WRITER: Dave Flebotte[SPOILERS] I really cannot decide whether I can claim I enjoyed "The Coffee Cup", or merely accepted it for 55-minutes, then bolted up in astonishment at the revelatory tease in its climax. I didn't outright dislike any of it, so there was never a possibility I would switch off, although I did roll my eyes a couple of times at the contrived quirkiness and implausibility of some of the plot strands. Yet I still found myself emotionally invested -- laughing and ahh!-ing along, if not quite to the extent of screaming at the screen. I guess I just like spending time with these characters. This is why I have gone for a middle-of-the-road "award" of 3 stars out of 5.
DIRECTOR: Larry Shaw
GUEST STARS: Gina Hecht, Jeff Doucette, Julie McNiven, Ned Vaughn, Dana Cuomo, Bobby Ray Shafer.
Compounding my concern from last week, Judge Mary Gallagher (Gina Hecht) was another terribly implausible cartoon of a guest character, disregarding law and order and handing out "humourous" ironic punishments of her own. So it is that Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) -- in court, remember, for shooting Katherine Mayfair (Dana Delany) in the arm -- is sentenced to community service in litter-picking at the roadside, because Katherine complains that Susan "trashed" her to the neighbourhood. Riiight. The warring housewives are then lumped together in orange jumpsuits when a gloating Katherine litters to wind up her rival. How uproariously inconvenient for them(!)
Inconvenient, also, for Mike Delfino (James Denton), after a plotted comment by Katherine revealed to Susan the passionate extent of Katherine's past relationship with the fervent plumber. Sidelined far too often in recent weeks, Mike was literally given more to handle as his typically zany wife set about proving they could have sex five times in a day. It was predictably obvious that an exhausted Mike would eventually rebuke Susan's affected advances then comfort her with a smattering of touching words, but it was good to see Mike become more proactive, as Katherine and Susan's battle seemed to have eclipsed the basis of their conflict: him.
Meanwhile, Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan) has become -- justifiably -- paranoid that wife Bree (Marcia Cross) if having an affair. After drowning his sorrows and listening to a recording of Madame Butterfly, he offloads his concerns onto Angie Bolen (Drea de Matteo). Angie laughs off the idea of "classy" Bree stooping so low, until she spies Karl Mayer (Richard Burgi) entering the Hodge homestead... the resultant conclusion -- Orson storming home and checking all the rooms while a naked Karl shivers on the balcony and Angie interrupts to throw Orson off the scent -- was a little too farcical, but it was nice to see newcomer Angie integrate herself into the established group (and, in doing so to protect Orson, reveal moral fibre) and for Bree's dilemma to be given added depth; she hasn't fallen out of love with her husband after all.
One secret that is definitely now out of the parka is Lynette Scarvo's (Felicity Huffman) pregnancy. No more will she have to wear husband Tom's (Doug Savant) baggy clothes to hide her expanding bump, after Gabrielle Solice (Eva Longoria Parker) gets a kick from Lynette's belly during a hug. Having spent weeks slaving away at Carlos's (Richard Chavira) firm and training Terrence (Ned Vaughn) to act as cover during her undisclosed maternity leave, all her hard work comes undone when Carlos offers Terrence a promotion... in Miami. Desperate to dissuade Terrence from leaving the state, the Scavo's invite him and wife Crystal (Dana Cuomo) for dinner, drinks and a rather persuasive chat. Consequently, Carlos is left with no option but to enforce the move upon Lynette, who reveals her secret after believing Gabby would already have blabbed. Richard Antonio Chavira, regularly instrumental in delivering witty banter, did a similarly fantastic job of conveying unspoken hurt when learning of his friend's deception.
Gabrielle, concurrently, had incongruous reasons for praying Terrence and family would uproot -- it would mean the space at Catholic School vacated by Terrence's son would open up and Gabby would be free from home schooling Juanita (Madison De La Garza) any longer. Stealing back her donation cheque from Father Crowley's (Jeff Doucette) pocket after the priest reveals Terrence is not relocating after all was a typically unsubtle old-school Gabby operation.
The cliffhanger of a revelatory tease I alluded to in the opening paragraph came courtesy of Nick Bolen (Jeffrey Nordling) -- or should I call him "Black Owl"? This is the hackneyed alias he uses when calling an Agent Padilla on a pre-paid mobile phone, agreeing to "come in" if Angie "gets a pass". Interesting... at last, the Bolen's mysterious past is being unveiled, albeit in code. Nick then leaves the eponymous coffee house, irked that waitress Emily (Julia McNiven) may have been listening in on his private call (which, of course, you'd make in public). Could it be "Black Owl" who returns after closing and strangles the employee, or somebody else still? Perhaps somebody still coming to terms with her husband's affair with Julie Mayer (Andrea Bowen), somebody with a grudge against the all-too-flirty member of staff? Hmmm... that somebody I will christen code-name "A.B", that way if Desperate Housewives delivers a genuinely shocking twist in this seemingly palpable case, I won't look like a complete fool.
17 MARCH 2010: CHANNEL 4 (HD), 9PM
For more of Chris Howard's writing, visit The CRaB Shack.
