viewers and 247 percent among adults 18-49. Word of advice to Bree’s TV mother-in-law, Shirley Knight: Get your Emmy acceptance speech ready for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. She is an absolute hoot!

So Bree wasn't suspicious when she told the pharmacist the police think she poisoned Rex and he immediately blurts out that lots of things could cause high potassium? Who mentioned potassium?

Or maybe she'll figure it out later, like she did with her mother-in-law.

'Housewives' is dragging desperately

By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

The folks at Desperate Housewives do know the season has started, right?

After three episodes, this hugely popular ABC soap-com still seems to be in some offseason transition, clinging to old plots while fumbling with new ones. Perhaps it was too much to hope that the second season of Housewives would get off to the same kind of explosive start as the first. But we do expect the series to do more than just mark time.

Let me hasten to add that I'd still rather spend time with these Housewives than with almost any other TV show. Even at a reduced gear, Housewives is one of the medium's rare pleasures, one that should be able to ride on our affection for its actors and characters long enough for the writers to find their way home again.

Part of the problem, perhaps, is that Housewives creator Marc Cherry has yet to write an episode this season. TV is a collaborative medium, so it is likely that Cherry has made major contributions to all the scripts. But that's not the same thing, and so far, neither is his show.

Of course there have been entertaining moments, and Sunday night's return of Harriet Sansom Harris may be a sign of more to come. But too many of the setups don't pay off — such as Lynette's (Felicity Huffman) attempt to video-conference her way to her son's first day of school, or Bree's (Marcia Cross) flat act-break insult to the detective. And the writers seem to be drawing some of the characters too broadly, making Gaby (Eva Longoria) too selfish and Susan (Teri Hatcher) too stupid.

What's worse, too many of the scenes are rehashing stories we thought we had left behind. Do they really expect us to believe Gaby was considering getting back together with John?

Yet more than anything, what's missing is an overarching story strong enough to tie the episodes and the housewives together. Mary Alice's suicide didn't just launch Housewives. By forcing the remaining friends to re-evaluate their lives while uniting them in a quest to understand Mary Alice's death; it set the tone for the show and lent it depth.

So far this year, there's no such link among these four women. Indeed, in three weeks we've hardly seen the four stars together. And they didn't share a scene last night at all.

If Alfre Woodard's man-in-the-basement story line was supposed to be the tie that binds or a suitable substitute for the Mary Alice story, it isn't working. Woodard is one of our best actresses; but the story is far-fetched even for Wisteria Lane. And even if it weren't, her character is too peripheral for her plight to have much emotional impact on the four main housewives. She's barely a neighbor, let alone a friend.

Still, the season is young, and good shows often suffer from slow starts. The situation's troubling, yes. But desperate?

Not yet.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2005-10-09-housewives_x.htm

Did anyone have audio issues with the show last night?

This has happened during the past 2 showings. I run the audio from my TV to my receiver, the audio is out of sync with the video but not for the entire show. For probably the first 30 minutes or so it was out of sync, not to mention they forgot to flip the HD switch a couple of times and the show would be in SD for a minute or so after the commercial break.

Anyone else have this problem? I don't have it with any other programs that I watch in HD. Never noticed it on Lost or Smallville...

Thanks

Must be a local issue - it was fine here.

Thanks for the response.

The audio was definitely off for the first part of the show for me. Anyone else in the Detroit area have this problem?

Thanks for the response.

The audio was definitely off for the first part of the show for me. Anyone else in the Detroit area have this problem?


Try here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6331411#post6331411

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column of Monday, October 10, 2005 at Mediaweek.com)

"Led by Desperate Housewives, there is no stopping ABC Sunday, which bested sports on No. 2 Fox by a hefty (and approximate) 18 percent in the overnights, 4.92 million viewers and 56 percent among adults 18-49. Desperate Housewives, the No. 1 show of the season among adults 18-49, dominated the Sunday troops with a massive 17.5/25 in the overnights, 25.69 million viewers and a 10.9/24 among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m..."

Didn't the premiere score around 28 million viewers? I'm not sure why the loss of 3 million viewers slipped by Berman(he loves labeling shows as "fading" once they show the slightest drop). It'll be a major blow to ABC if DH starts losing viewers THIS season.

Good catch, Rakesh.S.

Here are the three week numbers for DH so far this season:

Week One: 28.36 million viewers
Week Two: 27.11
Week Three: 25.69 ++

(More important perhaps is the decline to a 10.9/24 rating from a 12.0/27 last week in the key 18-49 demo.)

++ The only caveat is that the 25.69 million viewers this week is based on preliminary data. We'll see what the final numbers show.

I myself think the storylines this season are not as compelling as last season. It looks like three million viewers agree.

I think it will be very difficult for DH to recapture what it had in season 1, because Mike the plumber no longer has a storyline at all, Lynnette's going back to work isn't working for me, and Gabby is starting to become unlikeable. Bree probably has the best storyline, but the mother-in-law is just too annoying. Betty Applewhite's mystery is uninteresting so far. Susan vs Edie is making Susan look neurotic.

I don't know if I will join the three million, but I expect the three million will grow as the season goes on.

I don't know if I will join the three million, but I expect the three million will grow as the season goes on.

I agree with your other comments, Al. And while my wife won't let our household join the 3 million defectors, I'm definitely not feeling the love for this show this year. Too much other good stuff on to waste an hour on this if it continues its slide.

Dang, this is the third show I've dissed on this forum today. Either it's the usual Monday blahs, or I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. :eek:

archiguy, the NY Daily News TV Editor agrees with you......

Cleanup needed for “Desperate Housewives” on ABC

By David Bianculli New York Daily News TV Editor October 11th, 2005

Last year, when one of the opening images in the premiere episode of ABC's "Desperate Housewives" was that of cherry preserves being mistaken for blood, it signaled a sensibility and creativity that was fresh and funny.

Last Sunday, when one of the images in the latest episode of "Housewives" was that of Alfre Woodard's Betty claiming that the blood on her clothing actually was cherry preserves, it signaled something else entirely. In a word, laziness.

We're now three episodes into the second season of "Housewives," and the show still doesn't seem to have any traction. Even the twists aren't as twisted as they used to be: The climax of Sunday's show had George (Roger Bart) passing a lie-detector test, even though we know he killed Bree's late husband, Rex, by slowly poisoning him.

How did he pass the test?

As Norm Macdonald used to say when hosting "Weekend Update" on "Saturday Night Live," "Ripped from the pages of Duh! magazine ..." George has access to every pharmaceutical there is, and certainly one of them would keep him calm under the duress of such a test. It's a no-brainer. It's also a no-exciter.

What's wrong so far this season, for the most part, has been the tone. Seeing Felicity Huffman's Lynette back in the corporate world was a good touch, but not when her boss, played by Joely Fisher, is such a cartoonish shrew. Subtle digs, jabs and thrusts, not cartoon mallets and anvils, should be the weapons of choice. Think of the smug sexiness last season of neighborhood madam Maisy Gibbons (Sharon Lawrence), and her verbal jousts with Marcia Cross' Bree, to recall what's missing so far this sophomore season.

Splitting up the four main housewives, and giving them nothing unified to do, hasn't helped things, but this guy-in-the-basement thing with Betty thus far has wasted not only Woodard's talent, but our time as well. The Gabrielle-Carlos scenes, with Eva Longoria and Ricardo Chavira, have been the best-written this year, but there's only so much you can do when separated by a prison table. Longoria's scenes Sunday with Jesse Metcalfe, as her ex-lover John, close a story line that already ended. She did, however, get a new car - but when an Aston-Martin is more memorable than these leading ladies, the writing's to blame.

Perhaps George can snap, and start killing the residents one by one, and force the housewives to band together, Nancy Drew-style, to catch the murderer. Or the unresolved stories and departed characters from last season can return. Or series creator Marc Cherry can write a script for a change. Anything that would help is needed, before "Housewives" goes from stalled to stagnant.

By the way, this isn't knee-jerk-reaction, sophomore-season sour grapes. ABC's "Lost" is in its sophomore season, too, and it knocks my socks off. "Lost" isn't lost at all, but "Desperate Housewives" is leaning dangerously in that direction.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ent_radio/v-pfriendly/story/354360p-302113c.html

Well, that pretty much mirrored my opinion of the new season. With the possible exception of the guy in the basement, which is the only subplot that I've found mildly interesting so far.

[edit: So far, it's the fact that Grey's Anatomy follows DH that is keeping me watching DH this season.]

I myself think the storylines this season are not as compelling as last season. It looks like three million viewers agree.

I think it will be very difficult for DH to recapture what it had in season 1, because Mike the plumber no longer has a storyline at all, Lynnette's going back to work isn't working for me, and Gabby is starting to become unlikeable. Bree probably has the best storyline, but the mother-in-law is just too annoying. Betty Applewhite's mystery is uninteresting so far. Susan vs Edie is making Susan look neurotic.

I don't know if I will join the three million, but I expect the three million will grow as the season goes on.


I agree expect for the point about Betty's story. I think that plot has the potential to be very good. Susan is looking crazier than Edie and Gaby is looking like a slut whom doesn't know how to stop being selfish.

Lynette going back to work will work for me if the writers continue to develop the rising tension between Lynette and her manager.

Well, that pretty much mirrored my opinion of the new season. With the possible exception of the guy in the basement, which is the only subplot that I've found mildly interesting so far.

[edit: So far, it's the fact that Grey's Anatomy follows DH that is keeping me watching DH this season.]


Oh, Grey's is definitely getting better!

Despite what any "tv editor" (as though that title qualifies his opinion over anyone else's) says, it's the dialoug and character interaction that entertains me. The writing and chemistry in this show is great. I didn't watch any of it about half the season last year, and tuned in one night with my wife and found myself laughing like crazy. I caught up and have watched ever since.

Watching Carlos in the courtroom last season..."I...am going....to KILL YOU!!!"

