The following are fictional characters in the American television series Desperate Housewives. They are all family members and acquaintances of Bree Van de Kamp, one of the protagonists of the series.
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Dr. Rex Van de Kamp (Steven Culp) was an insane doctor, the husband of Bree Van de Kamp, and the father of Sam, Andrew and Danielle. The two first met while attending Lake Forest College at a meeting of the Young Republicans. Rex asks Bree for a divorce during the pilot episode, saying that he could no longer "live in this detergent commercial", although the true root of their marital problems lies in Rex's failing to ask his wife to sexually dominate him. Due to Bree's inability to sexually satisfy him, he begins seeing local homemaker and prostitute Maisy Gibbons. Rex suffers a near-fatal heart attack while having sex with Maisy. When Rex is in the hospital, Bree discovers his affair with Maisy, and she threatens to eviscerate him. After Rex has a second heart attack, the couple decides that they should be nice to one another in the time they have left. Bree starts dating local pharmacist, George Williams, to hurt Rex, until Rex tells her that he wants a second chance, and another shot on their marriage. So, she ends things with George, and decides to only be friends with him. She and Rex give their marriage another try, and she agrees to take part in S&M scenarios with him, to avoid him from seeing prostitutes. She also takes part in this to help save their marriage. Rex tells Bree that he likes to be sexually dominated, and she agrees to help him. The marriage strengthens when their son, Andrew, is having problems, and admits he is gay. They take him to a Christian counselor, and it is revealed he is only acting out to punish his mother, because he thinks she doesn't love him anymore. However, the Van de Kamp's pharmacist, George Williams, falls obsessively in love with Bree. This obsession and jealousy is strengthened by Rex's rudeness toward George. George begins tampering with Rex's prescriptions, which leads to Rex have another heart attack and die. Rex dies thinking Bree has been poisoning him, and in his final moments, he writes Bree a note saying that he understands why she has poisoned him and that he forgives her.
Since his death, Rex has appeared in flashbacks in the Season 2 finale "Remember". The flashbacks include the Van de Kamps' 1994 move to Wisteria Lane and the first time they meet Mary Alice Young. When Bree tries to pressure Mary Alice into punishing Andrew for stealing one of the Youngs' garden ornaments, Rex assures Mary Alice that they're "not weird, [they] just seem like [they] are." Another flashback shows Rex at the local drug store buying hair dye with Bree in 2001 to get rid of purple Danielle has put in her hair. This shows Rex and Bree's ongoing debate on how to discipline their children; Rex has always been much more lax than his wife.
In "My Husband, the Pig", the sixteenth episode of Season 3, Rex takes over the role of narrating the episode from beyond the grave. The episode focuses primarily on the men of Desperate Housewives (Carlos Solis, Tom Scavo, Mike Delfino, Orson Hodge, and Ian Hainsworth).
Rex makes another onscreen appearance in flashbacks in the 100th episode, "The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened", when Bree recalls how neighborhood handyman Eli Scruggs inspired her to write her own cookbook. When Bree complains about her erratic stove, Rex tells her that he cannot afford to buy her a new one, teasing her and saying that if his income is not adequately supporting them, maybe she should get a job of her own. As a reaction to this, Bree begins compiling recipes to make her own cookbook. Rex patronizes Bree, calling her idea foolish and telling her that he will buy her the new stove and that she should not take him so seriously in future. Disheartened, Bree throws away her notes. It is Eli who retrieves them and gives them to Bree after Rex's funeral, suggesting that she go ahead with the idea.
In Season 6, a young man named Sam Allen befriends Bree and ingratiates his way into her business and the family. Sam reveals that he is the secret son of Rex Van de Kamp and was conceived before Bree had met Rex. Sam had begun searching for Bree when he found a letter written by Rex asking Sam's mother for custody.
Danielle Van de Kamp (formerly Katz) (Joy Lauren) is the daughter of Bree and Rex Van de Kamp. She is also Andrew's younger sister. Danielle appears to need a boyfriend in order to feel good about herself, and is preoccupied with her looks. During her sophomore year, Danielle was the head of her high school's abstinence club. After finding a condom in the laundry basket, Bree discovers that Danielle is planning to lose her virginity to her ex-boyfriend, John Rowland, in order to lure him back to her. Bree visits John and advises him not to accept Danielle's offer. John then permanently ends the relationship, leaving Danielle devastated and heartbroken. This is also the first step towards Danielle acting more strained around her mother because she thinks she will get more attention from her parents if she behaves like her brother.
Danielle soon finds love in Matthew Applewhite, who has recently moved to Wisteria Lane. While looking for his brother in the Van de Kamp yard, Danielle finds him and asks if she is looking for someone. Matthew lies, claiming he's looking for her. Two soon begin a relationship, much to the chagrin of Bree. Danielle is an accomplice to Matthew's scheme to have Caleb "put down" so that he and his mother would not have to move. After Betty locks Matthew in the basement as punishment, Danielle frees him and the two run away, leaving Bree feel she has no choice but to voluntarily admit herself to a mental institution. After it is revealed that Matthew, not Caleb, was responsible for the murder that has haunted the Applewhite family Betty and Bree race to stop Danielle and Matthew, who break into the Van de Kamp house to steal money. When Bree confronts the kids, Matthew threatens to kill Bree, as Danielle pleads for her mother's life. Matthew is later shot and Bree and Danielle tentatively reconcile.
