Desperate Housewives: The Complete Fourth Season

Desperate Housewives is back, and a season four seems to be a bit hotter than previous runs. This year, the Emmy Award-winning ladies of Wisteria Lane bump things up a level, in everything from steamy sexiness to claw-sharpening drama, and a long walk down the dark side of suburban life.

The biggest news of the season is the return of an old resident of the neighborhood, Katherine Mayfair (played fabulously wickedly by Dana Delaney), who can't seem to escape from her abusive past. Of course the primetime soap explores her relationship with current residents, while all the while plenty of additional drama is swirling around like a twisted tornado. In a nutshell, Susan (Teri Hatcher) becomes unexpectedly pregnant, Bree (Marcia Cross) pretends to be pregnant so that she can then raise her teenage daughter's expected child as her own, Lynette's (Felicity Huffman) cancer is causing problems in her marriage and friendships, and the battle between Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) and Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) over Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) sinks to even lower lows.

Of course all this drama is deliciously twisted, catty, and addictive- and if you haven't seen the controversial time-jumping season finale "Free," you best run out and buy this set now, or be forced to give up your gay card.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Finicky fans will be happy to know that Disney didn't skimp on extras in this five-disc set. Getting Desperate From beginning to End was much more interesting- and entertaining- that I expected, as viewers step onto Wisteria Lane and discover how an episode of the show is made- from concept to completion. Aside from getting a peak into the women's hair, makeup, and wardrobe transformations, we're also given exclusive access to a casting session, see the writers in action, and learn how they pulled off the special effects in the powerful season finale.

Not quite as riveting and a bit cheese-ball, the Couples Commentary feature is billed as a way for viewers to "get to know the real people behind the characters." In reality, it's a somewhat interesting series of sessions with most of the onscreen couples as they talk about their favorite moments from Season Four.

I got excited when I saw that one of the special features was titled The Men of Wisteria Lane, and even more so when I saw that it involved filming the sexy guys as they spent a night in a bowling alley in Hollywood. Unfortunately this wasn't a slumber party- at least not as I fantasized- but rather a "guy's night out" with the neighborhood men shooting the breeze and "revealing secrets" of the show, and a bit of their personal lives.

Of course there's the standard Deleted Scenes and Bloopers, all of which deserve watching, and some of the latter ranking up there with the best.

If you love the show or you've never seen it, you owe it to yourself to pick up Season Four. It's a knockout, and a piece of gay history!

Well, it's all been good up until the 4th season. We get "jipped" on episodes, the price, and now it appears the writing has been slapped together. I finished watching the 4th season tonight, left with a frustrated and unhappy feeling. Is this the way they want their fans to feel? The last few discs felt as if they weren't thought out very well. Obviously the last episode sucked. DON'T read the review if you don't want it spoiled... but 5 YEARS LATER they show them? Part of it was realistic and part of it was plain STUPID! Mike gone? Gabby with 2 heavy kids? Lynette's boy in Juvy? Lynette and Tom go through the Kayla deal - they both know what they have to do now before the kids become this way. Come on! Think about it fans, after Gabby being a model and a health nut - she wouldn't just let her children be unhealthy and she wouldn't even have children! If she did, it wouldn't be 2 (even if they adopted). What were the writer's doing on strike? Smoking? I WILL NOT be buying or watching the 5th season. I should of rented this from the library and $AVED my money! My advice: if you own seasons 1-3 RENT the 4th season and make your own decision to buy it or not. Really, if you stopped at season 3 you're still getting the best of ALL the seasons! SAVE your money - yes, the money that Americans aren't quite making like the writers are AND thanks to our economy!

We all know this show is simply awesome... but seriously what is with the price? $38.99? For what? Past seasons have sold at the same price, BUT they had 20+ episodes. This season only has 17 due to the writer's strike. I don't think it's fair to charge fans more, for whatever reason!

funny, dark and a great satire on suburbia, Desperate Housewives is one of the best shows on television.

What's with this price? We are paying per-episode and runtime, right? Yikes. The sale price at $39 and the original price at $59?????

Great show... possibly the only one I watched last year... but come on* If writers strike isn't enough... the whole we're-probably-in-a-recession thing should score some discount points.