Suspicion Song

"Suspicion Song" is the 165th episode of the ABC television series, Desperate Housewives. It is the eighth episode of the show's eighth season and was broadcast on November 13, 2011.^[2]

Plot

Lynette realizes it's her 22nd wedding anniversary which makes her feel down. Renee tells her she needs to move on and start living her life but when flowers are delivered from Tom she is touched and begins to think Tom would like to get back together. She takes Penny's keys to his apartment and plans to leave him a bottle of Scotch on his night stand to continue a tradition. Soon after she arrives Tom returns home with Jane, forcing Lynette to hide under their bed as the pair get intimate. When Lynette is discovered Jane leaves to give her and Tom some privacy. Tom feels guilty and apologies when he realizes he forgot to cancel a yearly order with the florist he had arranged 12 years ago to make sure Lynette received flowers every year. A sad Lynette then leaves.

Bree awakes during the night due to an intruder in her home. She investigates with a gun and is surprised to see Chuck by the front door. Bree demands to know what he's doing and he tells her that he heard her police call over the radio and came to investigate. He later tells Bree he thinks someone is trying to send her a message and try to make her feel unsafe in her own home. He later leaves only to continue stalking and watching her every move. Bree has had enough and tells Chuck to stop with his harassment and she demands that he leaves her alone.

Gabrielle forces Carlos to take time off work when his drinking gets out of hand. She is forced to make sure things at his work are running smoothly and when a big client of Carlos finds out about his problems he demands to see him. Carlos and Gabrielle are shocked when the client says he is an alcoholic and the only way to recover is to admit you've got a problem and to go into rehab. Carlos eventually agrees to Gabrielle's relief.

Susan's recent painting showing herself, Bree, Gabrielle and Lynette burying the body of Alejandro in the woods receives huge compliments from a respected art reviewer called Felix. He tells Susan he wishes them to go on show in an art gallery but she refuses as she needs the paintings to remain private. Andre is unsuccessful in persuading Susan to give permission so he and Felix go behind her back and use the painting regardless. Susan is horrified during the night of the show and demands that the paintings get taken down immediately but Felix tells her that can only happen if somebody buys the paintings. Susan calls Bree and Gabrielle to come and buy them and they are horrified as they see the paintings as a confession to what they did. They buy the paintings but Chuck, who has continued to stalk Bree, sees them and lets the three of them know that he is very close to finding out what happened and what they did. He then leaves leaving Gabrielle and Susan furious with Bree for not telling them what Chuck has been doing.

Lynette returns home and finally takes off her wedding ring while Carlos begins to pour alcohol down the sink. Meanwhile, Bree, an alcoholic herself, pours herself a glass of wine and drinks.

Reception

Ratings

According to Nielsen ratings, "Suspicion Song" was watched by 9.29  million viewers and held 3.0 rating between 18 and 49 years of age.^[3] The episode was competing against Sunday Night Football on NBC, which averaged 20.92 million viewers and a 12.9 rating/20 share, The Good Wife on CBS, which was watched by 10.24 million viewers but held a 2.0 rating, and Family Guy on Fox which was watched by 6.01 million viewers and held 3.1/7 rating in the 18-49 demographic. The episode gained an additional 1.8 million viewers and 0.8 rating in the week following the original broadcast due to DVR recordings.^[4]

Critical reception

Christina Tran of "TV Fanatic" gave the episode a mixed review. She criticized the episode for predictable storylines by saying "I easily expected that Gaby was confiding in a sneaky snake at Carlos's work about her own husband’s detrimental alcoholic situation" and "I also easily guessed that Andre would show Susan's artwork without her consent. I definitely miss the element of surprise on Desperate Housewives". Tran did however compliment the scene in the art gallery stating "My favorite scene was the one at the art gallery. I loved how rattled Bree, Gaby and Susan were as Chuck the creeper showed up to share his interpretations of Susan's showcase". Tran summed up "Overall, "Suspicion Song" was a mediocre episode".^[5]

Notes

• Although credited, James Denton (Mike Delfino) does not appear in this episode.
• Madison de la Garza (Juanita Solis) does not appear in this episode and is not credited.

International titles

• Italian:Debolezze (Weakness)
• German: Bilder einer Ausstellung (Pictures of an Exhibition)
• Polish: Podejrzana melodia (Suspected melody)

External links

• "Suspicion Song" at the Internet Movie Database

References