One never knows where to start when reviewing something as interesting as a DVD set for “Desperate Housewives.” After all, being that it is one of the most popular shows on the planet, I would guess that everyone knows what it is about. So should I try and give you a little synopsis of what the show is about or not? Hmmm… well I could assume that you are like me and have only watched the show on DVD. After all, who in their right mind can stand to watch a show and sit through commercials and those incredibly pesky scrolling ads at the bottom of the screen? If you aren’t in the know already… “Desperate Housewives” is a nighttime soap opera. However, it is not your typical nighttime soap. This was evident at the moment we learned that the show’s narrator, Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong), was deceased. That’s right… the narrator of the show is stone cold dead. Oh sure, we see her from time to time in flashbacks and the like, but in the show’s timeline she is narrating from beyond the grave.

The women of Wisteria Lane are, as one might expect, somewhat devious and mentally screwed up. This is a fairly dangerous combination for any one woman, but when ALL the ‘Desperate Houswives’ share this trait it is a recipe for disaster. Over the last five seasons, there have been marriages, divorces, murders and all of the wonderful things that make a neighborhood a home. To understand it all, you simply need to watch.

As we moved into the end of the 4th season, creator Marc Cherry made yet another unusual move in telling his tales. The series jumped. No… not the proverbial shark… but 5 years. Yup, he opted to close out the season by jumping 5 years into the future. This paved the way for a whole new set of plot arcs, some of which leave you wondering what exactly happened as you began watching the 5th season. I have to give MC credit for taking such a huge leap of faith (and time)!

For the most part, this move worked to refresh the characters through the new season. But admittedly I was taken by two things… it took a little too long to get back into their lives as the first few episodes were kind of slow. It hit its stride about halfway through and started to pick back up and by the end of the 5th season the show was back in full swing. The 2nd item is the women themselves. All are lovely, but few of them look as though they are lovely without… some work, if you know what I mean. And in the case of one in particular, she actually spent the last 5 seasons looking like she had a little too much work. Admittedly she was more scary than pretty… and I’m sure fans of the series know who I mean.

The 6th season, for better or worse was not finding the show at the top of its game. What was working so well for the first few seasons has slowly been chipped away making it seem like an entirely different show. The interactions are still there, but way too many sub plots are finding their way in and less focus is being put on the main characters. The plotline about a strangler being loose in Wisteria is interesting, but not very. A new Family, the Bolens move into the neighborhood and from the start they seem an ominous addition to the cast.

The DVD release for the 6th season offers up some of the usual fair for extra features. There’s a look at producer Marc Cherry’s favorite scenes, a few deleted scenes and a nice selection of bloopers. The best of the features however, came in the form of the great Miss Piggy’s interviewing the cast of the series to find out how they got to be part of such a ‘hot show’. This is followed up be a bit of a behind the scenes featurette.
The 6th season of “Desperate Housewives” wasn’t a complete letdown. Not the best season, but not the worst. Some of the plotlines definitely kept my interest, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to see what the 7th season has in store.

Episodes:
Nice is Different Than Good
Being Alive
Never Judge a Lady by Her Lover
The God-Why-Don’t-You-Love-Me Blues
Everybody Ought to Have a Maid
Don’t Walk on the Grass
Careful the Things You Say
The Coffee Cup
Would I Think of Suicide
Boom Crunch
If…
You Gotta Get a Gimmick
How About a Friendly Shrink
The Glamorous Life
Lovely
The Chase
Chomolume #7
My Two Young Men
We All Deserve to Die
Epiphany
A Little Night Music
The Ballad of Booth
I Guess This is Goodbye

Starring: Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria
Extras: Bloopers; Deleted Scenes; Cherry-Picked; Miss Piggy Gets Desperate
Master Class
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1); Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: ABC Studio
Release Date: 9/21/2010
MPAA Rating: NR
http://www.DesperateHousewivesOnDVD.com

We'll give Desperate Housewives: Season 6 a C+.