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The 100th episode is a huge milestone for any show. If a show reaches 100 episodes it means that the show was a success. Every show celebrates their 100th episode in different ways but in almost every case the show tries to pull out all the stops in order to reward their fans. I bring this all up since last night’s episode of Desperate Housewives was their 100th episode (boy has time flown by). So did Desperate Housewives reward their fans with a great 100th episode? I honestly can’t think of how Desperate Housewives could have created a better 100th episode.
So this week’s episode of Desperate Housewives takes us into the past of all the housewives. The local handyman (Eli) dies of a heart attack while fixing Susan’s roof. As the housewives prepare to attend his funeral they all remember how Eli helped them out in their lives.
Gaby Adjusting to the Neighborhood: Gaby’s flashback actually goes all the way back to when she first moved to Wisteria Lane. Carlos was always away on business trips and Gaby was all alone at the house. Eli helped Gaby by getting her into the neighborhood poker game. Gaby blows it though by showing off to the other ladies. Eli helps Gaby realize what she needs to do to get along with the other housewives and eventually Gaby apologizes and begins her friendships with the other housewives that last till this day.
Bree’s Cookbook: Bree’s storyline focussed on her cookbook. When she was still with Rex she decided to start writing her cookbook. Rex discouraged her from writing it since he wanted her just to be his perfect housewife. Bree ended up giving up on the idea and actually threw away what she had already written. Eli took the cookbook and waited till after Rex died in order to give it back to her to comfort her in her time of grief.
Edie’s Troubled Marriage: In what shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise, Eli made Edie feel good about herself through her troubled marriage. When her husband left her (he turned out to be gay), Eli comforted her and Edie ended up sleeping with him.
Lynette’s Quest to Get Back Into the Workforce: Lynette’s storyline focused on when she was pregnant with Penny. Lynette wanted to get a job and started looking for a job while she was pregnant. She wanted a job so badly that she even continued a phone conversation with an employer even though her water broke. After having Penny, Lynette actually gets the job but is so focused on preparing for her job that she ends up leaving Penny in the car. Eli notices this and brings Penny into the house. Lynette realizes that she needs to re-prioritize things in her life.
Susan’s Marriage Problems: Eli ended up being around for Susan’s divorce of Carl and Mike. In both cases he had to change Susan’s locks. Eli ends up cheering Susan up by telling her that she at least loved in her life unlike himself who never had the courage to fall in love.
Mary Alice’s Kindness: Finally we find out that Mary Alice was actually responsible for Eli helping the rest of the housewives. When Eli moved into the neighborhood he was a poor man whose luck had run out. Mary Alice noticed this and ended up hiring Eli to fix a vase that had broken. Years later on the day that she eventually killed herself, Eli came over and Mary Alice gave him the vase. Eli left not noticing that there was something wrong with Mary Alice. After Mary Alice killed herself, Eli vowed to help out as many other people as he could.
Quotes:
McClusky (talking to Eli about his retirement): “It took 10 years to trust you.”
Gaby: “Would you like to add that to your bill?”
Lynette: “I’ll sew anything if you stop getting me pregnant.”
Tom (while Lynette is throwing up): “I was having trouble paying attention.”
Susan (to Eli): “You can’t retire. I break too many things.”
Your Thoughts:
What are your thoughts on the Desperate Housewives 100th episode?
There was heated debate on our sofa last night. I LOVED this episode, and my husband just wanted to get back to the good stuff we left off from last week. He was antsy to see the storylines continue. “Lost” did a similar concept a few seasons back with inserting two new actors into the pre-existing story in an episode about a jewel heist that we will hate and be confused by forever. While I didn’t gain any particular new insight or big surprises with the Wisteria wives through this episode, it just plain worked because I care about their histories. The stories served to reinforce who these women are, and how far they’ve come in the last 100 episodes.
And even my sullen hubby conceded the Mary Alice story (MARTHA HUBERT LIVES!) was extraordinary.
Couple of nit-picky things, just for fun:
*The scene where Carl’s left Susan: Wasn’t that set in her rebuilt house, and not her original pre-fire house? I’d have to check back to pictures from Season One. Surely they wouldn’t miss such a big detail, so I could be wrong.
*Bree and Gabby were so transformed by the flashback makeovers, I think it’s the first time I’ve really noticed how much those characters’ looks have changed.
*Susan’s time travel was less successful for me. Her face is quite different from how it looked when the series began. She’s lost weight and her features don’t have the same softness.
*How the hell did they make Carlos buff and trim again? His scenes looked like they were shot five years ago. We all know Longoria’s been wearing padding this season, has he been as well?
*Did we know about that husband of Edie’s, or was this his first mention?
*I don’t remember Rex being that much of a jerk. Is it just me, or did his character feel different than when he was on the show?
*Bree’s wine glass in post-death scene- Nice detail.
*Sweet lord, Mary Alice is a tall woman.
*Catherine Mayfair got shafted in this episode. Not even one line?