Stephen Brook
Now that Deep Throat has finally emerged, laying to rest the great Watergate whodunnit, and a new book has revealed the identity of Jack the Ripper (again), one last mystery beguiles us - why did Mary Alice Young, that apparent paragon of American motherhood, calmly take out her gun after cleaning the house from tip to toe and shoot herself in the opening moments of Desperate Housewives?
Fans of the suburban melodrama will find out tonight when the series' season finale airs in a triple helping at 8pm, 10pm and 11.05pm. Nice one, Channel 4.
I love this programme because, above all, it is so skilfully done. And there is something deliciously pleasurable about slowly peeling away the skin of a deeply concealed mystery week after week. But its widespread appeal has surprised me, particularly the number of middle-aged men who cheerfully admit to watching the programme with their wives.
However, its widespread popularity can be easily explained. Women watch it because they love it, the programme's little morality tales about suburbia really speak to them. Their husbands watch it supposedly under sufferance but because they secretly fancy the snazzy housewives and can rate them with their mates after football chat has dried up. Pensioners watch it because they love a mystery and Agatha Christie ain't writing them anymore. Girls watch it for the fashion, boys watch it for a glimpse of Gabrielle or Edie's chest, gays watch it for a glimpse of Mike's chest, or more hopefully John's.
If you are feeling bereft after tonight and want to know more about Desperate Housewives and its place in cultural history, the always excellent TV Tome site has all the facts, including that Mary Alice was first played by none other than Sheryl Lee, who played another great corpse, Laura Palmer, in Desperate Housewives' worthy predecessor, Twin Peaks.
Apparently, all will be revealed about Mary Alice tonight. Or will it? My money is on a cliffhanger, in the best traditions of Dallas, possibly to a mystery we didn't even know existed. I haven't the foggiest what we will find out tonight. I wouldn't tell you if I did. But I'm desperate to find out.
