The BEST episodes of Desperate Housewives
Every episode of Desperate Housewives ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Desperate Housewives!
In the town of Fairview there's a street called Wisteria Lane; a peaceful cul-de-sac with manicured lawns and beautiful houses. It's a place where you know all your neighbors and your neighbors know all about you. It's the perfect suburban fantasy. But, behind every picket fence there are secrets. And, in every seemingly happy home, you'll find jealousy, lust, passion, and sometimes... murder.
#1 - Bang
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/5/2006
Everyone's lives on Wisteria Lane are forever changed when Carolyn Bigsby holds shoppers hostage at a local supermarket. Meanwhile, Gabrielle and Carlos finish dividing their assets: Gabrielle gets the house, and Carlos gets everything in it. Susan is preparing to go to Paris with Ian.
#2 - Finishing the Hat
Season 8 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/13/2012
Everything that begins must eventually end. This episode of beginnings and endings walks us both backwards and forwards as we take our final stroll down Wisteria Lane.
#3 - Free
Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/18/2008
After Katherine announces that she has to leave town, Bree is left responsible for catering Bob and Lee's wedding. Gabrielle finds $118,000 in Ellie's teddy bear. Susan realizes she will soon lose someone she loves. Katherine Mayfair's secrets are finally revealed, and several residents of Wisteria Lane are faced with deadly threats.
#4 - Give Me the Blame
Season 8 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/13/2012
Bree's trial finally comes to an end with a surprise confession. Tom takes steps to finalize his divorce.
#5 - Something's Coming
Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/2/2007
A tornado comes to Wisteria Lane, forcing residents into basements, cellars and safe rooms, and destroying homes and lives. Meanwhile, Susan ends up at the hospital after falling down the stairs.
#6 - Come On Over for Dinner
Season 7 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/15/2011
The Wisteria Lane residents each enjoy a progressive dinner; Renee begins a short-lived relationship with a bartender; Bree sees a connection with Chuck; the housewives cover up a fatal accident.
#7 - A Weekend in the Country
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/8/2006
It is a holiday weekend on Wisteria Lane. Bree and Orson are going on their honeymoon, while Gabrielle and Lynette are going a spa vacation and Tom is going on a camping trip with the kids. Meanwhile Susan is going on a quiet romantic getaway with Ian, not sure if she's cheating on Mike. However, things don't go as planned.
#8 - One Wonderful Day
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/22/2005
Bree confides that she feels guilty because she and Rex were having a fight when he had his heart attack and that now he needs a pacemaker. Lynette's marriage takes a dramatic turn after an upset Tom vows that it is now her turn to go back to work and he'll be staying home with the kids. Carlos finally learns that John and Gabrielle have been lovers for a while, and vows revenge as he is carted off to jail. Mike takes Paul out to a deserted quarry, intending to shoot him.
#9 - I Remember That
Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/11/2007
Ian proposes to Susan. The Scavo pizzeria prepares for its grand opening. Mike visits a hypnotherapist in hopes of remembering Monique. Gabrielle's romantically interested in a lawyer, but he's working for Zach who wants her for himself. Bree is hospitalized after a fall, after being tricked to climb on a ladder to retrieve Monique's teeth.
#10 - Children and Art
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/12/2006
Lynette returns home from the hospital. Gabrielle decides to get back into modeling and travels to New York. Susan comes home to find Austin and Julie making out on her couch. Bree meets her antagonistic mother-in-law Gloria, with whom Orson is in a quarrel. Detective Ridley has Mike's house searched.
#11 - Into the Woods
Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/6/2007
Susan goes into the woods to try to find Mike. Gabrielle gets into an argument with a meter man who gives her a ticket. Victor is elected mayor, and Gabrielle goes back to teach the meter man a lesson. Edie's ex-husband comes back to collect Travers. Lynette realizes she has feelings for another man.
#12 - Distant Past
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/25/2007
A mysterious stalker from Adam's past shows up on Wisteria Lane, and they have dinner. Detectives question Gabrielle about Victor's whereabouts. Danielle's baby puts stress on Bree and Orson's marriage. Lynette has a reunion with her long-lost stepfather, Glen. Susan notices Mike is behaving strangely.
