The Ladies Who Lunch

"The Ladies Who Lunch" is the 16th episode of Desperate Housewives.

Summary
Maisy Gibbons' series of unfortunate events shock the residents of Wisteria Lane when she is finally caught and arrested for prostitution. This leaves unexpected consequences for Bree and Rex when Maisy's little black book becomes public of all her clients; including Rex for all the neighbors to see. Gabrielle and Carlos also face a crisis of their own when the sewer system goes out at their house and they don't have the money to fix it. Lynette braves a scandal herself when it's rumored that the twins started the school's head lice epidemic. Meanwhile, as Susan sinks into depression over her breakup with Mike, she finds a surprising ally; Edie.

Previously on Desperate Housewives
"''Mistresses were confronted. The tables were turned. And secrets from the past... caught up with everyone."

- Mary Alice Young


 * Rex visits Maisy Gibbons, a prostitute. Bree asks Maisy if she's having an affair with Rex.
 * Carlos is released from prison, but he's under house arrest. Gabrielle worries about how they'll earn money.
 * Felicia sees a picture of Mary Alice and tells Paul she knows her and she's called Angela. But Paul lies, and insist she isn't Angela.
 * Mike is arrested and Susan finds out he is a murderer.

Teaser
"''Throughout even the most respectable of neighbourhoods, you can hear the sound of scandal. Some scandals announce themselves with a shout, some with a whisper, and some with a bang. And once in a great while, there comes a scandal so deliciously sorted its roar drowns out all other noise."

"''Yes, the scandalous arrest of Maisy Gibbons would soon prove to be the shock heard around the world."

- Mary Alice Young

Trivia

 * After a three week absence, Nicollette Sheridan returns as Edie Britt and has the most screen time for this episode among the entire cast.
 * It was Mark Moses who suggested to the writers of Desperate Housewives that he thought Paul and Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) should be intimately linked, which is shown in this particular episode. However, a relationship never blossomed between the pair.
 * This is the final episode where Mary Alice Young appears alive in real time line and not in flashback or in a dream. She appears in a video.
 * The episode title The Ladies Who Lunch comes from the Stephen Sondheim musical, Company.
 * French Title: Les Dames qui déjeunent (Ladies who Lunch)
 * German Title: Das kleine schwarze Buch (The Little Black Book)
 * Hungarian Title: Hölgyek fehér asztal mellett (Ladies next to a white table)
 * Italian Title: Solidarietà femminile (Female solidarity)
 * Spanish Title: Las damas que almuerzan (The Ladies Who Lunch)