I put very little stock in TV critics' opinions - but I agree with this particular article on almost every point. Still keep watching, but I've already lost any feelings of anticipation for the next episode. Last season was a different story.

I put very little stock in TV critics' opinions - but I agree with this particular article on almost every point. Still keep watching, but I've already lost any feelings of anticipation for the next episode. Last season was a different story.

Another critic lambasting the new season of Desperate Housewives can be found here (http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,276|97920|1|,00.html)

"Desperate" for a better story line

By Joanne Ostrow Denver Post Staff Columnist

Let the backlash begin.

I've tried to be patient with "Desperate Housewives." Really, I have.

I've tuned in expectantly and forgivingly ever since the frothy, pleasing but admittedly silly comedy- soap began. Lovely to look at, unchallenging, with a great opening title sequence and the catchiest handle in the business, ABC's hit, for which star Felicity Huffman won an Emmy, has been innocuous fun.

Now the novelty is wearing off, and the hour is edging toward vapidity. Like the unfortunate family talent-show performance in Sunday's installment, the tone is off: not campy enough to make the comedy clever, not real enough to make it engaging as mystery-drama. The story is too rooted in convention to be truly outrageous, too melodramatic to make it plausible as anything but goofy comedy. How long do we need to play along?

While the mystery on "Lost" is tangled and endlessly complex, it feels well thought out and relevant to modern life. I buy into the mythology. I want to explore each character's background. I like the faith-versus-reason divide even when it is overstated.

The "Desperate Housewives" characters and their wardrobes are distinct but static. The mind wanders ... how many weeks will the writers dangle the Alfre Woodard prisoner-in-the-basement story line until they're forced to move it along for November sweeps?

In the meantime, some less-ballyhooed, more sturdily plotted series deserve renewed enthusiasm, including "Numb3rs," "Without a Trace," "House," "Grey's Anatomy," "Fathom" and "Commander in Chief."

http://www.denverpost.com/ostrow

Did Joanne Ostrow forget they renamed Fathom to Surface or is this an old review?

Oh wow eva!!!

(From Marc Berman’s Monday, October 17, 2005 Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)

“ABC remained the dominant player on Sunday…Blockbuster Desperate Housewives (Overnights: #1, 18.0/25; Viewers: #1, 25.51 million; A18-49: #1, 11.3/25) and compatible lead-out Grey’s Anatomy (Overnights: 13.3/20; Viewers: #1, 18.62 million; A18-49: #1, 8.6/21) capped off the evening at winning levels from 9-11 p.m…”

i liked last night's episode best so far, i think this season is headed somewhere positive after what I saw yesterday.

This season is treading water a bit. On that note, something odd in this episode.... a swimming comp, where no swimmers were wearing goggles.

THE 2005-2006 TV SEASON
Is it desperation time for 'Housewives'?

Marc Cherry, creator of the hit ABC series, assures disgruntled second-season viewers he's 'trying my darndest' to please them

By Maria Elena Fernandez Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 18, 2005

The air of desperation that saturates Wisteria Lane has permeated the real world this television season as fans have been wondering if the series that launched as an instant phenomenon last year was starting to lose its mojo.

Critics have piped in that the second season of "Desperate Housewives" seems a little stale and have conjectured that it could be because creator Marc Cherry hasn't written any scripts himself. Fans on the Internet have flat-out complained that they are bored. And everyone has been lamenting that the four leading actresses have not appeared on screen together since the season premiere.

Sunday night's episode — which delivered on humor (Gabrielle started a prison riot), outrage (Andrew told the creepy pharmacist how Bree moans during sex), self-indulgence (Susan gave Zach money to leave town) and heartache (Lynette sobbed after she got rid of her son's imaginary friend) — left fans who posted their thoughts on the Internet feeling less fraught. There was even one brief scene with three of the housewives: Gabrielle (Eva Longoria), Susan (Teri Hatcher) and Bree (Marcia Cross). But with no central mystery seemingly connecting the four women this season, questions remain about what direction the show is taking.

Cherry, who created the show largely from his experiences with his mother and is largely responsible for "Housewives' " sometimes outrageous blend of comedy and tragedy, tried to address some of the fans' concerns in an e-mail to The Times for this story.

"Yes, we're trying some new stuff," he wrote on Friday. "Some of it might work. Some of it might not. This, of course, is the nature of episodic television. They can't all be gems. But, rest assured, I'm paying attention to my audience's response and am trying my darndest to please them. And I will continue to do so as long as I've got that executive producer credit above my name."

While Cherry has not penned any of the episodes that have aired this season, he assured in the e-mail that "I am as involved in the writing process as I've ever been. I help come up with the story lines, I give notes, and, indeed, I rewrite things constantly. I take the credit and the blame for everything that goes on the screen."

The attachment of viewers to characters on TV creates different expectations for television audiences than it does for moviegoers, said Stuart Fischoff, a media psychologist at Cal State L.A.

"It's not so much what's going on that is the problem," Fischoff said. "It's the comparison to last year. If this was the first season, people wouldn't have a reference point, a cognitive map or emotional map to compare it to. But it's the second season, so you can say it's unfolding differently as last year and I don't like it. That's why you might be getting what appears to be premature frustration."

After the whirlwind of the first season, which included winning Golden Globe awards, the People's Choice award, Emmy Awards, set visits by Oprah and Diane Sawyer, and the selection of Cherry as one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people, Cherry realized something had to give. He took only four days off between Christmas and May, writing 80% of the scripts himself, and fell ill three times. The former sitcom writer, who had been unemployed for several years and almost went bankrupt, also realized he had control issues and vowed to let his well-seasoned writing staff share more of the load.

"This show has a very specific tone, and the tone is best when I write it," Cherry told The Times in May. "Now, the other writers can approximate it pretty darn well, or they have learned to. But at the beginning our writers were taking shots at scenes and they just didn't write it like I wanted it written."

A ratings juggernaut since it premiered last year, "Desperate Housewives" is the No. 2 show on television this year. About 26 million people tuned in Sunday. But Cherry and other producers in the business caring about viewer response on the Internet is a sign that Nielsen ratings are no longer the only barometer of success for television, Fischoff added. The producers of ABC's Emmy-winning drama "Lost" also have admitted that they consider what fans post on blogs and message boards when they are breaking stories.

"That's becoming a more important source of information," Fischoff said. "The fact that fans can give their opinions instantly now is very valuable. When you're doing a show like this, you plant seeds. It's a slow development thing. But this show does feel more fragmented, and that's a change they may come back to rue. If people like the ensemble and the dynamics of the interplay between the women but then they separate them out as they have, you're missing the rhythm and the chemistry that lit the show up."

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-desperate18oct18,0,6148990,print.story?coll=cl-tv-top-right

Did Joanne Ostrow forget they renamed Fathom to Surface or is this an old review?

I think she just made an error, tall1. It happens. :)

(I was a bit late on this one. The story ran the day before I posted it.)

I just watched season one on dvd and need to catch up on season 2. Any chance of reairings of the first few episodes and where?

It has been pretty slow going so far, johovox. You haven't missed much.

I am sure the episodes will get repeated-- ABC has been repeating the most recent show on Saturdxay at 10 PM ET/PT. No word on more repeats, although I would suspect during December a few might surface.

It has been going slow and that article above nails the reasons why.

Somewhat amusing ...

Did anyone else notice the Verizon Fios 'billboard' truck go by during the Susan / Zach restaurant scene?

"Desperate" for a better story line

By Joanne Ostrow Denver Post Staff Columnist

Of course, living in Denver and having had the misfortune of reading Joanne Ostrow's column on many occasions, I also know she wouldn't know good television if she were strapped to a chair and were forced to view it using the same techiques used against Alex in A Clockwork Orange.

Then again, Dusty Saunders, the TV critic for Denver's Rocky Mountain News isn't any better, and like all critics they're all on the same press bandwagon as it's well known that most TV and film critics write what they do largely to impress other TV and film critics…

Of course, living in Denver and having had the misfortune of reading Joanne Ostrow's column on many occasions, I also know she wouldn't know good television if she were strapped to a chair and were forced to view it using the same techiques used against Alex in A Clockwork Orange.

Then again, Dusty Saunders, the TV critic for Denver's Rocky Mountain News isn't any better, and like all critics they're all on the same press bandwagon as it's well known that most TV and film critics write what they do largely to impress other TV and film critics…

Certainly, your righteous indignation regarding your local critics' taste wouldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that their television preferences may be different than yours? Nah, not possible, I know - it must be their feeble writing skills and inability to properly recognize good (or bad, depending on your opinion) writing, acting, production values, etc. How did those cretins get their jobs anyway? Nepotism? :rolleyes: :eek:

Come on archguy, have you read any of Woody Paige's work? It's probably along the same lines. :D

Nepotism...? cronyism... ?

Certainly, your righteous indignation regarding your local critics' taste wouldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that their television preferences may be different than yours? ...

My experience with most critics is that they do exactly what you accuse kucharsk of doing; declaring a show good or bad based on their personal preferences and nothing else.

However, the articles posted above do mirror exactly what I think is wrong with DH this season.

My experience with most critics is that they do exactly what you accuse kucharsk of doing; declaring a show good or bad based on their personal preferences and nothing else.

Well, that's kind of their job, isn't it? But kucharsk was implying a different motive, as well as painting all critics with the same brush; that's what I took exception to.

However, the articles posted above do mirror exactly what I think is wrong with DH this season.

I concur with that assessment as well.

...like all critics they're all on the same press bandwagon as it's well known that most TV and film critics write what they do largely to impress other TV and film critics…

One of the reasons I post a broad range of critical opinion on the Hot Off The Press thread is to allow people to read a wide range of criticism.

And in my opinion, the critics aren't all on the same bandwagon. Sure, a few look down their noses at TV in the first place, but many actually enjoy good network programming -- even though they have to watch every freakin' program several times.