#13 - Liaisons
Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 4/15/2007
Susan considers moving from Wisteria Lane to London. Later, an accident causes Ian, Susan, and their car to find themselves stranded in a lake. Tom feels threatened by the interest a new Scavo's Pizzeria employee Rick shows in Lynette. While debating his opponent in the mayoral election, Victor Lang witnesses something disturbing.
#14 - I Guess This Is Goodbye
Season 6 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/16/2010
Gaby risks her safety to help Angie; Lynette's fate and that of her unborn child lie in the hands of Eddie; Susan comes to grips with her financial woes; Bree considers confessing a secret she's harbored for years; and Angie must submit to Patrick's demands in order to protect her son.
#15 - Now I Know, Don't Be Scared
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/4/2007
This is the show's first Halloween episode. Edie Britt's biggest fear comes true when Carlos walks out on their relationship. Susan finds Mike's father, who was supposedly dead. Danielle goes into labor right in the middle of the Halloween party... and somebody has to deliver the baby.
#16 - No One Is Alone
Season 2 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/14/2006
Reaching the end of her rope, Bree checks herself into the Fairview psychiatric hospital. Lynette suspects that Tom is cheating on her, so she follows him to Atlantic City. Susan must start over. Felicia Tilman has more in store for Paul Young, resulting in their war reaching its final battle. Gaby and Carlos get Xiao-Mei pregnant.
#17 - The Ballad of Booth
Season 6 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/9/2010
Lynette comes to a shocking realization about Eddie. Meanwhile, Angie discreetly relies on Gaby for help when Patrick threatens the life of her son; Bree offers Sam a generous payoff to walk away; and Susan and Mike's financial woes result in the ultimate sacrifice.
#18 - The Gun Song
Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 5/18/2008
Susan and Mike try to name their son. Lynette is arrested for supposedly attacking Kayla, and Tom must do what he can to save his family. Bree is being stalked by Orson, and when she meets with Reverend Green, the reverend tries to hit on her. In the meantime, Gabrielle is still helping the police trying to detain Ellie for dealing drugs. Finally, Katherine is visited by her ex-husband, Wayne.
#19 - Sweetheart, I Have to Confess
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/29/2006
Susan professes her love for Ian. Gabrielle and Carlos try to rekindle their love. Bree is confronted with Orson's past. In the meantime, Nora and Lynette go to war.
#20 - You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/11/2007
Lynette's sisters Lydia and Lucy come to visit. While having dinner with Susan and Mike, Bree and Orson realize they share different views on whether their newborn baby should be circumcised. On a boat, Victor confronts Gaby about her affair with Carlos and she throws him into the ocean. Later, Bree informs Susan that she thinks Mike is addicted to drugs.
#21 - Gossip
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/29/2007
Susan goes to the therapist and realizes she must choose between Ian and Mike. Travers is having a birthday party which only spells trouble for Mrs. McCluskey, Gabrielle's engagement party is upstaged by an unexpected announcement and the neighborhood is full of gossip about the dead body found on Wisteria Lane.
#22 - The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened
Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/18/2009
When Eli Scruggs (Beau Bridges), the neighborhood handyman, passes away, the residents of Wisteria Lane realize how much he affected their lives.
#23 - Not While I'm Around
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/14/2007
Bree isn't happy Alma has moved to Wisteria Lane. Gabrielle's secret admirer is revealed. The new Scavo Pizzeria faces an uncertain future. Julie and Austin go to Edie about giving them parental consent to buy birth control pills.
#24 - Goodbye for Now
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/15/2005
Susan and Mike decide to move in together, much to Edie's displeasure. Meanwhile, Lynette takes steps to make sure Annabel doesn't come between her and Tom. Also, Bree comes to a realization about her "buddy" George the pharmacist who continues to interfere in her and Rex's lives. Carlos' legal problems take a turn for the worse, when Gabrielle decides to leave him. Mrs. Huber's journal reveals some secrets. Lastly, two new faces arrive on Wisteria Lane.
#25 - Remember (1)
Season 2 - Episode 23 - Aired 5/21/2006
Flashbacks take us back to to moving-in day on Wisteria Lane for Bree, Lynette, Susan and Gabrielle and how Mary Alice brought them all together. Back in the present, Bree gets some frightening news. Susan moves into a trailer after her house was burnt down. Lynette and the kids are staying at a hotel. After seeing a report on the news, Gabrielle believes Carlos died. Paul begs Zach to get him a good lawyer via Noah.