Later, Bree discovers that Danielle has been sleeping with her history teacher, and attempts to sabotage the relationship. When Danielle is dumped by him, she reveals their affair to her teacher's wife, going as far as to get him fired and possibly criminally charged. Soon afterward it is revealed that Austin McCann and Danielle are sleeping together behind Julie Mayer's back. Danielle blackmails Austin, threatening that she will tell Julie about their relationship if he tries to end it. Danielle discovers she is pregnant in "My Husband, the Pig", and she refuses to have an abortion when Austin suggests it. She does not argue with Orson's decision that the child will be put up for adoption. Bree and Orson take Danielle to a convent, and when they get back from their honeymoon, Bree pretends she is pregnant, intending to raise her grandchild herself. Bree and Orson tell others that Danielle is studying abroad, although she is still in the States.
In the episode "The Game", Orson informs Bree that Danielle has had a fall due to her rollerblading. Bree is furious and tells the nuns caring for Danielle to restrict her to her room until the baby is born. In the episode "If There's Anything I Can't Stand", Danielle goes to stay at Phyllis Van de Kamp's nursing home. Danielle decides she wants to keep the baby and raise it at the home. In an attempt to change Danielle's mind, Bree allows Danielle to attend a big party college in Miami and gives her a convertible. Danielle chose the car over the baby and decides to give the baby to Bree. In "Now I Know, Don't Be Scared", Danielle attends a Halloween party hosted by Bob and Lee dressed as a clone of Bree. While Bree is yelling at her for attending the party, her water breaks. The Van de Kamps don't have time to get to the hospital, so Danielle gives birth at home to a baby boy named Benjamin. The next morning, after giving Bree the baby, Danielle leaves Wisteria Lane to attend college in Miami.
There is a five-year gap in the series continuity between the fourth and fifth seasons, and much has passed in that time. Danielle has returned for her son, leaving Bree devastated. She remains estranged from her mother for several years but eventually agrees to bring her son and new husband, Leo, a lawyer, to visit. Bree constantly criticizes the way Danielle is raising Benjamin, including their vegetarianism, homeschooling, and practicing Judaism. An angry Danielle departs early along with her family, leaving her relationship with her mother strained once again.
In Season Six, Danielle appears in the episode "My Two Young Men" at the family meal Bree organizes for her half brother, Sam Allen. She is also mentioned several times throughout the season. It is revealed near the end of the sixth season that a drunken Danielle has told Sam that their brother, Andrew, ran over Carlos Solis's mother a decade earlier (Season One).
In season Seven, Danielle and Benjamin come to visit Bree, unknown that their visit was a plot orchestrated by Renee Perry to embarrass Bree in front of her new love interest, Keith, over the fact that she is a grand-mother. Danielle states that Renee told her that she was devastated over Orson leaving her. They appear to have achieved a happy relationship as Danielle and Benjamin embrace Bree upon their arrival. There is no mention of Leo.
Danielle returned in Season 8 with Benjamin. She mentioned to Bree, Leo had left her. After wallowing in self-pity, she tells Bree she is starting an Internet business selling exercise equipment. Bree soon discovers she is selling "sex swings" and while angry, she decides eventually to support her daughter in hopes of bridging the gap between them.
Benjamin Tyson Katz (né Hodge) (Jake Soldera) is Danielle’s and Austin McCann's son and Bree's grandson. However, Bree fakes a pregnancy to make seem like he is her son by Orson. Danielle gives birth to Benjamin on Halloween when Dr. Adam Mayfair delivers him in Bree's kitchen, and Bree promptly adopts him to save her family from scandal. Danielle reclaims her son when he is three years old. He is later adopted by her husband Leo Katz.
Phyllis Van de Kamp (Shirley Knight) is Rex's mother. She has always had a very cold relationship with Bree, disapproving of her marriage to Rex and accusing her of making her son's life miserable. After Rex's death, she continues to disrupt Bree's life and manipulated Danielle Van De Kamp to finally get revenge on Bree.
Phyllis first appears in the second season when she arrives for Rex's funeral. However, while she is there, she and Bree soon come to blows. An example of this is when they argue about what tie Rex will be buried in, and what stories the Vicar will tell about Rex at his funeral. However, Phyllis only wrote about Rex's life before he met Bree and tells Bree that it was because it was the happiest time of his life. Bree is insulted and bans her from the funeral. However, when Andrew and Danielle beg Bree to let Phyllis attend, Bree gives in and tells her she is welcome to attend. During the funeral however, Bree finds Rex wearing the orange tie which she had forbidden Phyllis to put on Rex and she takes Tom Scavo's tie during the service and puts it on Rex, with the guests looking in shock. Soon after, Phyllis calls a decective who is looking into Rex's death and informs them that Bree has a boyfriend. Suspecting foul play, the detectives exhume Rex to examine his body. When Bree learns what Phyllis has done, she packs her bags and sends her home.
Phyllis appears in the episode 4.04 at Bree's baby party and discovers that Danielle is actually pregnant and Bree intends to raise the baby as her own. Phyllis later leaves but turns up at the end of the episode in the place where Danielle is staying and takes Danielle to stay with her. Danielle packs her things right away. However, Andrew informs Bree that the only reason Danielle wants to stay with Grandma and raise her baby is because she will be offered a cushy life. However, Bree outbids Phyllis and offers Danielle a convertible which would have been a surprise for her birthday if she wasn't living with Phyllis and the college of her choice. Therefore, Danielle goes home with Bree and Orson. Bree feels sorry for Phyllis and tells her that she will be allowed to babysit the child on weekends.
