Always in Control

"Always in Control" is the 164th episode of Desperate Housewives.

Summary
Bree is stunned when she learns who dug up the body of Gabrielle's stepfather. Jealousy rears its ugly head when Lynette begins to spread lies to Penny about her father's new girlfriend, and Gabrielle and Carlos must convince Bob and Lee that their daughters Juanita and Celia are not the bad seeds that they used to be when they want to name the gay couple in their will as guardians. Meanwhile, Susan desperately searches for her inner self to find what inspires her in order to better her art and impress her hard-to-please art teacher.

Previously on Desperate Housewives
"Lynette confronted Tom's new girlfriend. Ben found out about Mike's past, and hired him. Bree showed Gaby the threatening note, and then she discovered the location of Ben's new development. But when they got there, they found someone had beaten them to it."

- Mary Alice Young


 * Lynette asks Jane to stop taking her husband away from her, and Jane tells her she's not backing off just because Lynette won't accept that their marriage is over. ("Witch's Lament")
 * Ben reveals to Mike that he knows he's an ex-con, and confides in him that he could definitely use him. ("Making the Connection")
 * Bree shows Gabrielle the note she received. ("Making the Connection") She is then seen in Chapman woods with Ben, as he reveals to her the site of the construction. ("The Art of Making Art")
 * Bree and Gaby tell Lynette that they have to dig up Alejandro's body, and the latter asks about Susan and Carlos, to which they reply that they didn't tell them out of fear they'd freak out. However, when they get to the site of the body, they find that it's been unearthed: the grave is empty. ("Witch's Lament")

Teaser
"No matter what the circumstances, Bree Van de Kamp always found a way to stay in control: she curved her impulses; she enforced a strict dress code; she maintained a strong moral center."

Several flashbacks are shown featuring Bree Van de Kamp working hard to either control herself or her friends. She is seen at a party, being offered a wide variety of delicatessens, but chooses to have a single grape instead. She is then seen playing poker with the girls and arranging her friend Lynette's top so that her bra's strap is concealed by her top. Then, she is seen at Bob's house, concealing the genital area of Michelangelo's David, shown in a painting, with a lamp, much to Bob's chagrin. "Yes, Bree was always in control, so when it came to handling a crisis, it made perfect sense that she was in the driver's seat."

In the present, Bree is seen driving Lynette's truck, as they return from Chapman Woods to Wisteria Lane. Bree seems very composed, as Gabrielle and Lynette are freaking out over what they just witnessed. Gabrielle can't believe the worst thing about that night is that they couldn't exhume a cadaver. Bree tells them that she needs to hear herself thinking. Gaby wonders whether Alejandro is alive, and Bree points out that that's ridiculous by stating that he wouldn't just wake up from a 2-month dirt nap and dig himself out. She states that someone must've dug him out, and Lynette worries that it may have been the cops, to which Bree replies that they would've treated the site like a crime scene and there would be yellow tape all over the place. Gaby suggests that maybe it was the person who sent the blackmail note, referring to "someone who knows what we did, and it made them sick, and now they're going to tell". Lynette asks Bree why she's talking like that, and Bree answers that Gaby is engaging in counter-productive wild speculation. She suggests that they take a deep breath, and in doing so they'll realize that the answer is right in front of them. They do so, and Bree has a thought: it was Susan. Gaby agrees, and Lynette wonders why their friend would do that. Gaby replies that Susan is coo coo crazy. Lynette asks them what they should do if it was Susan indeed, and Bree suggests that they try to figure it out by asking their friend indirect questions and searching her house for clues, because otherwise Susan will be pissed when she finds out what theire friends were doing without her knowledge. Gaby and Lynette then realize they should just leave Bree to handle that, as it was her idea anyway. Bree isn't too happy with the situation, but agrees to be the one to talk to Susan.

"Yes, when it came to a crisis, everyone was happy to have Bree in the driver's seat, even if Bree herself would have preferred to be a passenger."

- Mary Alice Young

Act I
"As the mother of five, Lynette Scavo was used to uncomfortable questions."

Flashbacks are seen of Lynette and her daughter Penny. In the first one, Lynette is asked by a younger Penny why she is eating the cookies she was saving for Santa Claus. In the second one, Lynette has just flushed the family's goldfish down the toilet when Penny walks into the bathroom and asks her what happened to her goldfish. In the third and last flashback, Lynette is making the bed when Penny shows up and asks her why she and daddy were making funny noises the night before. In the present, Lynette is seen walking around the house with a basket of dirty laundry, while her friend and business associate Renee is sitting at the table behind her. Penny shows up and asks her mother if Tom is marrying his girlfriend Jane. Lynette is taken by surprise.

