Season Seven, Episode Seventeen: "Everything's Different, Nothing's Changed"
Perhaps one of the most apt titles in awhile, but I'll get to that later.
"We can never know the moment our lives are about to change forever," says Mary Alice. This opening is composed of juxtaposed scenes between Paul, and Mike and Susan doing ordinary activities: eating dinner, drinking wine, relaxing on the couch, etc. Of course, these quiet moments are interrupted by two very different phone calls, both from the hospital. One is someone informing Susan that she has a donor, and the other is someone informing Paul that Beth has shot herself and is on life support (but brain dead). It's actually a really clever opening that shows the two drastically extreme results of Beth's suicide: Susan's pure ecstasy and Paul's dismay. Of course, the second Paul finds out that Beth is an organ donor, he orders them not to touch her until he gets there. Mary Alice sums up this news thusly: "Yes, there are moments that change our lives forever. But not always in the way we might expect."
Wee little credits.
This week's opening narration is about how the women of Wisteria Lane always look for any excuse to celebrate. Tom and Lynette pop champagne because she's not pregnant, Renee buys herself a new dress for her birthday, and Gaby gets Celia a cake for getting a C+ on her paper. And, of course, they're all at the hospital to celebrate Susan getting her kidney.
After congratulations, Susan informs the girls that she'll be getting her new kidney that night, and the first thing Renee wants to know is if Susan will still be at her party later that week. Mike says only if the party is in the intensive care unit (really? She'll need to go to the ICU to recover?; isn't this a routine procedure?), and Renee gives a huffy sigh. We find out that she and Gaby are throwing this party together, and Gabrielle is in charge of the guest list.
Suddenly interrupting this exposition, a hospital employee comes up to talk to Susan. At this point, the group finds out that Beth shot herself. Sad, guilty looks all around, particularly from Bree. Hospital employee tells Susan that Paul is with Beth now, and that it will probably take awhile longer until they can do the surgery. As he walks away, Bree sinks down into a seat to lament about how she just saw Beth "yesterday" and she should have known something was wrong. Appropriately (given the fact that we know Lynette was the last one to see Mary Alice and had similar guilt), Lynette is the one to remind Bree that she couldn't have predicted this. Of course, Bree completely leaves out the fact that she refused to let Beth donate the vital organ because she wanted to do it herself (despite how she never once brings that up in this episode, nor actually offers Susan her kidney when things go awry). But then, that's Bree.
Clearly shaken, Susan dismisses the group to go home, since nothing is going to happen that night.
The next morning, Bree is woken up by a telephone call from Mrs. McCluskey, asking her to come claim her property; "Little hint: it reeks of mai tais and you gave birth to it!" We see that Andrew is passed out on Karen's couch behind her. A little while later, Alex and Bree carry Andrew home as Karen continues to berate them for Andrew's behavior. Once inside the house, Andrew tries to excuse his behavior, explaining that he was just a little confused because all the houses look the same. Bree is indignant--this behavior is unacceptable--but Andrew is still drunk and clearly not in his right mind. She tries to remind Andrew that he's predisposed to alcoholism because of her, but he claims he has everything under control.
As Andrew passes out on the couch, Bree asks Alex how bad it's been (because apparently she has no contact with her son who lives right across the street). Alex says that it's been getting worse, going from drinking on the weekends only to drinking every night of the week. Bree thinks that Alex needs to talk to Andrew, but Alex has reached the end of his rope. He's sick of Andrew constantly promising that things will get better, and says that he's thinking of leaving him. To hell with for better or for worse.
Bree begs Alex not to leave Andrew. She wants the chance to help him, claiming that she can be resourceful when necessary: "I once smuggled vodka into church in a Jesus saves sports bottle." HAHA! Oh my. I wish we had seen that episode.
Over at Renee's, men arrive with things for her party, and then Gaby bursts in to ask if the party is still going on. Renee doesn't understand why it wouldn't, and Gaby reminds her that their neighbor just shot herself. "Gaby, it's not a party, it's an event," says Renee. "Would you cancel the Oscars? Christmas? No!" It should come as no surprise that Gaby is easily swayed by this logic, especially as she just bought a new dress. She and Renee agree that Beth would have wanted her to wear that new dress, and then Renee tells Gaby to go out and confirm the guest list. Tentatively, Gaby suggests that they have a champagne toast and moment of silence for Beth, and Renee agrees as long as they turn it into a mojito toast to themselves with plenty of music in the background.