Henry Mason (Ronny Cox) is Bree’s father. He is a prosecutor who says the simplest explanation is always the best one. He and his second wife, Eleanor, come for a visit in the second season in the episode "Don´t look at me". He lives in Rhode Island with Eleanor
Eleanor Mason (Carol Burnett) is Bree’s stepmother and a very uptight lady for whom appearances mean everything. She can be rather critical of Bree, but she has also influenced her stepdaughter greatly. She lives in Rhode Island with her husband, Henry. She and Henry come for a visit in the second season to mediate the dispute between Andrew and Bree in the episode "Don´t look at me".
Fern Mason (Fiona Hale) is Bree's aunt. Always kind to Bree, who is very fond of her, Fern was there for Bree after her mother died. She currently lives in Philadelphia. Aunt Fern's only appearance in the series to date was at Bree's wedding to Orson.
Gloria Hodge (Dixie Carter) is Orson's scheming mother. When first introduced, she was just Orson's mother who had a drinking problem (even bribing Andrew for it) but it was soon revealed that she was very devious and knew many secrets of Orson's past.
When Orson was a teenager, Gloria killed her unfaithful husband and staged his death as a suicide. Orson blamed himself for his 'suicide' because he was supposed to be watching over his depressed father but opted instead to sneak out. Gloria would exploit her son's guilt to make him do the things she wanted him to do. Gloria made Orson feel so guilty that he became extremely depressed and had to be committed to a mental institution. When Gloria discovered Orson was cheating on Alma, she decided to go to his mistress Monique's house. Gloria ended up killing Monique "in self-defense" when she told her to stay away from Orson, and Monique attacked her. Orson discovered Gloria standing over Monique's body and Gloria guilted Orson, with his father's suicide, to help her hide Monique's body. Orson obliged and after the deed was done, he sent Gloria to live in a nursing home. Gloria reappeared after Orson and Bree's wedding. She tried to convince Bree to leave Orson by telling her he's a bad person and revealing his affair with the deceased Monique Polier. She knew that giving Bree that information would plant seeds of suspicion about his innocence in his first wife's disappearance and his mistress's death. But, in the end, Gloria did not succeed in separating them. Gloria then decides to team up with Alma to separate Orson and Bree. Gloria subsequently gives Orson sleeping pills combined with Viagra so that he can be raped by Alma, who thinks having a baby with Orson will get them back together. Bree, realising that Alma has raped Orson, punches her and knocks her out and attempts to get Orson home. When Alma accepts defeat and threatens to call the police and implicate everyone, Gloria locks her in an upstairs closet and then attempts to get Bree out of the way, once and for all. After Bree returns home from the hospital after her accident, Gloria goes over to their house. Danielle is watching Bree, but Gloria tricks her into bringing her mother a bowl of soup with sleeping pills in it, then sends her off to the party at the Scavo's pizzeria opening. With Bree alone, she then takes a knife from the kitchen and heads upstairs to finish Bree off. Once Andrew finds Danielle at the pizzeria, he races home to protect his mother from Orson's "crazy mother." She surprises him as he runs up the stairs, hitting him in the face with a cane and causing him to fall down the stairs. Orson, after finding out his mother's plan, also races home from the hospital. He finds Gloria trying to slit Bree's wrists in the bathroom (a scene strikingly similar to the one he found his father in). At this point, he realizes Gloria had killed his father. He stops Gloria from hurting Bree, but in doing so, causes her to have a stroke she needs an ambulance for. Before taking her to Alma's lawn, he says, "you need an ambulance. It's too bad there's no one here who'd dream of calling you one." As he carries his mother to Alma's house, he finds Alma herself, killed by a fall from the roof. He leaves Gloria with her and returns home. By the time Ida Greenberg finds Alma and Gloria, Gloria's stroke has caused total paralysis, unable to speak or move (though her brain remains active). 8 years later it is unknown if she is still alive as she has not been mentioned or seen. Her return however is very unlikely due to the death of actress Dixie Carter on April 10, 2010, and the fact that Orson is no longer a featured character on the show.
Alma Hodge (Valerie Mahaffey) was Orson's first wife. Alma tricked him into marrying her by getting pregnant, thinking that having a baby together would make Orson fall in love with her. Unfortunately she had a miscarriage and had trapped herself in a loveless marriage. Despite her great relationship with her mother-in-law, Gloria, and attempts to make their marriage work, Orson simply did not love Alma the way she loved him and had an affair with Monique Polier. When Alma found out about this, she threatened to leave him but Orson did not object so Alma decided she had to make him pay. A year after her disappearance, Orson becomes engaged to Bree, and at their engagement party Carolyn Bigsby, Orson's old neighbor, shows up saying that Orson has murdered Alma, arousing the suspicion of others.