"Yes, after five children, Lynette thought she'd heard everything, until there was one question... she never saw coming."

- Mary Alice Young

Lynette asks her daughter why she would say that, and Penny explains that her father and his new girlfriend have been spending a lot of time together, and they seem really happy. Lynette explains that just because two people are together and happy doesn't mean they're getting married. Case in point, she and Renee spend a lot of time together. Renee jokes that they're not getting married until Penny's mother makes a lot more money. Penny seems relieved, and the doorbell rings. It's Tom and Jane. Penny's father asks the young girl if she's all ready to go see Wicked, and Jane points out that they're "twins" because they both have braided hair. Lynette notices it for the first time and asks Penny how she learnt to that, learning that it was Jane who taught her. Jane tells Tom's wife it's really simple and that she can teach her as well, to which Lynette replies that she already knows how to do it. Tom picks up on the awkwardness of the situation and tells Lynette they'll be back around eleven. Lynette is surprised they'll be back so late, considering it's a school night, and Jane tells her it's her fault, as she went to school with the "wicked witch", who invited them backstage. Penny really wants go, so Lynette has no choice but to allow that. As they leave, Jane calls Penny "zuzu", a charming nickname. Once they're gone, Lynette turns to Renee, who had been in the background all along, relishing the juiciness of the awkward moment, and says "zuzu?", expressing disbelief. Renee tells her yes, apparently Jane's got a cute nickname for Penny, and she's probably got one for Lynette too: "doormat". This throws Lynette off, and Renee explains her rationalization: she's letting Jane take away both her husband AND her daughter. It's time for her to fight dirty. Lynette claims that she doesn't know how to do that, and her friend tells her she's in luck, because Jane may have gone to school with the "wicked witch", but Lynette herself went to school with Renee.

In his art studio, Andre Zeller announces to his students that it's portfolio review time: a special moment in which he tells them all how they've let him down. He gives them a word of advice while they open their portfolios and arrange their works, specifying what he doesn't want to see: bowls of fruit; portraits of children; frigid winter landscapes; lush summer vistas; and ocean scenes that aren't ruined by the addition of a sad little sailboat. Susan is in the crapper, then, because he just described every single one of her drawings. She gets mad at him when she realizes he looked at her portfolio beforehand. He announces to her that he was trying to prepare himself for disappointment. Susan tells him that's not how one should motivate people, and Andre agrees with her, because obviously she hasn't been motivated enough to grow as an artist ever since she started taking his class. Her work has been the same as it always was, technically proficient but totally boring. She never surprises him. Amy on the other hand is nothing but surprises. Her technique is atrocious, but what she does is real, and it bleeds, and he loves it. In Solis household, Juanita and Celia are running around the house and Gaby tells them to sit down and eat the meal that she half-assedly prepared. Juanita asks if their father will be joining them, to which her mother replies that he won't because he's sleeping. Juanita asks if they can, in the Spring, go to that cabin in the lake they went to some time before. Gaby reminds her that it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, and Juanita tells her they always plan their vacations in the fall. Gabrielle looks concerned, and tells her they'll worry about that later. Her daughter responds that they know they wanna go there, so they might as well start making the plans. Gaby then lashes out at her, telling her to just stop and eat her food. Later, in her bedroom, Gabrielle is sitting in her bed, talking to Carlos about what happened during dinner. She didn't know what she was supposed to say to Juanita about the possibility that, come Spring time, her parents might both be in jail. Carlos reassures her that they're not going to jail: it's been two months already and nothing's happened. He then asks her where all this is coming from, and she tells him she's just saying someday a cop could show up at their door and destroy their family, and they don't even have anyone to take care of the kids. Carlos reminds her that they assigned a legal guardian when they made the will, but Gabrielle tells him the legal guardian is Susan, who is in the same situation as they are. Carlos tells her they'll find someone else. He suggests Karen McCluskey, but Gaby jokes that she's got meat in the freezer that'll be around for longer than she will. She then makes a suggestion of her own: Bob and Lee: two gay guys who could have been out dancing every night but who actually CHOSE to be parents. Carlos then uses this argument to jokingly prove that they're unstable. She is being serious, and she adds that they're great parents. Carlos agrees that they are, and then alleviates her by saying they'll talk to them. He then lies down and tells her she's got nothing to worry about, as they'll be alright, but a sad Gaby responds that he can't promise her that.

