DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: PILOT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The first in this darkly comedic soap opera about the denizens of Wisteria Lane, a suburban neighborhood with a seedy underbelly that is thrust to the forefront after the suicide of one titular housewife.
In this episode, Mary Alice Young narrates her "unusual day" in which she performs her diurnal tasks – and then takes her own life with a revolver. Nosy neighbor Martha Huber finds her body, and a wake is soon held, attended by Mary Alice's close friends, former corporate hotshot-turned-stay-at-home mom Lynette Scavo, unhappily married former supermodel Gabrielle Solis, "perfect" suburban homemaker Bree Van de Kamp, and recently divorced single mom Susan Mayer. Susan recalls the day she confided in her friends about her husband Karl's affair. The women all wonder what secret torments could have caused their friend's shocking action. Susan is then pleased to meet neighborhood newcomer Mike Delfino, a handsome plumber, and Lynette takes drastic action when her rambunctious sons Porter, Preston and Parker go for an impromptu swim during the somber gathering.
Susan's tween daughter Julie learns that Mike is divorced and urges her mother to pursue him, though Susan finds that predatory bombshell Edie Britt has also set her sights on him. Gabrielle, frustrated by husband Carlos' demands that she attend yet another business function, turns to her secret lover, teenage gardener John Rowland, for comfort. Bree is affronted when kids Danielle and Andrew question her obsessive need to prepare gourmet meals every day, and Lynette is forced to lie about the "joys" of motherhood when she encounters a former colleague at the grocery store. Determined to waylay a potential love connection between Mike and Edie, Susan hastily manufactures a drain clog as an excuse to see him; when Bree tries to compromise and takes her family out for a casual meal, her husband Rex abruptly announces that he is tired of living in a "detergent commercial" and desires a divorce. Flustered, Bree "accidentally" sends him to the hospital with an allergic reaction when she adds onions to his salad; she is crushed when he explains that she is no longer the carefree, fun-loving woman he married.
Mary Alice's teen son Zach catches his father Paul digging in their empty swimming pool in the middle of the night; when Lynette's husband Tom suggests, during an amorous moment, that they "risk" having a fifth child, Lynette loses her temper. Carlos, unaware that his gardener has been otherwise occupied, notices that the yard work has not been completed and decides to fire John. Desperate to keep her boy toy near, Gabrielle sneaks out of the fancy work party and quickly mows the lawn herself in full cocktail attire. Susan is upset to learn that Edie plans to leave her son with Martha for the night, suggesting that she plans to spice things up with Mike. When Susan sneaks over to her house and overhears their bedroom activities, she accidentally starts a fire and ends up burning down Edie's house. Susan is wracked with guilt, though she cheers up considerably upon spotting Mike outside and realizing that he was not Edie's late-night visitor. Mike, however, is revealed to have secrets of his own – and a gun – when he places a mysterious phone call and states that he is "definitely getting closer." Later, Mary Alice's friends gather to say their final farewells and assist Paul in packing up her belongings. They are shocked to find an anonymous note, delivered to her on the day of her death: "I know what you did. It makes me sick. I'm going to tell." Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: October 3, 2004 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:56
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:85363
- GENRE: Drama, night-time serial
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, night-time serial; Drama, mystery/suspense; Marriage; Suburban life
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2004-2012
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "Aladdin" special edition home video
- TV - Commercials - "Alfie" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - "Closer" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - "Taxi" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - "The Polar Express" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - Aquafresh Extreme Clean Whitening toothpaste
- TV - Commercials - Banquet Crock Pot Classics meals
- TV - Commercials - Bioré Pore Perfect cleanser
- TV - Commercials - Carnival cruise lines
- TV - Commercials - Crest Whitestrips teeth whitening
- TV - Commercials - Dyson vacuum cleaners
- TV - Commercials - Faith in Action association
- TV - Commercials - Fannie Mae Foundation credit information
- TV - Commercials - Girls Inc. nonprofit organization
- TV - Commercials - Got Milk? promotion
- TV - Commercials - Jeep automobiles
- TV - Commercials - L'Oréal Cashmere Perfect makeup
- TV - Commercials - L'Oréal Feria hair color
- TV - Commercials - MasterCard credit cards
- TV - Commercials - Mazda automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Pontiac automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Simply Orange orange juice
- TV - Commercials - SudaCare Vapor-Plug cold medication
- TV - Commercials - T-Mobile cellular services
- TV - Commercials - Talbots stores
- TV - Commercials - Toyota automobiles
- TV - Commercials - United States Peace Corps
- TV - Commercials - Van De Kamp's fish sticks and filets
- TV - Commercials - Victoria's Secret stores
- TV - Commercials - Wellbutrin XL depression medication
- TV - Promos - "Boston Legal"
- TV - Promos - "Desperate Housewives" upcoming episode
- TV - Promos - "George Lopez"
- TV - Promos - "Life As We Know It"
- TV - Promos - "Lost"
- TV - Promos - "My Wife & Kids"
- TV - Promos - "The Bachelor"
- TV - Promos - "Wife Swap"
CREDITS
- Michael Edelstein … Executive Producer
- Charles Pratt Jr. … Executive Producer
- Marc Cherry … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- George W. Perkins … Producer
- Charles Skouras III … Co-Producer
- Stephanie Hagen … Associate Producer
- Charles McDougall … Director
- Steve Bartek … Music by
- Danny Elfman … Theme Music by
- Teri Hatcher … Cast, Susan Mayer
- Felicity Huffman … Cast, Lynette Scavo
- Marcia Cross … Cast, Bree Van De Kamp
- Eva Longoria … Cast, Gabrielle Solis
- Nicollette Sheridan … Cast, Edie Britt
- James Denton … Cast, Mike Delfino
- Steven Culp … Cast, Rex Van De Kamp
- Ricardo Antonio Chavira … Cast, Carlos Solis
- Mark Moses … Cast, Paul Young
- Brenda Strong … Cast, Mary Alice Young
- Andrea Bowen … Cast, Julie Mayer
- Cody Kasch … Cast, Zach Young
- Jesse Metcalfe … Cast, John Rowland
- Christine Estabrook … Cast, Martha Huber
- Doug Savant … Cast, Tom Scavo
- Joy Lauren … Cast, Danielle Van de Kamp
- Shawn Pyfrom … Cast, Andrew Van de Kamp
- Brett Kinsman … Cast, Preston Scavo
- Shane Kinsman … Cast, Porter Scavo
- Zane Huett … Cast, Parker Scavo
- Sherica Durdley … Cast, Wendy
- Nike Doukas … Cast, Natalie Klein
- Heath McCall … Cast, Waiter
- Kay Wade … Cast, Elderly Lady
- Edward Zoellner … Cast, Tanaka Party Waiter