"Witch's Lament" is the Halloween installment of ABC's Desperate Housewives, and thus is spooky, containing ghosts and dark woods. In the episode, Bree (Marcia Cross) enlists Lynette (Felicity Huffman) and Gaby (Eva Longoria) to help her move Alejandro's (Tony Plana, who also directed this episode) body before Ben (Charles Mesure) disturbs the area with his new condos. Meanwhile, Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) tries to deny his alcoholism, which is triggered by his murder of Alejandro, and growing worse. He meets Allen (Scott Lawrence, JAG), who is willing to be his sponsor, if Carlos will let him.
Alejandro's murder is the slow-simmering mystery of the final season of Desperate Housewives. It's not a question of who killed the guy, as that is known by viewers and several characters alike. However, when will the other shoe drop? When will Alejandro be found? Will the wives or Carlos pay for his death? Will Chuck Vance (Jonathan Cake) be the one to catch them, or is there something he can do to help? Would he even want to help anymore?
In "Witch's Lament," this plot takes a huge twist when Bree, Lynette, and Gaby discover that someone has already dug up Alejandro. Many questions remain, such as who found the body? What did they do with it? Will Alejandro be turned over to law enforcement or used as blackmail? Is there any solid evidence to connect the main characters to the crime? Who is the man chasing them near the grave site?
Of course, Carlos should have just called the police in the first place. The circumstances and witnesses, his friends, would have likely been enough to clear him on the ground of self-defense. Yet, he didn't, and now it's far too late. Once the truth comes out, and at this point it seems almost certain that it will, someone will pay. Whether it will be just Carlos, who actually killed the man, or all of the wives, too, for helping to cover it up, remains to be seen.
Carlos is taking the murder harder than anyone, which is to be expected. He is, at heart, a good guy and a religious man, which causes him to feel deep guilt. Although the alcoholic plot has already been covered by Bree in an earlier season, it feels fresh when repeated under these circumstances. Anyone in his position would need some kind of escape from the pain and feeling of responsibility plaguing him, and alcohol is a handy balancer.
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Article comments
1 - Jaylen
This was a very good recap! You should write more on Desperate Housewives. So far, I'm enjoying this season tremendously. I especially like the fact that the writers seem to be giving Vanessa Williams a bit more to do as Renee!
2 - Jerome Wetzel
Thank you! This was my 2nd this season, and covered about 5 episodes last year. Hope to do more than 5, since it is the final season, but haven't been blown away a single week yet. Hoping they kick things up a notch as they move towards the end. I also love Williams, both on Ugly Betty, and as Renee.