TV show reviews: Desperate Housewives – Part 3

Desperate Housewives is like a large tub of chocolate ice cream- you know it’s bad for you, you know that it will be sickeningly sweet, but you have to have it.

I have to say that I love Desperate Housewives, and I’m only a little ashamed to admit that. Life is so stressful and the only thing that makes me unwind is watching the Susan/Mike saga or some new neighbor hide a secret dead body.

I can understand people pooh-poohing DH, it is incredibly cheesy and over the top, but it is in the same vein as Dallas or Dynasty of the eighties. It is supposed to be over the top, it is supposed to be unbelievable.

I mean if we were really watching a realistic portrayal of housewives, we would be watching Wife Swap. I doubt anyone would tune in to watch a real life Lynnette try to get a stain out of Tom’s shirt or watch Susan decide what color to paint her dining room.

Realism is not what DH is about, it is about escapism. It is about women who live a flamboyant lifestyle and have neighbors who would kill to protect their family.

I can never decide who is my favorite character in DH. I love Gabi with her witty one lines and the way that she adores herself. Susan is great as all she really does is fall over and put her foot in her mouth. Lynnette is a realistic portrayal of a mother at her worst and her strength and sass just make her character. The cleanaholic Bree is what every woman aspires to- strong, confident, unyielding and clever. Even trampy Edie gets my vote when she lets a quip slip.

I do realize that fans of the show are getting tired of similar plot lines and the never ending will they/won’t they of Susan and Mike, but I think Marc Cherry has been very creative in the last two series. Particularly with the emergence and demise of Norah- Lynnette’s arch nemesis- and the Gabi and Carlos divorce.

Desperate Housewives will continue to shock and amaze me, while Edie still sells house on Wisteria Lane to sinister neighbors.