Thursday, May 17, 2012

Farewell, Wisteria Lane


Yes, I admit it - I was hooked on ABC's kitschy, catty, crazy soap "Desperate Housewives" from the beginning. Outrageous, salacious and even downright ridiculous, the one thing DH never was, was boring. And while my suburban neighborhood was not quite as involved in one another's lives as the women who lived on the fictional Wisteria Lane, watching the machinations that went on there was a guilty pleasure that helped round out the weekend on an almost always amusing note. Whether it was Susan's wacky attempts to woo plumber Mike Delfino; Lynette's exasperation with her brood of trouble-making kids; Bree's attempts to remain dignified in the most humiliating of situations or Gabby's torrid affair with her hot young gardener, the ladies (and gents) of Wisteria Lane were always entertaining. If you've never seen "Desperate Housewives,"then nothing I've just written will make a lick of sense to you. But the show's many fans understand.

This past Sunday saw the show's 2-hour Series Finale in which all loose ends were tied up. Bree's murder trial ended with a surprise confession from the dying Karen; Lynette finally reunited with Tom; Renee married Ben and Julie gave birth to a healthy baby girl. It was a fit and fair end to an 8 year run to a show that knew when to bow out before it had out-stayed it's welcome. 

In those 8 years, the show had a huge list of guest performers, including Alfre Woodard; Dana Delaney; Neal McDonough; Roger Bart; Brian Austin Greene; Gale Harold; John Slattery; Nathan Fillion; Bob Gunton; Valerie Mahaffrey; Polly Bergen; Dixie Carter; Lily Tomlin; Mindy Sterling; Gary Cole; Jeff Bridges; Laurie Metcalf; Lainie Kazan; Julie Benz; Justine Bateman; Miguel Ferrer; John Barrowman; Alec Mapa; Joely Fisher; Shirley Knight; John Schnieder; Ernie Hudson, Sharon Lawrence; Kathryn Harrold; Adrian Pasdar; Eddie McClintock; Paul Dooley; Bob Newhart; Frances Conroy; Larry Hagman; Joyce Van Patten and Chloe Moretz, to name a few. That list sounds like the cast of an Irwin Allen 70's disaster movie...

And don't get me started on Nicolette Sheridan's ridiculous lawsuit. "Housewives" creator Mark Cherry very generously donated a "Desperate Housewives" package to the JTMF 5th Anniversary silent auction. It included an autographed cast photo and a signed copy of the pilot's script, among other goodies. Cherry (who had a cameo as a mover in the final ep) doesn't strike me as someone who would strike anyone, let a woman. 

So, thanks "Desperate Housewives," for all the campy, soapy and ridiculous outrageousness you've provided over the last eight years. I won't exactly miss you (unlike how I'll miss "Fringe" when it ends next year), but I enjoyed you while you ran.

In case you missed it, here's a compilation of some of the show's best mayhem:




More, anon.
Prospero

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