Act II
Penny comes downstairs into the entrance of the house, and announces to her mother, who's looking at a photo album in the living room, that her father and Jane are coming. Lynette fakes a sigh to try and get her attention, but fails to, so she must do it again. Penny finally catches on it and asks what her mother is doing. Lynette explains that she's looking at her baby photos, which are so good. In one of them, of Penny's first birthday, both of them appear as well as Tom, and Lynette points out that they were really a family then. This leads Penny to reply that they're a family now still, but Lynette explains that things are going to be different since her dad brought Jane into the picture. Penny picks up on the fact that her mother doesn't like Jane, but Lynette responds that she never said that, she thinks Jane is nice and seems a like a person who can always get what she wants, including other people's husbands. Lynette is trying a coy way of indirectly leading her daughter to believe that Jane isn't a nice person. Penny says that she seems really nice, to which Lynette replies that she is, to her anyway, probably because she's trying to steal Penny from her too. When Lynette tells her she doesn't have to wait inside for her father to come, Penny reveals that she no longer wants to go with them, she'd rather stay at home with her own mother. Lynette tells her that if she feels strongly about that (and adds that she can tell she does), she can call her father for her and announce to him that Penny's not feeling so well. Lynette says she'd do anything for Penny (going so far as referring to her as her "biological daughter", just to push even more buttons), and Penny thanks her mother, not realizing she's being manipulated. Lynette even calls her "boo-boo", as a sort of charming nickname, which throws Penny off, leading her mother to tell her they'll work on that.

Susan is seen in her study staring at a small, blank canvas on the secretary. She is unable to do anything with it and curses Andre. Bree shows up, and tells her she rang the doorbell twice but got no response. Susan tells her she can't get his (Andre's) voice out of her head. Bree is confused. Susan explains to her that she keeps hearing him telling her how bad she is. Bree misinterprets the conversation, and asks her if this voice also tells her to do things. Susan tells her friend she realizes she must sound crazy, but she's been staring at that blank canvas for two days, unwilling to eat or sleep. Bree asks her if she's digging stuff up, a question that confuses Susan. She asks her if she just said anything about her digging something up, and Bree tells her she thinks someone's been staring at a blank canvas for too long. Susan catches on to the fact that something is up, and asks her friend why she's there. Before Bree can say anything concrete, Mike shows up, and reveals to his wife that Ben Faulkner called him over the phone to announce that something happened at the construction site that halted the project, which is why he's still at home. Susan replies that that's weird, and Bree asks if Ben said anything about what happened. Mike tells them no, and adds that it sure didn't sound good. After he leaves, Bree turns to Susan and tells her she really should be going. Susan asks her what she was going to tell her before Mike showed up, and Bree dismisses it as yet another one of Susan's possible hallucinations, maybe from exposed to paint fumes for so long.

Over at Bob and Lee's house, Gabrielle and Carlos sit down to talk to them, having brought them flowers, and Bob is surprised that they want them as the possible guardians of their daughters. Gabrielle explains that in case something happens to them, they think the gay couple would be great parents for their girls. Bob is uncomfortable, and passes this off as an "honor". Lee points out that they love Juanita and... the other one, as he can't remember her name, but they have so many closer friends on the lane. He suggests Susan, and Gaby and Carlos stumble until they come up with a reason as to why Susan would never work as the kids' guardian: she's a racist. Bob and Lee are shocked by this statement, as Susan never appeared to be a racist to them. Gaby states that it's a new thing. Bob then suggests Bree, a suggestiong that Gaby tosses to the side by referring to her friend as "an alcoholic with a house full of guns". When Lee suggests Lynette, McCluskey or anyone at all, Carlos finally picks up on the fact that they probably have a problem with their girls. Bob explains to him, nervously, that they're still trying to figure out how to take care of one girl, and the Solis have got two of them already, and they're both... after a while, Lee adds the expression "monsters". He claims that they all know it, so there's no point in dancing around it. Carlos tries to hold back his anger, and Gabrielle takes the opportunity to tell Bob and Lee that the girls are much more well-behaved now, and Lee reminds her that he babysat them two months before and Juanita punched him in the neck, whereas the other one bit him. Carlos must remind him yet again that the other one's name is Celia. They then insist that they're so well behaved, with Carlos adding that they have to see it to believe it. Lee tells them that's a great idea: they can have them over for dinner the following day, and show them how well-behaved the girls truly are. Gaby and Carlos are caught by surprise by this proposition, and try to weasel out of it, but Bob insists that said dinner party takes place the exact following day. Then it's settled. As the Solises leave the Hunter-McDermott home, they realize they're in a jam.

