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Monday, January 31, 2005

I’d been avoiding “Desperate Housewives.” When I first heard of the show in late October, it had already become a hit. Now, the surest way to keep me from watching a show is to tell me that all of America loves it. I watch too much TV as it is (it didn’t used to be that way, but when you have a TV-addicted boyfriend, it’s easy to slide into sloth - although my lack of protest might be telling), and I’m not about to let the great unwashed masses determine how I use the remainder of my valuable time. A couple of years ago I finally watched 10 minutes of “CSI.” I was at my parents’ house and they had it on. I can’t remember what I thought of the show; I was too busy feeling smug.

Snobbiness wasn’t the only reason I avoided “Desperate Housewives.” I’m hesitant to begin watching a show with complicated plotlines if I’ve missed several episodes. I hate jumping in mid-stream. I’m pop-culturally tone-deaf as it is, and not understanding the plot just makes things worse. That’s why it took me so long to start watching “Buffy.”

Then the whole Nicolette Sheridan/NFL thing happened, which shot “Desperate Housewives” into the pop-cultural stratosphere. My resentment at the show (and at myself) only increased. There was no way I’d begin watching now.

But a couple of weeks ago I was at my parents’ house and they were watching it. So I sat on the couch and, for the first time, I saw it. And I liked it. It was smartly-written, well-acted, and funny, and there are hot guys. How stupid I’d been!

Since then I’ve seen a couple of episodes. And now (sigh) I’m going to have to watch the rest of the season, including repeats. By May, I should be caught up enough to appreciate the season finale.

And then I can engage in conversation around the proverbial water cooler at work.

I guess just because America likes something doesn’t mean it sucks.

At least, not always.

Permanent Link: Desperately  11:05 AM |




6 drops of oil

  1. I started watching the show maybe a month ago, and caught up via bittorrenting past episodes. And, i couldn’t even tell you what the whole “Nicolette Sheridan/NFL” thing is.

    There are certainly hot guys (landscape boy). But, the writing is even better. Funny wise, it’s second only to Arrested Development, imo.

    rob@egoz.org

    Donated by rob adams
    1/31/05 @ 11:19 AM


  2. I caught the premiere purely by accident (I was home, it came on, I needed background noise) and have been hooked ever since. In fact, I was moved to write about it the next day. It’s not perfect, but it’s just so much fun. Why not watch?

    Donated by Jere
    1/31/05 @ 11:25 AM


  3. The writing is really good for Desperate Housewives. I like Lost for the same reason, as well as Matthew Fox, my future ex-husband.

    Donated by homer
    1/31/05 @ 11:58 AM


  4. I’m almost over DH by now. I’m intrigued by a couple of the mysteries — what did happen to Dana, and who was Mike’s dead old girlfriend? — but the individual storylines mostly feel pretty stale. I’m rooting for Lynnette to drown the kids in the bathtub, I don’t exactly get Gabrielle’s conflict (leave the fucking suburbs, you stupid bitch, and go back to being a top model who makes her own money and sleeps with whatever young studs she wants), Susan’s doesn’t seem to have much to do for a stretch now that she’s with Mike, and I stopped liking Bree so much when they started reveling in how Republican she is.

    I’m all about the Veronica Mars.

    Donated by Mike Benedetto
    1/31/05 @ 12:06 PM


  5. Kristen Bell

    Desperate Housewives is great trashy fun.

    Donated by David Ehrenstein
    1/31/05 @ 5:08 PM


  6. Desperate Housewives is the only show that I schedule my life around. However, it walks a very fine line, and one wrong turn and I’ll be the first one bailing out.

    Since the show’s creator is a big gay Republican, when the plots go south I’ll blame it all on that.

    Donated by Brian
    2/1/05 @ 2:36 PM