MY LAST TRIP DOWN WISTERIA LANE
After 8 years and 200 episodes the women of Wisteria Lane hung up their aprons and high heels with the series finale of Desperate Housewives on ABC. I will admit that I’ve had my ups and downs with the show. At times gripping, always salacious, and often ridicules, Desperate Housewives truly became a cultural phenomenon. It was a hit from the beginning, drawing millions of viewers and launching the careers of many its stars. I vividly recall being a sophomore at Loyola Marymount University and tuning in every week with my girlfriends as the plots unfolded and the scandals broke. We were hooked to say the least.
Over time the show started to choke on its own fumes and lost momentum. While never completely dropping off the radar it started to lack the sizzle it once had. I, like many other viewers, bounced in and out, watching from time to time while wishing the show could recapture the heat. Then last year I heard the show would return for one last season before its final kiss goodbye.
I vowed to give it the old college try and return to Wisteria Lane. I was thrilled to see that I immediately got sucked back in. The girls were up to their necks in a murder cover up; mixed right in with the show’s campy drama, fashion, and laughs I had always loved. I found myself tuning in every week and telling many a friend and Zapwater coworker that “Desperate Housewives was one of my favorite shows on TV again”. Although often mocked I didn’t care. They had me again hook line and sinker and I could not wait to see how the show unfolded.
With the final episode airing last night I couldn’t have been more pleased. The show wrapped up just the way I hoped. Drama, laughter and suspense were all present but love, family, and friends ruled the night. To recap the final moments of the show (SPOILERS) Susan (Teri Hatcher) prepares for her move and tells the new young owner of her house that Wisteria Lane was anything but boring. As she took one last drive around the block everyone who had died on the show including husband Mike and Mary Alice (the show’s narrator), were there to watch her go. Hoping those on the lane would remember that even the most desperate life is wonderful. Of course, the final shot of the finale showed us the new owner of Susan’s home, a woman named Jennifer, was hiding a secret of her own. Some things will never change on Wisteria Lane!