Back at the hospital, Susan finds Paul sitting on a couch in the waiting area. Being Susan, she immediately launches into a speech about how thankful she is to Beth for giving her "this gift" and that she hopes it will be a small comfort to Paul that some part of Beth is living on inside of her. It sounds really trite, and I can't tell if it's intentional or not. On one hand, this is Susan, who tends to be completely absorbed in her own problems. On the other hand...Well, no. Maybe it is trite.
Paul sees no comfort in Susan's words. He reminds Susan that Beth is still alive, and that he's going to keep her that way as long as possible. "I'm not going to allow you to strip her for parts like some abandoned car," he says, even as Susan protests that this was Beth's idea. Paul says that Beth wasn't in her right mind, and that Susan doesn't even deserve her kidney. She wasn't kind to Beth; she didn't invite her over; she didn't try to be friends with her. Indignant, he says that Susan isn't getting anything from Beth, and then he rises and storms away. He's completely right, of course, and also projecting his own guilt over what happened. I love how many layers they've given this character, and Mark Moses plays them all brilliantly.
Commercials.
We return in the hospital where Mike is now throwing a tantrum. He demands to know how Paul can do this when Beth signed forms that legally entitle the Delfinos to her kidney. The hospital employee gently agrees that the documents would hold up in court, but also informs Mike that the hospital is not going to go into battle against a grieving husband. Of course, Mike is as self-absorbed as Susan, and he thinks that this is all about Paul having a vendetta against his family. Gee, Mike, as I recall, you were the one who kidnapped Paul and took him to the middle of nowhere to put a bullet in his brain. What would you call that?
Susan interrupts this self-righteous blathering to say that she doesn't want to fight Paul, even if it is her life on the line. She says that it's Paul's decision, not theirs, and that they have to remember that his wife shot herself. Obliviously (because Mike's level of compassion to the Youngs, including Mary Alice, is nil), Mike throws up his hands in frustration, but follows Susan out of the door.
Meanwhile, Bree and Andrew are dropping off food at a venue. Andrew is actually excited to be out of the house on this errand, asking Bree when she started to cater again, but she says it's nothing official. Andrew seems to accept this, but when he asks who the client is and Bree says they prefer to remain anonymous, his suspicion rises.
Inside, it becomes clear that Bree has tricked Andrew into coming to an AA meeting. She begs him to stay, saying it could save his life, and promises that he doesn't even have to tell anyone they're related. Before Andrew can agree--or flee--another man greets them, and Andrew introduces himself as Elvis. HAHA! "Just another reason for me to be mad at my mother," he says smugly. Awesome.
On Wisteria Lane, Tom, Carlos and a third man have just arrived home from a golf trip, and Lynette comes out to greet them. She is wearing an adorable little cardigan that I covet. The group makes some jokes about golfing, and then Carlos heads home. The third man, Glenn, asks if he can use the Scavos' bathroom before he heads home, and they all head inside.
Turns out that the bathroom was an excuse for Glenn to talk to Tom in private. He wants to poach him from Carlos to be the new CFO of his company. Lynette is thrilled, but Tom isn't too enthused. He doesn't want to leave Carlos in a lurch. Even as he officially passes, Glenn says that he isn't giving up so easily, and as he heads out, he asks Lynette to talk sense into Tom. "Talk...Beat...Whatever gets the job done," she quips.
Alone, Lynette hopes that Tom was playing Glenn to get the best offer possible, but Tom is adamant about not screwing over Carlos. And I've already written a fanfic on this, but this would have been an ideal occasion for Lynette to remind Tom that Carlos threw her under the bus last year without a second thought. Instead, she just points out that this is a great offer, a fact that Tom couldn't care less about (which, really, I'm okay with because it's definitely in character; Tom, more than any other character on this show, is about loyalty and the constant need to stay in people's good graces). Of course, somehow he fails to notice the "this isn't over, not by a long shot" look in Lynette's eyes.
Back at AA, "Elvis" is prompted to share his thoughts. He wants to pass, but Bree pushes the issue. Foolish woman. So Andrew launches into a speech about how his mother tries to control his life. "I think her greatest regret in life is that she gave birth to a son instead of a puppet. She's such a control freak. My sister and I used to call her Attila the Mom." HAHA! Oh Andrew and Danielle, I've missed you so. The group laughs, even as Bree squirms uncomfortably. Continuing, Andrew tells a story about how he planned to run for class president in high school, but Bree discouraged him without even listening to his speech. At this point, Bree is actively trying to excuse her behavior while not giving away that she's the one Andrew is talking about. "There is a difference between sharing and whining!" she shouts to the group, and at this point, the leader decides to call it quits. They stand up to pray, and as Bree and Andrew stare at one another, Andrew breaks away from the circle and leaves.
