Plot: What’s it about?
It’s strange to me how some things in life really make an impact and others don’t. I’ll need to clarify that, I’m sure. I remember all the “buzz” surrounding this new show called Desperate Housewives. Everyone was talking about it. As it turns out, that was way back in 2004 and a lot has changed since then. What the show did was give viewers something to long for each and every week. As I’ve said in so many of my TV on DVD (Blu-ray) reviews, of all the pilots, ideas and ill-fated plans for television it does take a certain breed of show that can not only make it on the air, but be successful at the same time. The show came on in the same season as others like Lost and House, both of which have had their moment in the sun as well. Heck, maybe looking back on it 2004 was a pretty good year to launch a television show!
I’ll go on the assumption that if you’re reading this review, then you’re a fan of the show and I’ll freely admit that the last time I watched this show was during its initial season and, as mentioned, that’s been eight years ago. I don’t really have an in-depth knowledge of what’s happened to the four main stars, though I do remember seeing ads for the show showcasing it over the years as certain characters have, well, died. The last season of any show will do its best to wrap up any loose ends and that’s what we find here. The nuts and bolts of the final season shows the four main stars: Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman, as they try to cope and deal with the murder and subsequent cover up of the murder from last season. Like it or not, believe it or not, Desperate Housewives is no more!
Video: How does it look?
Desperate Housewives is shown in a 1.78:1 anamorphic image that looks surprisingly good. I was able to grab an episode off the DVR (shown in HD) to do a comaparison between the DVD and how it appears over the air and I do have to give the edge to the OTA broadcast. Again, that’s shown in HD and this is in standard resolution (why they don’t do more shows on Blu-ray is beyond me). That said, colors and bold and bright and there’s enough detail to showcase some of the aging that the ladies have gone since I last the show in its first season. By no means will viewers be disappointed, I’m just a bit shocked that the series isn’t on Blu-ray. Or maybe that’s something for future plans so fans can buy it all over again in Blu-ray? Who knows.
Audio: How does it sound?
There are other television shows out there that sound as good as (and, in some cases, better) feature films. Unfortunately Desperate Housewives isn’t one of them. While the included Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is certainly nothing to bawk at, it just doesn’t seem to have the depth that some of the other shows on TV have. Granted, this isn’t really a show made for dynamic audio, so I wasn’t really too let down. Dialogue is crisp and fresh, without any distortion. Surrounds chime in on very few occasions to add just the slightest bit of depth and the LFE are virtually non-existent. It’s essentially what you’d expect from a series like this on DVD.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Rounding out this series finale are a few supplements of note. We start off with a commentary by Marc Cherry as he “shares his insights on the show’s final episode.” As I’ve mentioned, I really haven’t kept up with the series since the first season, so I think Mr. Cherry is a bit more sentimental about it than I was. The main draw is “I Guess This is Goodbye” as we have some reflections from the cast and crew about the show, its critical and commercial success and their personal memories about the last eight years of their lives. Rounding out the supplements are some bloopers and several deleted scenes.
