Great is Different Than Good

[ This review covers Season Six, Episode One of Desperate Housewives, entitled Nice is Different Than Good, which originally aired on Sunday, September 27, 2009 ]

Last season of Desperate Housewives is a season that I would categorize as “good.” It was certainly better than season four, but I still didn’t feel it was up to snuff of the first three seasons. The final run of episodes from the one hundredth episode on of the fifth season were excellent, and I’ll admit that I was very intrigued to find out who Mike Delfino would be marrying, especially considering I had mixed feelings as to who I wanted him to marry.

So, I was very interested to tune in to the sixth season of Housewives. I originally hadn’t intended to and was going to save the season for DVD viewing. Then after reviewing the fifth season DVD, and catching up on the final run of episodes, I was hooked again. The storylines felt fresh and intriguing and I wanted to watch more.

Fortunately, the sixth season premiere of Desperate Housewives did not disappoint. One of those rare episodes actually written by series creator Marc Cherry, the writing was at its sharpest and it is obvious that the sixth season is going to be very good.

Where to start? Let’s start with Bree. It seems that most of the time, Bree gets the best storylines on the show and this episode continues this tradition, as Bree continues her affair with Susan’s ex-husband Karl, which I think is one of the show’s most inspired storylines. My opinion of Orson has been highly diminished after his awful antics last season, and I’m happy to see Bree at least doing something, even if that something is having an affair.

Then there’s Gabby. This was the one housewife storyline that drove me nuts at the end of last season, but after seeing the premiere, I’m liking it much better. We saw a side to Gabrielle that we haven’t seen in a very long time and I think that this storyline is going to give her character a lot of growth throughout the season, although, yes, I do pray to God that her niece gets considerably less annoying, because the power struggle is going to get old, and fast.

From Gabby we go to Lynette. I’m actually excited to see Lynette’s storyline for this season because although it feels as though this storyline has been played out before, this time it is different. This time, everything is different. Lynette was a parent who was almost done. Lynette survived cancer. And now she’s got twins on the way. It is going to be a struggle for Lynette and I really look forward to watching it, although I don’t know how I’ll feel about it when we cross the finish line.

This brings us to Susan. And Mike. And Katherine. And Julie. And the new neighbors. Who are, by the end of this episode, all intertwined. I thought it was great to flashback to before the wedding (because the finale made it seem like the wedding happened, like, the next day) to show what transpired before the wedding. I’m actually quite thrilled to see Julie back on Wisteria Lane, although I really hope she won’t be stuck attached to a set of tubes for the whole season. And I’m also thrilled that Mike married Susan. I read an interview with Marc Cherry where he said that he was originally going to have Mike marry Katherine and drag Mike and Susan longer and longer. Then he had an epiphany – not unlike that of Shonda Rhimes’s about Meredith and Derek – that it would be terribly interested to keep Mike and Susan together. I agree and I’m very excited to see it play out. Dana Delaney really showed off her acting chops in this episode as scorned Katherine, and it was absolutely brilliant. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of “crazy Katherine,” I just hope the writers don’t stretch the story out too long.

The new neighbors, though, will be stretched out all season. Marc Cherry didn’t drop a lot of hints as to what is going on in this episode the way he has in past premieres, so I’m completely and utterly lost as to what is going on with these new Wisteria Laners. I’m a big fan of the actors playing these new neighbors and, yes, we do have very little information, so I can’t wait to see what is coming up with these characters. But I just want to know… why is Drea de Matteo’s back screwed up? And what the hell happened between Julie and the new teenager?

I can’t wait to find out.

Next week on Desperate Housewives – Being Alive: As the citizens of Fairview try to make sense of a recent attack in their neighborhood, Lynette withholds a secret from Susan, Gaby gives niece Ana advice on how to get a guy’s attention, Bree worries how her affair with Karl will affect her friendship with Susan, and Angie is determined to protect her son and her family’s past.

[ image credit | ABC ]

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