And they differ markedly on what they think is "good TV".

"Three Wishes", for example, was got roundly negative reviews, except for a handful of critics, such as Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Its inclusion on his favorites list (peppered with cable and PBS shows) is a positive review I would never have anticipated.

Goodman's favorites include the critical standbys: "Arrested Development", "Lost", "Rome", "American Experience", "My Name Is Earl", and "The Simpsons". But he also includes some surprises (like "Three Wishes", "Cops", "Without A Trace", "Veronica Mars", "The Gilmore Girls" and "Without A Trace".
(The complete Tim Goodman "favorites" list is here)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/search/columnists.cgi?waisdbname=/chronicle/&byline=Tim+Goodman

Goodman and many others (Lisa de Moraes of the Washington Post, Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star, David Bianculli of the New York Daily News, Charlie McCollum of the San Jose Mercury News, Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel, Matt Roush of TV Guide and Ellen Grey of the Philadelphia Daily News, to name just a few), often write reviews that surprise me.

A few critics didn't like "Earl", some have never joined the bandwagon for "The Office", a couple, despite the scorn of their peers, think "The West Wing" has improved markedly over the past couple of seasons.

If you are unhappy with your local newspaper's critic, write the managing editor. Or, make sure to read more than one or two opinions about new TV shows.

I have found there are a handful of critics who I find I generally agree with. And quite a few more who can persuade me to give a show a chance. I am sure with just a bit of research, you can find some you agree with, too.

What’s wrong with “Desperate Housewives”?
By Henry Goldblatt Entertainment Weekly

There's something horribly awry on Wisteria Lane — and it has nothing to do with the guy in Alfre Woodard's basement. Since the show returned for its second season in September, the four titular wives have spent a total of 135 seconds together on screen. (For real.)

During that same time, Desperate Housewives has morphed into four series. Call it the Separate Housewives anthology: Bree, a seriocomic drama about a rigid wife who loses her kinky husband; Susan!, a romantic comedy about an impossibly gorgeous, impossibly klutzy divorcée who spars with her evil, poorly dressed blond nemesis, Edie; The Gift of Gaby (tagline: Her Milkshake Brings All the Boys to the Yard); and Baby Boom, a remake of the 1987 film, with Felicity Huffman wearing Diane Keaton's pumps.

The problem is that not one of these shows is nearly as good as last year's Housewives, a dark weave exploring the complex friendship between a four-pack of women — Disparate Housewives — who were united by proximity and a Nancy Drew mystery involving their dead pal Mary Alice. Now, as the actresses wander through their separate scenes (even the sets don't seem to match), all that unifies them is the one element of the show that should have been ditched at the end of season 1: Mary Alice's narration. (Let's introduce M.A. to Jennifer Love Hewitt's Ghost Whisperer — this is one dead lady who really needs to cross over.)

How did Housewives cross over from a pretty brilliant show to merely a good one? It's hard to fault the acting. The cast continues to turn in impressive performances, particularly Marcia Cross, who inhabits her character more confidently than any actress on TV, and Eva Longoria, who consistently delivers some of the funniest lines. And reports of on-set turmoil would be a facile (and quite frankly, sexist) explanation for segregating the leads.

No, the problems are long-standing ones that have become evident now that Housewives' novelty has worn off. The series has always had a tough time giving its impossibly large cast — at this count, 14 regulars, plus seven costars — enough to do, maintaining its dramedic tone, and pacing its plot revelations. (That jam-packed season finale last May was the TV equivalent of serving a seven-course meal in 30 seconds.)

Last Sunday's episode displayed all of Housewives' worst indulgences. Poor Huffman is staging a one-woman Groundhog Day, reenacting variations of the same tortured working-mom plot. Teri Hatcher's Susan — remember when she was the relatable one? — Ally McBealed herself with two ice cream sundaes in an elaborate chase scene that came at the expense of a single moment featuring four-time Emmy winner Woodard, or Harriet Sansom Harris' terrifically sinister busybody. Most disturbingly, the show's population is only growing: Coming soon — Edie's never-seen son and Spawn of Gaby.

The plot seems to be meandering toward a trial for Cross' Bree. That could, but probably won't, coalesce the inhabitants of Wisteria Lane. After all, Huffman's Lynette has expressed hardly an iota of sympathy to Bree over her husband's death, so why would she take time off work to attend a trial?

Even at its weakest, Housewives is better than 75 percent of network television, but the writers shouldn't be satisfied with that: They need to find a way to put these women in a room together — how about bringing back those all-gal poker games? Or integrating Woodard's Betty Applewhite more fully into the cast? Barring that, at least make sure her basement creepo's backstory reunites these women. I really hope it does.

Otherwise, reluctantly, here's the show I'll be watching: Family Guy. Grade: B

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/review/tv/0,6115,1120827_3_0_,00.html

What’s wrong with “Desperate Housewives”?
By Henry Goldblatt Entertainment Weekly



The plot seems to be meandering toward a trial for Cross' Bree.
Maybe she could have Alan Shore and Denny Crane as her attorneys.. :D

Maybe she could have Alan Shore and Denny Crane as her attorneys.. :D
I'd pay cash money to see "Hi, I'm Denny Crane" defend her.

Too funny! :rolleyes:

I think Sunday's episode started to get back some of last year's magic. It was good to see four of the women in the same scene a few times.

That 'Desperate' hand belongs to...

By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News

It’s not every day I get invited to talk to the hand. At least not to the hand on ABC's "Desperate Housewives."

That was the pitch from a publicist for Page Kennedy, 28, the actor whose character, Caleb, was last night revealed to be the possible killer Betty Applewhite (Alfre Woodard) has been keeping locked in her Wisteria Lane basement.

Earlier, only Caleb's hand was visible, but according to Kennedy, who hadn't yet been cast, "the hand that you saw wasn't even mine... that's why if you go back, the hand looks lighter than me."

(Hey, on ABC's "Lost," there would already be Web sites devoted to the discrepancy.)

We still may not know much about Caleb - and Kennedy knows only a little more - but the Detroit-born actor, whose credits include a recurring role on Showtime's "Barbershop" and guest spots on UPN's "Love, Inc.," is already calling his part in television's No. 2 series "the role of a lifetime."

He said he even dropped out of a WB midseason series, "Pepper Dennis," to play Caleb.

He hopes Caleb will make it through the season, but "even if they killed me off, I think that the exposure I may get from this show might be bigger than if I lasted five years with Pepper Dennis," Kennedy said.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television/12982010.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

(From Marc Berman’s Monday, October 24, 2005 Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)

Not even game 2 of the Baseball World Series could stop the ABC Sunday juggernaut, with the power of Desperate Housewives (Overnights: #1, 17.5/24; Viewers: #1, 24.86 million; A18-49: #1, 10.9/24) and Grey’s Anatomy (Overnights: #1, 13.3/20; Viewers: #1, 18.41 million; A18-49; #1, 8.5/20) from 9-11 p.m. lifting the alphabet net to another victory in households, total viewers and adults 18-49.

It’s Getting Desperate:

Unlike comparable serial Knots Landing, which always managed to tie the core characters together into a season-long plot, the problem with ABC’s Desperate Housewives in year two is a lack of continuity. All the storylines are disjointed, Alfre Woodard does not fit in, Rex (Steven Culp) is sorely missed, and an unnecessary subplot with Teri Hatcher (who the writers don’t seem to know what to do with) and her agent last night only adds to the lack of focus. There must be some other mystery for Susan, Bree, Lynette, Gabrielle and the severely underused Edie to solve.

and an unnecessary subplot with Teri Hatcher (who the writers don’t seem to know what to do with) and her agent last night .

What a waste of time that was

That was the pitch from a publicist for Page Kennedy, 28, the actor whose character, Caleb, was last night revealed to be the possible killer Betty Applewhite (Alfre Woodard) has been keeping locked in her Wisteria Lane basement.



So it seems this is her son not her husband. Interesting ...

“Desperate Housewives” can survive the backlash

By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Oct. 25, 2005

With this week's Entertainment Weekly - Charlize Theron on the cover, "PLUS What's Wrong with 'Desperate Housewives' " - the "DH" backlash has officially begun.

Right on time.

Yes, folks, it's the second season of a hit show, one that became such a cultural phenomenon in its first year that even other networks cash in on its cachet (as CBS did last week in "CSI: Miami" and "Close to Home," which both featured suburban women running amok).

If we're following the "Ally McBeal" playbook, this is the year:

• That one or more of ABC's "Desperate Housewives" can be expected to go from skinny to scary.

• That critics will begin to complain that the show isn't nearly as good as it was a year ago.

• That the show's audience will largely stay put. And may even grow.

No one knows exactly why actresses on hit shows tend to lose weight after the first year or so - could there be something in the spotlight's glare that actually speeds metabolism? - but there's no mystery in the divide that often springs up between critics and fans as cutting-edge series become more familiar.

We critics tend to love new.

Viewers tend to love familiar.

This is why NBC's "ER" continued to attract huge audiences long, long after the creative thrill was gone, and it's also why the Peacock's former powerhouse is finally faltering: So many of the familiar faces are missing that County General finally feels like a real hospital, where the shifts change regularly and all patients see is a dizzying flurry of white coats.

It's true, as Entertainment Weekly's Henry Goldblatt and others have pointed out, that this season's "Desperate Housewives" haven't been spending as much time together as they did last season.

Lynnette (Felicity Huffman) has gone back to work full time, Bree (Marcia Cross) is dealing with the fallout, legal and otherwise, from her husband's fatal heart attack, Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) is often visiting her husband, Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) in prison, and Susan?

Susan (Teri Hatcher) has been running all over, coping with her boyfriend (James Denton), his possible offspring, Zach (Cody Kasch), her thieving agent (Wallace Shawn), and, of course, Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan), who's shacked up with Susan's ex (Richard Burgi) right there on Wisteria Lane.

