Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
In the fourth season of Desperate Housewives, the ladies of Wisteria Lane are back--all the ladies, as the previous season's cliffhanger turned out to be a red herring. Both Susan (Teri Hatcher) and Gabriella (Eva Longoria Parker) are facing difficulties in their new marriages: Mike (James Denton) turns to drugs to keep up with his work schedule, and politician Victor (John Slattery) seems less exciting than former husband Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira), who is still attached to Edie (Nicollette Sheridan). Bree (Marcia Cross) and Orson (Kyle McLachlan) are still faking a pregnancy to cover for Danielle (Joy Lauren), and Lynnette (Felicity Huffman) is fighting both cancer and Tom's (Doug Savant) devilspawn daughter (Rachel G. Fox) while their pizzeria gets a new rival. Adding the new wrinkle to the season were two veteran TV actors, Dana Delany (China Beach) and Nathan Fillion (Firefly) as Katherine Mayfair and her new husband Adam. Katherine lived on Wisteria Lane years ago, but daughter Dylan (Lyndsy Fonseca) seems to have no memory of that past, or of her then-best friend, Julie (Andrea Bowen). And what roles will be played by shadows from Katherine's and Adam's past (Gary Cole and Melora Walters)? Delany and Fillion were great additions--Katherine begins a homemaking rivalry with Bree, and Adam's deadpan gynecologist is a gem. But the centerpiece of the season (and which coincided almost exactly with the series' hiatus due to the 2007-2008 writers' strike, which trimmed the season to 17 episodes) is a cataclysmic tornado that wreaks havoc on both the houses and the people of the neighborhood. The season concludes in a number of showdowns, then a surprising conclusion that promised an intriguing new angle for season 5. With Kathryn Joosten as Mrs. McCluskey, Kevin Rahm and Tuc Watkins as Wisteria Lane's first same-sex couple, and Justine Bateman as the Solizs' roomer with a secret. DVD features include deleted scenes, creator Marc Cherry's favorite moments, and a 26-minute look at the making of the tornado episode. Bonus points for a DVD insert that presents Wisteria Lane as one of Edie's real-estate brochures. --David Horiuchi

Stills from Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season (Click for larger image)

Product Description
Take a trip to the steamy side of suburbia as the acclaimed hit DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES is hotter hipper and even more exciting in its sizzling fourth season. "It's time for you to move back to Wisteria Lane" proclaims Entertainment Weekly. Temperatures are rising behind the closed doors of TV's favorite guilty pleasure. Primetime's most desired women are back and they're joined by an old friend (Dana Delany) who brings the simmering neighborhood to a boil. Experience all 17 episodes of Season Four in a scintillating 5-disc set. Blazing with exclusive bonus features including a behind-the-scenes look at how an episode moves from the casting room to your TV screen DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES burns even brighter on DVD.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 786936754155 Manufacturer No: 05636200

Customer Reviews: Read 36 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Desperate Housewives - Season Four May 21, 2008
24 out of 28 found this review helpful

"Desperate Housewives" made its debut in 2004 to rave reviews and high Nielsen ratings. Season one of the show is considered a modern classic. For most people, the same couldn't be said for seasons two and three. Many people though the second and third seasons were disappointing. I thought the second season was good (though not great), and the third season was a slight improvement over season two (though it still didn't top the first season). But after watching the entire fourth season of "Desperate Housewives", the show is back on track. This is the best season since the first.

Season four of the show about those housewives from the fictional Wisteria Lane (located in the town of Fairview) was the most interesting, most intriguing, and most entertaining season since season one. Many of the same major characters are back: Susan, Lynette, Bree, Gabrielle, Edie, Mike, Carlos, Tom, Orson, and narrator Mary Alice. But what really makes the fourth season of "Desperate Housewives" so great is the addition of a new character: Katherine Mayfair. As season four begins, we find out that Katherine used to live on Wisteria Lane many years ago but has now moved back to the neighborhood with her much younger husband Adam and daughter Dylan. And yes, we can tell from the first episode that Katherine is hiding a deep dark secret that will eventually unfold as the season progresses. Some of the other major storylines throughout season four include: Lynette battling cancer (which she discovered late in season three); Susan (after marrying Mike at the end of season three) finds out that she's pregnant; Bree faking a pregnancy to protect daughter Danielle's real pregnancy; Mike developing a drug problem when he becomes addicted to pills; Gabrielle finding marriage to town mayor Victor Lang to be so dull that she starts having an affair with ex-husband Carlos; and probably the biggest story of the year, Wisteria Lane being destroyed by a tornado.