Commercials.
Gaby is confirming the invites when we return from the break. Strangely, all of the invitees seem to be the people who live on their street and Gaby approaches this task on a door-to-door basis. Okay then. They all have something snarky to say about the bad timing of this, and everyone declines to come.
"Well they can all go to hell," says Renee when Gaby informs her. She says that they're still having the party, refusing to even change the date because she always has her spring fling on the first Sunday of April. "My social life is not going to come to a stop just because some cuckoo bird decides to clean her ears with a hand gun." Even Gaby is awed by this level of unfeeling.
Susan is washing dishes when Mike comes in to tell her MJ is asleep. The small talk doesn't last long--Mike wants to talk about why Susan won't let him fight to get her the kidney (no mention of where they'd get the money to hire a lawyer, by the way). Susan points out all the things that Paul said: that it makes no sense that Beth would want to give Susan her kidney when she was never a friend. "I can't take her kidney knowing that maybe I am the reason she's lying in that hospital," says Susan, and Mike pulls her in for a hug.
Over at the Scavos', Lynette is taking a less direct approach with a tough subject than Mike did. Clad in a bathrobe, she emerges from the bathroom and dims the lights in the room, ignoring Tom's protests that he's reading. Silkily, she greets Tom like he's a passenger on a plane as she climbs up on the chest at the foot of their bed and strips off her robe, revealing a sexy bra and little boxer shorts underneath (which is just so Lynette that I love the costuming people at this moment). Tom's eyes go wide and he throws down his book. "Help me put my bag under the seat," he says, trying to play along, and Lynette shakes her head and tells him to let her do the talking. She steps onto the bed, asking Tom if he needs help with his seatbelt, and then she pulls back the covers to note that he's "already in the upright and locked position." HA! As Lynette sits down on Tom's lap, he eyes her greedily, asking the name of the airline so he can become a frequent flier. "Oh, this isn't a commercial airline, sir," she says flirting. "Hotshot executives like you only fly on the corporate jet."
Even as Lynette bends to kiss her husband, Tom's warning bells go off, and he reminds Lynette that he's not taking the job. Lynette goes from sexy flight attendant to annoyed wife in two seconds flat, wrapping her robe around her again and climbing off of Tom's lap. He makes the same protests--that he refuses to be disloyal--and Lynette agrees that's fine, but he has to at least try to leverage Carlos for a better offer. Tom agrees, and Lynette is suddenly in the mood again. She shimmies back on top of Tom and the two of them get down and dirty.
Of course, we just go to commercials.
Paul finds Felicia in a prison chapel, supposedly crying over the death of her daughter. They immediately get into an argument over whether to take Beth off of life support until Felicia says that they need to stop playing "this sick game." She points out that they both used Beth and they both hurt her, and now Beth is the latest victim of their twisted web. Paul wants to claim innocence, but Felicia reminds him that he refused to believe that Beth loved him. In this moment, Felicia confirms what Paul refused to believe--that Beth's love was real--but Paul still thinks there's hope she'll recover. Felicia says that they did this to Beth, and they need to let her go. Paul leaves.
Back on the Lane, Bree arrives at Andrew's to try to get him to come to another meeting. She approaches it with absolutely no bitterness or reproach, which is refreshing, but Andrew says that the agreement was for one meeting and "Elvis has left the building." He's still claiming he's fine, but Bree points out that "I don't have a problem" is one of the biggest cliches for alcoholics. Andrew says that he's not denying he has problems: no job; Alex works long hours; his whole day consists of endless stretches of nothing--just doing housework. "I dusted the other day. Actually dusted, and felt proud. How pathetic is that?" And so we've reached the realization, that Andrew has actually turned into Bree: married to a doctor who is ready to give up on his marriage and turning to alcohol and housework to get through his problems. The parallel is brilliant, and left understated, which I love. I also love the look on Bree's face as Andrew confesses all of this: like she realizes exactly what her son is going through, and she loves him all the more in the face of this hardship. Kudos to Marcia Cross and Shawn Pyfrom on this scene. God, I've missed these two; they have the best chemistry.