Plus, the neighborhood's newest addition, Betty Applewhite (Alfre Woodard), has a possible murderer (Page Kennedy) locked up in her basement.

So it's not as if any of these women has been sitting around admiring her manicure.

They're just not hanging out together much.

Last season, I'd argued that one of the appeals of "Desperate Housewives" was the fantasy it created of busy women finding time for the kind of friendship that can be conducted around someone's kitchen table.

Sadly, it was a fantasy for a lot of women, who are as busy - if not quite so desperate - as Susan, Lynette, Bree and Gabrielle and whose kitchen tables may be too crowded with bills, school announcements and dioramas-in-progress to even manage breakfast with their families, much less coffee with the girls.

What some of them have managed to find, though, is an hour a week to spend with women whose problems make them laugh on the night before yet another busy week.

And it's going to take more than a few bad reviews to break up that friendship.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television/12989760.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Just wanted to post that tonight's episode is the worst-ever. And I was a HUGE fan last year... There was a blip this season with Episode 4 written by the original writer, but the rest is very sub-par again.

I agree....but it is still better than most tv.

Am I the only one who misses Rex? I loved Steven Culp as that character.

For whatever reason, this Bree/George dynamic just ain't working (or I guess didn't work now).

They killed him to advance this story, and I'm sorry to say but, it was a terrible plot line.

Was last night's episode totally HD for everyone. Mine was SD for the first 15-20 minutes.

Wolfie

100% HD in Charlotte.

100% HD in NYC and 100% lame episode if you ask me. My wife still likes the show, but even she is losing interest week by week.

Am I the only one who misses Rex? I loved Steven Culp as that character.

For whatever reason, this Bree/George dynamic just ain't working (or I guess didn't work now).

They killed him to advance this story, and I'm sorry to say but, it was a terrible plot line.

My wife and I also miss Rex's character. Although we originally enjoyed Georges character (only because at first, he was a good villain), his actions became so preposterous that we're glad to see him finally (hopefully) gone.

-JR

HD all the way in SF, but I have to say, this show is really sliding down the must see list, fast..additionally, I simply cannot imagine anyone watching this show without the ability to skip through the commercials. I wonder what the total time is for commercials on this show as even with a skip function the breaks are obnoxious. While my personal comfort level for viewing commercial TV was reached back when there was only about 10-12 mins per hour, I have to wonder if some of these networks are reaching a saturation point where there are so many commercials that viewers are simply losing interest in the show itself. I know the ratings say people are still watching but, IMO, viewers ability to endure the commercial onslaught has got to be getting close to the edge. This particular show has reduced it's intro to a brief 3 sec spot in order to squeeze even more commercial time in.

Giving the slide in content this year, there is no way I would watch this program live.

Am I the only one who misses Rex? I loved Steven Culp as that character.

For whatever reason, this Bree/George dynamic just ain't working (or I guess didn't work now).

They killed him to advance this story, and I'm sorry to say but, it was a terrible plot line.

My understanding was that they killed him because he demanded a huge salary increase that they weren't willing to pay.

I actually thought last week's show was worse than this weeks by a smidgeon, but it really is just nitpicking since the entire season has been really bad.

My wife and I also miss Rex's character. Although we originally enjoyed Georges character (only because at first, he was a good villain), his actions became so preposterous that we're glad to see him finally (hopefully) gone.

-JRI was hoping Bree aimed a bit lower with the shotgun. George was annoying; glad to see he is taking a dirt nap for the rest of the series.

At the expense of no more Rex.

See? It all seems so pointless now.

If he left because he wanted more money, that would suck. However, he did deserve a good chunk, since he was probably the best of the lead men.

By the way, 100% HD all the way through. I did notice a few audio breakups, but that could have been my signal strength. WEWS-DT Cleveland.

I actually thought last week's show was worse than this weeks by a smidgeon, but it really is just nitpicking since the entire season has been really bad.LMAO :D

I could not agree more! This show is off the Season Pass list as of this moment. I can't even express how little I care what happens to any of these characters. Not even the unbelievably hot Eva Longoria is enough to draw me into this meandering plot.



...



Well, maybe one more for Eva .... ;)

Anyone not getting the HD feed?

WABC-DT in New York.

not on here in NYC wabc via TWC

Anyone not getting the HD feed?

WABC-DT in New York.I'm in Northern NJ on Cablevision off the Oakland system and it's not in HD. Are you getting it OTA?

It started in HD on DirecTV ch86 (WABC), but isn't now.

I'm in Northern NJ on Cablevision off the Oakland system and it's not in HD. Are you getting it OTA?

No, i'm sorry this is on Comcast.

I tried calling WABC at 212-456-1000, but the stupid switchboard operator refused to connect me with an engineer. :mad:

I was really looking forward to DH and Grey's in HD tonight. :(

Grey's Anatomy came on in HD immediately following DH.

Grey's Anatomy came on in HD immediately following DH.

Thanks. I just checked. I can't figure out why DH wasn't broadcast in HD? :confused:

It was HD the whole time here in Orlando.

sounds like a WABC problem

Same for Tampa. HD all the way (OTA).

Anyone not getting the HD feed?

WABC-DT in New York.
I look forward to DH in HD. Tonight I felt cheated - seeing only the middle of the image.

not on here in NYC wabc via TWC

Not in HD on WABC-DT for me either, on LI using Cablevision. Tried OTA to see if it was just a Cablevision problem, but no HD there either.

HD on KABC-LA. But the picture is really not as crisp as I've seen it before. In fact everything on ABC looked soft tonight or maybe its just me.

The first post in 3 months and it's about not being in HD. Apparently this show has really lost it's appeal for many.

BTW; HD for the entire show OTA WJLA-DT in DC

The first post in 3 months and it's about not being in HD. Apparently this show has really lost it's appeal for many.

BTW; HD for the entire show OTA WJLA-DT in DC

It's gotten sooooo bad, a shell of what it was last season. Yet it continues to draw a big audience (including my wife, although I've bailed)... :confused:

Now it's apparently become a case of all the hype keeping it artificially afloat. I'd love to see this show sink like the rock it deserves, but it will probably limp along for years now on the strength of that first season, slowly shedding viewers but not enough to get itself cancelled.

Actually, it's getting better again, there is no more of the "prisoner in the cellar" stories which helped it tremendously. I was disgusted with those episodes, but now it's better with all main characters' interaction amongst each other as well as apparent Bree's drinking problem.

I thought last night's episode was one of the best ones of the season.

Thanks. I just checked. I can't figure out why DH wasn't broadcast in HD? :confused:

I have Comcast in northern NJ also. And yes, it wasn't in HD. I wasn't really watching DH, just channel surfing and notice it wasn't in HD. Not a real fan of DH, tune in occasionally. Went back to it a few times to see if it was just a temporary glitch but still no HD. Didn't check back at the end to see if it was corrected but did notice that Grey's Anatomy was in HD later on.

Anyone else experience audio problems during the first 15 min of DH last night? I had no audio during the first 15 min or so from the OTA broadcast in DFW. Had audio from Extreme Makeover... but as soon as DH started it went quiet. It came back I believe about 1/2 way through the second section of the show (i.e. between the first and second commercial break).

I noticed the same problem on WFAA...really weird.

Yes, there was a drop to SD and a loss of sound here in Kansas City.

v/r,
C-F

Ran flawless out of WABC - NY

No audio or video problems OTA in Sacramento...(Running through an HD-DirecTivo)
And, yes, it was in HD here...

Central timezone screwup perhaps?

No problem here

ABC Vows Stronger 'Housewives' Season

The Associated Press

Slammed by critics and slighted in the Emmy nominations, "Desperate Housewives" endured a rocky second season. But better times are coming to Wisteria Lane, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson said Tuesday.

Series creator Marc Cherry will be the sole executive producer following the departure of Tom Spezialy, who helped launch the show, McPherson said.

"Marc has taken over 100 percent of the show-running and that's been a terrific change," he said. "The early scripts and the story lines and arcs and the mystery are a lot stronger from the get-go."

Both the show's dark comedy and its soap-opera heart will be strongly in evidence when the show returns Sept. 24, he said. ABC kicks off its fall season Sept. 8.

All of the third-season episodes are arriving "through Marc's typewriter, which I think is a great thing," said McPherson, who didn't elaborate on Spezialy's exit.

Spezialy isn't out in the cold: He has a development deal with Touchstone Television, ABC owner Walt Disney Co.'s TV studio, a Touchstone spokeswoman said.

Appearing before the Television Critics Association, McPherson rejected one reporter's contention that "Desperate Housewives" suffered a "creative collapse." But he acknowledged the show that was an unmitigated success in its freshman year had problems in the second.

"Everyone, including Marc, admitted that at the beginning of last year he stumbled a little bit, answered so many questions at the end of the first season that he really spent too much time setting up the mystery, the new arcs," McPherson said. "This year we're going to jump right in."

Cherry, whose TV expertise was in half-hour comedy (he cut his writing teeth on "The Golden Girls") had been paired at the beginning of the ABC show with Spezialy, who brought experience as a drama producer ("Ed," "Dead Like Me").

McPherson was asked if the tone of "Desperate Housewives" would change with Cherry's total stewardship.

"I think it's going to get back a little bit more to the heart of it, which I think tonally was kind of a wicked comedy," he said.

With "100 percent of the responsibility falling on his shoulders," McPherson added, Cherry has made an effort to stay ahead on story planning and themes.

"We have seen more arcing of the entire season from a specific story standpoint and soap standpoint than we've ever seen so far," the programming chief said.

The suburban satire, which stars Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria and Nicollette Sheridan, held strong in the ratings despite critical mutterings that it had lost its way creatively.

It finished as the No. 4 show among viewers for the 2005-06 season.