That tornado episode, titled "Something's Coming" (episode #9), was easily the best episode of the season and the second best episode overall (the very best episode of "Desperate Housewives" still remains that supermarket hostage crisis episode from season three). This was reportedly the most expensive episode of "Desperate Housewives" to date, obviously since special effects played a big part in it. But just like that supermarket hostage episode, it's a thrilling and entertaining episode that keeps you on the edge of your seat as you wonder who will come out of it alive or dead.

The stars of this show once again do a great job just as they have in the previous three seasons. Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria Parker, and Nicolette Sheridan are fine as usual, but in season four they get upended by the newcomer to Wisteria Lane. Two-time Emmy winner Dana Delany ("China Beach") is an absolute standout as Katherine Mayfair. There's an interesting back-story involving Delany and "Desperate Housewives" when the show's creator Marc Cherry was casting the principal roles back in 2004. Cherry originally offered Delany the role of Bree, but turned it down since she claimed it was too similar to a role she had on a short-lived TV series she starred on a few years earlier (that show was called "Pasadena", which aired on FOX). But Cherry never gave up on her. After he created new character Katherine he wanted Delany for the part, and this time she accepted. It's interesting because Katherine is kind of like Bree, but only darker. And Delany stepped right into the role of Katherine and made it her own. I think this was similar to what Cherry and the rest of the "Desperate Housewives" writers were trying to do two years ago when they created the Betty Applewhite character for season two and failed miserably. This time they got it right, and the writers should be congratulated for not messing up the Katherine Mayfair storyline. This was an intriguing storyline throughout season four, and it ends perfectly in the final episode. And what makes it even better, Delany's Katherine will be back next season.

My only complaint about "Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season" is that the season was shorter than usual. You can blame that on all the writers from the small screen to the big screen for going on strike for three months, which ended shutting down the production on not only "Desperate Housewives", but all shows on television. And that was kind of a bummer, because a few more storylines had to be cut short. For example, there was a very funny storyline involving a gay male couple that moved to Wisteria Lane, and I think the writers originally had planned to expand this storyline throughout the season. But after the writer's strike ended and there was only room for seven episodes, the writers couldn't expand this storyline has they had planned. Whether or not this storyline will be expanded for season five remains to be seen.

And when season five debuts in the fall of 2008, it'll be interesting to see what will be going on. In the final moments of the last episode of season four, the action flash forwards to five years later, which I presume is where the show will pick up when season five starts. And it'll be interesting to see what's going on, because "Desperate Housewives" leaves us dangling with another bizarre cliffhanger: who's the man (and it's not Mike) that's kissing Susan in the final scene?

1 out of 5 stars

Writers Strike Discount??? Helloo??? Amazon?? August 13, 2008
18 out of 32 found this review helpful

What's with this price? We are paying per-episode and runtime, right? Yikes. The sale price at $39 and the original price at $59?????

Great show... possibly the only one I watched last year... but come on* If writers strike isn't enough... the whole we're-probably-in-a-recession thing should score some discount points.

5 out of 5 stars

$34.99 for THIS? May 12, 2008
12 out of 19 found this review helpful

Great season. Crappy price.

This season had less episodes than usual because of the strike and they're still charging full price.
Scandalous..

3 out of 5 stars

Another mediocre season with a few improvments May 19, 2008
5 out of 12 found this review helpful

We all know the story of how Desperate Housewives turned from a must-watch Sunday night event to a mediocre inconsistent over-the-top suburban bloodbath with a body count that rivals NBC's crime shows. After the first seasons groundbreaking finale concerning a depressed suburban mother who would do anything to protect her child, 30 million viewers wondered how the shows second season would turn out. Would it be another shocking, well-written, groundbreaking season on Wisteria Lane, or merely another failed attempt to surpass the first? Season 2 of Desperate Housewives premiered, and from the second the first episode of the new season finished, there was a groan heard around America. Some fans waited to see if the show got better, which it did after 10 shaky episodes, but all in all 5 million viewers left and creator Marc Cherry got criticism from every critic in television for letting the quality sink and promised things would return to normal for the shows third season.