However, Alma is not dead; she makes a sudden appearance in the Hodges' lives. Apparently, Alma has been in Winnipeg with her aunt. She tells the Hodges she feigned a mysterious disappearance because she wanted people to think that her husband had murdered her, so that he would pay for the things he had done. Bree invites her to a dinner party with her friends, to prove to them that Orson isn't a murderer. Before the party, Alma injects herself with something that later is revealed to be hormones. Alma buys herself a house on Wisteria Lane, the one in which Betty Applewhite used to live, and settles in. When the Hodges discover that Alma is their neighbour, Bree wants her husband to get rid of her. Orson visits her house and tries to convince her to leave. Alma tells him she thinks they still have a chance to be happy together. She proceeds to blackmail him, threatening to reveal that it was he who ran over Mike Delfino in his car and buried Monique Polier. Orson accepts defeat and leaves. Alma then trains a parrot to say "Don't tell Bree", and when Bree visits her to tell her to move away, she hears the parrot and drops a glass of lemonade. When reaching in the pantry for paper towels to clean the mess up, Bree discovers a picture of Orson and Monique and a bag containing Monique's teeth hidden under the linoleum. She leaves and gives Orson the teeth. He plants them in Alma's house, stating that she won't find them and that she will now leave them alone, or else he will call the police and tell them that Alma murdered Monique and kept her teeth.
Orson receives an emergency phone call from his mother. He goes to Alma's house his mother tells him that Alma has attempted suicide by slashing her wrists. She shows him a suicide note from Alma that says if she can't live with Orson, she doesn't want to live at all. Gloria offers Orson a drink, and he gets dizzy after drinking it. He asks Gloria if she's poisoned him and she acts offended. Orson then notices that Alma has gotten up from the bed, looking well, and wearing lingerie. The two women throw Orson on the bed, and Gloria then leaves them. Alma tells her ex-husband she's been injecting herself with hormones, and it becomes clear she is going to rape him. When Bree arrives home, Andrew tells her Orson left to go Alma's, and when she arrives there, she finds the two of them in bed together. Bree notices her husband is unconscious and discovers two bottles of pills, one of sleeping pills and one of viagra. Bree realizes Alma raped Orson so she punches her in the face, calls Andrew, and asks him to bring a wheelbarrow.
The morning after, Bree tells Orson that Alma raped him, and he finally tells her the truth about what happened with Monique Polier. Orson goes to Alma's to tell her it's all over, that he told Bree the truth and that he doesn't need to worry about her anymore. She tells him she may be pregnant, to which he responds that he doesn't care. Alma then realizes that there is nothing else she can do to make Orson love her. Gloria, however, doesn't give up and locks Alma in the attic and plans to kill Bree. After Alma tries to escape from her attic through the window, she falls from the roof to her death. Orson discovers her dead body and plants the suicide note and the bag containing Monique's teeth in her house, making it seem to Detective Ridley that she killed Monique and committed suicide. The charges against Mike Delfino were dropped, and Bree and Orson went on a honeymoon they had been planning for so long.
Edwin Hodge (Carl Mueller) is Orson’s father. Just like his wife Gloria, Edwin was a deeply religious man. However, after it came to light that he'd had an affair with another woman, he became depressed and turned to alcohol. One night Orson found him dead in the bathtub with his wrists cut. Everyone thought of it as suicide, and Orson was eventually forced to be put into a mental institution to get rid of his feelings of guilt. Years later, as Orson catches his mother attempting to kill Bree, he comes to understand that it was Gloria who had killed his father as well.
Leo Katz (Andrew Leeds) is Danielle's former husband. Leo is a lawyer. He is also Jewish and a vegetarian. It was revealed that he has married Danielle during the five year jump, and later legally adopts Benjamin. Unfortunately, few years after their wedding, he left his wife and stepson for unknown reason.
Dr. Alex Cominis (Todd Grinnell) is the fiancé of Andrew and future son-in-law of Bree and Orson. He is a plastic surgeon and resides with Andrew on Wisteria Lane, in a house which Bree purchased for them. He is quick to point out Bree's selfishness, which Bree has come to appreciate. Alex appeared in the gay porn film "Rear Deployment" while putting himself through medical school. Alex is not seen in season six, but it is revealed that Andrew cheated on him. Alex leaves Andrew in season seven, due to Andrew's severe drinking problem.
Melina Cominis (Joanna Cassidy) is the possessive mother of Alex and rival with Bree for Alex's and Andrew's affections. During her one visit, Bree was pushed to buy a former Martha Huber's house for Andrew and Alex.
Sam Allen (Samuel Page) is a young man who comes to work for Bree in the second half of season 6. He quickly wins Bree over with his business know-how, but he receives heavy criticism from Andrew, who believes he is hiding something. Later when Bree goes to drop off a basket of muffins after Sam and Andrew get into a violent fight, she discovers Sam is Rex's son. Bree is shocked by the revelation but later decides to speak with him. He reveals Rex and his mother had a one-night stand before he met Bree and they produced him. Rex visited him a few times but after a while Sam's mother asked him to stop, citing it hurt Sam too much. Sam tells Bree he always wondered why Rex chose his new family over him. This makes Bree feel guilty. Bree decides to incorporate Sam into the family and organizes a family dinner (including Danielle) so everyone can get to know each other. Sam becomes a rival to Andrew in the company, as well as for Bree's affection. He tries to discredit Andrew and prove him unreliable. Sam plots to make Bree fire Andrew, which she later does, but after she reveals to him since she has a love-and-hate relationship with her son, and it's most likely Andrew would return. After, an important client dinner is sabotaged, Sam points a finger at Andrew. When Bree tells Orson what occurred, he says it couldn't be Andrew because it seems something well planned. Bree begins to suspect Sam's true intentions. Bree's suspicions also arise when Sam acted weird around a woman who was working at the grocery store they were shopping at. Wanting to know the truth, Bree visits the lady and finds out it's Sam mother. Bree is shocked because Sam had previously told her his mother had recently died. When Bree confronts Sam, Sam reveals that a few months before he started working for Bree he discovered a letter from Rex offering assistance to raise Sam. When Sam asked his mother about the letter, she says she declined his offer and decided to raise Sam on her own. Sam tells Bree he was extremely angry at his mother at robbing him of a chance with his affluent father. When Bree tries to reason with Sam, Sam violently yells at Bree and throws a vase across the room. Bree becomes scared of Sam and decides to tell him to leave. Sam retaliates by telling Bree he will not be going anywhere. Bree attempts to use two detective friends to threaten and scare Sam, but her plans fail. Sam tells her if she doesn't hand over her company to him, then he'll tell the cops Andrew was the one who ran over Carlos Solis's mother. Sam tells her a drunken Danielle had told him about the incident at the dinner party in an attempt to bond with him. At the end of season six, Bree signs over her company to Sam.
