Desperate Housewives

Who has never heard about the famous American series Desperate Housewives? Here is an article which will give information to beginners as well as to more experienced fans. Desperate Housewives is a comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and broadcasted for the first time in October 2004. A group of female friends lives in Wisteria Lane, in the fictional town of Fairview, Eagle State. In every episode, Mary Alice Young, who commits suicide at the beginning of the series, leads us as omniscient narrator into the life of her friends. The story is all about domestic struggles, crimes and mysteries hidden behind the appearance of a perfect suburban neighbourhood.



But who are those five scheming women? As opposed to Bree (Marcia Cross), the perfect hostess, there is Susan (Teri Hatcher), who can’t cook and whose blunders often make the viewers laugh. But they both are good and caring mothers. However, Lynette (Felicity Huffman) has many problems with her own children, four little rascals. Fortunately, she has one of the best husbands to support her. Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) is probably the most resolute of all of the desperate housewives of Wisteria Lane. She knows exactly what she wants and is ready to do everything to get it (her gardener, for example). Every neighbourhood must have a man-stealer, and Wisteria Lane is no exception. After having managed to make friends with most of the leading ladies, Edie (Nicolette Sheridan) indeed seduced the desperate husbands of her so-called friends. A new leading character, Katherine (Dana Delany), appears in the fourth season. She already lived in the neighbourhood many years ago and then left. Her problem: in the past, she accidentally killed her daughter and is now trying to pass her adoptive daughter off as her dead daughter. Are you still following?

Now hold on tight! Here is a description of the opening sequence. The idea behind it is to evoke the show's quirky spirit and to portray domesticity and male-female relations through the ages. The images are taken from eight famous pieces of art. In the beginning we see Adam and Eve, with Eve eating an apple. Then an animation shows Queen Nerfertari being overwhelmed by many children surrounding her. The next image is that of the Arnolfini Portrait by Jan Van Eyck. The husband on the painting is seen eating a banana and throwing the skin on the floor. His wife then comes and throws the rubbish away. Then, a more modern painting from the 1930s, American Gothic, shows the farmer seduced by a pin-up. His disapproving wife then disappears in a tin of sardines. On the World War II poster Am I Proud!, we can recognize the famous Campell’s Tomato Soup designed by Andy Warhol falling into the hand of a man. The latter is part of pop art work, Couple Arguing and Romantic Couple. Finally, the four main characters are seen under the Tree of Life, catching an apple.




We hope that you have come through this long (but interesting) description and that you now want to watch Desperate Housewives!

Cécile & Pauline