Season three started out fresh and clean. The first episode was rather good, but then followed a few mediocre ones and then 'Bang', the seventh episode of the third season that won back a few million more viewers, and America once again fell in love with the Housewives. Right when the third season took a break, we were greeted with Orson's once missing and presumed dead ex-wife, Alma, and we were once again sucked in, hoping the third season would continue on this ascending scale and provide more twists and turns for the seemingly simple mystery concerning Orson's dead mistress and Alma's disappearance.

When the third season returned, Marcia Cross became noticeably more pregnant and could only finish 4 more episodes. The mystery, and Marcia Cross, two of the biggest reasons Desperate Housewives remains a hit, were forced to end quickly and thus we were left with 7 episodes with really no purpose. Many people were disappointed by Desperate Housewives' once again declining quality. I stayed around because I thought despite the changes and difficulties, Cherry and co. did the best they could with what they were given. It was also a very unexpected insight that I hope Cherry and co. realized that the show *needs* a stable mystery and Marcia Cross. Without it, Desperate Housewives is just another soap with a few comedic moments. The darker satirical tone of the first season is gone, and what we're left with is sitcom-like humor that has changed this show from a dark and funny one to just another slapstick comedy with obvious jokes and obnoxious music cues.

As usual, Cherry promised a better season, this time with more Housewife interaction, more scandal, and better storylines. The fourth season of Desperate Housewives premiered September 30th, and with that being said...

The set-up:

After Edie seemingly ended her life in the season three finale, Mary Alice explains that Edie did not intend to die, rather she was staging a suicide to get Carlos to stay with her. The only man Edie should be seeing is Doctor Phil for severe co-dependency issues, but more on that later. After almost letting her die in a darkly comedic fashion, Carlos saves his needy ex-girlfriend and takes her to the hospital...

Meanwhile, Gabrielle's plan to sneak away with Carlos has been thwarted, so she is forced to remain in a loveless relationship with corrupt politician, Victor Lang. Bree is continuing to pretend to be pregnant to save Danielle's reputation (which was a thankless task), Lynette tries to hide her cancer from her friends, and Susan... is again... just there.

Meanwhile, Katherine Mayfair, Susan's old neighbor from 12 years ago returns after an extended departure, but there's something awfully strange going on in that family. Julie, Susan's inquisitive daughter, says that there's something very wrong with Dylan, as she doesn't remember her, or anything about herself for that matter. Meanwhile, Katherine and Adam have a brief conversation about something terrible that happened in Dylan's old room that "she can't remember". Seeing as though Desperate Housewives does not dwell into supernatural elements (and if it does, then asta la vista!), there's not really too many sensible reasons to explain Dylan's memory loss except for maybe some brain trauma, drugging, or maybe... as Julie suggested, Dylan isn't really Dylan?

The mystery-

I preferred this mystery to last years because it for once, did not focus on a murder. Instead, a seemingly puzzling question about Katherine's parenting. Unfortunately, the writers made this one much too obvious, as you could have guessed the outcome at end of the first episode. Still, other questions concerning Adam's secret in Chicago and what role Aunt Lilly played in this whole equation slowly unfold, and by episode 11 the answer stares you in the face. By the finale, everything is spelled out for you in a pivotal flashback, like all the other seasons, and everything is crystal clear. The outcome is pretty dark and twisted. I won't spoil it for those awaiting the DVD release, but it probably the saddest storyline Desperate Housewives has ever come up with. It's creepy and gothic, but at the same time human and plausible. This was the most realistic mystery the show has dealt with so far, and its only downfall was its predictability.

The housewives-

Lynette- This season mind as well be renamed as the "let's torture Lynette show". Everything bad that you can imagine happening to her has. She has developed cancer and is going through chemotherapy for the first 6 episodes. After recovering, an incredibly random tornado reeks havoc on Wisteria Lane, and after surviving Lynette tries to better herself. While this is happening, Kayla Scavo, Nora's devil of a daughter devises one of the most evil plans an 11-year-old could come up with, and after getting Lynette framed for a crime I won't mention (don't want to spoil it), Tom finally gets a backbone and decides that the sociopathic gene skipped a generation and manifested in Kayla's evil head. Thus, she gets the boot.

