What I’m Watching: Desperate Housewives

Desperate Housewives: Season 7, Episode 10 “Down the Block There’s a Riot” (C+)

Ah, the event episode. This show has taken advantage of it plenty of times before, as recently as last season with the plane crash. The idea of a riot isn’t so crazy, I suppose, but it’s the way in which it’s presented that lacks a bit of credibility. All of the build-up to the riot felt extremely staged, strategically placing characters like Susan and Juanita in harm’s way, and pretty ridiculously dressing Keith so that he could easily be mistaken for an ex-convict. Lynette hiring a mob is believable, but them turning into a militia force and trying to turn over a car crossed the line. Also, shouldn’t Lee be able to back out of the sale of his house somehow? Paul’s trickery seems a bit too perfect. I’m shocked that no one knows it’s always a terrible idea to write a letter that you’re not going to send and then leave it out for someone to find. The entire daughters-switched plotline has always felt somewhat forced and over-the-top, mostly due to Gaby’s childish behavior. Renee being in love with Tom is also causing undue problems, and to have her leave the lane without having actually had any compelling storylines isn’t right. It’s good to know that Mike still exists, if only via videoconference, and that makes him the only person who’s not a suspect in Paul’s shooting. I do suspect it’s a throwaway character who shot him, and we’ll probably find out next year, which as it turns out isn’t all that far away, since this show returns on January 2nd.