Plot

Periodic flashbacks to the past five years explain the missing pieces left unanswered; Each of the housewives begin to encounter problems in their love lives.

Periodic flashbacks to the past five years explain some of the missing pieces left unanswered; The housewives deal with problems in their love lives; Karen has the neighborhood questioning her sanity after Dave breaks into her house.

"Desperate Housewives" - "Mirror, Mirror"- Oct. 26, 2008

Previously On:Bree admitted she was an alcoholic, put it behind her, became a big success and offered Orson a job; Edie's new husband Dave seemed evil and McCluskey was on to him so he decided to fix her little red wagon by gaslighting her and making people think she's going senile.

We start on the night of a surprise party for someone (McCluskey we'll later learn) where: Tom calls Lynette and buzzkill and she throws a glass of water in his face; Susan says she wouldn't mind seeing Jackson with another woman so he promptly kisses Katherine, presumably to make a point; Carlos apologizes for lying to Gaby about something which causes her to shove him and call him a seflish son of a bitch; Orson asks Bree for a divorce. McCluskey enters the party with a baseball bat on her shoulder to shouts of "surprise!" and snarls "you think you can screw with me?" and smashes her cake.

We flashback to earlier in the evening as Gaby is getting ready. She looks worried and flips through her datebook realizing she's late for her period. As she gazes in the mirror we flash back five years to when she got the news of being pregnant with Juanita. Apparently, it was a miracle. She slaps the doctor and says it's actually a disaster. When he says it might be twins she slaps him again. Later she and Carlos argue about it and she's worried about money. He says he'll get a job. She says, "what are you going to do, take up piano and get a contract with Motown?" (Hee.) He says he's going to become a masseur. She says it's not just about money, she gave up on the dream after her miscarriage and thought God was telling her she shouldn't be a mom. Carlos wants to celebrate. Back in the future in front of the mirror Gaby stares. Then we see her again in the past getting the second blessed news. (They're doing a great job of making her look just a little more tired and less glamourous). She's mad again since Carlos figured he didn't have to wear a condom since Juanita was a miracle. Carlos wants to celebrate again. Gaby wants him to get a vasectomy. She says she's done fighting off his bionic sperm. Back in the present they're walking to the party and Gaby tells him she thinks she might be pregnant. Carlos seems nervous and tells her not to worry again. Gaby wants to hire Bob to sue the quack who did Carlos' vasectomy. Carlos doesn't want the neighbors involved and he comes clean that he never got a vasectomy just as Susan opens the door and welcomes them to the party.

As Susan gets ready in front of her mirror Jackson enters, he's late. He wants to move in. Susan is alarmed. She looks into her mirror again and we flash back to her meeting Jackson and showing him through the house in order to get a paint job estimate. He sits on her bed and says he likes the place, it has a good vibe and it smells nice. She freaks out that he's hitting on her. He says he's not and goes to leave. She hires him. Then we go to the divorce papers signing of Susan and Mike. Susan hesitates before they sign. Mike is mad since she's the one who started the proceedings. They've been apart a year, this is just making it official. She says before the accident they were good and maybe they could get back there. They were "Mike and Susan." He says it's nobody's fault and that he can't do this anymore. He signs the papers and leaves. She cries. Later she walks into the house and Jackson is painting. He asks her what she thinks, she distractedly says it looks good. She offers him a scotch. We cut to them in bed apres sex. He says to be honest, he normally doesn't do this and he's not looking to start anything. Susan thinks this is fantastic and that all she wants is sex. They're both happy with a purely physical relationship. We flash back to the mirror and the present and Jackson wanting to move in. He's really excited about the idea. He asks again. The doorbell rings and she quickly says no. He asks why? She wants to know why they should fix what was not broken. Because, he says, "I've fallen in love with you," at that she turns and opens the door to Carlos and Gaby.

Now it's Lynette's face time in the mirror. She's pulling grey hairs. She looks out the window and sees Penny sitting in Tom's midlife crisis. Lynette goes to talk to her and Penny wants to know if daddy's dying. She heard Porter and Preston arguing over who's going to get the car when he dies. Penny starts asking about dying in general. Lynette says daddy will be fine. She catches her reflection in the closed door and we flash back to Lynette running to the hospital after Tom received a massive electrical shock doing work at the restaurant. His heart stopped but they got it going again but the next 36 hours are critical. Lynette goes to Tom and he is freaked out that his obit was going to be "local pizza shop owner dies" and says he needs more in his life. She says they'll find more. We flash back to the present momentarily and then back to the moment Tom brought back his fancy red convertible, his childhood dream. Lynette is not impressed until Tom flashes his hospital wristband saying he's been carrying it around as a reminder that Lynette promised "more" and that he's keeping the car. She softens and they go for a ride. We flash back to the present and Tom pulls up and as they walk to the party he shows Lynette a brochure for an RV. He wants to take the kids out of school for a year and bop around the country in an RV. Life is short, after all. She doesn't love the idea. She wants to know who will take care of the restaurant. Just this afternoon, it turns out, Tom agreed to sell the restaurant to another pizza man. As Lynette is taking this in Bree and Orson walk by and Tom asks "hey guys you ready to party?"