Act III
Juanita and Celia are seated at the dining room table the following morning, while Gabrielle walks around behind them, informing them that Bob and Lee are coming over for dinner that night, and she's got nine hours to turn them into courteous, gracious and well-mannered, the exact opposite of what they usually are. Juanita asks if this is why she kept them home from school, and Gabrielle tells her they're in school, and class is in session.

A few moments later, Gabrielle is seen setting up the dinner table for them, as a sort of exercise, and asks them which of the utensils laid out before them is the salad fork. Juanita asks her what "salad" is, and Celia holds up a spoon with pride, much to her mother's displeasure. Shortly afterwards, Gaby is seen trying to comb Celia's hair, which is a mess, and finds a lollipop tangled in it. Celia looks upset, as her sister tells her she did say it wasn't a good hiding place. Later, they are seen in the living room, rehearsing references to musicals. Juanita states that it's too hard, and wonders why gay people can't like cartoons instead. Gabrielle notices that Celia is sucking on the previously seen lollipop, and asks her if she just took it from the garbage. She takes it away from her daughter, and looks very frustrated with her offspring. Tom shows up at Lynette's house looking for Penny, and Lynette asks him if he didn't get her message. Tom replies that he did, and that he's been getting a lot of messages about Penny not wanting to come with him lately, so he just calls out to her. Lynette asks him why he's there, and Tom answers that he wants to see his daughter and find out what is going on. Penny comes downstairs, and her father asks her why she hasn't come with him lately. Penny explains that she's had a lot of homework and stuff to do over the course of the last week, and Tom asks her why she doesn't just do it over at his place, and then tells her that if it's about science she can just get Jane, who's a brainiac and lives right upstairs from him, for help. Penny tells him she'd rather have her mom help her out.

Tom picks up on a weird vibe and asks his daughter if she has a problem with Jane. Penny tries to weasel out of the situation, but Tom won't let her go, and he suggests that they spend some time together, just the two of them, at the same park where he taught her to play catch. Penny says "okay", but rather coldly, and leaves. Tom is thrown off. He says it's weird that Jane and Penny were getting along great and all of a sudden... he promptly asks Lynette if she told Penny anything about Jane. Lynette responds that Penny is a big girl who can form her own opinions. Tom wants to make sure his wife remembers that this thing between them is between them indeed, and shouldn't involve the kids. Lynette tells him he has no right to blame her, considering he's the one who jumped into a new relationship without thinking about the consequences. He's made his bed... with someone else. She then excuses herself by telling him she's going to help their daughter with her homework. Tom looks sad.

Over at Chapman Woods, Bree arrives at the construction site bearing a basket of food, and finds Ben sitting outside a trailer drinking beer. He's surprised to see her there, and she pretends to be there to celebrate the first day of construction with lunch. Ben tells her he's already eating (referring to his drinking, actually) and confides in her that there was a little problem. Bree acts as if she doesn't know anything, and he promptly tells her his guys found a body buried in the woods. She acts surprised and asks him if he's called the police. Ben tells her "Not yet", and Bree is somewhat relieved. She then asks him how they found the body, and he reveals that they were collecting soil samples and dug it up on Halloween night, then proceeding to store it. She asks him why it's taking him so long to call the police, and he replies that he keeps hoping there's a way out of this mess. Once he calls the police, his project becomes a crime scene, they shut it down, and he loses a lot of time and a lot of money. Bree tells him that's a shame, and adds that it must be so tempting for him to just make the body disappear. She tells him he must've thought about re-burying it, or dissolving it in acid, or wrapping it in heavy chains and dropping it in a lake. Ben is surpised by all her hypothetical suggestions on how to dispose of a cadaver, and she coyly tells him she's sure he's thought of that. He admits that he has, but if he hides it and it comes out later... he can't take that risk. Bree reminds him of all the people who would lose their jobs, and of the poor men who dug up the body, as they could face charges. He tells her he knows that, dismissively, and then apologizes by claiming that she's just telling him what he's been thinking about for a long time already. He then tells her there's no way out of this, and she appears to have lost hope, saying "There isn't, is there?", frustrated. He tells her he's gonna call the cops right then to get it over with. He gets up and enters the trailer, and Bree leaves. He sneaks back outside to grab his beer, and notices her running into the woods.