Dr. Albert Goldfine (Sam Lloyd) is supposedly the "number one" marriage counsellor in Fairview. Rex and Bree start seeing him in the second episode of Season 1, "Ah, But Underneath". During their appointments, Bree makes small talk with Dr. Goldfine. At one point, Bree goes so far as to fix his jacket during a private session. Goldfine, fixated with her domestic ways, later asks Rex if he has ever actually taken the time to thank Bree for the things she does around the house. Dr. Goldfine later appears in "Pretty Little Picture", when Bree steals a tape from his office labeled with Mary Alice’s name. Bree steals it and later shares it with the other housewives. Dr. Goldfine makes an appearance in the fourteenth episode of the season, "Love is in the Air", when he encourages Bree to ask Rex about his true sexual feelings on domination. He returns in the second season to give Bree advice regarding her feelings about being a widow and about her relationship with George Williams. When George finds out Goldfine has been advising Bree to take their relationship slowly,he beats Dr. Goldfine up and threw him over a bridge. Dr. Goldfine survives and tells Bree his attacker had a blue bike; Bree had seen George with a blue bike earlier that day. This makes Bree realize the depths of George’s obsession with her.
Maisy Gibbons (Sharon Lawrence) is a married mother who was found to be selling sex to various men around the neighbourhood, including Rex Van De Kamp. Maisy first appears on episode 6, Running to Stand Still where she enters Desperate Housewives as part of the Scavo storyline. She was in charge of the arrangements for the Little Red Riding Hood Play at Barcliff Academy. Lynette decided to help out, making her entrance into the parenting community of the school. The two squared off immediately, arguing over political correctness of the play. Maisy put Lynette down and puts her in her place. Midway through the episode, Lynette uses her business skills to unite the mom-clique to go against Maisy and her ideas. Lynette takes over costuming and finds it difficult to have enough time to work. Lynette meets a fellow mom and is told about ADD meds. She decides to start taking them herself along with her new friend. This is the moment Lynette gets hooked. Lynette finally tells Maisy off, gaining the respect of the mom-clique and becoming one of the head members.
Maisy reappears in episode 10, Come Back to Me where she becomes part of the Van De Kamp storyline. It is revealed she is the neighborhood prostitute of Fairview. She sleeps with Rex Van De Kamp to fulfill his needs of "domination". Shortly after, Rex suffers a heart attack as a result of his sexual excitement. Maisy takes him to the hospital, but Bree discovers his "wife" dropped him off. Bree found her signature. Bree visits Maisy and talks about the affair. Bree then tells Rex he can have a divorce after all.
Maisy reappears in episode 16, The Ladies Who Lunch where she is arrested for solicitation. She is taken outside by undercover detectives and police where she is shamed of her prostitute-like attire. Maisy then runs across the south side of Oak Street only to be hauled off by two detectives (one holding her arms, the other holding her legs) to Eagle State Women's Correctional Facility (Fairview). Bree tries to bribe Maisy to erase Rex from her black book of "customers." The plan fails. Maisy strikes back at Bree by releasing the original black book. This caused the Van De Kamp family to receive harsh criticism and alienation from other groups.
Justin (Ryan Carnes) is Andrew's first boyfriend. Justin first appears in season one as John Rowland's room-mate, and is privy to his affair with Gabrielle. Justin has not yet come to terms with his sexuality and tries to blackmail Gabrielle into having sex with him to prove to himself that he is not gay. She, however, refuses but helps him accept his sexuality. Afterwards, his relationship with Andrew becomes more serious. Ironically, Justin is later beaten up by Carlos Solis, who mistakenly believes he is having an affair with Gabrielle.
In season two, Andrew confides in Justin that he had to stop loving his mother because he did not want to get hurt any more, and that Bree had to be punished because she said he was damned for his sexuality. When Andrew needs fuel for his emancipation bid, he forces his boyfriend to hit him and passes off the bruises as having been inflicted by Bree. Justin is also with Andrew when he tells his mother he will accuse her of molesting him if she does not let him go. Justin tends throughout his screen time to do whatever Andrew wants, although he often appears thoroughly embarrassed by Andrew's behavior towards his mother.
Justin is heartbroken when he finds out Andrew is planning to move to Rhode Island with his grandparents, and when Bree asks him why, he replies his parents kicked him out when they first heard he was gay. Andrew told him he should be ashamed of them because they were too stupid to know how great he was. Justin asks Bree how she cannot love someone like that. Bree then persuades Justin to supply her with gay magazines and videos, which she plants among Andrew's things for his grandparents to find. They leave Andrew behind and revoke his trust fund. Having seen Justin's love for Andrew, Bree becomes more accepting of their relationship, and regularly invites him to dinner. Although never stated, it appears that Andrew and Justin lost contact when Bree forced Andrew onto the streets. When Andrew returns, there is no mention of Justin and Andrew appears to have moved on, as he takes an interest in Austin McCann. Susan Mayer makes a brief reference to Justin almost two years after his last appearance.
