Desperate Housewives (ABC, Sunday 9 PM, DISH 245) has rebooted the series this season by leaping the storyline five years in the future, and viewers were rewarded with... the return of the endless Will Susan and Mike Get Together? storyline, just when we thought we had them safely married off and shut up. Oh, and Bree's having marital problems, again, some more, and Lynette's kids are Making Trouble again, some more.
There is one interesting twist: Gabrielle and Carlos Solis now have the children they were attempting to have in an earlier season. There are two little girls, Juanita and Celia annnnnd... they're overweight, Juanita in particular. So far, the issue been only lightly explored yet-- that of this looks-obsessed former model who has raised daughters who fall outside of society's definition of beauty.
In one episode, Gabrielle does attempt to help Juanita lose weight, but the writing didn't go much deeper than that. The show's powers that be may be holding onto the issue to deal with when Mommy herself undergoes a makeover later on in the season; Eva Longoria Parker, who plays Gabrielle, has hinted that the character will be "glamorous" again (in a recent episode, a voice- over smugly announced that "Gabrielle Solis had lost her looks." Apparently, "losing one's looks" consists of wearing a matte foundation and sweatpants.)
The story arc has the potential to truly delve into societal issues of beauty standards and parents' aspirations for their children. With some development, it could stand as a watershed moment in the series, but with a child actor in the mix and four other arcs on the Housewives landscape, it might not deserve the time it deserves.
