TVSquad

(S04E08) "If the cover has holes in it, the book is no good." - Susan to Julie when the latter tells her mother not to judge a book by its cover

It was blackmail time this week on Desperate Housewives. Okay, that's nothing new but this week, it played an important part of more than one storyline. "A Distant Past" also offered the conclusion of the Stella storyline and started a new chapter in the Victor/Gaby/Carlos triangle.

Mike

Mike's storyline is probably the less interesting one right now. There is nothing new to it especially since we've seen something similar in countless other TV series. The only interesting tidbits from his storyline tonight were seeing him blackmail Adam to get pills. Since it would look really back to have a gynecologist prescribe pills to a man, Adam turns back to a doctor he can blackmail: Orson. The latter agrees since he must keep the secret that Danielle is Benjamin's true mother at all cost but when giving Mike the pills, he gives the addicted plumber some speech about the risks of taking pills and all. Mike isn't ready to understand it and gives Orson a load of reasons why he needs the pills. One reason doesn't sit well with Orson since it is directly linked to him... Will Orson keep on prescribing pills to Mike because of it? In any case, you can bet Susan will drop by Orson's office and it won't be for getting a tooth fixed! Mike is a master liar and the only way he'll get out of this addiction now is by hitting rock bottom and going to rehab.

Orson

Bree decides to turn her and Orson's bed in a family bed. This doesn't suit well with Orson because he is afraid of rolling over the baby. It also puts a stop to their love making. Orson tells his concerns to Bree and even tells her he'll sleep in the den because he not only has a better chance to actually get sleep but to also get lucky! Bree, who still wants Benjamin to sleep in her bed in the hope it'll help have him be the only "good" kid she'll have raised, drops by the Scavos' pizzeria and asks Tom some tips about keeping the sex life alive while having a family bed. So in comes sexy and role-playing Bree! This time, Bree is not wearing a fur coat and is not distracted by a messy sandwich! Orson totally digs this role-playing. Their couple is back on track... so it seems for now. But I'm not sure he'll be able to sleep in the family bed because he can still roll over Ben.

Andrew

When Andrew tells Bree that she didn't notice he had turned his life around, I totally felt like he was also talking to me. Yes, I noticed that Andrew was not as wild as before, but I never fully saw him as a grown up either. This week, he showed his mother (and us) that he was a man who not only started to turn his life around but could take care of himself. I like this new Andrew. This new attitude will help Bree see that maybe she didn't go that wrong with her two children.

Victor

80% of the people who voted in our poll last week believed that Victor was still alive and they were right! Victor is found washed ashore: unconscious and suffering from hypothermia. But before Gaby learns of her husband's fate, she and Carlos argue about their plan. Carlos wants to tell the truth. Gaby doesn't. She gets her way after drugging Carlos with a mixture of tequila and sleeping pills. When Gaby is brought by the detectives to Victor's bedside, he tells them that he doesn't remember a thing. Somehow, at this point, I knew he was lying because it would have stopped the mystery and drama surrounding the Victor/Gaby/Carlos triangle. Well, in a way, it would have brought the triangle back to square one: Gaby married to Victor but wanting out to go back to Carlos. Since Victor remembers everything, you can bet that Gaby and Carlos will not be able to sleep much and will have a hard time in the coming weeks. Gaby and Carlos better come up with a better plan because Victor is getting his strengths back and from the way he held Gaby's chin, you can bet that this time, he won't only give her a blanket!

Glen

Stella's storyline finally came to an end thanks to her ex, Glen (played by Richard Chamberlain). Glen drops by the Scavos to tell Lynette that Stella contacted him to get money. Lynette accompanies him to his meeting with Stella in order to lure her back home. Things don't go according to the plan as Stella sees Lynette in Glen's car and understands that this is a set up. Mother and daughter face off and talk some more about how Stella was a bad mother, blah blah blah. A bombshell is dropped when Glen wants to help Lynette and Stella by telling the truth about why he left Stella. He admits that he is gay. This news has Lynette reevaluate her opinion about her mother. The two patch things up. Lynette still wants her mother to come live with her but Stella doesn't want to mess up the relationship she now has with her daughter. Luckily for them, Glen has a guest room and is feeling lonely since his partner passed away. Stella gets a happy ending. Even if Stella isn't my favorite character (mostly because of the way she acts and reacts), I'm glad she has found a place to stay. It will also allow Lynette to not be worried about her mother all the time.

Adam

And the plot thickens! Sylvia, a woman Adam knew back in Chicago, drops by the Mayfairs. It is clear they had a thing a while back and that she is surely the reason why the Mayfairs moved to Wisteria Lane. As Adam says the woman clearly has mental problems of some sorts. She is stalking him. This will not sit well with Katherine and (to our enjoyment) can only bring more problems for her to fix. What I wonder is if Sylvia and Adam had an affair or if she developed an unhealthy crush on him, started to fantasize about him and stalk him to a point where he denied her and she got revenge by accusing him of harassment or something. If you have another theory, let your voice be heard by posting below!

Other tidbits of interest:

- Julie dates a Tommy-Lee type guy! Even if she did date Edie's nephew, I was surprised to see Julie turn up with this type of guy. I always thought she would date more clean-cut guys.
- Andrew sure made his mother proud when he asked her to use a coaster!
- "You didn't give birth. You watched and served refreshments." - Orson
- "She's broke and old and rude." - Lynette about her mother
- "I'm off to die in a ditch." - Stella