Bombshells in the 'Burbs
Rex's mother Phyllis caused trouble for Bree. Marcia Cross and Shirley Knight by Danny Feld/ABC
Episode Recap: "If There's Anything I Can't Stand"
The biggest news of the episode was not the arrival of Bob and Lee - life partners (no, Susan, not business partners) who moved into the Applewhites' home. No, it was the deepening Mayfair mystery. Aunt Lily wasn't long for this world once she moved back in with them. We witnessed Katherine's quickly dissolved bedside manner when Aunt Lily expressed a deep desire to tell Dylan what "happened in this room." So, it appears Aunt Lily conspired with Katherine Mayfair to do
something in that bedroom (with the gash in the wood floor) that at her life's end she deemed a mistake that shouldn't have been covered up and kept from Dylan.
Sadly, Lily didn't get the chance to tell Dylan why she doesn't remember living on Wisteria Lane - or did she? Lily's final desperate act was great drama (and Bach helped): In her final wheezing moments, she scribbled something on a piece of paper at her bedside, folded it several times, and as she took her last breath, it fell from her lax fingers onto the floor.
What is on that paper?! And will Dylan find it before her mother does? Surely neatnik Katherine will scour that bedroom after Lily is buried.
As for the storyline that (in my opinion) wasn't worth all the promos and media attention, I lay the blame on Susan's playing the part of silly, dippy overcompensating neighbor. First she made a fool of herself and insulted Bob (
Tuc Watkins) and Lee (
Kevin Rahm). (Loved the "I hope we can live up to your stereotype" reply.) Then she tried to make up for it with store-bought baked goods. But the main reason that her next-door neighbors will be ignoring Susan for the time being was her scheme to "find" their dog Rafael, which instead resulted in Mike having to buy Bob a $2,000 Dolce suit.
I'm hoping that instead of creating more plotlines to keep track of, the twosome's goings on will be woven into the show and serve to strengthen existing stories. For example, their presence tonight already led to a rare event: Mike giving Susan some tough love. I know it didn't lend itself to comedy, but it was a nice change to see Mike speaking up for his point of view.
So, too, for Tom, who after enjoying Lynette's bedtime role-playing a bit too much for Lynette's taste, gave her a reality check. I'm not saying Lynette hasn't had every right to wallow, but she needed to know that her illness had affected Tom as well. (Side note: I thought both she and Gaby looked good in that dark-red wig.)
Speaking of Gaby, what did you think of the love quadrangle tonight?
Someone got the "crotch carnival" first, and it wasn't necessarily Edie. Good thing Gaby's a smart schemer, or she never would have thought of a way to get Victor cleaned up without his suspicion. That was pretty hilarious, and I have to say her "nurse" outfit looked a lot more like "Brandy the Slutty Cheerleader" than Lynette's. But I figure Gaby's had more practice with that sort of thing.
Too bad that Victor's busy politico schedule didn't keep him away from Bree's fake baby shower; Gaby and Carlos would be in the clear. But Edie is a clever conniver, too. With one whiff of Victor's new "36 essential oils lotion" and a tray of
crab-cake hors d'oeuvres passing between her, Carlos, Gaby and Victor, she connected the dots.
Also at Bree's surprise shower (nice play, Andrew): Bree's ex-mother-in-law (
Shirley Knight ) - well done again, Andrew. Of course, a quarrel ensued, but the juicy result was that Phyllis discovered Bree's secret, stormed over to the convent and proceeded to rescue her pregnant granddaughter from the boring "baby jail." I thought that Danielle would wait out the rest of her pregnancy at her grandmother's house, but it looks like she'll be wreaking havoc on Orson and Bree's perfect "second chance" in their home next week. What did you think of this twist? Leave your comments here!
If you're desperate for more from Wisteria Lane, check out our
Online Video Guide.
For a behind-the-scenes peek at all your favorite Housewives, tune in to TV Guide Network's
The Ladies of Wisteria Lane, Oct. 23 at 11 pm/ET.
