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The women of Wisteria Lane have had their share of ups and downs throughout their seven seasons. They’ve laughed and cried; they’ve loved and lost—and now, as they enter their eighth season, they’re preparing to go their separate ways. But before the premiere of the show’s final season, it’s time to catch up with the DVD release of season seven.
This season is another eventful one on the Lane. Susan (Teri Hatcher) and Mike (James Denton) are forced to move away to save some money—and while Mike takes a job far away, Susan secretly starts doing some work for a little Internet business that specializes in video of housewives in lingerie.
Bree (Marcia Cross) finds herself single once again after Orson (Kyle MacLachlan) moves out. But when she hires a handsome young handyman (Brian Austin Green), he ends up sticking around to do more than just paint a few rooms.
While Lynette (Felicity Huffman) and Tom (Doug Savant) care for yet another child, Lynette’s gorgeous college friend, Renee (Vanessa Williams), comes for a visit and decides to stay after her marriage falls apart.
Gaby (Eva Longoria) and Carlos (Ricardo Chavira) discover that one of their children isn’t really theirs—and Gaby struggles with her feelings for her new-found daughter.
Meanwhile, Paul Young (Mark Moses) returns to the Lane with his new bride, Beth (Emily Bergl), and begins to wreak havoc on his old neighbors.
As is generally the case with any season of any show, some of the plot lines work, while some of them just fall short. On one hand, Mike and Susan’s financial difficulties make the season feel timely and real. After all, with so many people across the country struggling to make ends meet, no one’s immune to the economic downturn—not even the pampered wives of Wisteria Lane. Still, as their lives take one horrible turn after another (and Susan is eventually struck by a life-threatening condition), it begins to drag the show down into some dark and depressing places.
In fact, much of the season deals with some pretty heavy issues: economic hardship, the loss of a child, illness, strained friendships, and troubled marriages, just to name a few. And while there are a few moments of that deliciously wicked humor that originally made Desperate Housewives a must-see weekly event, much of the season drags through some rather depressing storylines.
The highlight of the season, then, is the return of Paul Young—a blast from the past who also makes a creepy new villain. His plans for revenge on his old neighbors wreak havoc on the entire street—and, in the process, they also give the show some excitement and suspense.
Like any other season, the seventh season of Desperate Housewives has its share of hits and misses—of humor, suspense…and downright depression. It certainly isn’t as wickedly funny as some of the earlier seasons, though, and fans will miss some of the show’s more madcap moments. But the dishy drama—and the gripping conclusion—set the show up for a wild final season.
DVD Review:
The five-disc DVD release of the seventh season of Desperate Housewives comes complete with a couple of extras that will absolutely delight fans of the series. In Growing Up on Wisteria Lane, the show’s young cast members reminisce about their experiences on the show. It’s a cute feature, but it’s not as much fun as Desperate for Trivia, a nearly five-minute extra, in which the cast members are asked questions about the show—and sometimes about their own characters. It’s fun to see who knows the picky details of the series…and who doesn’t even know her character’s maiden name.
The set also includes a dozen short deleted scenes and an entertaining blooper reel. But if you’re looking for a few minutes of extra Desperate Housewives fun, don’t miss the trivia feature.
