You Must Meet My Wife
"You Must Meet My Wife" is the 136th episode of the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. It is the second episode of the show's seventh season and was broadcast on October 3, 2010.
| "You Must Meet My Wife" | |
|---|---|
| Desperate Housewives episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Larry Shaw |
| Written by | Dave Flebotte |
| Production code | 702 |
| Original air date | October 3, 2010 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
Plot
The episode begins with Bree acknowledging her lust for her new handy-man, Keith. While admiring his backside as she is backing out of her driveway, she accidentally runs into Gaby's daughter, Juanita, who is riding her bicycle. At the hospital, Gaby informs everyone that Juanita will be fine but pulls Bree and Andrew aside to point out the terrible coincidence that while Bree hit Juanita with her car, Andrew hit Gaby's mother-in-law (also named Juanita) with his car a decade earlier. Bree is forgiven by Gaby, but Andrew tells his mother that he witnessed Bree admiring Keith. He tells Bree that he believes Keith is too young for someone her age. This resonates with Bree and she returns home. After becoming excited by a shirtless Keith, she promptly fires him and he angrily leaves. After talking with Karen McCluskey, Bree realizes that it isn't unusual for her to have such an interest in Keith. She overcomes her concerns regarding the age difference and her recent divorce from Orson, and locates Keith in a local bar. She explains that she enjoys his company and that she actually could use someone like him in her life right now. He agrees to return to work on her house.
Susan has begun her new job that she recently obtained from her landlord, Maxine, where she cleans her home in raunchy lingerie on a webcam while being broadcast to paying customers of Maxine's website, "Va-Va-Va-Broom!". Susan is very hesitant at first but soon becomes quite the expert thanks to some pointers and a pep-talk from Maxine. While “performing” on one of her webcasts, Mike returns home and nearly discovers Susan's secret. Instead, he is turned on by Susan's revealing lingerie and the two nearly make love on camera. Susan is able to log off without Mike noticing. Soon, Susan starts making more money than Mike and manages to make their truck payment before Mike has to ask for an extension. He continues to believe that Susan is making the extra cash by selling her craft-made jewelry, and brings her flowers to show his appreciation for all her effort. The guilt begins to overcome Susan, however, and she admits to Maxine that her conscience is getting to her.
Tom returns home early from work after feeling ill, yet again. Lynette demands he visit the doctor because he has been feeling this way for several days. When Tom returns from the doctor the next day, he informs Lynette that he is suffering from postpartum depression, a condition that generally affects women and, although rare, even men. Lynette does not take this news seriously and is astonished that Tom is taking the diagnosis seriously. Meanwhile, Renee (who is still staying in the Scavo home) warns Lynette that she should take Tom's concerns more seriously, but Lynette ignores this. Lynette is especially angered when she learns that Tom has been confiding in Renee, listening to his problems when Lynette will not. One evening, Lynette learns that the two have gone to dinner but left a message for her to join them if she wishes. Angry, Lynette meets the two at a restaurant just as they are discussing Lynette's dismissive behavior towards Tom. Lynette pulls Renee aside and tells her that it is inappropriate to be so close to Tom and demands that their current friendship be toned down. That night, Lynette realizes she needs to be there for her husband more often and the two decide to simply talk to each other rather than make love, thus making progress in their marriage. Renee later apologizes to Lynette and is forgiven, and reveals that she has just bought Edie Britt's former home on Wisteria Lane. Lynette is hesitant to the idea, but happy nonetheless. In private, Tom warns Renee that it may be a bad idea for her to be their neighbor because he is afraid Lynette may find out about “something that happened” between him and Renee years earlier.
