Season 4 Episode 5

Desperate Housewives usually does a good job of having enough storylines out there to find one you care about. Typically, there are so many threads woven together throughout any given episode that you can find one to latch on to. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case with “Art Isn’t Easy”. In this episode, there were three quite uninteresting subplots in the air.

First, the predominant story was the Homeowners’ Association election, which is basically a vessel to reestablish that newcomer Katherine is still a witch, newcomer Lee is one as well, and Susan and Lynette’s friendship triumphs over all. Honestly, there wasn’t much in the way of any story progression here, just a lot of politicking.

Next up is the affair between Gabby and Carlos. In this episode, during one of their getaways, they run into John, who was the cause of their original breakup, in the first place (who says this isn’t a soap opera). Finally, the couple agrees to end their respective “legit” relationships and get back together. Unbeknownst to them, their fling has been caught on camera.

Finally, the story that I found the most compelling was Bree and Orson playing Danielle against her grandmother for the right to raise her child. I usually find Bree to be my favorite character on the show, despite the fact (or maybe because of the fact) that she has a pretty large gray moral area. The bit with her and Rex’s mother at the end was quite touching, and sereved as one of those moments that reminds you why you care about a show.. Next week things should gear up on this front, as the placenta hits the fan (too much?).

The central mystery this season is twofold: what caused Katherine to leave in such a hurry, and why were she and Adam forced to return? I believe that the “big mysteries” have been becoming less and less compelling as the seasons move on, and this season is no exception. Is it just me, or is anyone else quickly losing interest?

Episode grade: C