Halloween certainly worked some magic on Desperate Housewives this week. The last few weeks have been pretty unexciting and lacking in any real plot development, but this week we got a lot of interesting tidbits to actually keep us coming back for more.
I’ve been wondering since it started how the Bree/Keith relationship would play out. I loved when Bree went to Keith’s apartment for the first time, frozen smile all prepared for the disaster area she assumed was lurking behind that door. Of course, she was surprised to see a very stylish bachelor pad, but even more surprised to find out the bachelor had a female roommate — but a platonic one who told Bree that Keith never stops talking about her. Ah, but Keith’s dark secret has been revealed … he’s been arrested twice for assault, and after nearly finding himself facing another arrest after defending Bree’s honor at Renee’s Halloween party, she told him about her past as the lush of Wisteria Lane. I was really happy to see that the two bonded over their pasts, and I hope that the relationship will continue without further issues.
I still don’t know what Paul’s plans are for Wisteria Lane, but I loved the kind of cat-and-mouse game he and Susan played this week over her internet activities. When he threatened to tell Mike if she didn’t sell him her house, she told Mike herself and then revealed Paul’s blackmail plan. Paul was able to one-up Susan by getting her fired from her teaching job but slipped up when he told Lee about it and the fireworks started. I loved seeing Susan just go nuts on Paul, destroying the house with a large prop club her son was using for his Halloween costume. It was also nice to see Beth finally step up as Paul’s wife after weeks of giving him the cold shoulder. One rejection too many gave Paul no choice but to ask Beth to leave, but Susan’s attack was all it took for the two of them to really, finally connect. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with Beth, or even how much longer she’d be on the show, but it’s looking like she’s going to be a good partner in crime for Paul (although by the time this is all over, I can kind of see them in adjoining electric chairs).
I’m still not liking Gaby lavishing so much attention on Grace while Juanita gets pushed to the sidelines, but I’m worried something terrible is going to happen if Juanita sees Gaby going too far, or if she finds out the truth. And as much as I’ve been griping about the lack of story for Lynette and Tom this season, this week’s episode really gave them some emotional drama, and once again cemented them as the show’s one “real” couple. We’ve seen Lynette not be very welcoming to her mother-in-law, but she’s noticed that something just has not been right with Allison. When confronted with the possibility that his mom might be losing it, Tom went into complete denial mode; but after she wandered off on Halloween night and slapped Lynette across the face — a really shocking moment — Tom finally had to come to terms with the facts and place his mom in an assisted living facility. Kudos to Lois Smith for her very real, very heartbreaking performance, especially in her moment of lucidity as she became angry with Tom for sending her away. It really did bring a tear to my eye, and elevated this episode above any we’ve seen so far this season.
“Good news! You are married. Time to take the lid off the cookie jar.” – Paul, upon finding out Beth is a virgin who had been saving herself for marriage
“Stop calling it that.” – Beth
“Give me a cookie and I will.” – Paul
“I always check out the guys before I bring ‘em home. I don’t want to end up handcuffed to my bed for three days. Again.” – Renee
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Nov 01, 2010 @ 09:06 EST5EDT
