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The Movie:
In 2004, Wisteria Lane became televisions hottest address, as "Desperate Housewives" became a massive hit for ABC, who surprised many by bringing out a network show that became widely considered a replacement-of-sorts to HBO's recently departed "Sex and the City". The series spawned a following that grew rapidly and even resulted in contests seeking "desperate housewives".
Anyways, the series opens with Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) taking her own life right after she completes her daily chores - she then becomes the narrator of the show. At her funeral, we're introduced to the main characters: Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), a former exec who is now frustrated by having to chase after children that look like they need help from "Super Nanny". Bree Van de Camp (Marcia Cross) sternly runs her family and makes sure that every aspect of her home is perfectly presentable. Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) is a former model and current trophy wife - married to Carlos (Ricardo Chavira), but fooling around with gardener (Jesse Metcalfe). Finally, Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) is a single mother raising daughter Julie (Andrea Bowen), and keeping her eyes on new plumber Mike Delfino (James Denton). There's also Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan), who remains Susan's competition for Mike.
Some characters are certainly more sympathetic than others, but "Desperate Housewives" hooks with a combination of great writing and just the right mixture of mystery, drama and dark humor. The performances are also marvelous, as Huffman leads the pack with a great effort as a frustrated housewife who can't deal with her children and would rather be back in the office that she left. Hatcher is also terrific, and Cross is superb as a perfectionist. Very good in supporting efforts are Denton, Longoria and Sheridan.
I can't say I was a fan or watched much of "Desperate Housewives" during its opening season, choosing to overlook the hype. The experience of watching the show on DVD was quite a surprise, as the show really is quite a witty, sharp mixture of tones.
Season 1
1. 1- 1 3 Oct 04 Pilot
2. 1- 2 10 Oct 04 Ah, But Underneath
3. 1- 3 17 Oct 04 Pretty Little Picture
4. 1- 4 24 Oct 04 Who's that Woman?
5. 1- 5 31 Oct 04 Come in, Stranger
6. 1- 6 7 Nov 04 Running to Stand Still
7. 1- 7 21 Nov 04 Anything You Can Do
8. 1- 8 28 Nov 04 Guilty
9. 1- 9 12 Dec 04 Suspicious Minds
10. 1-10 19 Dec 04 Come Back to Me
11. 1-11 9 Jan 05 Move On
12. 1-12 16 Jan 05 Every Day a Little Death
13. 1-13 23 Jan 05 Your Fault
14. 1-14 13 Feb 05 Love Is in the Air
15. 1-15 20 Feb 05 Impossible
16. 1-16 27 Mar 05 The Ladies Who Lunch
17. 1-17 3 Apr 05 There Won't Be Trumpets
18. 1-18 10 Apr 05 Children Will Listen
19. 1-19 17 Apr 05 Live Alone and Like It
20. 1-20 1 May 05 Fear No More
21. 1-21 8 May 05 Sunday in the Park with George
22. 1-22 15 May 05 Goodbye For Now
23. 1-23 22 May 05 One Wonderful Day
The DVD
VIDEO: "Desperate Housewives" is presented by Buena Vista in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The presentation quality isn't flawless, but the efforts here are generally terrific. Sharpness and detail aren't entirely consistent, but the great majority of the episodes look crisp and clear, with some scenes showing good small object detail.
Some darker scenes showed some very slight pixelation, but it was hardly noticable. No edge enhancement, flaws with the elements used, shimmering or other conerns were present. Colors remained bright and well-saturated, with no smearing or other concerns. Overall, the episodes look great and improved over broadcast quality.
SOUND: The show is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, and actually delivers a bit better than one might expect from a TV series. Surrounds do offer some environmental sounds and music reinforcement. Audio is spread nicely across the front soundstage, and audio quality is terrific, with crisp dialogue and well-recorded music.
EXTRAS:
Unrated, extended versions of Who's That Woman, Impossible, Anything You Can Do, Every Day a Little Death, Sunday in the Park with George, and Goodbye for Now. Creator Marc Cherry provides introductions to these episodes, chatting about what additional footage will be seen and why it was taken out of the episode.
Commentary by series creator Marc Cherry on Pilot and Guilty
Commentary by Marc Cherry and director Larry Shaw on Anything You Can Do, Impossible, and One Wonderful Day
Commentary by Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Nicollette Sheridan, and Teri Hatcher on their favorite scenes (each of the actresses gives their take on a couple of scenes)
The commentaries are enjoyable, as Cherry and Shaw deliver a lot of good information and chat about casting, production issues, shooting on set, developing characters and performances. Also included on the first disc is "A Stroll Down Wisteria Lane", which is an interview with creator Marc Cherry and "View" host Meredith Viera. The only problem with this featurette would be that it focuses on the whole season and gives a boatload of spoilers. None of that is noted, and people may click on this who haven't watched the series thinking that it's something else.
"Desperate Housewives: Around the World" is a promo-ish piece on the second disc about how the show has turned into an international phenomenon. Also on the second disc is a multi-langugage scene: "Bree's Dinner Party". On the third disc is "Dressing Wisteria Lane", which is a look at the...look of the series, with discussions from the production designer, costume designer and others.
The last disc starts off with a very funny blooper reel that lasts a few minutes. "Oprah is the New Neighbor" is an amusing bit where Oprah plays the latest arrival to Wisteria Lane. "Secrets of Wisteria Lane" discusses some of the behind-the-scenes elements, such as the how the set works w/interiors, exteriors and the stages, and other production tricks and secrets. Finally, we get a general overview of the series in a 25-minute "making of" piece hosted by Meredith Viera.
Deleted scenes are also available on many episodes.
Final Thoughts: I thought "Desperate Housewives" seemed rather overhyped, but now that I've watched the series here on DVD, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I got into it. The DVD provides very good video quality, fine audio and a very nice helping of supplements. Recommended.
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