TV is the New Reading

Sex, murder – and religion – keep things hopping on ‘Desperate Housewives’

Last weekend the Katherine Mayfair storyline gained a little traction when it was revealed that Wisteria Lane’s newest cougar might have murdered her first husband, and her teenage lover at the time might have been a witness.
This was a most excellent storyline to jumpstart the midseason return of primetime soap “Desperate Housewives” on ABC Sundays.

Before the break, Wisteria Lane had suffered the devastation of a tornado that had torn lives apart and left residents reeling – Lynette Scavo, for one. Her crisis of faith – trying to comprehend how she survived both the disaster and her cancer – formed a backdrop against which Katherine’s storyline transistioned from a housewife livid in the wake of her husband’s infidelity to that of a murderous tart.

Of course, nothing is what it seems on Wisteria Lane, so even last Sunday’s set of revelations is probably only half the story. Katherine’s daughter is still desperate for answers to questions about her childhood – she’d have been 6 at the time of her father’s death and possible murder – and her stepfather, Adam Mayfair, isn’t being completely straight with her.

But that’s part of what keeps things hopping in Fairview.

Religion

Honestly, I thought Lynette’s spiritual quest was handled in a better light than most religious inquiry in pop culture – especially on “Desperate Housewives.” Generally, religious people are portrayed on the show as self-righteous, divisive, hypocritical and ineffectual.

When Lynette – a non-churchgoer – joined Bree and Bree’s family for services, she had questions she wanted answers to. So, after the sermon, she raised her hand, as would anyone who had questions to ask, and she had a brief theological debate with the pastor.

This, naturally, mortified Bree and she tried to apologize for what she saw as Lynette’s disruptive outburst. But quite to the contrary, Bree’s pastor was pleased with Lynette’s attention and interest and wanted to welcome her back.

The conversation about the strength one draws from cultivating an inner life, why bad things happen to good people, what meaning (if any) can be drawn from tragic and devastating loss, the exercise of freewill and how to count one’s blessings – there’s no time to explore these questions in an hour-long drama with the kind of attention they deserve.

But the fact that they were raised – and raised appropriately, not just for a cheap shot or an easy laugh – and the way they reconciled a small division between friends, this was one of the better conversations about faith and spirituality in primetime television that I’ve seen in recent memory.

I don’t see it becoming a big part of the writing on the show, but I felt its presence should be acknowledged and applauded.

“Desperate Housewives” airs at 8 p.m. Sundays on ABC.

Features Editor Terry J. Aman compiles the Best Bets for The Minot Daily News.

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