Shortly afterwards, Bree is kneeling down by Alejandro's empty grave, probably contemplating about what could happen next. Ben shows up from behind her, confused, and Bree reluctantly tells him the man they found was horrible. A surprised Ben asks her if she knows who it was, and Bree explains to him that he hurt a child, someone she cares about very much, and he was gonna hurt her again. Ben crouches down next to her, and asks her if she killed the man. He asks her to tell him she didn't kill the man, as he needs to know before he goes to the police. Bree tells him she didn't kill the man, her friend did and she helped him bury the corpse. Ben is blown away. He realizes she wants him to make this go away. She tells him she knows it's a lot to ask, but yes... that's what she wants. He thinks about it for a few seconds as she stares him, hopeful, but he tells her he can't. He leaves and she is left there, kneeling by the grave, having lost all hope.

Act IV
The Solises are having the Hunter-McDermott couple over for dinner. Juanita is saying prayer, as everyone closes their eyes and holds hands. During this prayer, Gabrielle slips Juanita a dollar bill, which she takes and promptly hides in her cleavage - so basically, Gabrielle is paying her daughter off in order to get her to behave appropriately for the evening, and Celia, still with her eyes closed, tries to stick the salt shaker in her mouth, which Gabrielle replaces with a piece of candy. "...And thank you, Lord, for this wonderful food. And bless our good friends Bob and Lee. We are so grateful to have them as our neighbors. And bless their daughter Jenny, who is away at her sleep-over. We miss her so much. And bless all the children of the world, whether they have a mommy and daddy, two mommies or two daddies. Amen."

- Juanita Solis

The adults all says "amen" in unison. Lee claims that that was really nice, and points out to his husband that they never pray before meals at their house. Carlos lets on that there are some meals you gotta pray before. Bob compliments Juanita's dress, and she simply says "I guess", hoping to earn some more cash. Gaby slips her another dollar bill, unbeknownst to the guests in attendance, and tells her not to be modest and to share with Bob and Lee the story behind that dress. Juanita reveals that it is based around the dress the character of Anita wears in West Side Story, which she claims to be her all-time favorite musical. Lee is bedazzled by this statement, and asks her if she likes musicals. Juanita turns to her mother and asks her "Hmm, do I like musicals?", with a "what's-in-it-for-me?" kind of look. Gaby says "Of course you do, silly, you love them!"; she then moves to hug her, and whispers to her that she's gonna have to owe her as she's out of singles. The girl reveals that she can break a five. Gaby sits down and says she's such a good girl. Bob agrees with this, and asks if anyone wants the salt. Celia takes it from him, but her mother snatches it off her hands before she can stick it in her mouth again, and gives her another piece of candy.

Susan knocks on Andre's door, and he is disgruntled to see her. She quickly enters the apartment, telling him he broke her. She tells him she can't paint: she just stares at an empty canvas and wonders how much he's gonna hate what she does next. He says he can help her with that: he's gonna hate it a lot. She asks him what she's gonna have to do to get him to take her seriously. The doors to his bedroom slide open, and Amy pops up, wearing nothing but her underwear. Susan takes this to mean that this is the reason why Andre likes Amy better in class. Amy takes a beverage with her and walks into the bedroom. He replies that this is why he likes her in bed. He likes her in class because she's a better artist. Susan goes on to say that she is totally adrift in that class. He asks her if it'd help if he told her what grade she'll be getting. She starts babbling about how that's not what she was going for, and he suddenly reveals that she's getting an A. Susan is surprised, and Andre proceeds to joke that she's actually getting an A+, but that's probably not enough for her, she probably also needs to know that everyone else is getting a D. He even tells Amy, loudly, that she's getting a D, to which she simply replies "Okay!".

He then congratulates Susan, and she tells him she doesn't want him to give her a fake grade, it doesn't mean anything if he's lying. He asks her why not, considering she's lying. She tells him she's not, but he lets out that everytime she sits down by a canvas and doesn't portray in it the fear and pain she's got inside, she's lying. "Everytime you care about what somebody else thinks about your art, you're lying", he adds. Susan tells him she's got to go and turns her back on him. He says he used to think she was holding something back, but is now starting to think that maybe there isn't anything there. He tells her to enjoy her A+, but to not come to his class again, because they're done. Susan leaves, frustrated, and shuts the door behind her.