But this month's Emmy snub added to the show's woes. While three of the stars were nominated last year and Huffman won the best comedy actress trophy, only newcomer Alfre Woodard snagged a bid for the Aug. 27 Emmy Awards ceremony.

The same treatment met another ABC hit, "Lost," which was named best drama series last year and wasn't even nominated this time. The network did score with its medical drama "Grey's Anatomy," among the leading nominees with 11 nods.

McPherson refused to accept that the quality of the shows was the issue, instead fingering a new Emmy nominations approach that he suggested should be scuttled.

Under the revised approach, blue-ribbon panels played an instrumental role in determining the nominees in the categories of drama and comedy series (previously decided by a general membership vote) and lead actors and actresses.

McPherson was especially aggrieved by the "Lost" snub, which followed a well-received season.

"Clearly it's because of the new system, I would assume. Who wins the Emmys is one thing, but to have that kind of oversight to me is remarkable and it's sad for a show like that. It's one of the best shows on the air and maybe one of the best shows of all time."

"I hope the academy will look at it and realize that maybe the changes they made aren't all good and they need to go back to the old system," he said.

ABC Vows Stronger 'Housewives' Season

The Associated Press
Series creator Marc Cherry will be the sole executive producer following the departure of Tom Spezialy, who helped launch the show, McPherson said.


When I read that, I said "YEY!". That's great news and should put Desperate Housewives back on track.

I'm surprised there haven't been any posts lately. I thought this season is off to a great start.. this most recent episode in particular was as good if not better than any that have come before it in season 1 or 2. I hope it keeps it up. Does everyone else think it is improved from last season?

I would guess its because the picture quality has gone down the tubes. This used to be ABC's best looking program next to Lost. Story quality it is better then season 2 based on the two episodes that have aired so far. Disappointing is the word I guess if it didn't have the ABC logo there I would of sworn this was the grainy style that Fox likes to use...

I would guess its because the picture quality has gone down the tubes. This used to be ABC's best looking program next to Lost. Story quality it is better then season 2 based on the two episodes that have aired so far. Disappointing is the word I guess if it didn't have the ABC logo there I would of sworn this was the grainy style that Fox likes to use...

Lost has gone downhill too. A lot of close-up shots look very soft. Season 1 for both these shows was razor sharp.

Lost has gone downhill too. A lot of close-up shots look very soft. Season 1 for both these shows was razor sharp.

I guess we will find out how much the picture quality has dropped much Wednesday night.

I'm surprised there haven't been any posts lately. I thought this season is off to a great start.. this most recent episode in particular was as good if not better than any that have come before it in season 1 or 2. I hope it keeps it up. Does everyone else think it is improved from last season?

Nope. I bailed halfway thru the last, painful season and decided to give it another shot for the season premiere "just in case" - and was rewarded with a waste of an hour of my time. The scene in the restaurant with Bree seemed so forced as to be cringeworthy, just an excuse, any excuse, to get all the gals together for some of that witty banter seen waaaay back in S-1. It failed; this show is beyond redemption, and the celebrated return of Marc Cherry is akin to a lifeguard showing up as the Titanic sinks. Not only that, but the best eye-candy (IMO), Marcia Cross, is now preggers, so write that attraction off as well. :rolleyes:

This show continues to draw on audience good-will developed in S-1 and the fact that many people watch TV out of habit. They got accustomed to watching DH on Sunday nights, so they still do it, and the fact that it's become a shell of its S-1 self is irrelevant. Nice gig if you can get it.

I suppose I'm one of those that watches due to habit, and the last couple of weeks I've actually asked myself, "why am I watching this", it's just not that interesting anymore, it's been more a case of watching because on some level I've felt I'm supposed to for some reason.

Not only that, but the best eye-candy (IMO), Marcia Cross, is now preggers, so write that attraction off as well. :rolleyes:

I'd place her 4th of 4. She's a Ginger Starvin' Marvin.

I'd place her 4th of 4. She's a Ginger Starvin' Marvin.

Ah, you must not remember the scene where she met her [original] husband in the hotel room and tried to seduce him. Ain't nobody else on that show with a body like that. ;)

And I didn't get the reference....? Gilligan's Island? :o

Double South Park reference.

Cartman after becoming a Ginger Kid:
http://z.about.com/d/animatedtv/1/0/V/T/spep_912_ginger_kids.jpg

Starvin' Marvin:
http://www.animationjungle.com/animations/cartoons/south-park/others/south-park-animation-stavin-marvin.gif

I suppose I'm one of those that watches due to habit, and the last couple of weeks I've actually asked myself, "why am I watching this", it's just not that interesting anymore, it's been more a case of watching because on some level I've felt I'm supposed to for some reason.

I think there must be about 15 million people doing the same thing. :D

I still like the show. Obviously it's not as good as it was during S-1, but it's still better than a lot of stuff out there. I like the characters, so that's more than I can say for other programs.

I would guess its because the picture quality has gone down the tubes. This used to be ABC's best looking program next to Lost. Story quality it is better then season 2 based on the two episodes that have aired so far. Disappointing is the word I guess if it didn't have the ABC logo there I would of sworn this was the grainy style that Fox likes to use...

I couldnt agree more - I was watching this past weeks and thinking..."my TV looks worse and worse each year. I used to be BLOWN AWAY by DH, now it looks likes a larger version of SD. Grainy and not nearly as eye-popping"

Glad you noticed it too - thought I was taking crazy pills...

Lee

I couldnt agree more - I was watching this past weeks and thinking..."my TV looks worse and worse each year. I used to be BLOWN AWAY by DH, now it looks likes a larger version of SD. Grainy and not nearly as eye-popping"

Glad you noticed it too - thought I was taking crazy pills...

Lee
It's funny how shows like this make everything softer just to keep the illusion of beauty so that we never see what the women actually look like. Definately not as crisp (and even that is pushing it) as last season.

Have any of you noticed for shows that are a little crisper they tend to focus not on the actor/actress face if close to the camera - I saw this at times on Heroes. It seems as though they are starting to focus on things such as the back edge of their hair on the far right/left so that their face doesn't show as much detail/flaws.

Finally got to watch the 10/1 episode yesterday.

WOW! AWFUL!! DREADFULLY SLOW AND UNFUNNY!!! Bad plot line being developed, as well as the new characters being introduced.

And dark, and "soft" as others have mentioned.

And the soft music in the background is putting me to sleep.

I think ratings-fall shock is coming, real quick.

Days are numbered. Marc Cherry's re-involvement has apparently NOT breathed new life into the show. It has anesthesized the show.

Could be yet another "casualty" on my DVR series recording list ("Shark" was the first, "Smith" was killed by CBS, and "Heroes" is approaching).

Please let "30 Rock" not disappoint.

I travel up and down the HD dial a lot admiring what HD has to offer the viewer. One of the most visually arresting shows on television is Desperate Housewives. When the station cuts in with a local station break or lottery report, however, I see what the show looks like in good old analog format. .......... YECH!!

In HD, I believe I could almost bring myself to watch this show. I wouldn't give it 5 minutes in analog, however. It is a case of being visually compelling viewing, but I feel like I wouldn't lose much if I watched with the sound turned down. Great HD material. Lousy show.

I travel up and down the HD dial a lot admiring what HD has to offer the viewer. One of the most visually arresting shows on television is Desperate Housewives. When the station cuts in with a local station break or lottery report, however, I see what the show looks like in good old analog format. .......... YECH!!

In HD, I believe I could almost bring myself to watch this show. I wouldn't give it 5 minutes in analog, however. It is a case of being visually compelling viewing, but I feel like I wouldn't lose much if I watched with the sound turned down. Great HD material. Lousy show.

I find it amazing that you think DH is 'great HD material". It is one of the poorest quality HD shows on this season. Very soft picture quality, and darker than most shows as well. I get irritated every time I watch it. :mad: And the weird thing is it had a great PQ in season one. What gives here??

I concur with the picture quality assessment. Something has been changed and not for the better.

-Reagan

I find it amazing that you think DH is 'great HD material". It is one of the poorest quality HD shows on this season. Very soft picture quality, and darker than most shows as well. I get irritated every time I watch it. :mad: And the weird thing is it had a great PQ in season one. What gives here??

I'll take another look next week, but it looks as sharp as ever to me right now. It looked good last year, too. My only problem is the program itself. ............ I find myself watching things now that I never ever would have watched in analog. Before HD in January, I was strictly a news junkie.

Finally got to watch the 10/1 episode yesterday.

WOW! AWFUL!! DREADFULLY SLOW AND UNFUNNY!!! Bad plot line being developed, as well as the new characters being introduced.

And dark, and "soft" as others have mentioned.

And the soft music in the background is putting me to sleep.

I think ratings-fall shock is coming, real quick.

Days are numbered. Marc Cherry's re-involvement has apparently NOT breathed new life into the show. It has anesthesized the show.

Could be yet another "casualty" on my DVR series recording list ("Shark" was the first, "Smith" was killed by CBS, and "Heroes" is approaching).

Please let "30 Rock" not disappoint.

Different strokes, etc.....

“…(Last) night's highest ratings came from "Desperate Housewives," which gave ABC a 12.9/19 in the 9 p.m. hour. NBC's football stayed second, barely beating the 8.5/13 for "Cold Case" on CBS. FOX's gave between the Cardinals and the Padres was fourth with a 4.1/6. The CW's "America's Next Top Model" encore" was fifth….”

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-ratings100806,0,942726.story?coll=zap-tv-ratings-headlines

Wow was there alot of nice undies/ lingeriere shots of the girls tonight and no I don't have any screen shots but im hoping someone will.

Anyone else notice that last week's episode had the Police calling the phone number on the dead woman, the message on the machine was "You've reached Delfino Plumbing," but in this week's recap it was "You've reached Mike Delfino"?

Damn! I have to say that tonights episode was one of the best episodes of any TV show I have seen this season period! For all you that gave up on the show you are missing a great season!

ITA... perfect from beginning to end.