George Williams (Roger Bart) is a pharmacist who begins a relationship with Bree after her discovery of her husband's extramarital affair with the neighbourhood prostitute, Maisy Gibbons. Things are going extremely well until Bree shoots off his toe (by accident) with a gun given to her as a gift by George. He returns after a short absence and begins to lust after Bree. Rex takes offense to this, and it culminates with George being pushed into a pool at Carlos Solis's going-away party. Motivated by his obsession for Bree, George begins replacing Rex's heart medication with dangerous amounts of potassium. This ultimately proves fatal for Rex.
After Rex's death, George attempts to move his and Bree's relationship forward but it is revealed she feels guilty about her relationship with George and is still attached to Rex. While on vacation with Bree, George drugs her by talking her into mixing antihistamines with alcohol. George decides against taking advantage of Bree in this way but when she wakes up, he tells her he won't wait much longer, thereby finally getting Bree into bed. George proposes to her. She feels pressured into agreeing. After Bree tells George about her chat with Dr. Goldfine in which he suggested she and George were taking their relationship too fast, George attacks Dr. Goldfine and throws him over a bridge. Dr. Goldfine is injured but survives.
After the bridge incident, George becomes more possessive. He objects to Bree's reluctance to wear her engagement ring and becomes angry she still feels the relationship is moving too quickly. Bree, in turn, becomes annoyed when she sees her engagement to George announced in the newspaper. This announcement brings George's ex-fiancée to Bree's house, where she warns Bree that George is unstable. Bree dismisses her, refusing to believe. Later, while Bree and George are out having dinner, they meet Bree's old college boyfriend, Ty Grant. He asks Bree to dance and she agrees. George's overreaction to this leads Bree to end her relationship with George. In retaliation, George steals Ty's valet ticket from his jacket, speeds off in his car, takes it out to some remote location, and sets it on fire.
George starts stalking Bree and tries to get her back by singing to her in front of her house during a dinner party. Bree takes out a shotgun and blows out his speaker as a result. George then finds out the police are closing in on him and have also searched his house after Bree went to the police, suspecting George was involved in Dr. Goldfine's attack. George retreats to a hotel room (in the same hotel where Bree is co-hosting a charity event) and has a bellman give her a note. He then overdoses on sleeping pills which ultimately leads to his death. When Bree arrives, George begs her to call an ambulance, but she has just spoken to Detective Barton, saying he has evidence George is responsible for Rex's death. She tells George she has called the ambulance while he was sleeping, and then sits and watches him die.
Tish Atherton (Jill Brennan) is member of the Fairview Country Club. She is often seen in episodes but usually only has one or two lines. As seen in Color and Light in season 2, Tish has a daughter. She likes to gossip, especially about Maisy Gibbons, she likes dinner parties at Bree Van de Kamp’s house and she enjoys dropping her child off at playdates, while she is at the salon. She also appears to be very fickle and superficial. She was recently mentioned in conversation. She was also a close friend of the late Carolyn Bigsby.
Dr. Lee Craig (Terry Bozeman) was a friend of Rex's, as well as his doctor. He informed Rex that Bree was probably the one to poison him. He was the one who informed Bree of Rex’s death. He informed Detective Barton of the likely chance Bree murdered Rex. He appeared in season three as Mike’s doctor. He told Susan that Mike will probably not wake up from his coma. He is proved wrong when Mike does wake up. He tells Edie he has lost his memory of the past two years. He is the nephew of Ida Greenberg.
Reverend Sykes (Dakin Matthews) is reverend at the local Presbyterian church. He first appeared in the episode "Live Alone and Like It", when he met with Andrew about his sexual orientation. Andrew tells him he plans on getting revenge by "rocking" Bree’s world (which Sykes cannot warn Bree about due to the rules of confession). Sykes presided over Rex’s funeral and was the celebrant at Bree and Orson’s marriage. Bree has made many references to him during the series.
Detective Barton (Kurt Fuller) is a detective who accused Bree of murdering Rex on You Could Drive a Person Crazy. He continues suspecting her on "You'll Never Get Away from Me". He even digs up Rex’s body. He found her innocent on "They Asked Me Why I Believe In You". On "That's Good, That's Bad", he discovers George is the culprit. On "Coming Home", he informs Bree his men found George dead in his hotel room. Bree pretends to be surprised. His most recent appearance is "We're Gonna Be All Right" when he arrests Bree for driving under the influence of alcohol. He feels bad about this later, so he makes it up to Bree by giving her information on Curtis Monroe, the dead guy they found in front of the Applewhites' house. He also flirts with her on that same episode.
Samuel "Sam" Bormanis (Bruce Jarchow) is Andrew’s lawyer whom he gets to emancipate him. Bree is polite and civil with him, as always, despite his role as Andrew’s lawyer. Noting her consummate civility, he tells Andrew that presentation is paramount in open court, and that if Bree knows anything it is presentation. He advises Andrew that if he really wants to be free of his mother, his best chance is to convince her that she is better off without him. This leads Andrew to tell Bree that he will accuse her of sexual molestation if he doesn’t get his way.
