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Well, well, well, look who’s back... Creepy Paul Young has been acquitted of murder and has moved back to the Lane. This we knew from the end of season 6 but the beginning of the opening episode to season 7 gives us the story in extra-farfetched detail. Don’t get me wrong, what I love about Desperate Housewives is the way in which it mixes its farfetched elements with truly touching moments, and this storyline looks set to rival great moments in the show's past.
This new season opens, as per usual, with each housewife facing new challenges. Susan’s money troubles entangle her with dodgy landlord and Streisand-alike (an ideal choice for such a camp show) Maxine. One can tell that Teri Hatcher’s (Susan) talent for acting out ineptitude will be exploited fully in this storyline. Meanwhile, Bree’s marriage to Creepy Orson is over (long time coming, in my opinion), she has lost her business, and with Orson already moving on she needs to take her mind off things. Enter Bree’s new ‘project’, token hunk Keith who will be taking her décor and her life beyond beige. Lynette has yet another baby and her college friend, Ugly Betty‘s Wilhemina, renamed Renee and toned down a little (but not a lot) on the bitch-scale has arrived. One feels that Renee can never replace Edie but hopefully her character will evolve further than the slightly unconvincing banter she has with Lynette.
The biggest storyline however belongs to the Solis family. Bree has confessed, and the hospital has revealed which family is affected by the drunken nurse we met at the end of season 6. Carlos knows one secret and Gaby the other, and neither can tell, but we can see from the outset that the child storyline in particular will provide the ideal poignancy to offset the farcical Susan. It should also show Gaby’s maternal side to a greater degree than before, hence the need for some comedy selfishness in Renee.
All in all, this season promises to give us everything we have come to expect - intrigue, lies, sex and fabulously implausible plots. Some things have changed; Carlos has rather unsettlingly shaved off his beard and Susan doesn’t live on the Lane, but the formula is still the same. The voiceover at the beginning of each episode has always annoyed me but in this particular case it felt very contrived. The characters themselves, while still well written and acted are running out of energy. Although I enjoyed watching this episode and probably will enjoy each one because the formula does still work for me, it upsets me to say that I’m not entirely sure what more can be got out of Desperate Housewives to make it fresh and exciting. One thing is certain though: the writers haven’t lost their knack for witty one-liners, theatrical villains and gripping cliff-hangers which will carry the series forward for a good while yet. I certainly am desperate to find out what Creepy Felicia Tilman has planned for 6 months’ time…
Desperate Housewives airs on E4 at 10pm on Wednesdays and can be caught up with on 4OD
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