The Lies Ill-Concealed
"The Lies Ill-Concealed" is the 153rd episode of the ABC television series, Desperate Housewives. It is the nineteenth episode of the show's seventh season and aired on April 24, 2011.
| "The Lies Ill-Concealed" | |
|---|---|
| Desperate Housewives episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 19 |
| Directed by | Larry Shaw |
| Written by | David Schladweiler |
| Original air date | April 24, 2011 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
Plot
Susan is told by her doctor that she can't have sex for six weeks following her kidney transplant. She ends up having a sexy dream about Paul and wakes up in shock. Mike reveals that she has been moaning in her sleep and, believing that she was dreaming about him, asks her for details. However, Susan manages to stop him asking by saying that she will show him when they can have sex again in two days time.
Later, Susan goes to pick up M.J. from Karen's and asks her to watch him again on Wednesday. Karen agrees, explaining that she knows that is the night Mike and Susan can have sex again. Susan is embarrassed, but as she leaves Karen points out that Susan's old house - rented by Paul - is messy. Susan goes over to check on Paul and, while she is waiting for him to answer the door, picks up his newspapers for him. She is surprised when he opens the door and she is face to face with his crotch. However, she notices that he is thin and behind on his chores and asks if he is alright. Paul insists that he is fine. Later, Susan tells Mike that Paul seems run down but Mike admits that he doesn't care, pointing out that Paul has behaved badly towards them in the past. He asks Susan to stay away from Paul. However, that night Susan has another sexy dream about Paul. At her next doctor's appointment, she asks if the dreams are normal. Her doctor suggests that her dreams are telling her to make sure Paul is all right and admits that they might not stop until she does. Susan goes to see Paul and eventually he reluctantly agrees to let her in. Susan, noticing that his house is a mess, decides to help him make a potato and leek soup. As they eat, Susan says they should start having meals together again. She suggests that Paul could become the friendly neighbor she used to have once more. Meanwhile, Mike drops off M.J. at Karen's house and is shocked to see through the window that Susan and Paul are together. He storms over there and Susan spots him. She goes outside and explains that Paul is suffering and has no-one. Mike is angry and claims that Paul is dangerous, but Susan says she doesn't need to be rescued and refuses to leave someone who is hurting. She goes back inside. Later, she returns home and is surprised to see a romantic meal laid out. Mike admits that he thought about it and realised that he can't be mad at Susan for being kind and compassionate. He carries her to the bedroom.
Lynette is thrilled when she discovers that Tom has been invited to an important leadership conference and that she can go too. When they arrive, they meet Bob and Lee. Lynette goes to stand in the line for a drink and reads the conference program over somebody's shoulder. She begins chatting to the woman holding it and explains that she is looking forward to the keynote speaker, Chris Cavanaugh. The woman agrees and introduces herself as Meg Butler, the president of Amtec. Lynette explains that she is with her husband, and Meg immediately becomes rude, explaining that Lynette won't see Chris Cavanaugh because the seminars are not available to plus ones. Lynette is surprised and Meg explains that it is because some people spent their lives working up the corporate ladder and others just married someone who did. Lynette is furious but Lee manages to drag her away. Lynette ends up attending yoga, salsa dancing and flower arranging with the other plus ones and gets more and more frustrated. Eventually, she tries to persuade the other plus ones to storm the seminars with her, saying that they are in 21st century America, not an oppressive patriarchal regime. However, the organizers quickly offer the plus ones cocktails and they are distracted. Lynette gives up and takes a drink too. Later, she finds Tom and asks if he can pull some strings to get her into the Chris Cavanaugh talk but he admits that there is nothing he can do. One of the organizers arrives and drags Lynette away to the spa. While she is there, Lynette overhears Meg talking on the phone, explaining that she is going to spend time in the spa before going to Chris Cavanaugh's speech. While she is in a jacuzzi, Lynette steals Meg's pass and stuffs her clothes in a bin. She arrives at the speech and is ushered to a seat in the front row. However, she is shocked when the person on stage announces that Meg is going to introduce Chris. She gets up on stage and admits that she isn't Meg, before making a cringe-worthy introductory speech. She is interrupted when Meg arrives in her dressing gown, shouting that Lynette stole her pass and her clothes. Lynette runs away. Back at home, Renee comes over and discovers that Tom and Lynette are in the middle of a fight. Tom yells at Lynette that she embarrassed him, adding that for years he took a back seat to her career but she can't do the same for him. When he storms off, Lynette tells Renee that the conference was awful because the plus ones were treated like second class citizens. Renee admits that she will just have to get used to it.