Peter McMillan (Lee Tergesen): Bree’s AA supervisor who has a romantic relationship with her. He also suffers from sexual addiction. Andrew found this out and used this knowledge to his advantage when he seduced Peter into sleeping with him to get back at Bree.
Carolyn Bigsby (Laurie Metcalf) was Orson's former nosy neighbor. She caught Orson thoroughly cleaning the house, and after learning Alma was missing after she left Orson, became suspicious that Orson had killed Alma. Carolyn warned Bree about him, but Bree married him anyway. Carolyn pressed further, showing Bree pictures of a bruised up Alma, and police reports where Alma claimed Orson beat her. When she kept nagging Bree about leaving Orson, Bree retaliated by telling her about Harvey's affair with Monique. Carolyn went to Harvey's store to kill him, but failed and panics about the rest of the customers in the store. She keeps telling Nora Huntington and Lynette Scavo to stop talking. Nora mentions Lynette is trying to "steal" her daughter, Kayla Huntington and Carolyn then looks at Lynette disgustedly. Lynette then mentions Nora tried to seduce her husband Tom Scavo. When Carolyn hears that, she shoots Nora in the chest. Carolyn told Lynette not to look at her that way as she (Carolyn) knew Lynette wanted Nora dead. Lynette becomes disgusted and says to Carolyn that she deserved to be cheated on.
Carolyn raised the gun and shot Lynette, only wounding her arm due to the fact Art Shephard, the new neighbor, threw a can at Carolyn's head, causing her to miss any vital organs. Carolyn raced back to get the gun and as she wrestled with Austin McCann to get the gun back. Maya, another hostage, picked up the gun and shot Carolyn in the head, killing her instantly. The hostages leave the supermarket soon after.
Monique Polier (Kathleen York) is a French flight attendant who had affairs with both Harvey Bigsby and Orson Hodge while they were married to Carolyn Bigsby and Alma Hodge respectively. Upon finding out her son was cheating on Alma with Monique, Gloria Hodge went to Monique's house and murdered her by hitting her on the head with Mike Delfino's wrench. Mike had at the time been fixing Monique's sink and stepped out to get an extra part. Gloria convinced Orson that she had killed Monique in self defense and upon Mike's return, Orson paid him and ushered him out of the house quickly so that he and Gloria could bury Monique. The presence of Mike's phone number written on Monique's hand implicated Mike in Monique's death. Monique had written his phone number on her arm so that "she would not forget his phone number". Bree finds Monique's teeth under Alma's floorboards as Gloria had removed them so that police couldn't identify Monique's body.
Robert Falati (Anthony Azizi) was Danielle’s married 35 year old history teacher, with whom she has an affair. He leaves her after Bree pays him a little visit, persuading him (while blackmailing him) to leave her daughter.
Harvey Bigsby (Brian Kerwin) is Carolyn’s husband and a friend of Orson’s, who makes Carolyn apologize to Bree about telling Bree that Orson had killed Alma. Harvey confides in Orson he had an affair with Monique Polier, and is later questioned by police. Orson shares this information with Bree, who maliciously tells Carolyn. Carolyn then tracks Harvey down to the supermarket where he works as a manager with a gun. While holding customers hostage, Carolyn drinks wine and eats cookies, telling her hostages Harvey didn't want to have children with her and encouraged her to go on a diet while also lamenting other problems in their marriage.
Detective Ridley (Ernie Hudson) is the detective investigating the murder of Monique Polier. When Mike’s phone number turns up on Monique’s hand, Ridley investigates him and gets a search warrant for his house. However, he doesn’t find anything to build a case on but later catches Mike burying his tool box, and arrests him for Monique’s murder. Susan then implicates Orson but as Alma Hodge later is found dead with a suicide note, the case is considered solved. Mike and Ridley part ways with a handshake.
Keith Watson (Brian Austin Green) is the contractor who is helping Bree redecorate her house. Bree initially sees him as just an employee until he calls her "hot" and she begins to develop feelings for him. Whilst staring at him absentmindedly she backs her car over Juanita Solis. Andrew, who has witnessed the event, tells her that Keith is too young for her. Bree returns home and sees a shirtless Keith and fires him only to hire him back after a rather uncomfortable talk with Karen about sex and age differences. Bree begins to subtly flirt with Keith only to discover he has a girlfriend; she is upset but not surprised and agrees to go on a night out with Renee. Keith is also out and Renee attempts to pick him up. Bree is fine with this at first because he isn't single but when she learns he is she tries to warn Renee off but she doesn't listen. In an act of desperation Bree breaks her sprinkler system and calls for Keith's urgent assistance. While there, the two agree to go on a date. However, their date is ruined when Renee calls Danielle and Benjamin and invites them to stay at Bree's because she is lonely. Keith then goes on a date with Renee; Bree in turn sabotages the date by playing on Renee's fear of midgets and asking one of her church friends (who is a midget) to scare Renee. Renee admits defeat and backs away from Keith. Bree and Keith begin getting intimate. However, Bree is exhausted after many all-nighters of sex with Keith's unrestricted libido. When Bree reveals that she can't keep up with him, he confesses that he was only trying to impress her because Bree seemed too conservative and sophisticated for him. They tell each other that they like each other the way they are. However, when Bree discovers Keith actually has a son with a former girlfriend, she briefly hides this from him because she fears it could jeopardize their relationship. Eventually, though, Bree tells Keith the truth. Keith is upset when he learns his son is returning to Florida with his mother and asks Bree to move there with him. Bree refuses and is saddened that Keith has chosen to remain with Bree rather than be closer to his son. Bree tells Keith that his child comes first and the two end the relationship on loving terms. Keith moves to Florida.
