Desperate Housewives revitalized TV when it premiered in 2004, exploring shocking themes and scandalous secrets that had viewers on the edge of their seats. A RomCom-soap opera combo, drama was at the center of every episode. But for modern viewers, some of the most memorable scenes and moments have become dramatic for a different reason.
A lot has changed over the past two decades, including social norms, sensitivities, and more general expectations from viewers. So, it’s not surprising that much of what happened on Desperate Housewives hasn’t aged well. In fact, looking back, it’s hard to believe that some of these scenes ever got the green light.
Here are 10 such moments from Desperate Housewives that are tough to rewatch.
10
Carlos Tampering With Gabby’s Birth Control
Husband to Gabby (Eva Longoria) and father to Juanita and Celia, Season 1 Carlos (Ricardo Chavira) was a faulty blueprint of the character he’d later become. He was quick-tempered, neglectful, and even physically rough with Gabby on several occasions. All of this was bad, but arguably his worst act occurred when he switched out Gabby’s birth control pills with sugar pills in an attempt to get her pregnant. Gabby didn’t want children, but Carlos wanted a family, so he tried to make the decision for her.
A Taste of His Own Medicine
During Season 3, Carlos would go on to date Edie (Nicollette Sheridan), the latter of whom suggested they start a family together. In truth, Edie didn’t want children and continued taking her birth control pills. Upon finding this out, Carlos left her (…which led her to fake her suicide, an event that almost landed itself on this list). By most metrics, Edie lying about taking the pills was less bad than Carlos lying about replacing Gabby’s, but we’re still hopeful it gave him an idea of how wrong his previous behavior was.
9
Gabby’s Affair With John
As mentioned previously, during Season 1, Carlos was frequently busy and didn’t have much time for his wife. Gabby began to feel lonely and sought out attention elsewhere—specifically with her teenage gardener, John Rowland. The two began an affair that rekindled several times over the course of the show. Ultimately, Gabby chose Carlos over John, but as of Season 6, John was still in love with her—or at least, he thought he was.
Groomer Gabby
Everything about John and Gabby’s relationship was uncomfortable, from the age difference to John’s seeming inability to get over her. After finding out about their affair, John’s mother was understandably horrified, but his father almost seemed jealous, which just made the whole thing even more problematic. Even after John started a successful business and got engaged, he continued to pine after Gabby. Overall, John seemed like a pretty decent guy, and we hope he eventually moved on from this past relationship and was able to establish one that was more meaningful, supportive, and legal.
8
Applewhite Plot
Betty Applewhite (Alfre Woodard) moved to Wisteria Lane with her sons, Matthew (Mehcad Brooks) and Caleb (NaShawn Kearse), in Season 2. Immediately, Betty imprisoned Caleb in the basement, mistakenly believing he had killed Matthew’s previous girlfriend and deciding that this was his punishment. In truth, Matthew had killed his girlfriend, Melanie, after she tried to blackmail him into rekindling their relationship. When Matthew begins dating Bree’s daughter, Danielle (Joy Lauren), the truth is revealed, leading to Matthew being fatally shot and Betty and Caleb moving away.
Racially Insensitive
Desperate Housewives’ creator Marc Cherry has admitted that the entire Applewhite plot was a misstep. It contained numerous racially fueled scenes, such as Caleb in chains, Matthew being killed by cops, and Bree asking, horrified, whether a Black man was in Danielle’s room. Sadly, the Applewhites were the first Black main characters to appear on the show, which only served to make the lack of diversity and need for more sensitive representation all the more apparent.
Related
Desperate Housewives Cast: Where They Are Today
Take a look at what the cast of one of ABC’s most popular TV series is up to these days.
7
Gabby’s Bio Daughter
During Season 5’s time skip, Gabby’s children, Juanita and Celia, were introduced. For many viewers, this was a shock, since Gabby had always been adamant about not wanting children. To make matters even more complicated, during Season 7, a horrible truth was revealed: Juanita had been switched at birth with another baby, Grace, meaning that Juanita wasn’t biologically Gabby’s child.
Calling ICE
From Carlos trying to hide the truth about Juanita to Gabby thinking she’d cheated on him (and making up excuses for why), most of this arc was problematic. Carlos’ reaction to Gabby’s valid emotions regarding Grace was also concerning, as he essentially wanted her to write off Grace and pretend she’d never met her. Things only got worse when Grace’s adoptive father, Hector, was arrested, and Gabby called ICE on her adoptive mother, Carmen, in a bid to get her deported and gain custody. In the end, Gabby did the right thing and helped Carmen escape ICE, but the real-world implications of what Gabby nearly caused are incredibly hard to ignore.
6
Edie Assaults Mike
Season 3 began with Mike Delfino (James Denton) in a coma after being intentionally run over by Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan). Edie visits him in the hospital and looks at his naked body under the sheets, only to be startled when Mike wakes up. Edie then begins to badmouth and lie about Mike’s former girlfriend, causing a rift in the duo’s relationship. Eventually, Edie and Mike have sex, and when he leaves the hospital, they remain together until Mike is framed and arrested for Monique’s murder, at which point Edie dumps him.
Horrible Implications
This isn’t the only time in the series where sexual harassment, manipulation, and assault are downplayed. Orson, for instance, was assaulted by his ex-wife in that same season, and within an episode, the event was essentially forgotten about. However, what makes the moment between Edie and Mike even more problematic is that Edie remained an important part of the cast. Her deception toward Mike was barely acknowledged, and at times, was seemingly played for laughs.