I gave up on the show, as did my wife, about 5 episodes ago.

However, I've still recorded them and I told her that if I read that the season picked up (from here, and other forums/resources) that we could always watch them in December when everything else is in reruns.

Thanks for the heads up though.

Damn! I have to say that tonights episode was one of the best episodes of any TV show I have seen this season period! For all you that gave up on the show you are missing a great season!

I agree. Tonights episode was a complete shocker. Either they are desperate for ratings, or they have some new writers on the show.

I loved last night's episode and this whole season so far. I loved the first season cause I never knew what was going to happen one week to the next. This season is like the first in that respect. It is surprising me and last night was a doosey!

Just finished watching sunday's episode.

Wow was that good.

Was it wrong that I burst out laughing when carolyn shot the whore?

Funny **** But I did get a little emotional towards the end of the ep

Damn! I have to say that tonights episode was one of the best episodes of any TV show I have seen this season period! For all you that gave up on the show you are missing a great season!

This episode was a major turnaround. I really didn't care for this season (minus the hilarious Carlos-Gabby fighting) up until this past Sunday.

Just finished watching sunday's episode.


Was it wrong that I burst out laughing when carolyn shot the whore?



No i did the same thing.

The thing that bothers me is the wronged wife checked the cylinder and said there were two bullets remaining. After which she killed the bitch, shot Lynette in the shoulder, and then was shot dead by the bible studies lady. Hmmmm!

I dont remember there being just 2 bullets left. Are you sure they stated that anywhere?

yes, she did open the cylinder and say good there's one left for you too.

Now I know you can argue that doesn't imply there weren't more than exactly 2 left, but interesting nonetheless

Arg. That damned clicking noise is back on the broadcast, ABC-HD in LA.

Dang desperate housewives is getting dark.

that ending gave me the creeps this week

Nice pins, though; I caught Funhouse and Firepower, two classic Williams machines…

Dang desperate housewives is getting dark.

that ending gave me the creeps this week

ditto

Nice pins, though; I caught Funhouse and Firepower, two classic Williams machines…

OT: I assume you know about VPinMAME, yes? Good stuff right there.

OT: I assume you know about VPinMAME, yes? Good stuff right there.Definitely, though they're nothing compared to the actual machines.

If you watched the "last time" footage on this week's show, you can see the four carefully placed strips of masking tape covering the word "Funhouse."

Not like anyone who has ever seen the machine could have missed Rudy on the backglass. ;)

That was a surprising turn of events in last night season finale.

That was a surprising turn of events in last night season finale.
Yes it was. For everyone, especially Edie! I will be really disappointed if Nicolette Sheridan is not back next year. She was a wonderful character on the show.

Yes it was. For everyone, especially Edie! I will be really disappointed if Nicolette Sheridan is not back next year. She was a wonderful character on the show.

Well, you know those season finales. Things usually aren't what they seem. But then again, they have killed off people before. :eek:

Yes it was. For everyone, especially Edie! I will be really disappointed if Nicolette Sheridan is not back next year. She was a wonderful character on the show.

I agree. My wife and I have been enjoying the fact that the show has really begun to develop her character. To have her gone would be unfortunate. Here's to hoping that peter is correct - perhaps it's not what it seemed!

-JR

1) Carlos (or someone else) could come walking in any minute; if it was a strangulation hanging there'd still be a good window of time in which she could be saved. (Execution hangings usually relied on the fall breaking the neck of the person being hanged.)

2) If nothing else, Edie could become a guest voice; recall the narrator we hear every week died in episode 1. :D

Dual narrators......hmmm.........that leaves open the possibility of a catfight from the after life. ;)

Regarding Edie, IIRC all we heard was the chair falling over, no struggling sounds at all, which would be a given if she was still alive , I don't think that's even something she could have avoided. No noise at all would seem to indicate a broken neck, OTOH, it doesn't seem as if she had enough height to do that, so who knows, it's TV.

Anyone still watching this? My wife forces me to watch it and I've grown to like it. This season seems particulary good. Next weeks episode looks to be really interesting with the twister coming to Wysteria Lane.

Still watching it, but most of the storylines have gotten boring and predictable.

Bree/Orson/Andrew/Danielle - most interesting of storylines, but not much mystery left with the baby born
Lynette - OK storyline with the cancer now in remission, enjoying the confrontations with her mother
Susan/Mike - pretty boring, with Mike addicted to painkillers
Gabrielle - worst of the storylines, with her knocking Victor into the water, twice, Edie being vindictive. If the writers are bold, they would make her go down in a flaming mess, but she'll probably find her way out of her predicament with no scratches.

Too bad they've gotten away from the new neighbors, played by Dana Delany and Nathan Fillion, who I thought were great additions to the series. I guess the new gay neighbors have disappeared, too, as they haven't been seen or heard from since their fountain in their yard.

Still watching it, but most of the storylines have gotten boring and predictable.

Bree/Orson/Andrew/Danielle - most interesting of storylines, but not much mystery left with the baby born
Lynette - OK storyline with the cancer now in remission, enjoying the confrontations with her mother
Susan/Mike - pretty boring, with Mike addicted to painkillers
Gabrielle - worst of the storylines, with her knocking Victor into the water, twice, Edie being vindictive. If the writers are bold, they would make her go down in a flaming mess, but she'll probably find her way out of her predicament with no scratches.

Too bad they've gotten away from the new neighbors, played by Dana Delany and Nathan Fillion, who I thought were great additions to the series. I guess the new gay neighbors have disappeared, too, as they haven't been seen or heard from since their fountain in their yard.


Hmmm, I actually am enjoying the Gabriel scenes. She just cracks me up. I especially like how he lied to the police but then grabbed her and said he remembers everything. Interesting to see where this goes.

I love this show. Mindless, predictable, entertainment. And Eva Longoria has a tight little package so that doesn't hurt to see every week.;)

Anyone still watching this? My wife forces me to watch it and I've grown to like it. This season seems particulary good. Next weeks episode looks to be really interesting with the twister coming to Wysteria Lane.

This show was hanging by a thread on our season pass list but this season with the intro of Dana Delany the show got off probation. Unfortunately she hasn't been on the last couple of weeks and I don't think it's a coincidence that the shows haven't been as interesting.

This show was hanging by a thread on our season pass list but this season with the intro of Dana Delany the show got off probation. Unfortunately she hasn't been on the last couple of weeks and I don't think it's a coincidence that the shows haven't been as interesting.

I flushed it last season when it was doing the most spectacular second season flame-out in recent memory, then gave it another chance because of Delany and Fillian. That lasted all of two episodes; when I saw how they were going to be used (or not used, in Nathan's case), that made up my mind for me: back into the crapper. Honestly, and I hate to be so absolute about it, this show truly blows (relative to the first season). Even my wife, who is still barely hanging on, has about lost all her patience, and she was a huge fan during S-1 and stuck it out thru the depths of S-2. I think she deserves a Purple Heart. ;)

I love this show. Mindless, predictable, entertainment. And Eva Longoria has a tight little package so that doesn't hurt to see every week.;)

It's Eva Longoria Parker now - this was in the credits.

Hmmm, I actually am enjoying the Gabriel scenes. She just cracks me up. I especially like how he lied to the police but then grabbed her and said he remembers everything. Interesting to see where this goes.
That scene was too predictable for me. When Victor said that the last thing he remembered was the staff meeting, that selective amnesia didn't seem right to me and instantly had me wondering if he was faking it. Sure enough, 2 minutes later, he revealed remembering everything.

That scene was too predictable for me. When Victor said that the last thing he remembered was the staff meeting, that selective amnesia didn't seem right to me and instantly had me wondering if he was faking it. Sure enough, 2 minutes later, he revealed remembering everything.

Yeah, it was predictable, I don't think anything on the show really isn't predictable. But it was still cool and could be a very interesting story line going forward.

Yeah, it was predictable, I don't think anything on the show really isn't predictable. But it was still cool and could be a very interesting story line going forward.

Maybe they could get Orson to run over him. ;)

It's Eva Longoria Parker now - this was in the credits.

not in my mind. not in my miind.;)

I figured Victor was going to be the one that was going to bite it. Still, a great episode. However, if that lady locked herself in my house I would of broken the door down and dragged her out by her hair. Also, the whole Lanette thing in her neighbor's basement. I found myself getting mad because of her making demands on this old lady, even though she was being nice enough to let her stay in her basement. It was inappropriate for her to demand this and that and not control her kids. I would of kicked her out.

Agreed. If we were supposed to sympathize with Lynette - they failed miserably. She was a biotch that should have been kicked out.

Did anyone else have problems with the context of this episode? Having grown up in Oklahoma (Tornado Alley) and lived most of my life on the Gulf Coast (home of Hurricanes) it seemed to me the writers of this show had no real idea of what they were trying to portray. They probably have never lived outside of LA or New England, is my guess. My wife and I kept turning and looking at each other at the complete ridiculousness of the story. No one prepares like that for a tornado. You might know that a storm is coming, but tornadoes are too random to prepare for. Plus no one would be selling water before a tornado. Now if they had called it a hurricane, with a tornado that came out of it, it would be believable. But comeon Hollywood, do some research!! Too many of us watching know better.

You're exactly right, TMilner. Everything about the tornado was way off base. Nobody stocks up on canned goods and bottled water before a tornado. One of the main reasons why they're so dangerous is because you don't have much warning when one pops up. It's like these guys had been anticipating it for days. It would have been much more believable if they had been preparing for a hurricane.

There were so many flaws in this show, it was laughable. The crazy lady getting sucked out the front door? The car falling from the sky? Give me a break. Maybe this would happen if there was a funnel cloud right over you, but that's it.

And at the end I was very confused. Was it Lynette's house that was destroyed at the end? Or was it McCluskey's house, with Tom and the kids inside? Whose bathtub did they climb into?

