There was a lot of drama in this episode, written to be quick,
convenient, and artless. We also had the introduction of a new
character, and with him, a new mystery. Who is the hired hood with high standards? But what really surprised me in this episode - and it really shouldn't
surprise me - was Andrew's calculated coldness. He's the very epitome
of the future sociopath. He hates his mom, he's now dad-less, he's
angry at the world. It's everyone's fault but his own, and he's never
taken credit for any of his iniquities. And when you think about it,
there were a lot of them. There are a lot of characters who are hard to
like. But Andrew? He's damned near impossible.
I shivered in my armchair during Andrew's interaction with his love muffin (a.k.a. "the good kind" of friend). He's so delighted with his wickedness and illogical hate for his mom - and his friend (who I thought was either badly played or deliberately a dumbass) just giggles along. "You may have to wait a really long time for your mom to sleep up!" he says, heehee! giggle giggle!, in the most patently obvious setup for what was designed to be a good double entendre line from Andrew, "I don't mind waiting for things I really want."
Oh dear. This dialogue is awful.
And, of course, Bree is almost giddy when she walks into his trap at the end of the episode. "You mean - you'll deal with this better if you knew that George didn't control his own death?" she asks, playing right into his little plot and making things extremely convenient for the script writers. Jeez. I wonder what's going to happen next?
The battle between Sister Mary and Gabrielle is fun, if not an especially new theme. Gabrielle is the master of tussling with other women over her husband and/or lover. It's very much like a choreographed boxing match, though. Biff! Sister Mary gets Carlos to help raise funds for Botswana trip. Whomp! Gabrielle gives eight grand so Sister Mary will go to Botswana instead of doing "God's work" in Carlos' lap. BAM! Sister Mary asks Carlos to go with her. DING DING DING! Gabrielle, using her mastery of the not-so-white lie, makes Carlos so ill, he can't go. And then, OOOFF. Carlos moans "Sister Mary..."
If anyone didn't see that coming, well, you aren't watching much TV, are you? Get off the 'net and turn on the telly, already!
I did love Lynette's interaction with her boss' wife. There is so much in her that my husband can relate to - of course, I'm nothing at all like her, but my husband's hyperbole, well, you might think so, had you never met me. When the boss says, "If I hadn't cut the umbilical cord with my own two hands, I'd think they were still attached!" Yep, that rang true. Lynette's resolution of the problem is WAY too convenient - would that all mothers were so reasonable when faced with facts - although it is a bit funny. "Take a message! Can't you see I'm holding a baby hostage here?"
I'm looking forward to the show's creator coming back and writing some more episodes. These second-in-command writers are really terrible. Well, terrible is too extreme. Boring? Predictable? Artless? More like it. I still like the show. I just am far from captivated.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-05-2005 @ 10:44PM
Alison said...
Considering that Marc Cherry has called Andrew a "narcissistic sociopath", I find it fitting that his hatred for his mother is "illogical" and think what they are doing with the character is perfect for the type of person he is. You're supposed to get shivers down your spine when he says the things he says. Moreover, I always enjoy what he brings to Bree's storylines. I love every glimpse we get of their twisted relationship.
Just a small nitpick with your review (and this is something I've seen in many other reviews from different critics): Marc Cherry has said repeatedly that every episode is divided among the writing staff, meaning that each writer writes a storyline for each episode. For example, Marc says he almost always handles the Van de Kamp stuff because it's largely based on his family and experiences. Then he and another producer/writer go over the script to polish it. The writer credit attached to the episode doesn't mean anything since the writers all had a hand in the final product. It's been this way since after the Pilot, so the problem with this season is not that Marc hasn't written as much as last year. The problem is that they should *never* have included the Applewhites in the first place. Every minute spent on that storyline is a minute that should be spent on one (or all) of the core four.
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12-05-2005 @ 11:45PM
Bebop said...
I think Lynette, and Gabrielle have excellent story line, both really straddling the line between drama and comedy from episode to episode.
Bree's is alright, but much better since that nutty pharmacist is gone.
Susan's story line is so so so weak, you didn't bother mentioning it in your review.
My favorite quote, and don't kill me if i get it wrong guys is when Lynette's boss is complaining about his wife telling him to hold the kid:
"She just yells at me, Support the head! Support the head! Support the head! I'm a grown man i think i know how to hold a little baby head!"
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12-06-2005 @ 7:21AM
Tammy said...
"The writer credit attached to the episode doesn't mean anything since the writers all had a hand in the final product."
That's true of many shows. Often they just take turns using names in the writing credits, or they use the name of whoever came up with most of the story. But generally speaking, writing any show is a team effort.
Of course, like any team effort, I'm the sure the end results can improve with good leadership. So even if the creator is sharing the writing duties, he can still have an impact on the final script.
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12-06-2005 @ 9:31AM
Ben said...
Am I the only one who loves Andrew? It's Wisteria Lane for Pete's sake. If everyone was happy-go-lucky, would you still watch? I find it funny how people are like...."OMG! I can't believe he is doing that to his mother! "OMG, he's gay!" etc, etc. It's a show about drama. Get over it. :o)
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12-06-2005 @ 7:12PM
LH said...
Did anyone else think Andrew looked a LOT like George in this episode, especially when he grinned while hugging his mother after she told him she killed George?
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12-09-2005 @ 8:01PM
Heather said...
LH, Bree didn't kill George. I think there's a good samaritan law or something that says you need to call an ambulance if someone is in trouble... but I still can't get my head around the fact that someone would draw the conclusion that since she let him die, she murdered him. Doesn't make sense to me.
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12-14-2005 @ 6:44AM
jaidynsmama said...
Regarding George's suicide... It is not murder but it could be considered aideing and abetting in a suicide. Which carries a hefty penalty in most states, but if it ever REALLY came down to it..There isn't a woman in the world or maybe even man for that matter that would convict her after the journal and pics and doll came out in the trial. JMO
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