Guilty (Desperate Housewives)

"Guilty"
Desperate Housewives episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 8
Directed by Fred Gerber
Written by Kevin Murphy
Production code 108
Original air date November 28, 2004
Guest stars
Episode chronology
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"Anything You Can Do"
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"Suspicious Minds"
List of Desperate Housewives episodes

"Guilty" is the eighth episode of the ABC television series, Desperate Housewives. The episode was the eighth episode for the show's first season. The episode was written by Kevin Murphy and was directed by Fred Gerber. It originally aired on Sunday November 28, 2004.

Contents

Plot

Shortly after Juanita's car accident (due to Andrew's drunk driving), Bree Van de Kamp tries to find a solution in order to save her son from life in prison and Mama is left in a coma. When Bree asks her son if he learns from John that he went to confession shortly after Juanita's accident and recommends that she do the same. Gabrielle Solis talks to the priest and he tells her that she should regret what she had done, but she says she doesn’t because all she wants is to be happy. The priest tells her that, that is a selfish answer. She says that she already knows that and she leaves. As a small act of gratitude, Gabrielle Solis quietly helps Carlos give Mama a sponge bath. Lynette tries to get her sleep cycle back on track with some acupuncture, but to no avail. When she has to help her sons' boy scout troupe right as she is falling asleep, she starts to lose it. Lynette dreams of killing herself with the help of Mary Alice and her gun. Mr. Shaw decides to execute Paul's wishes but when he finds out from Edie that the stationary was not hers but Mrs. Huber's, the story changes completely. Paul asks Mrs. Huber for an explanation of the blackmail note she wrote. She says that she needed money and she had thought of asking it to a bad person: Mary Alice, and she sometimes prays for her. Paul asks her if she regrets it, because Mary Alice committed suicide. She says that Mary Alice Young was a bad person and says that a terrible thing happened because of what she did to that kid. Paul gets very mad and he kills her. Meanwhile Susan and Mike make peace by having sex for the first time.

Series continuity

Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong) is seen in this episode.

Development

"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" by Harpers Bizarre and Simon & Garfunkel is played during Lynette's disturbing dream. Originally the dream was to have Lynette driving through the country with her kids who were in the backseat and then proceeding to drive the car into a lake, drowning her kids, à la Susan Smith who did this very thing in South Carolina. ABC Execs were against the idea of Lynette killing her kids and Marc Cherry changed the dream to being one about suicide, thus Mary Alice was shown. Stated on the commentary for this episode on the season one DVD.

Title reference

International titles