As Juanita recovers in the hospital after being accidentally hit by Bree's car, a nurse needs Gaby to make a few clarifications regarding her daughter's health background. It is then that Gaby discovers that her daughter's blood type is not consistent with what it should be, since Gaby and Carlos's blood types cannot possibly produce what Juanita's is. This leads Gaby into believing that Carlos must not be Juanita's father. She asks Susan to recall a vacation the two had taken years earlier where Gaby had been harmlessly flirting with a French man, and Susan remembers that Gaby did not return to their hotel room until the following morning. This news makes Gaby believe that Juanita was conceived through had a drunken affair with the French man. Terrified of this realization, Gaby makes a desperate (and humorous) attempt to make Carlos believe she has “sexsomnia”, a “disorder” in which the sufferer has sex in their sleep. Carlos does not seem to take his wife seriously and dismisses the claim without asking any other questions. The next day, Carlos arrives at the hospital to check on Juanita. He encounters the same nurse who informed Gaby of their daughter's blood type. Gaby arrives just as Carlos is learning about the inconsistencies of Juanita's blood type. She panics and begins to tell Carlos that he isn't Juanita's father. Realizing he can no longer hide the truth, Carlos pulls Gaby aside and finally reveals to her that Juanita was accidentally switched at birth, devastating Gaby.
Paul Young visits the hospital shortly after Juanita is admitted, much to the surprise of Bree, Andrew, Karen and Lynette. The four of them are put in an uncomfortable position when Paul insists they all pray for Juanita's recovery. Later, Bree and Karen gossip back on Wisteria Lane with Bob and Lee. A nervous, clearly lost woman begins walking down the street in an angry state of confusion. The four of them approach her and offer their help. She informs them that she is looking for Paul Young, much to their surprise. Paul then emerges from his home and yells for the strange woman. He then introduces her to the others as his wife, Beth Young. Later, it is learned that Beth met Paul while he was still in prison for the murder of Felicia Tillman. She often wrote him letters, sometimes sexually explicit, professing her love for him. However, Beth never expected that Paul would be released. Apparently lost in fantasy, she married Paul while he was still incarcerated. Much to her dismay, Felicia Tillman was found to be alive and Paul was released. She appears extremely detached, timid, and uncomfortable with her new husband. An angry Paul begins growing impatient that Beth has yet to consummate their marriage. He warns her that his patience will only last for so long.
Reception
On its original broadcast on ABC, the episode scored 13.234 million viewers and achieved a 4.4 rating in the adults 18–49 demographic,[1] which is an improvement from the previous episode and the highest rating of the show since "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" aired on January 10, 2010. With the DVR rating, this episode is up 1.7 in million viewers (rising to a total of 14.9 million viewers) and it's up 0.9 in the adults 18-49 demographic (rising to a total of a 5.3 rating).[2]
Notes
- Tuc Watkins (Bob Hunter) is credited as a regular for the first time, not having appeared in "Remember Paul?"
- Joshua Logan Moore (Parker Scavo) does not appear and is not credited.
- This episode marks the last time Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) is mentioned in the series. Lynette mentioned about late real-estate agent when Renee tells her that she will rent a pink house at the end of the street. This episode marks mentioning Edie for the first time since "Nice Is Different Than Good", although Lee did not mention Edie' name to the Bolens.
- Darcy Rose Byrnes (Penny Scavo) is moved to the end of the cast credits from her position in the previous episode between Joshua Logan Moore and Madison De La Garza.
- Mary Alice's narration reveals that Bree has now reverted to the name "Van de Kamp".
- For the first time in many seasons, Mary Alice narrates part way through the episode and not exclusively at the beginning and end.
International titles
- Arabic: الرغبة في اكتشاف شيء (Desire to discover Something)
- Finnish: Kivut ja säryt (Pains and Aches)
- German: Mehr als nur Sex (More than just sex)
- Italian: Incurabili dolori (Incurable Pains)
- French: Soulager sa douleur (Relieve the pain)
- Japanese:ぎこちない結婚 (Strained marriage)
- Hebrew: אתה חייב לפגוש את אישתי (You must meet my wife)
References
- TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: "Sunday Night Football", "Glee", "Two and a Half Men", "Dancing with the Stars" Top Week 2 Viewing, TV By the Numbers, October 5, 2010
- "ABC's Grey's and Modern Family are TV's Top 18-49 Gainers via DVR". The Futon Critic. Retrieved December 21, 2010.