Susan- After 3 years of off and on romance, Mike Delfino and Susan finally marry. Susan discovers she's pregnant, and her and Mike... do their usual routine. Mike becomes addicted to pain killers, and after hitting rock bottom by assulting a doctor, takes himself to rehab. While this is happening, Orson confesses he's the one who made Mike roadkill and instead of beating his lights out, Mike takes a very zen approach to life and after Susan gives birth to Maynard (the worst name EVER), her and Mike are finally, seemingly happy.

Bree- After hilariously getting away with pretending to be pregnant, Bree adopts baby Benjamin for her own. She also tries to make nice with Katherine, her rival but after trying to sabotage eachother decide that maybe they could in fact be very good friends. Her and Katherine start catering, and form a bond. After two very useless characters, a gay couple named Bob and Lee (their personalities are as boring as their names) move in Bree and Katherine agree to cater their wedding unaware of the dangers that present itself in the finale...

Gabrielle- Married to workaholic and control freak Victor Lang, Gabrielle starts an affair with Carlos, her ex-husband. After Edie is shoved to the side, she makes it a personal effort to expose Carlos to get him on Victor's bad side. Gabrielle and Carlos dispose of Victor, or so they think, and when he returns unharmed (minus the sunburn), vows revenge on the both of them. This is very conveniently resolved in the very random natural disaster on episode 9, and Gabrielle is now remarried to Carlos, but there's a catch- he's blinded by the storm. Gabrielle, struggling with a blind husband, enlists some help, a new tenant named Ellie who deals drugs. This was the best storyline between the Solis' in quite some time, I liked how the integrated Gabrielle's friendship with Ellie as a motive to keep her safe. This was very real, despite how farfetched her other storylines have gotten.

What they did right-

*The mystery
*The new characters. Season 3's characters were mostly obnoxious, but I actually really liked Katherine's family.
*The first 3 episodes were great! Unfortunately, the quality declined. Episodes 11, 15, 16, and 17 were pretty good too.
*The body count (minus episode 9) was appropriate. This is Wisteria Lane, not the Bronx, and still more people die on this street than your most rundown ghetto in Detroit.
*The villian. Wayne was a great psychopath.

What they need to work on-

*New ideas. I seriously think this shows biggest downfall is the lack of creativity. Every year there's a new murder, a new mystery, and new neighbor, a new love interest for Susan, and the same old drama between Carlos and Gabrielle.
*The tornado. Seriously... it looked fake, it was fake. Just a ratings ploy, and a sell-out moment.
*The humor. I was never very fond of the sitcom tone the show adopted last year. What happened to the dark satire?
*The music cues. Why does every scene have to sound like a musical? It's very annoying, except for the dramatic or mysterious tones.
*The consistency. This show is never consistent, whether it's the quality, relationships, humor, everything.
*More Edie. I think we all love Nicollette's suburban diva.

What they need to drop-

*The 5-year-jump. From the second I heard of it, I thought it was terrible. Seeing the last 3 minutes of the finale, my opinion hasn't changed. Personally, I can't even buy it because everything looks so 2008. There will be so many technological advances in 2013 and changes elsewhere. I just can't buy the timeline. It was a huge red flag that the writers are out of ideas and ruined an otherwise good finale.
*Hostages. We get it. How many times have they played that card?
*Carlos being blind. I still don't get the motivation for this... can't he and Gabrielle have a decent storyline?
*What's the point of Bob and Lee? They're useless and are only used for bad cliche gay jokes. I say, either make them important and interesting, or give them the boot and give Betty's old house to someone more interesting.

Seeing where season five is going, I doubt I will watch it, but we'll have to wait until September to see how this show will sink. I seriously doubt any good will come of this, but I'm going to give them a chance to prove me wrong.

3 out of 5 stars

However Great, it's Not Worth the Price July 19, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

$40 for only 2/3 of the season? No thanks. I don't really care for special features and the features on the Desperate Housewives DVDs have traditionally been after-thoughts of no entertainment value to me. I buy the DVD's for the episodes, and unless I can find 2/3 of the season for 2/3 of the price, I'm not buying.

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