After the dinner party, the Solis couple and the Hunter-McDermott couple leave the former's house. Lee is going on about how great the night was and how delightful the girls were as well, particularly when they sang the Dreamgirls number. Gaby tells him she's just glad they could come, as they are so special to them. Carlos asks her if she left the garage door open. She positions herself in front of the garage, with her back turned to it, and tells the gay couple that they're practically family to them. Carlos proceeds to go and shut the door, and Gaby goes on about how that's why when they were thinking who they'd want to be guardians of their children, they're the first ones they considered. However, the pleasant moment is suddenly ended when the garage door shuts down and the phrase "GAYS R STUPID" can be seen written in it. Bob and Lee are shocked, as is Carlos. Gaby turns to the garage, and then back to them, saying "This aside, it was a pretty good evening, wasn't it?". Bob and Lee leave, without saying a word, and so does Carlos. Gaby is left there hopeless.

Later, in Juanita's room, Gaby asks her what she was thinking, as her parents did not raise her like this. Juanita apologizes, and her mother says she just wants to understand why she did what she did, she thought she liked Bob and Lee. Juanita tells her she does, they're nice, but won't reveal why she did it. Gaby tells her she's going to bed and they'll discuss her punishment and how she'll make it up to the gay couple the following day. Before she can leave, Juanita asks her if her father is dying. Gaby is surprised, and asks why she would say that. "Because you guys have been acting different. And, daddy sleeps a lot. And... everyone seems sad. Even when we're happy, it's like... I don't know, just sad", she says. Gaby sits by her side, and tells her that both she and Carlos are fine. Her daughter asks why she wants her and her sister to go live with Bob and Lee. This question takes Gaby by surprise, and Juanita reveals that she heard her and Carlos talking. Gaby explains that it is called being a guardian. Every family has that, it's just in case. She then tells her child that nothing is going to happen. Juanita then takes the opportunity to ask if they can rent that cabin for Spring vacation, to which Gaby responds that they can. "And everything is going to be okay? You promise?", the young girl asks. Gaby says (and gestures) "Cross my heart", and they hug. However, Gaby is concerned.

Act V
Lynette parks her family van next to the park where Tom is waiting for his daughter, with a baseball and a glove. Renee is in the car with her, and asks her why she stopped. Lynette reveals what Tom had told Penny about their one-on-one time, and she wanted to make sure Jane wouldn't show up. The two discover that not only isn't Jane there, Penny didn't show up either. Renee tells her that at least she doesn't have to worry about Jane busting up her family. Lynette says she's right, because Lynette herself seems to be doing a pretty good job at that on her own.

Bree gets out of her parked car, in her front yard, and is greeted by her ex-boyfriend, Detective Chuck Vance. She is surprised to see him and asks what he's doing there. He tells her to relax, that he's there strictly because of police business. He's following up on a missing person report. He then holds up a picture of Alejandro to her, and asks her if she's seen this man. Bree is surprised, and doesn't answer. He reminds her that two months before, during the night of the progressive dinner party, they passed him right as they were walking into her house. He shows her the picture yet again and she tells him she's never seen that man before in her life. She tries to walk away but he stops her, asking her if she's ever heard of microexpressions. He explains that it's a flash across a person's face for a fraction of a second, revealing their true emotions, rather than the ones they then try to show off. It's how cops know when people is. Bree tells him that's all very fascinating, but she doesn't have time for this. He stops her yet again, exemplifying that when a person is distressed, the eyebrows go up, causing lines to appear across the forehead. He tries to touch her in the forehead, but she stops him, telling him not to touch her. He then goes on to say that the funny thing is he doesn't need a microexpression to know when she's lying, he knows that look of hers all too well from personal experience, as he saw it everytime he was in her bed and she told him she loved him. He then says "So since I know you're lying, why don't you start telling the truth?".

