'Desperate Housewives' Season 4 DVD Review

Release Date: September 2,2008
Discs: 5
Total Episode Running Time: 721 Minutes
Rated: TV-14 (Bonus Material not rated)

For several years, we have come to know and love the lovely ladies (and their men) of Wisteria Lane. From the ups and downs of parenthood and marriage to illness and even suicide, no matter what, these women have a tight bond nobody can break. Season four had its share of problems as a new housewife, Katherine Mayfair, moved back to the neighborhood -- and thus, another mystery began.

Season 4 Highlights

• Susan and Mike tied the knot and she soon discovered she was pregnant.
• Lynette was diagnosed with cancer and spent most of the season battling the effects of chemotherapy.
• Bree, who had been pretending she was pregnant (her teenage daughter was actually pregnant), "gave birth" to a healthy baby boy and began raising him as her own.
• Gaby and Carlos began a new life together (again), but things weren't easy when he was permanently blinded in a nasty tornado that swept through Wisteria Lane.
• Edie discovered Bree's secret and blackmailed her. She was bullied out of town, but we knew it wouldn't be the last of her.
• Katherine Mayfair, her young husband and daughter Dylan arrived and almost immediately stirred the pot. What deep, dark secret was Katherine hiding? You'll have to watch the DVD -- it's a good one!

More About Desperate Housewives

Along with all 17 season four episodes, this DVD set also contains the following bonus features:

• Getting Desperate - From Beginning To End: Go behind-the-scenes of Desperate Housewives' most elaborate and spectacular episode ever produced, "Something's Coming," with a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the producers created the deadly tornado that devastated Wisteria Lane. Viewers will see how an episode comes together every week -- attending a casting session, see the girls get gussied up in wardrobe and makeup, hang out in the writers’ room and visit the set department, following a key "sweeps" episode from page to soundstage to screen.
  
  
• Couples Commentary: Get to know the real people behind the characters as onscreen couples Teri Hatcher and James Denton, Eva Longoria and Ricardo Chavira, Felicity Huffman and Doug Savant, and Marcia Cross and Kyle MacLachlan pair up to talk about favorite moments from season four.
  
  
• The Men of Wisteria Lane: Viewers know them as Carlos, Mike, Orson, Tom, Victor and Adam. The men reveal their own secrets, as they spend a night in one of Hollywood’s trendiest bowling establishments.
  
  
• Deleted Scenes
• Bloopers

We live in a time where episodes of most television shows can be viewed at our leisure for free online, recorded on a DVR/Tivo, or in syndication on other channels. Why bother buying this show on DVD? By now, viewers have become hooked on this wonderful series and owning it on DVD will provide hours entertainment for many, many years to come. Not everyone will agree that each season of this series has been fantastic, but I think most dedicated viewers believe that season four was just as entertaining as the unforgettable first season.

Lynette's battle with cancer, Gaby and Bree's marital problems, and Susan's unexpected pregnancy gave viewers something to relate to -- we all personally felt the pain and triumphs these women experienced in season four.

We always knew these ladies were far from perfect, but I believe this was the first season we felt it on a highly personal level across the board. If you never buy another season of this show on DVD, at the very least pick up season four, watch it and then pass it on to all of the women in your life.