Bree's reflection is up next. She's putting on eyeliner, Orson enters and talks about how excited he is that he can announce he's Bree's new business partner. Bree wants to put the kibosh on that, saying it's vulgar to discuss business at a party. Orson realizes she hasn't told Katherine. He wonders why it's so difficult for her. She says it's complicated and we flash back to Orson's last night before prison brunch with Andrew, Bree, Katherine, Bob, and Lee. They all make prison jokes. Orson's drunk. Bree is freaked out at all of Andrew's Orson's-going-to-be someone's-prison-bitch bon mots. She goes to pour Orson some more champagne and oops, takes a sip and then downs it all. We flash back to the present and then back to the past again. Katherine has stormed into Bree's bedroom since they're late for a catering job. She see the wine bottle and forces her to come clean. Bree says when Orson went to jail she started having a glass of wine now and then and when Danielle took Benjamin she ramped it up. She's been missing a lot of work. Katherine tough loves her saying she can just get on up and join the club of people who have crappy lives and instead of drinking she should be filling her life with work and accomplishments. Telling her to think about the woman she could be by the time Orson gets back, unless this is the woman she wants him to come home to. As she says this she forces a bedraggled Bree to look in the mirror. Bree crumbles saying Orson would be so ashamed. Katherine says he won't be because Bree shouldn't tell him since he'd only blame himself. Bree worries she can't do it. Katherine, more lovingly now says she sure can and she will because Katherine is moving in. She says when she had nothing Bree made her a partner and she won't forget that and when she's done helping Bree that scary woman in the mirror will never make another appearance. We flash back to the present and Orson all hyped up about telling everybody the news as they walk to the party. Bree is still against it. They argue, he says she sounds like a boss not a partner and she says if they can't agree on matters this simple they should reconsider the whole thing. He says he has no intention of doing any such thing. So she fires him. This is when they pass Tom and Lynette.

Dave arrives at the party with the cake. Dave looks in a mirror and flashes back to a more recent day when Dave found McCluskey going through his and Edie's mailbox. She claimed that a letter for Edie came to her house and she wanted to make sure none of her email ended up at theirs. He enters the house and Edie asks if there's any good mail. He says no and asks about McCluskey's prying. Edie says she's turning 70 next week. Dave suggests throwing her a party. Edie is unsure. They decide to palm it off to Susan. Edie wonders why he wants to do it since Edie knows he knows McCluskey doesn't like him. Quick flash to the present and then back to earlier in the evening and Edie remarking that her dipping decolletage is a gift for McCluskey, who should get at least 5 good boob jokes out of it. They go over Edie's part in getting McCluskey to the party. McCluskey enters and asks if she and Edie are going for drinks or a mammogram. (That's one). Edie scoots to get her earrings and Dave asks McCluskey how her milestone feels. No big whoop, she says. He thinks she and Edie's birthday drink is a great tradition and that he's just trying to be friends. She says she has enough friends. She and Edie depart. Cut to Dave breaking into McCluskey's house and rearranging things: pictures, tchotchkes, the baseball bat. Back to the present. Edie arrives and says McCluskey will be there as soon as she gives her cat some medicine. Susan wonders if she'll be surprised. Dave says absolutely. Cut to McCluskey entering her house and seeing all the changes Dave made and knowing right away that he did it. She grabs the bat.

Back at the party Lynette and Tom are still arguing about selling their thriving business in favor of an RV trip and we get to the glass of water moment. Orson and Bree are still arguing and he says he made sacrifices (prison) for her and that he feels humiliated that he can't get a job and he wonders why she's putting Katherine before him. And then we get to the divorce moment. Carlos and Gaby argue more and we get to the selfish, son of a bitch moment. Susan and Jackson continue to argue and Susan says they had an agreement which leads to the Jackson kissing Katherine moment. And then we finally get to the McCluskey smashes the cake moment. Everyone is confused. She goes for Dave with the bat, and is stopped, and starts ranting that he broke into her house and rearranged things. And previously stole her cat and then put it back. Dave asks why he would do those things. Edie thinks she should lie down. Since she is 70 no one believes her. Dave gives her a little evil smile and she freaks again and they call 911. Gaby comes running down the stairs, having missed the commotion, shouting hallelujah, she got her period. She wonders if McCluskey was surprised.

McCluskey gets carted off by EMTs as Dave tells them she was babbling and disoriented and he hopes it isn't dementia. They say they'lll get a psych evaluation. He thanks them.

Susan says it's time for her and Jackson to talk. He wonders if there is a future for them. She wants to keep it the way it's been. He walks away.

On the Hodge stoop Bree comes clean about the drinking as a way of explaining about Katherine.

In the Scavo yard they talk about making life meaningful and he says he wants an adventure. Cancer survivor Lynette says she gets it but that the pizzeria was the previous adventure and now that he's bored he wants a new one and they can't keep dismantling their whole lives every time he gets restless. She wants to call it a night and wonders if he's coming. He picks up the RV brochure she threw down and says he'll come when he's ready.

On the Solis stoop Gaby and Carlos argue about having another child. He wants one and she doesn't, but more importantly she wants to know how he could lie to her. He says he got greedy and wanted more and was hoping God would give them another miracle in the form of a son. He says he'll get the vasectomy. She says they'll just use condoms until they both decide they're done.

Orson goes to Katherine's house saying he wanted to thank her for what she did for Bree while he was in prison and that he's willing to earn his partnership. He says he doesn't care if it takes two years. Katherine chuckles and says he'll be lucky to last two months working for Bree.

Dave gets in the ambulance to chat with McCluskey. She's impressed with his planning. He admits he did plan it and he's sorry it had to be her. She says she knows he's up to something awful. He says she doesn't know what awful is. He grabs her hand and tells her to take care of herself. She pulls her hand away.

The final montage includes Mary Alice voicing over about a night of surprises as: Tom stews on the lawn and Lynette looks at his back from the door, looking worried; Bree and Orson link hands and kiss on the stoop; Gaby helps Carlos up the stairs; Jackson drives away in anger; Dave strides down Wisteria Lane, enters his house and looks in his mirror as Mary Alice voices over that Dave's true agenda would soon be clear and that he would soon destroy the man who ruined his life.