Chromolume No. 7

Chromolume No. 7 is the 128th episode of the ABC television series, Desperate Housewives. It is the seventeenth episode of the show's sixth season and aired on March 14, 2010. This episode gathered 12.01 million Americans according to Nielsen Media Research.

Plot

The episode begins with the Scavo family preparing for Preston's return from Europe. When he arrives from the airport, however, they are surprised to find his European souvenir is not only a new moustache but is also Irina (Helena Mattsson), a beautiful Russian girl who Lynette says is "out of his league". Later, Lynette and Tom discover that while in Paris Preston helped pay for Irina to undergo selective surgery, and showers her with nice things. While Tom seems fine with this, Lynette is not, and is worried that her son is being manipulated. The next evening, Preston tells his parents that he has proposed to Irina and she has said yes. He asks for his grandmother's cherished ring that Lynette promised to him when he gets engaged. Lynette does not want to give the ring to Preston for fear that the marriage will not last. She goes to a jewellery shop and asks the salesclerk to make a glass replica of the ring, hoping that when Irina receives it she will have it appraised and leave Preston, thinking he is out of money. However, Irina is a smart girl, and instead of leaving she returns the ring to Lynette saying she couldn't possibly take a family heirloom, and asks Lynette to save it for Penny. She then tells Preston he can buy her a new ring, and exchanges a threatening look with Lynette.

Gabrielle is approached by Angie, who is taking a cab to New York to find Danny. Gaby tags along after discovering that Ana knows she sabotaged her relationship with Danny by bribing her with modeling. In New York, Gaby reveals to Angie that she used to be a model. She introduces her to Heidi Klum, who wants nothing to do with Gaby due to a stunt Gaby pulled that lost Heidi a cover on Sports Illustrated way back when. Later, at a restaurant, Gaby runs into her old agent and Paulina Porizkova, and is shocked to find Paulina despises her as well due to Gaby acting like a spoiled brat on a photo shoot the two did together in Brazil. Gaby's agent, Luke, tells her that she was the "queen bitch" during her reign of New York, and everyone got sick of it. Gaby says she didn't realize how mean she was when Luke reminds her that she left modeling not because she fell in love, but because she knew Carlos could give her money when she knew her career was ending. Gaby insists this isn't true, but Luke says it is, and because he's her friend he encouraged her to marry him, because he didn't want to see her lose everything. After a self-evaluation, Gaby decides to change her attitude for good, and pushes Ana, who quit modeling, to try again so as not to waste her one shot. While at Angie's mother's home, Gaby tells the old woman next door who Angie is per her inquiring. On the plane ride back home, Gaby learns of Angie's past.

Bree's son Andrew becomes increasingly jealous of Sam, especially when Bree promotes Sam to vice president, telling Andrew he can share the job with Sam. At a party for Sam, Andrew gets drunk and pushes him. Sam becomes slightly injured. Bree brings a muffin basket as an apology to Sam's house and finds a picture of him as a toddler with her dead husband, Rex van de Kamp. Demanding an explanation, Bree learns that Sam is Rex's son. Hurt, she goes home, but finds Sam there later that night. She learns from him that Rex got his girlfriend pregnant before leaving her for Bree, and his offer to help financially was turned down. After a couple times of seeing Sam, he stopped because it was too painful. Sam reveals he would drive by the van de Kamp home and watch Bree and Rex and their children, wishing he was part of their home. After Bree learns that Sam's mother died six months ago, she invites him inside so they can drink hot cocoa and talk. An angry looking Andrew watches from the window as the two hug.

Susan reveals to Mike she has paid off his loan with money she got from Karl's strip club, which upsets him. Later that day, she pays a visit to Katherine, and discovers that she had sex with Robin. When she tells Mike, she mentions that Katherine probably realized she liked women after being with Mike, saying he is always so gentle when making love. This upsets Mike who insists he is not in touch with his feminine side. To prove this, he later pulls Susan onto the kitchen counter and attempts to rip her shirt off before making love, but finds he cannot tear the shirt and falls off the counter. He tells Susan that when she paid off the loan he felt like he wasn't providing for his family. Susan promises to cancel the check the next day, and the two kiss.

Katherine is unsure about her state of mind and whether or not she is a lesbian. She talks to Bob and Lee who insist that because she isn't sure that she isn't lesbian. Katherine takes joy in this, blaming it on intoxication. When Robin arrives home that night, Katherine tells her they only had sex because she was drunk, but hopes to remain friends. Robin doesn't believe that, and insists they had a connection. Robin then kisses Katherine, who agrees.

Angie goes with Gabrielle to New York. She meets with her mother, Mrs. DeLuca, whom Danny and Ana have been staying with. Angie wants to take Danny back, but her mother wants Danny to stay with them. Angie tells her Patrick Logan will find them and hurt Danny, Mrs. DeLuca says if there was anyone Patrick would want to hurt it would be Angie, not Danny. Angie then tells her mother a secret she never told her, which convinces her to make Danny go back with Angie. On the plane ride back to Fairview, Angie reveals to Gaby the truth: when she was eighteen, she was very heavily into the environment. She met a bad guy, implied to be Patrick Logan, and someone was killed during their protests. She met Nick and ran off, scared to return. When Gaby asks who the bad man was, Angie replies it was Danny's father.

At the end of the episode, the old woman Gaby talked to about Angie makes a phone call to "Mr. Logan", reminding him that he told her to call should she ever see Mrs. De Luca's daughter in town.

International titles

• Polish : Przypadkowe spotkanie (Accidental Encounter)
• Italian: Rivelazioni (Revelations)
• French : Sous le vernis (Under the veneer)
• German:: Das Souvenir (The souvenir)
• Hungarian: Aki bújt, aki nem... (If You've Hidden, If You Haven't...)

Reception

This episode was watched by 12.01 million viewers on its original airing, the highest rating for this season since "You Gotta Get a Gimmick".