Did anyone else have problems with the context of this episode? Having grown up in Oklahoma (Tornado Alley) and lived most of my life on the Gulf Coast (home of Hurricanes) it seemed to me the writers of this show had no real idea of what they were trying to portray. They probably have never lived outside of LA or New England, is my guess. My wife and I kept turning and looking at each other at the complete ridiculousness of the story. No one prepares like that for a tornado. You might know that a storm is coming, but tornadoes are too random to prepare for. Plus no one would be selling water before a tornado. Now if they had called it a hurricane, with a tornado that came out of it, it would be believable. But comeon Hollywood, do some research!! Too many of us watching know better.

That's what I was thinking. Maybe the writers originally wrote it to be for a hurricane and stopped and rewrote it to work with a tornado. Anyway, I was baffled at the way the story was portrayed and how the characters acted in this episode.

McClusky's house was destroyed with the basement left buried. The bathtub was in Lynette's house.

McClusky's house was destroyed with the basement left buried. The bathtub was in Lynette's house.
The basement was left buried? I kinda took Lynette's hysterics to indicate that the basement was destroyed and, more importantly, everyone in the basement as well. With the quick shot they showed of the aftermath, I really didn't notice the basement...guess I was too shocked by the fact that the McClusky house was just gone. Is it possible everyone in the basement is really ok?

I was baffled why they didn't just call it a Hurricane. It made no sense other than maybe they wanted the dramatic shots of the funnel cloud, but it was just silly.

I can't imagine they killed off the entire Scavo family, save Lynette. I guess they'll dig them all out of the rubble next episode.

Was this the last episode they had written before the strike? Is it the season finale?

The basement was left buried? I kinda took Lynette's hysterics to indicate that the basement was destroyed and, more importantly, everyone in the basement as well. With the quick shot they showed of the aftermath, I really didn't notice the basement...guess I was too shocked by the fact that the McClusky house was just gone. Is it possible everyone in the basement is really ok?

It would be rather daring to kill off all the kids.

it was McClusky's house that got destroyed?

wow I thought Lynette was freaking out cause it was her house

The basement was left buried? I kinda took Lynette's hysterics to indicate that the basement was destroyed and, more importantly, everyone in the basement as well. With the quick shot they showed of the aftermath, I really didn't notice the basement...guess I was too shocked by the fact that the McClusky house was just gone. Is it possible everyone in the basement is really ok?

There'd be no way to see the basement "destroyed" from what we saw - or from what we saw Lynette see. My assumption would be that it is just covered in debris (although I'm rooting for complete destruction with no survivors - those kids are annoying as hell).

Do we think that Carlos possibly was killed when he was struck in the head? At the beginning the narrator stated that "a husband and a friend would die". I took that to mean two separate people--plus Victor wasn't anyone's friend anyway. The crazy woman who was sucked away also wasn't a friend. So Carlos makes the most sense as the other death.

I figured Victor was the "husband" - and McClusky's friend would be the "friend". Of course, my assumptions were based on the assumption that they would take the easiest possible way out.

They would never take out kids on national television. Ever.

Did anyone else have problems with the context of this episode? Having grown up in Oklahoma (Tornado Alley) and lived most of my life on the Gulf Coast (home of Hurricanes) it seemed to me the writers of this show had no real idea of what they were trying to portray. They probably have never lived outside of LA or New England, is my guess. My wife and I kept turning and looking at each other at the complete ridiculousness of the story. No one prepares like that for a tornado. You might know that a storm is coming, but tornadoes are too random to prepare for. Plus no one would be selling water before a tornado. Now if they had called it a hurricane, with a tornado that came out of it, it would be believable. But comeon Hollywood, do some research!! Too many of us watching know better.

While I mostly agree... the F5 that hit Norman came with nearly 2 hours warning. Of course, more people just got up and left instead of waiting for it to show up.

A hurricane would've lasted too long for a 1 hour show.

The basement was left buried? I kinda took Lynette's hysterics to indicate that the basement was destroyed and, more importantly, everyone in the basement as well. With the quick shot they showed of the aftermath, I really didn't notice the basement...guess I was too shocked by the fact that the McClusky house was just gone. Is it possible everyone in the basement is really ok?

You must know that basements are below the ground, so there's no way one could be "destroyed" by a tornado. As long as the basement ceiling remains intact, you're well-protected from the effects of a tornado or hurricane. Only earthquakes and floods can damage a basement... at least, as far as natural disasters are concerned.

The reason that Lynette was so horrified was because her family (and Ida) was trapped under the rubble of the McCluskey House. Until a path can be cleared to the basement's entrance, they're cut off. Even if this were to only last a few hours, that doesn't make it any less traumatizing to a mother.

Besides, Mary Alice's narration guarantees Tom Scavo's survival. "One would lose a husband..." means that only one of the main characters would be widowed by this event. As we all saw, that character was Gaby, not Lynette. Of course, the rest of Mary Alice's line ("... and everyone would lose a friend.") makes me quite concerned for Carlos. He's easily my favorite guy on the show.

One question: Did anybody else find it odd that, within a single street, there are some houses that have basements, some with only crawlspaces, and some with apparently nothing at all? I've never heard of that.

One question: Did anybody else find it odd that, within a single street, there are some houses that have basements, some with only crawlspaces, and some with apparently nothing at all? I've never heard of that.

It's not uncommon in some parts of the country to have homes with basements, some without (slab) and some with only a crawlspace.

However, I would think that it's very uncommon to see this difference in the same neighborhood, on the same street. Given this show, I doubt that they even pay attention to those details. Since the first season, my wife and I joke all of the time how different some of these houses are, as if each home was built by a different builder. Either that, or they're all custom homes. Could be an older neighborhood I guess where some did a knockdown-rebuild type of new construction, while some older homes remained and were just updated to stay current. Either way, some of those houses are WAY to big and fancy compared to their neighbors.

One question: Did anybody else find it odd that, within a single street, there are some houses that have basements, some with only crawlspaces, and some with apparently nothing at all? I've never heard of that.
Not at all. My uncle lives in a neighborhood that is exactly that way. His house and a few others have basements, while most have crawl spaces. A few of the smaller places are on slabs. One house further up the hill is on stilts.

Since the first season, my wife and I joke all of the time how different some of these houses are, as if each home was built by a different builder. Either that, or they're all custom homes. Could be an older neighborhood I guess where some did a knockdown-rebuild type of new construction, while some older homes remained and were just updated to stay current. Either way, some of those houses are WAY to big and fancy compared to their neighbors.
All the houses on that street were actually kit built by the same factory. In fact, the Solis house (which used to be the Munster's House) is from the same kit as the Psycho house. The upper roof line and windows were modified to ensure it looked a bit different. None of the houses have anything more than a semi-finished first floor. All the upstairs areas are unfinished and many of the structures have no actual rear walls.

That street (known in its current form as Colonial Street) used to be a dog leg to the left until the street and most of the houses were moved to another part of the Universal lot. Later, the "Leave It To Beaver" house and another small house were removed to make room for more larger structures for the filming of "The Burbs". After that production wrapped, the houses were moved around to open up "Circle Drive". Several years afterward, a new "LITB" house (ther current one) was put in for the most recent movie production based on the series.

In preparation for the filming of "Desperate Housewives", the "Munster House" was repainted and slightly altered and Colonial Mansion at the end of Circle Drive was removed.

So, that's why it looks like such a mishmash - from all the moving around and the fact none of the homes in their current form were ever really meant to be seen all in one production.

I was baffled why they didn't just call it a Hurricane. It made no sense other than maybe they wanted the dramatic shots of the funnel cloud, but it was just silly.

I can't imagine they killed off the entire Scavo family, save Lynette. I guess they'll dig them all out of the rubble next episode.

Was this the last episode they had written before the strike? Is it the season finale?

No the followup episode is in the can but will be used to restart the season after the strike's settled. Look for it in October 2010. :D

What the hell happened tonight? This show just jumped the shark, big time!!! In the last 60 seconds or so, they decide to throw it ahead five years into the future. I wonder if next season is going to pick up five years ahead?

Other than that this was a good episode. The whole Katherine/daughter/husband mystery is over. The Scavos worked out their problem with Tom's daughter and Mike and Susan had their baby. Up until the last few minutes, this episode really seemed like a good series finale. Or at least a good season finale. The whole Bree/Orson as well as Gaby and Carlos and Edie returning are still up in the air.

Other than that this was a good episode. The whole Katherine/daughter/husband mystery is over. The Scavos worked out their problem with Tom's daughter and Mike and Susan had their baby. Up until the last few minutes, this episode really seemed like a good series finale. Or at least a good season finale.

Yeah, I was confused at first too, but here's how I see it. I think they're just making up for the fact the season was cut short. They were able to resolve the major conflicts of this season for the most part, but they didn't have time to start anything new. They didn't have any big cliffhanger. It did in fact feel way too much like a series finale up until that last scene.

So their solution was to jump ahead five years and just give us a glimpse. I don't think they intend to start there next season, to me that would be shark jumping. They didn't really tell us a whole lot, just some of the core cast members we know will still be around. And the fact that they'll still be playing poker which isn't a surprise. They just gave us a few little glimpses of other things in the future to pique our interest enough and keep us wondering. I think that's an interesting and unexpected ending. It's a little backwards from usual for this show because they reveal the big secret upfront and then we have to figure out how they get they're, rather than the other way around.

I suppose we won't know for sure what they have in mind until next season, but I actually liked this finale. It was very satisfying but they threw in something unexpected and intriguing at the end as well.

Yeah, I was confused at first too, but here's how I see it. I think they're just making up for the fact the season was cut short. They were able to resolve the major conflicts of this season for the most part, but they didn't have time to start anything new. They didn't have any big cliffhanger. It did in fact feel way too much like a series finale up until that last scene.