Carlos continues to ban Gaby from seeing Bree. Gaby and Bree stand in their gardens and speak on the phone. Bree admits that she can understand why Carlos feels the way he does and says that as much as she would like to see Gaby, she can't. Later, Bree goes to look after the Scavo house while they are away and Gaby arrives, claiming that she wanted to see Lynette. They start talking and eventually agree to have coffee together. Bree shuts the curtains so no-one can see them. Soon, they begin secretly spending time together. They admit that it is better because of the danger and Gaby suggests that they should go for a spa weekend. Later, Carlos arrives home and is surprised to see pineapple upside down cake - made by Bree - on the side. Gaby claims that she made it herself but Carlos is suspicious and asks her to make another one right now. He adds that he will watch her the entire time. Gaby goes to get the flour and spills some on herself. She tries to seduce Carlos, but he refuses to be distracted. Instead, she goes to clean off the flour and frantically calls Bree, asking for help. Bree decides to give her instructions on the phone and Gabrielle hides her headset with her hair. Bree guides her through the whole process as Carlos watches and makes her own cake at the same time. Later, the oven timer beeps and Gaby takes her cake out of the oven, but it collapses. She quickly throws a tea towel over it so that Carlos can't see and claims it needs to cool on the windowsill. As she distracts him, Bree rushes over and swaps her perfect cake with Gaby's disaster. Gaby tells Carlos that he should trust her and then shows him the perfect pineapple upside down cake. That weekend, she claims that she is going to the funeral of one of her old model friends. However, Carlos spots a red hair on her coat. Gaby claims that she hugged a clown at a birthday party, but Carlos takes her suitcase and discovers that she has packed bikinis and is planning a weekend away with Bree. He says that he banned her from seeing Bree and adds that ever since they moved to Wisteria Lane he feels like she always puts her friends first. He tells her to choose him or Bree, but Gaby tells him not to. However, he repeats that she has to choose.
Later, Gabrielle goes over to Bree's house, explaining that there has been a change of plan because Carlos knows about them. She asks if she can stay with Bree and Bree agrees - but is shocked when Gaby also ushers in her daughters.
Meanwhile, Karen is shocked when Felicia comes over. Felicia hands her a brooch that belonged to Martha, to thank her for keeping her secret for years. She adds that she will never tell anyone about the role that Karen played that night. Karen tells her it's not a good time to talk about it and is shocked to learn that Felicia is moving in next door. Inside, Karen asks Roy to get her a drink and has a flashback. She remembers seeing Felicia on the night that she cut off her fingers to frame Paul. Felicia explains what she has done and says that Paul will spend the rest of his life in prison if Karen says that she never saw Felicia. Karen is reluctant and begs Felicia not to make her do this, but eventually she agrees. Back in the present, Karen goes over to see Felicia, who explains that she got out of prison because her daughter died. Karen is shocked to hear that Felicia's daughter was Beth. Felicia claims that Paul wrote to Beth begging her to come and see him and made Beth fall in love with him. She alleges that when Paul was released he told Beth she didn't deserve to live and that he never loved her, so she killed herself. Karen is shocked and asks why Felicia wants to live on the same street as Paul. Felicia explains that she wants to make sure he never hurts another woman and Karen agrees to keep an eye on him as well.
Production
"The Lies Ill-Concealed" was written by David Schladweiler, who joined the show during Season 5, and was directed by Larry Shaw.
Reception
On its original broadcast on ABC, the episode scored 10.150 million of viewers and achieved a 3.1 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic.[1]
Trivia
- The title of this episode comes from lyrics in the song "Could I Leave You?", taken from the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies.
- Charlie Carver (Porter Scavo) and Darcy Rose Byrnes (Penny Scavo) do not appear and are not credited in this episode.
- Felicia's missing fingers aren't seen in this episode. They are constantly hidden in every scene.
- It is revealed that Karen and Martha Huber were good friends before her death.
- Ida Greenberg is mentioned in a flashback - the first time she has been mentioned in the series since Season 4.
- Gabrielle only just finds out that Bree had an affair with Karl Mayer in this episode.
International titles
- German: Schlecht verborgene Lügen (The Lies Ill-Concealed)
- French: La loyauté (Loyalty)