"Desperate Housewives": Only Lynette rings true

I swung by Wisteria Lane on Sunday for the first time in months, encouraged by the positive buzz generated by "Desperate Housewives'" first-back-from-strike seg, "Sunday." I hoped to be as impressed as others have been with Dana Delany's contributions to the cul-de-sac.

As it turned out, it wasn't a huge episode for Delany's Katherine Mayfair -- though she did have one great scene with guest star Chris Carmack toward the end -- but I have to say that the whole conceit of Mayfair having deep dark secrets to hide still felt a bit tired.

The ludicrous storyline about Bree claiming her daughter's baby as her own was what made me stop watching last season, and it still bugs me to see Bree and Orson toting a baby carrier, even though they weren't much of a factor in this episode either. As always, the one ever-reliable player in the "Housewives" troupe for me is Felicity Huffman as Lynette.

The character has been through her share of plot hystrionics but they've never strained credulity like Susan, Bree, Gabrielle and Edie all have at various points. From the start, Lynette seemed to have the most realistic storyline of being a stay-at-home mom wrestling with her yearning to resume her career.

Finding out your husband has a child he never knew about? Could happen. Getting shot in a supermarket? Could happen. Going for broke and chasing an entrepreneurial dream with your husband? Could happen. Getting paranoid about pedophiles in our midst? Definitely happens. Cancer? Definitely, sadly, happens.

Reviewing the saga of Lynette Scavo, it almost seems as if the "Housewives" writers go out of their way to protect her from their nuttier instincts. Or maybe they're too smart to give her character material that's unworthy of Huffman's talent.

(Memo to Lynette re your spiritual quest: Bree's right. For a humanistic approach to faith without dogma, go find Fairview's nearest Unitarian Universalist congregation.)

Comments

[Paradigm]

DH as such is unworthy of her talent. But she hasn't done any good movies either so maybe she's just lazy.