5
Xiao-Mei Storyline
Xiao-Mei was introduced in Season 2 as an imprisoned worker for Maxine Bennett (Jane Lynch). After Maxine was arrested, Xiao-Mei faced deportation, and she chose to work for the Solis family as a surrogate instead. Already a horrifying plot line, Gabby and Carlos’s treatment of her was even worse, with Gabby initially referring to her as “the slave” and Carlos and Xiao-Mei having an affair, despite his marriage and the obviously problematic power dynamic.
An Uncomfortable Ending
In the end, Xiao-Mei gave birth to a Black baby, and it was revealed that another couple’s embryo had been switched with the Solis’s. Nothing more was heard about Xiao-Mei or the baby she gave birth to, essentially rendering her a plot device that disappeared from the show as quickly as she came. This was another case where Desperate Housewives missed the mark with its racial representation, as it essentially trafficked Xiao-Mei before erasing her from the story.
Related
‘Based on a True Story’ Showrunner Shares Desperate Housewives Connection & Season 3
“I don’t really see a limit,” says producer & showrunner Annie Weisman, who also worked on Desperate Housewives and says there’s a connection.
4
Lynette Bribing the School
Lynette’s sons, Preston and Porter, were energetic, mischievous, and overall poorly behaved, which ultimately got them expelled from school. While looking for new places to enroll them, Lynette learned of Barcliff Academy and was smitten. Unfortunately, it looked like their chances of acceptance were slim, so Lynette convinced Tom to sell his boat so that they could bribe the school with $15,000. On its own, this definitely wasn’t one of Lynette’s most moral moves, but it arguably wasn’t her worst, either. What made the moment age poorly was the real-world bribery years later.
Real-World Events
Honestly, this wouldn’t be an overly controversial scene (at least compared to some others on Desperate Housewives) if not for the fact that a similar event would take place in 2019. Lynette’s actress, Felicity Huffman, became entangled in scandal when it was revealed that she’d paid a bribe to help increase her daughter’s SAT score (interestingly, for the exact same amount). This was an instance of life imitating art, for very unfortunate reasons.
3
Julie’s Pregnancy
During the final season of Desperate Housewives, Susan’s daughter Julie (Andrea Bowen) revealed that she was pregnant and was planning to give the baby up for adoption. Susan was adamantly against this, to the point that she undermined Julie’s attempt to connect with an adoptive family by telling lies about her. After learning that the baby’s father was Lynette’s son, Susan convinced Porter that he wanted legal rights to the baby, something which infuriated Julie. In the end, Julie came to the decision to keep the baby on her own, but Susan’s attempts to take away that choice clouded what might have otherwise been a sweet moment.
Upsetting Mother-Daughter Dynamic
Julie’s pregnancy highlighted an even bigger issue in her relationship with her mom, namely that, for most of her life, Julie had played the part of mom to Susan instead. Arguably, this was one of the few times when Susan tried to step up and help her daughter. And yet, it was ultimately for selfish reasons that didn’t take into account Julie’s own wants or needs, which once again showcased how much more responsible and mature Julie was in comparison.
Related
‘Good Omens’ & ‘Desperate Housewives’ Stars Get Festive in New James Patterson Adaptation
Michael Sheen and Eva Longoria are teaming up for Christmas.
2
Susan in a Fat Suit
Often considered one of the show’s worst episodes, “If” took place in Season 6 after an airplane crashed into Wisteria Lane. It featured each of the housewives thinking back on past choices and wondering how things would have turned out if they’d made different ones. In the case of Susan, her “What if” involved staying with her ex-husband, Karl, who continued to cheat on her throughout their marriage. This caused her to gain weight, which led to an awkward scene in which she tried and failed to seduce Mike, who seemed repulsed by the (admittedly ill-fitting) fat suit.
Other Problematic Takes on Weight
Weight issues in Desperate Housewives was rarely handled well. For example, Gabby tried to get Juanita to lose weight by forcing her to race after her car. Plus, Gabby’s own weight gain was seen as a moral failing when she was trying to take care of Carlos. The incident with Susan, however, seems even worse in hindsight, as the entire premise of her staying with Karl was that she’d become fat and miserable, as if saying the two were one and the same.
1
The Housewives’ Treatment of Edie
As previously mentioned, Edie Britt was far from an angel, essentially assaulting Mike, faking her suicide, and often having sex with other women’s husbands. However, at least in comparison to the other characters, Edie wasn’t the devil the housewives so often made her out to be. And yet, Edie was often the butt of jokes or the center of blame for Susan, Gabby, Lynette, and Bree. It felt like a high school clique turning on the outsider, especially when Edie threatened to expose one of Bree’s secrets (something the other women all did to each other) and as a result, was completely shunned.
The Cycle Continued
During Season 5, Edie was killed after a freak accident involving a car crash and electrical wiring. The housewives all mourned her passing, regretting the way they had treated her. And yet, the women continued to turn on each other, time and again, with the most notable instance occurring in Season 8 with Bree. Bree was left so broken-hearted (partially for other reasons, but largely this) that she began drinking heavily, having sex with random men, and at one especially low point, nearly killed herself. Eventually, the women all reconciled and became friends once more, but it still left a sour taste in viewers’ mouths, making them wonder how deep and committed these friendships actually were.