So their solution was to jump ahead five years and just give us a glimpse. I don't think they intend to start there next season, to me that would be shark jumping. They didn't really tell us a whole lot, just some of the core cast members we know will still be around. And the fact that they'll still be playing poker which isn't a surprise. They just gave us a few little glimpses of other things in the future to pique our interest enough and keep us wondering. I think that's an interesting and unexpected ending. It's a little backwards from usual for this show because they reveal the big secret upfront and then we have to figure out how they get they're, rather than the other way around.

I suppose we won't know for sure what they have in mind until next season, but I actually liked this finale. It was very satisfying but they threw in something unexpected and intriguing at the end as well.

Next season does start five years ahead and from what they've said, the season will show how the characters got there.

It definately is interesting, DH never lacks in that department. It almost seems like they are taking the "Lost" approach by showing what happens in the future and having the show build up to it. At least I hope that's what happens. After tonight with Gaby talking about how "her shoes are her kids" I want to see what leads up to her having two. Or the biggest shock: Susan and that other man. What happens to Mike? There has to be some kind of televised build up to this. They cannot just sping the change on us. THAT would truly be Jumping the Shark. Like when Ned aged about seven years on Ghost Whisperer.

It makes sense that they don't have any cliffhanger this year. Usually one starts building around this time, but all we got this year was answers. No way they would end with that. :D

That season finale is the Desperate Housewives I originally loved. It was meant to be a parody of the daily soaps, and that qualified as the "everything but the kitchen sink" episode.

That was a great reveal with Dana's character....I went from disliking her most of the season to cheering when her low life ex got his comuppance! I'm with the, "where the heck is Mike?" group.

I also loved how the "bad seed" had her little plan blow up on her. BTW, great little actress.

I think the other guy with Susan was Gale Harold right?? He was the lead on Vanished on Fox 2 seasons ago...

Please not flash forwards and back like Lost!!!!!

Why????

It was a pretty lame end of the season IMHO. I guess the writer's strike did make a difference..

It was a pretty lame end of the season IMHO. I guess the writer's strike did make a difference..

Whatever; I think the writer's strike gave them time to come up with a spectacular season finale.

I thought it was one of the best episodes all year.

Good episode, really enjoyed it. It tied everything up nicely. The ending surprised me but after I thought about it, really what would happen if they just continued status quo anyhow with a bunch of the storylines seeming fairly wrapped up? I think it could have some potential to reset the series to this new period and give it a nice refreshing twist.

I think the other guy with Susan was Gale Harold right?? He was the lead on Vanished on Fox 2 seasons ago...

He was also Brian, the main character from Showtime's Queer As Folk.

Desperate Housewives is shot on 35mm using Panaflex Platinum, Gold II and Millennium XL cameras and Primo lenses.

It is framed for 4:3 and protected for 16:9 broadcast in high-definition.

Peterson has used Kodak Vision2 HD Color Scan Film 5299 to film the show since the stock hit the market almost two years ago. “It’s basically [Vision2 500T] 5218 that has been optimized for telecine use,” he says. “It removes some of the color mask you don’t need for telecine, so it gives you more latitude.”

http://www.ascmag.com/magazine_dynamic/March2008/Television/page3.php

Edie sure knows how to pick men.

Figured that was what his interest in Mike was all about. Still, a pretty good reveal.

The flash forward device has served the show well, I am especially loving the Carlos/Gabby storyline.
Petergaryr: I think I know what the deal is with Dave and Mike but could you spell it out for me, in spoilers if nec., I was trying to remember names and how they connected with Dave/Mike.

Here's what I remember from earlier in the season:

The accident that eventually led to Mike and Susan breaking up killed a mother and daughter----and Dave holds Mike responsible for their deaths. From his comment at the graves, he wants Mike to feel what he felt at the loss.

That is what I thought, thanks.

Anyone catch Housewives last night? Maybe it was a local issue but the HD image, while OK, seemed darker and flatter than it normally is. There seemed to be a lack of "pop" in the picture and some of the HD commercials looked much more vibrant.

Anyone catch Housewives last night? Maybe it was a local issue but the HD image, while OK, seemed darker and flatter than it normally is. There seemed to be a lack of "pop" in the picture and some of the HD commercials looked much more vibrant.

It looked bad to me also, fuzzy, lack of detail and not even as good as a good SD or analog broadcast.

It looked bad to me also, fuzzy, lack of detail and not even as good as a good SD or analog broadcast.

I wonder if it was a KGO issue out our way. Normally, ABC's filmed series look great in HD.

I thought the 100th episode was a pretty descent one.

I liked the Beau Bridges character and the way they had him interact with the various cast members at critical points in their lives.

Very good episode, the Edie and handyman bit was very funny. Well balanced between funny and sad.

Who knew that Earl Hickey's dad moonlighted on Wisteria Lane? :rolleyes:

For a filler episode, it was very well done. It was nice to see Brenda Strong for a change instead of just hearing her.

Huh, no comments on the finale?

The Mike getting married without showing his bride thing was a bit of a cheap trick.

I'm guessing it's Susan, given the events with Dave.

As for the Dave arc, as conclusions go, I thought it was done pretty well. Nice surprise "ghost" appearances. Hard to have sympathy for the guy considering all he did, yet I did feel sorry for him after seeing the scenes with his wife and daughter.

I'm guessing it's Susan, given the events with Dave.

As for the Dave arc, as conclusions go, I thought it was done pretty well. Nice surprise "ghost" appearances. Hard to have sympathy for the guy considering all he did, yet I did feel sorry for him after seeing the scenes with his wife and daughter.

It was a very nice acting gig for Neal McDonough. A season long arc is more than actors usually get. Some things about what Dave did were puzzling. When he saw the image of his daughter in the back seat and released MJ it made sense. When he bolted into the intersection was he still trying to kill Mike as a way to get back at Susan? When he had the flashback with the alternate outcome and then was in the psych hospital, I couldn't decide whether he had now blamed himself for what happened to his family or he had locked himself into a deep delusion where they were all together again. From the odd smile on his face, my guess would be the latter. As far as the wedding goes, I would assume that it was Susan but who knows? And why the big church ceremony? The bit with Carl and Bree was hilarious. Richard Burgi is so good at playing funny sleaze bags. Hopefully he is a semi-regular next season.

I'm going with a gut response to Dave: I think he just may have wanted to "off" himself to be with his family and using the accident as a way to do it.

As for the scene in the hospital, I would cast my vote with him being locked in a psychotic delusion where his family never died and he is with them and happy.

Anyone catch Housewives last night? Maybe it was a local issue but the HD image, while OK, seemed darker and flatter than it normally is. There seemed to be a lack of "pop" in the picture and some of the HD commercials looked much more vibrant.

The picture quality on Desperate Housewives has gone from stellar to almost 480i the last 1.5 years. But that's a problem with ABC on the West Coast.

In my wife's SOAP OPERA WEEKLY magazine it is stated that a character from the first two seasons comes comes back for a cameo during the final five minutes of the final episode. Anybody happen to notice who it might have been?

Didn't see anyone, so they must have been in the crowd in the church during the wedding.

Considering the kiss between Mike and Susan, it's logical to think the bride is her.

Well she look right about same complexion as Susan we'lll se in a few months..

Poor Dave the responsible for his Wife and Daughter was the wife herself, she didn't stop at the intersection, I know the stop sign was on the ground but it's logic to stop at at T intersection and not just take the street without even slowing down.

They even shown that scene two times to confirm... and that's why Susan/Mike didn't go to jail for the deaths, it was Dave's wife fault..

I'm guessing it's Susan, given the events with Dave.

I wouldn't be so sure. If they have Mike and Susan together again, they're right back where they were at the end of last season, just 5 years ahead and with a kid.

The deal with Carlos' cousin living with them is too much like Tom's daughter living with them, except this girl is older. Not sure how that will work.

In my wife's SOAP OPERA WEEKLY magazine it is stated that a character from the first two seasons comes comes back for a cameo during the final five minutes of the final episode. Anybody happen to notice who it might have been?

I just watched the final 5 minutes and didn't see anyone that fits that bill.

The deal with Carlos' cousin living with them is too much like Tom's daughter living with them, except this girl is older. Not sure how that will work.


Except she's way hotter and a man-izer, so Carlos' aunt isn't dying soon, she has some hidden agenda with the girl, maybe get all Carlos' money (by seducing him or something)

I think the producers just wanted some more eye candy now that Edie is gone (and Catherine might be as well).

Yeah and please stop impregnating Lynette! I think she was either pregnant or sick every season.. poor gal..

Yeah and please stop impregnating Lynette! I think she was either pregnant or sick every season.. poor gal..

She deserves it. What a cold woman!

When the NY couple found out that the blackmailing bitch was still alive, did she not say "A f**kin plane hit her, what's it gonna take..."

Am I wrong here. I listened to it 10 times.

freakin..or "frikkin"...just said it really fast.

I thought is was a pretty nice way to resolve the cliffhanger from the end of the first half season.

They don't seem to have a problem disposing recurring characters which I find admirable.

Will be interesting to see how the events from the plane crash play out in terms of future plots.

I thought is was a pretty nice way to resolve the cliffhanger from the end of the first half season.

They don't seem to have a problem disposing recurring characters which I find admirable.

Will be interesting to see how the events from the plane crash play out in terms of future plots.

The most interesting segment was the one that fleshed out Angie's history. We had figured that she was on the run as a mob witness or from the Feds for some kind of domestic terrorist bombing activity. The latter turned out the be the case, mirroring the activities of the Weatherman group in the Vietnam War era. From the FBI agent's description of Dominic as "a traitor", my guess is that he was a Fed who got involved with his target, Angie, took care of her after she was caught in an explosion, and then ran off with her. Of course whether Angie looks and sounds like your typical radical activist is somewhat debatable.

Marc Cherry is a genious. Best episode of the series. I don't think the end of this will disappoint like....."Don't Stop Believing":)