As he says this, he puts his arms around her, cornering her against the car, and Ben shows up all of a sudden, throwing him away from her. Chuck opens up his jacket to reveal his gun in the breast pocket, and says he's a cop. Ben tells him he knows, and adds that if he keeps harassing Bree he'll wind up an ex-cop. Chuck laughs off the situation, in a dismissive manner, and warns Ben that he should watch his tough guy act, but Ben tells him that, unlike Chuck's case, it's not an act. They stand up to one another, face to face, and Chuck turns to Bree and tells her he'll be seeing her, then adding "Big mistake...". He taps Ben in the shoulder and leaves. Ben turns to Bree, who tells him she's shaking with fear. Ben holds her in his arms, and asks if what just happened was in regard to what they talked about in the woods. Bree tells him it was. He says that in that case she's got nothing to worry about. Bree looks at him, surprised and confused, and he says it's going to be hard to build a case without a body. Bree realizes what he means and hugs him. She then thanks him, but asks why he would do that for her. Ben smiles and says "Ah, you never know, maybe someday... I might need something from you." He winks at her and leaves. Bree is confused, but incredibly relieved.

Lynette returns to the same location near the park and stops her car. Penny is confused, as she'd been told by her mom they were going to the mall. Lynette gestures at her to look over to the other side, and when she does, she spots her father, all alone in the benches. Penny immediately makes it clear that she doesn't want to go and meet him, and asks if they can get out of there. Lynette tells her they can't, as she needs to spend some time with her dad. Penny says she doesn't want to, and Lynette responds that she's not giving her a choice. She tells her to look at him, and explains that he is sitting over there because he misses his little girl so much. Penny replies that if that's the case, than he shouldn't have left them for Jane. Lynette says that's not what happened, he didn't leave them, he left his wife. And he didn't do it for Jane, he did because they just don't make each other happy. And then he met Jane, who apparently does make him happy. Penny starts to remind her of what she said about Jane, but Lynette takes it all back, acknowledging that she said a lot of things she shouldn't have said, and apologizes for that.

Penny looks at her father yet again and Lynette tells her he loves her. They both do. There's no bad guys there, only people trying to figure things out. And one of those people is right over there, and she knows he'd love to play catch with his daughter. Penny unbuckles her seat belt and hugs her mother. She gets out of the car and turns back to her, saying "You're way prettier than her." She then walks up to Tom and they start playing catch. Inside the car, Lynette watches them, smiling, but then her expression shifts to one of pure sadness. She breaks down and cries.

Act VI
Daytime on Wisteria Lane. Mike opens the front door of his house to reveal Ben Faulkner, who promptly enters and closes the door behind him, and tells him he's got an assignment for him. He then reveals that they found a dead body in the construction site, over at Chapman Woods, and he needs Mike to get rid of it for him. Mike immediately says "yes", a reaction that takes Ben by surprise and leads him to ask his buddy if he isn't interested on knowing anything else. Mike tells him it's better if he doesn't. Susan then shows up, and Ben tells Mike he'll be seeing him at work. Mike's wife is glad that he got the job, and Mike tells her "Yeah. Just wait till you hear what the job is."; Susan is clueless. In the Van de Kamp kitchen, Bree pours Chardonnay for her, Gaby and Lynette, as she reveals to her friends that Ben will dispose of the body and they will therefore be in the clear from then on. Gaby is relieved, and the doorbell rings and Susan announces it's her. Bree tells her to come inside, and Lynette asks her two friends if they thought this would somehow feel better. Gaby states that it feels great, as it seems as though they've gotten away with it. When they make a toast, Susan barges into the kitchen, looking distressed, and tells them what she just heard from her husband. The women's reactions don't really account for what she expected, and she asks them what's going on. Bree explains to her that they sort of already knew. She asks who told them, and they explain that they went there on their own to move the body and found the grave unearthed and empty, and Bree went to Ben and he had it and planned to get rid of it. Susan is confused that the women knew all of this and yet it never occurred to them to tell her. Gaby tries to weasel out of the situation, but Susan becomes infuriated, explaining that she's been over her mind with guilt and then there's this big complication that could endanger her and her family, and yet they don't even tell her about it. Gaby quietly says "There's why we didn't tell her", to which Susan responds "What the hell does that mean?". Gaby tells Susan she's kind of a loose cannon, and Bree adds that 15 minutes after they'd buried the body and promised to keep the whole thing a secret she was already begging them to tell Mike. Susan tells them that she wasn't the one who told Mike, it was Carlos, which makes him the loose cannon. A surprised Gabrielle asks her why Carlos would do that, and Susan answers that it's maybe because, unlike Gaby, he has a conscience. Gaby gets mad and tells her friend not to push it. Lynette tells them to take it easy and focuses on the good part, that the body is gone and that they're gonna be okay. Gaby backs her up, but adds that that's only if they don't get another letter. Both Susan and Lynette are confused, and Bree calmly reminds Gaby that they never told them about the letter. Gaby says "Crap!".