Anyway, Andrew says that he doesn't see why he shouldn't be allowed to drink at night to relax as long as he's not hurting anyone. He asks Bree to trust that he'll be okay, and, realizing that she can't force Andrew from his denial, she says that she hopes so. But as she leaves, she remembers that her disregard of Beth's sorrow led to her suicide, and she can't let the same happen to her son. Storming back into the house (where Andrew has already poured a drink), she reminds Andrew of this very fact, saying that she won't ever walk away when she knows something is wrong again, especially not from her own son. In that moment, Andrew finally breaks, confessing that Alex left him. Bree hugs him tightly, comforting her baby for the first time I can ever remember. "I guess he got sick of living with a drunk," sobs Andrew. Bree encourages him to go to another meeting, but Andrew says that he can't talk about this in front of a bunch of strangers. "Then we can have a meeting right here. Just the two of us," says Bree. They look at one another sadly.
Commercials.
Carlos and Tom are meeting about Tom's new job offer, and Tom's request for a raise. Immediately, Carlos says that the company is going through a rough patch and he can't give Tom any more money, but he will make him chief marketing officer and give him a car allowance and profit participation. You know, Lynette really is right about Carlos. He is a shrewd bastard. I mean, is chief marketing officer really better than vice president?
Back at home, Lynette finds this offer unacceptable. She points out that there is no profit participation because Carlos always takes any extra cash at the end of the year as a bonus. Dude. Carlos is hard core; I love it. It would have been hilarious to see him and Lynette go head-to-head on this one. Anyway, Lynette continues to berate this offer in her typical Lynette way until Tom snaps, "Why do you keep pushing like this?" Lynette: "Because if I don't, you go nowhere." Ah, there we have it. Lynette putting her foot in her mouth, as usual.
Things go from bad to worse as Lynette doesn't immediately take back what she said and Tom gets pissed off. "I think you are an amazing husband and father, but as a businessman..." she says. She thinks that Tom should take this opportunity while he has it because he's not getting any younger, but Tom is still insistent about not stabbing Carlos in the back. "You think Carlos would hesitate for a second if the roles were reversed? Not a chance. That's how he got where he is. He's ruthless," she points out, still not reminding Tom about how Carlos STABBED HER IN THE BACK just last year!! The show's inability to bring this up enrages me anew every time. He tossed her out on the street when she was pregnant and Tom was unemployed--that's how much he puts friendship ahead of business. Ugh. Whatever. Tom says that if Lynette doesn't drop this, he'll show her how he can be ruthless too. You know, Tom loves to make vague threats like that, but he never follows through and I really wonder if he ever could. I don't think he has it in him to intentionally hurt her like that.
That night, Gaby is taking out trash when she sees a hubbub down the street at Renee's and goes to investigate. Of course, this raises the question of why Tom was at work on a Sunday, but let's go with it. Inside, Gaby finds Renee, shocked that so many people showed up, but she quickly realizes that all of the guests are service people. Because apparently Renee doesn't know anyone but the residents of Wisteria Lane? I mean, was there really no one invited to this bash but their neighbors?
Regardless of my logic, Gaby wants to know why Renee didn't just postpone until the people she actually wanted to come could make it. Renee says that she refuses to pretend to be sad, but Gaby points out that Beth is dying. "She did it to herself!" snaps Renee. "Everyone has pain. But only a selfish bitch checks out and passes it on to everyone else. Beth didn't care who she hurt: her mother, her husband, her daughter..." Gaby gently reminds Renee that Beth didn't have a daughter, and Renee tries to play it off, but it's too late. Gabrielle now realizes why this is such a sensitive subject for Renee.
As tender as Gaby can possibly be, she asks Renee if her mother took her own life. Renee admits as much, and Gaby tries to broach the subject of her father's death to show Renee they can talk about this. Renee doesn't want to talk though. "I refuse to let it be what defines me," she says. "This spring fling may seem shallow and insensitive to you, but it's my way of saying I choose life over death." So did her mother kill herself in the spring too, or is this a special meaning for this year? I'm going to pretend it's the former because it makes more sense. Gaby says she'll join Renee at the party, and the two of them go to rejoin the guests.
Commercials.
Lynette is all dolled up to go look at a really hot red car that she wants to take for a test drive. The salesman asks if it's for her or her husband, but Lynette says it's for her neighbor. Warning! Warning! Back at home, she parks the car in the Solies' driveway and skedaddles home to wait for Tom.
When Tom gets home, he's outraged by the sexy car in Carlos' driveway. The car has made Tom see Carlos in a whole new light, and he's thinking about taking the job. Of course, Lynette only encourages this, so Tom grabs the phone, calls Glenn, and takes the job. As the Scavos celebrate, Lynette realizes the flaw in her plan: Tom now wants to go tell off Carlos.
