I Wish I Could Forget You

"I Wish I Could Forget You" is the 29th episode of the ABC television series, Desperate Housewives. The episode was the sixth episode for the show's second season. The episode was written by Kevin Etten and Josh Senter and was directed by Larry Shaw. It originally aired on Sunday November 6, 2005.

Plot

George and Bree have an elegant dinner together without the company of her children. The two enjoy pleasant conversation which leads to George unexpectedly kissing her. Bree has no objections and continues to kiss him however she asks him to stop when she has an itch on her neck. Immediately George assumes it is something she ate but Bree believes her hives come from something much different. She shoos George out of the house and her hives comes under control. The following day, Bree visits her therapist Dr. Goldfine, who advises her that her sudden break-outs occur because she still feels that she is married. Bree shakes off the suggestion but knows deep down that it is true. She decides that she will have to overcome this since she would like to continue to see George again. That evening, Bree calls George to ask him if he would like to accompany her on a romantic overnight to a hotel. George happily accepts and reserves a hotel room. However, when they arrive at the hotel, Bree once again breaks out into hives. George manages to stop the hives by recommending the two stay in separate rooms. Later, the two have dinner and George gives Bree an antihistamine to help with her hives. George walks Bree back to her room and puts her to bed. As Bree sleeps, George watches her and takes off his tie. Bree wakes up hours later to find George watching her. She apologizes for her drunkenness and that George could have slept beside her. George then tells her that he would like to stay but is afraid her rash will return. Bree tells him that she will have to get over it since she loves him and wants to be with him. The two kiss and make love. As George sleeps, Bree sits in an armchair with a bathrobe on wondering if she made the right decision.

Gabrielle walks into the courthouse where David greets her and advises her to quickly change her wardrobe. Gabrielle refuses but David insists. As they walk out, they are followed by a man named Louis who had a restraining order filed against him. He asks David if he can have the order pulled but the woman who filed it would beg to differ. Louis then takes out a gun and points it at David who immediately pushes Gabrielle out of the way. The gun fires but David blocks it with his briefcase. Louis quickly runs and throws the gun at David. David takes possession of the gun however when he turns around he is mistakenly shot by a police officer. Gabrielle visits David the following day at the hospital where he is recovering. Gabrielle feeds him, and he wonders whether he should keep the case or not. On the day of Carlos' hearing, David asks the judge for a recess since he cannot represent Carlos. He tells Gabrielle that he has feelings for her. Carlos tells Gabby that he needs to get David back even if that means sleeping with him which he believes is all part of the plan. Carlos is clearly joking and thinks that this is all part of Gabrielle and David's plan. He goes on to say that he would rather be in prison than to have his wife sleep with the lawyer to get him out. The following day, David meets Gabrielle at her house where he follows her to the bedroom. She gives him her offer which involves a secret affair and concludes that she cannot divorce Carlos due to the guilt and humiliation. David kisses her, but she stops him when she knows that David is doing it out of lust and not of love. She demands that he be in court the following morning ready to defend Carlos.

Nina questions Lynette on her fashion sense. Lynette appeases her co-worker, her boss and ultimately herself when she buys new designer suits which Tom immediately asks her to return them because of their expensive price. Lynette agrees thinking about her family's welfare but cannot resist wearing her favorite new suit to a business meeting the following day. Lynette carefully hides the price tags on the coat but the skirt tag pops out and Nina decides to help her by pulling it off. Lynette is disappointed but satisfied. She tries to win Tom over by buying him a new set of golf clubs. Tom hesitates at first but decides that sometimes parents need something to make them feel special too.

Susan and her mother Sophie prepare for Sophie's upcoming marriage when the question of whether Mike will ask Susan to marry him comes up. Mike advises the two to keep their expectations high but not to expect it anytime soon since he wants it to be spontaneous. Meanwhile Susan discovers Paul Young's arrival home and with the other neighbors calls the police since she believes he killed Mrs. Huber. When the police arrives, they ask the neighbors why Paul should be arrested, and Susan goes to fetch Mike. When the officer asks Mike if he has Mrs. Huber's journals or whether he heard a confession from Paul, he denies it. Susan looks shocked and the entire neighborhood returns to what they had been doing previously. That evening, Susan asks Mike his reasons. Mike explains that because he owned an unregistered gun, violated his probation, and demanded a confession while holding a man at gunpoint, he would be in more trouble than Paul Young would if both were arrested. Susan understands but Mike's answer still hurts her. The next afternoon, Paul visits Susan and asks her about Zach's whereabouts. Paul picks up a knife and slowly moves toward Susan demanding where he is. Susan tells him she gave Zach money to go to Utah to find him and that she would have taken him home but he still had feelings for Julie. Paul leaves thankful for the answer but angry of what she did. Mike confronts Paul on his reasons for returning to Wisteria Lane and when he tells him that Susan sent Zach away to Utah, Mike quickly runs towards Susan's home where he demands from her if she sent Zach away. Susan tries to explain herself but when she replies "Yes" he runs out of the house disgusted. Susan chases after him in her mother's wedding dress, telling him she loves him and begging for a second chance. Mike drives away and Susan sits in the middle of the street sobbing as Paul Young coldly stares back at her. At that moment, Bree, Lynette and Gabrielle stop what they are doing to comfort Susan.

Cast

Although credited, Betty Applewhite (Alfre Woodard), Andrew Van De Kamp (Shawn Pyfrom), Danielle Van De Kamp (Joy Lauren), Julie Mayer (Andrea Bowen), Matthew Applewhite (Mehcad Brooks), Zach Young (Cody Kasch), Caleb Applewhite (Page Kennedy) and Karl Mayer (Richard Burgi) do not appear in this episode.

Title reference

The episode title I Wish I Could Forget You comes from the Stephen Sondheim musical, Passion.

International titles

• French: "Not In The Mood For Love"
• German: Ausschläge und Anträge (Rashes and Proposals)
• Italian: Vorrei Poterti Dimenticare (I Wish I Could Forget You)
• Hungarian: Bárcsak feledni tudnálak! (I Wish I Could Forget You)
• Polish: Wysypka i oświadczyny (Rashes and Proposals)