Moments later, an enraged Susan storms out of the kitchen and into the entrance of the house, as the women try to stop her. She turns to them and lashes out at her friends, because they received a blackmail letter, the same one that Mary Alice got, and they neglected to tell her. Bree explains that they didn't think she could handle it, because, as she said herself, she was wrecked with guilt. Susan reminds them that their pact was to keep this whole thing a secret, not to keep secrets from each other. She adds that they're done, and proceeds to leave the house. Gaby asks her if she doesn't think she's exaggerating a little, and the only response she gets is the slamming of the front door. Lynette backs Susan up, telling her two friends she doesn't think she's exaggerating. She then asks them what's their excuse for not letting her in on the letter business, and they explain that it was because she was going through so much with Tom, and they were trying to protect her. Lynette gets mad at them, saying that she's not a child and that she had every right to know that someone was aware of they'd done. She asks them if they know what her life is like right now, considering that everything she thought she knew, everything she thought she could count on is going away. Bree tells her that's not true, because she can still count on them. Lynette says "No, apparently I can't!", and then leaves. Bree and Gabrielle are very upset. In her living room, Susan sets up a new painting session by putting a large cloth on the floor with a big blank canvas on top of it. She gathers all her painting equipment, and gets to work. That night, Mike is busy digging up a new grave for Alejandro in Chapman Woods, in the site of the construction. He used a square in one of the foundations for the building. Once he's dug a hole in the ground, he pushes the body in with neglect, kicking it inside. The following morning, the construction workers are seen in the site, along with Mike, as one of the machines pours cement onto the square that conceals Alejandro underneath, sealing it shut.

"Yes, we're all seeking control over something in our lives. We may want to cover up the remains of a troubling secret."

In the Scavo kitchen, Lynette is seen packing up Penny's suitcase, probably for a visitation weekend, and taking her time as she sniffs her clothes in a motherly fashion.

"Or ease the pain of letting go."

Gabrielle is seen in her front yard, hosing down the apparent hate message her daughter wrote about gay people.

"Or erase the mistakes of our children."

Susan is seen in Andre's studio, as he admires her latest work.

"But sometimes the only way we can truly change our lives is by letting go completely, no matter what the cost."

- Mary Alice Young

Andre tells Susan "Finally" and puts his hand on her shoulder. The painting is revealed: it's a dark and creepy depiction of the four women banded together in the woods around an empty grave, and a skeleton lying in cloth beside it.

Production
The episode was both written and directed by Jeff Greenstein, making it the second episode of the series to be directed and written by the same crew member, following "Excited and Scared", which was also written and directed by Greenstein. It was also the second episode he directed for the series, and the seventh he wrote or co-wrote.

Reception

 * In its original airing, this episode garnered 8.78 million viewers, and scored a 2.8 in the key demo (adults 18-49) and a 6.4/9 in the general overnights.
 * Despite a general lack of reviews/recaps for the series' episodes in its eighth and final season, when compared to the previous seven seasons, this episode garnered overwhelmingly positive criticism from reviewers and fans alike, with many commending the overlapping plotlines and the evolution of the mystery storyline.

Trivia

 * The title of this episode comes from a lyric in the song "Marry Me a Little", taken from the Stephen Sondheim musical, Company.
 * Charles Mesure's (Ben Faulkner) billing in the "also starring" credits switches in this episode to being featured ahead of Kevin Rahm's (Lee McDermott), despite what had been previously established in the credits for a previous episode. Also, series regular Tuc Watkins (Bob Hunter) made his first appearance in the season with this episode, and, contrarily to what was expected, was also credited ahead of Rahm.
 * This is the second episode of the season to feature the entire "starring" cast, following the season premiere. It also features supporting actor Charles Mesure (Ben Faulkner), who would first be billed as a "star" in episode 8.11.

Episode references

 * Susan's painting is of the night she and the other girls buried Alejandro's body. ("Secrets That I Never Want to Know")

Episode allusions

 * The scene where Mike reburies Alejandro's body is filmed in a similar way to when Paul Young dug up Deirdre Taylor's body from beneath his swimming pool. ("Pilot")

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.