Richard Watson (John Schneider) and Mary Wagner (Nancy Travis) are Keith's parents. Richard is retired from the army and Mary works as a Doctor.
Realising she has menopause, Bree visits a gynaecologist to discuss some therapies. She admits she is seeing a much younger man and idly converses about her fondness of Keith. She also assures she does not want Keith to find out about her menopause. However, when Keith takes her out to meet his parents, it transpires that her doctor is none other than Keith's mother Mary. As Mary becomes more drunk throughout the evening, she begins dropping more obvious hints, unsettling Bree, who eventually blurts out to Keith that she has menopause.
Mary visits Bree's house in "Sorry Grateful" to apologise for her behavior. She admits to her that her relationship with Richard is strained, with both of them regularly arguing and Keith is the 'only thing that they agree on'. When she says that herself and Richard will be alone at Thanksgiving, Bree invites them to eat with herself and Keith. However, Richard and Mary take jibes at each other over dinner and argue loudly, and the dinner ends with Mary declaring she wants a divorce and storming out.
Richard moves in with Keith following his separation from Mary and appears to be depressed and less willing to take care of himself. Taking pity on him, Bree invites him out to dinner with her and Keith. This becomes a regular routine, much to Keith's annoyance who wants to be alone with Bree. When Bree and Keith finally get an evening alone, Keith plans to propose to her with a ring brought with the food. However, Richard appears at the restaurant unannounced after Keith has arranged for the ring to be brought over. Bree attempts to set Richard up with one of her friends named Tracey, who she bumped into in the restaurant, but the two clash on various issues and evidently have little in common. Tracey finds the ring Keith has hidden in the food and an embarrassed Keith leaves the restaurant. Back at Keith's apartment, where Richard is alone with Bree, Richard subtly attempts to seduce her, claiming she would be better off with someone of her own age. Richard becomes jealous of Keith and when he is about to move in with Bree, he talks him out of it, claiming she may only be using him as a distraction. After Bree and Keith fall out, Richard arrives at Bree's house to finish the work in her back yard. While at her house, he attempts to kiss her. Bree rejects his advances and orders him to leave. She tells Keith, who drags Richard out of his van and attacks him while the residents of Wisteria Lane are staging a protest against Paul Young's Halfway House. Several protestors mistake Keith for a convict and attack him, ensuing a riot on the lane.
Amber James (Rochelle Aytes) is Keith's ex-girlfriend. She first appears at Bree's front garden asking to speak to Keith, claiming they are just 'old friends', but leaves in tears when Bree informs her she is his girlfriend. Bree visits her at her motel later, and it transpires that Amber has a son named Charlie (Sayeed Shahidi), who was fathered by Keith. Amber confides in Bree that she was afraid to tell Keith, not wanting to 'ambush' him with a kid, so Bree offers to tell him instead. However, she begins to fear she will lose Keith if she tells him, so she lies to Amber, saying that Keith does not want anything to do with Charlie. Bree gives Amber a cheque. In the following episode, Bree meets Amber and Charlie at a pizza parlor because the cheque will take five days to clear and she needs a cashier's check. Keith sees Bree's car outside and walks in whilst Amber is out of the room. He inadvertently ends up playing basketball with Charlie. Bree, seeing the bond between the two eventually feels compelled to tell him that Charlie is his son.
Chuck Vance (Jonathan Cake)[1] is introduced in season 7, episode titled "I'll Swallow Poison on Sunday" as an investigator on Wisteria Lane. He is in charge for keeping an eye on Felicia Tilman who has moved back onto the lane. When Juanita Solis calls the police and tells them Bree is trying to kill her and Celia (after Carlos tells her Bree's involvement in her grandmother's death), Detective Vance responds to the call at Bree's home. Carlos sorts everything out, explaining the girls misunderstood what he had told them. Detective Vance leaves and gives Bree his number. The Solises move out of Bree's and back with Carlos.
Chuck Vance later returns to give Bree his number again after assuming she'd lost it since he hasn't received a call from her. Bree then agrees to go out on a date with him that night and when Bree tells this to Renee, Renee runs a background check on Chuck and reveals to Bree he's still married (though he had filed for divorce a year ago). At dinner, Bree confronts Chuck with this information but Chuck retaliates by telling her he had also ran a background check on her, therefore becoming more aware of Bree's past. Offended, Bree abruptly ends their date. As Chuck drives her home, Chuck catches a hooker in the street and brings her back to the women's center. There, Chuck tells the hooker (who believes she'll be a hooker forever) that she can turn her life around, pretending to reveal Bree once was a prostitute and she had turned over a new leaf by going to school and starting a massive catering company. Moved by Chuck's whole-heartedly words, Bree gives Chuck a second chance and the two agree to go out on another date afterwards.
In the double-hour season finale, neighbor Lee McDermott tells Bree he recognizes her new detective beau as a gay man he has seen in local gay bars. Bree drops in on him at the police station, and her suspicions deepen. After a dinner date, Bree insists Chuck take her to a gay bar, where several patrons and a waiter recognize him. Chuck tells her he had worked undercover in the bar, and discloses his marriage broke down because his wife had been having an affair with his police partner.
At the end of the Season 8 episode "Putting It Together", Chuck Vance is hit by a car and left for dead.
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