Before 2004, Susan, Lynette, Bree & Gabrielle could’ve been a list of random names, but then Desperate Housewives arrived and everything changed. Those names are now considered staple characters of soapy 2000s TV dramedies. For eight years, the ladies of Wisteria Lane faced a handful of mysteries courtesy of the neighbors that kept coming and going. In Season 8, creator Marc Cherry upped the game by putting the housewives right at the center of the mystery.
The eighth and final season dealt with the aftermath of the murder of Gabrielle’s (Eva Longoria) abusive stepfather, Alejandro (Tony Plana). In an act of defense, Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira), Gabi's husband, killed the man with Susan (Teri Hatcher), Lynette (Felicity Huffman), and Bree (Marcia Cross) helping to cover it up by burying the body in the woods. Throughout the final season, they are taken through very different paths as they come to terms with their guilt. In “Give Me The Blame” and “Finishing The Hat,” the two final episodes, the ladies get their bittersweet ending.
What Happens to the Ladies in the Final Season of 'Desperate Housewives'?
Throughout the season, Susan engages in multiple self-destructive attitudes that draw suspicion to the women. But as frustrating as her actions are, it’s understood that her humanity and empathy make her the most deeply scarred. To make matters worse, instead of having one of its traditional disaster episodes, the show’s disaster was a personal loss for Susan. Mike (James Denton) is shot to death by a vengeful loan shark at her doorstep, leading to her decision to leave Wisteria Lane.
Lynette’s separation from Tom (Doug Savant) takes her to new levels of manipulation. After trying to drive a wedge between Tom and Jane (Andrea Parker), his new girlfriend, she gets his boss (Reed Diamond) to transfer him to India. She then prevents the transfer and Tom, without knowing she was the one who caused it in the first place, gets back with her. Bree is perhaps the housewife whose life is hit the hardest. After hiding some information from her friends, they turn their back on her. Bree spirals back into alcoholism, considers suicide as a way out, and goes back to her manipulative ex-husband, Orson Hodge (Kyle McLachlan), for solace. To make matters worse, she is then accused of being the sole person responsible for Alejandro’s murder. In the process, she forms a bond with Trip (Scott Bakula), her lawyer.
Ironic as it may be, Gabrielle is the least affected by the murder; at least, that's the impression she gives off. For most of the season, she continues her selfish shenanigans as a way to cope with her trauma. But in the end, she and Carlos feel the moral obligation to confess in Bree’s trial and decide to do it to keep her out of prison. Long-time neighbor and friend Karen McCluskey (Kathryn Joosten) has been diagnosed with cancer again, and the housewives agreed to care for her in her last days. Moved by this act of love and friendship, she steps up to save the day and confesses to having killed Alejandro. It’s decided she won’t be prosecuted as she has such little time left and Bree is acquitted.
The Ladies Decide To Move On From Wisteria Lane
Much-deserved focus goes to Renee (Vanessa Williams) in the final episode, with her wedding to Ben (Charles Mesure) taking place. Having grown out of her hostility during the last season, she evolves to being still ruthless but caring of her friends and family. She is arguably the best of the “fifth leading lady” gang, followed by Edie (Nicolette Sheridan) and Katherine (Dana Delany). The wedding serves as a big moment of celebration for the group, even for those who didn’t make it, like Susan, for she was at the hospital as her daughter Julie (Andrea Bowen) delivered her baby. It even served to celebrate Mrs. McCluskey’s last wish, to finally rest in peace.
After the last party together comes the final poker game. The housewives accept Susan is leaving, and make a promise that this will not be the last time they play together. Unfortunately, it is, as Mary Alice (Brenda Strong) reveals in her voiceover that they never get the chance to have another poker game. Bittersweet as it is, it’s implied their lives take them in separate but very fulfilling directions.
What Happens to the Ladies After They Leave Wisteria Lane?
Lynette is offered her dream job by Katherine, their former neighbor. A few weeks after Susan leaves, Lynette moves to New York, living with Tom next to Central Park where, later in life, she takes her six grandchildren to play. Gabrielle, after discovering her true calling as a personal shopper, creates her own shopping website. This leads to her having a TV show, and she eventually moves with Carlos to a mansion in California. Trip got to know every aspect of Bree during the trial, not just the perfect side she always forces herself to show. After getting together in the final episode, they later marry and move to Kentucky, where Bree embarks on a political career.
Susan’s departure focuses on the present, and we never get to see what her future holds. But as she leaves, the most powerful scene of the finale plays out. All the ghosts of Wisteria Lane watch her as she drives by. Good, bad, or grey, all of them left a mark on the neighbors’ lives. It’s a reminder of mortality and the choices that are made in life that, once we’re gone, can never be undone.
In true Desperate Housewives fashion, the closing scene reveals the new owner of Susan’s house (Lindsey Kraft) has a secret of her own, as she hides a wooden box in her garage. This was not intended to be a seed for a possible spin-off, just a reminder that Wisteria Lane, as perfect as it may seem, would continue being the place where secrets would lie and hope to never be discovered. After all, Desperate Housewives was a reflection of suburban life; and, as in every life, there aren’t perfect endings.