Desperate Housewives – The Complete First Season
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: B Episodes: B
The prime time soap opera cycle of the 1980s came back in
a few shows afterwards, but had died for all intents and purposes, especially
with the shallow and cheap thrills of so-called reality TV. That soapy legacy extended to cable TV and
hit series Sex & The City, which had the advantage of being able to
be sexually explicit in language and nudity.
However, the show lacked a certain panache and if you subtract the cable
freedoms and liberties, the shows limits become obvious. This is why Desperate Housewives is a
hit, because it has the wit that series lacked, picking up where its
predecessor left off.
Both shows have the still-unusual feature of an all-female
cast, and again very able-bodied ones, though the ladies of this show are
slightly oppressed versus their freewheeling counterparts. That makes the show more interesting,
because you do not know when these women will try to exceed their domestic
limits to take action in a given situation.
The show begins with one of the ladies committing suicide, the same
woman who will narrate the series indefinitely. His is out of the Film Noir tradition, though the show is the
furthest thing from it, despite its dark streak.
Teri Hatcher was already a name star from both film and
TV, but instead of being overbearing in the ensemble cast, she fits in well
with terrific co-stars Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria and
Nicollette Sheridan. Those ladies have
had some commercial success before, but this show has brought them to a whole
new plateau, even Miss Hatcher. Creator
Marc Cherry is a very keen observer of human nature and how caddy people can
get, especially when they get a little emotionally crammed into a situation.
The 1.78 X 1 image is not bad for a TV series, with good
color, if not great depth al the time.
The look and production design always remind us that this is the
slightly plastic suburbs and that forwards the narrative nicely. The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is fine for a
show with this kind of with its voice over and dialogue-driven constant
conversations. Extras include select
commentaries by creator Cherry and his cast on select shows, some episodes that
are nicely extended & uncut, deleted scenes, five featurettes and maybe an
Easter Egg – or is that a candied apple?
I also like the slipcase, which is a clear plastic shell
with print all over, encasing a fold up with a satin-like cover that makes the
cast look like they are wearing similar dresses. Very clever and classy. Desperate
Housewives – The Complete First Season is a great package with extras more
along the lines of what we should see more often for TV on DVD all around.
- Nicholas Sheffo