Cut to Lynette chasing Tom down the street and gingerly confessing that the car isn't actually Carlos', she planted it there to make Tom take the job. Tom is outraged, but Lynette says that she had to show him that Carlos very well could have done the exact thing she's pretending he did. Oh Lynette. Tom doesn't want to hear it. He orders Lynette into the car and says that after they take it back, he's calling Glenn back. They get into the car, Lynette still extolling all of the perks of taking this job and, probably rightly, pointing out that she doesn't think Tom has even considered if he actually wants the job or not. "It would be better if you didn't talk right now," says Tom, and for once in her life, Lynette actually shuts up.
Then, as Tom starts the car, his eyes light up in excitement. Despite his obvious delight, Lynette remains quiet, letting Tom enjoy driving the car. After awhile, Tom casually asks when they have to return the car to the dealer, and Lynette says by four, but they could probably be a little late. "Yeah" agrees Tom. "Let's be a little late." And the Scavos zoom off in the hot red car.
And so Tom takes the job without us ever learning why Lynette is suddenly obsessed with material possessions and money to Gaby-esque proportions. So some speculation on where this is going; some spoilers ahead. The next few episodes seem to be focused very much on the Scavos' new, executive, jet-setting lifestyle, culminating in a very vague spoiler for the end of the season that someone observes that they're going through a "rough patch" (although I would argue that thing have been a little rough between them all season; I could write a whole comparison with season three, but I won't). Combined with that strange foreshadowing from "Flashback" when Tom said that money changes people (which at the time I thought was referring to further developments with Stella, but I now think has to do with this), I think that this new job doesn't bode well for the Scavos.
So how will it play out? Will Tom become a total douchebag now that he has money and power? Will Lynette regret pushing him into this job? Will they both become cold, rich snobs? Is this going to end with Tom having to choose between the money and his family? In a way, I'm interested to see how this plays out, if only because it could result in a fresher storyline for this couple. I'm getting tired of the only conflict between them being Lynette's control issues/Tom's insecurity about his manhood (which, by the way, comes and goes depending on how the writers need the storyline to play out that week). Reflecting back on this season, the depression storyline could have gone in a much more interesting direction (you know, by maybe even just once bringing the whole Eddie debacle into it); I wish they had just skipped the pointless "affair" story; and I really hope that at some point they will just make Penny a teenager so we can get some sort of interesting story out of her character. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I'm hoping that some new insight and drama will come out of this new storyline, and I don't mind that there could be dissent in their marriage, so long as it's smartly written and not completely inane.
Okay, so the last five minutes of this show. Paul shows up at Susan's apartment to talk about Beth. He says that he's decided to give Susan Beth's kidney, and that he's going to take her off of life support. Paul asks if Susan could forget some of the things he said to her before, but Susan thinks that Paul was right: she doesn't deserve this kidney. "Beth didn't love people because they deserved it," says Paul sadly. Susan is confused, and doesn't want to accept the kidney, but Paul insists that she fulfill Beth's last wish. Quietly, Susan agrees, and Paul thanks her. "Paul," says Susan as he stands to leave, "I am so very, very sorry about your wife." "Yes," says Paul, breaking down into tears. "I am too." Slowly, Susan pulls Paul in for a hug and he sobs.
"There comes a moment when our lives change forever," says Mary Alice tenderly. Cut back to Andrew and Bree, talking on his couch: "The moment we admit our weaknesses." Next we go to the Scavos', where Lynette kisses Tom goodbye as he heads off to work: "The moment we rise to a challenge." This is followed by Susan being wheeled away to surgery: "The moment we accept a sacrifice." And finally, we see Paul, crying and holding Beth's hand: "Or let a loved one go." The episode ends back in the prison chapel, where Felicia is still praying. A man enters to tell her she's been granted her request for "humanitarian release" (?? Does that exist??). Felicia acts contrite, but as soon as the man leave, an evil smile creeps up on her face. God, I hope she gets hers before the end of the season.
Well I would give this episode a solid A. I liked all of the storylines (although Gaby and Renee's felt a bit forced), especially Bree and Andrew's. As I said at the beginning, the title was very appropriate for this episode. All of these storylines were classics with a new twist: Andrew being an alcoholic paralleled Bree's own problem in season two; Paul and Susan struggled to deal with the "why" of a suicide much like they did in season one; and Tom and Lynette had a usual battle of wills about work, but with the reverse of her pushing him toward greatness instead of holding him back. I think it proved well that this show can put a new spin on familiar territory, and I hope that they can continue this trend.
Two whole weeks to the new one. I'm so tired of waiting for this show. Thank goodness that after this brief break it's all new to the end.
Of course, then there's a very long summer to get through. *Sigh*
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