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Felicity Huffman - Lynette Scavo
Marcia Cross - Bree Van de Kamp
Eva Longoria - Gabrielle Solis
Vanessa Williams - Renee Perry
Ricardo Antonio Chavira - Carlos Solis
Doug Savant - Tom Scavo
Mark Moses - Paul Young*
Kathryn Joosten - Karen McCluskey
Kevin Rahm - Lee McDermott
Tuc Watkins - Bob Hunter
with Brenda Strong - Mary Alice Young
and James Denton - Mike Delfino
*Did not appear in the episode.
"Come on Over for Dinner" is the 157th episode of Desperate Housewives, as well as its seventh season finale.
Summary
Mike and Susan move back to the lane, and their friends and neighbors decide to host a progressive dinner party to celebrate their return, but things don't go quite as planned. Lynette worries that Tom might leave her, but becomes even more concerned about the feelings that resurface once he's gone, Bree decides to pay a visit to Chuck's wife's boutique, Renee learns that her ex-husband is getting remarried, and Gabrielle decides the time has come to confront her stepfather.
Plot
Previously on Desperate Housewives
![]() | Susan's dream came true. Bree had to put her desire on hold. Tom and Lynette's weekend away made things worse. Gaby visited the town where she was born, and, to her surprise, her stepfather followed her home.
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Mary Alice Young |
- Paul announces to Susan that she and her family can move back home. ("And Lots of Security...")
- Chuck tells Bree that he'd rather wait till his divorce is final before having sex. ("And Lots of Security...")
- Tom and Lynette have an argument in their B&B room. ("And Lots of Security...")
- Gabrielle goes back to Las Colinas, Texas. ("Farewell Letter") Later, she spots her stepfather in the market's security camera. ("And Lots of Security...")
![]() | One clear moonlit evening, there was a dinner party on Wisteria Lane, and everyone would agree it was a night to remember. They would remember the crisp chardonnay, the tahini salad, and the savory chicken. But the most memorable part of the evening wasn't the food.
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Mary Alice Young |
Flashes of the guests eating, drinking and enjoying the dinner party are shown during Mary Alice's voice-over. We are also exposed to images of a body being carried around in a big orange bag, leaving a large blood stain on the carpet which someone then attempts to scrub off. We also get to see someone washing blood off their hands, and women in high heels covering the blood-stained carpet with a rug.
Act I
Two Days Earlier
![]() | In the year since she had left the lane, Susan Delfino had missed many things: the laughter of happy children, the smile of the cheerful mailman, the smell of Wisteria in bloom. But what Susan missed the most were her friends.
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Mary Alice Young |
Susan and Mike are unpacking in the kitchen, and she appears to be in a big hurry. As soon as she's done putting dishes in a pantry, she asks Mike if she can go now. He says they have just started unpacking, but she can't wait to go outside and meet the girls, after all, it has been a full year since she was able to do so from right across the street. He asks her if they can at least finish the kitchen, but she, very childishly, stuffs all of the silverware into a drawer, and he tells her she can go already. Susan is beyond ecstatic, and hurries outside.


Lynette turns to Tom yet again and asks him if where he's getting at is that he's done trying to work things out, and he replies they have been trying. Lynette says they have to keep fighting to save their family. Tom asks her if they're fighting to save it or just fighting, and then calmly insists that she leave the suitcase where it is.
Gabrielle looks out the window of her house and sees Alejandro sitting inside his car, parked out on the street, looking right back at her. Gaby grabs her gun and hides it in her purse, and then Susan knocks on her door and calls her out. Gaby puts the purse away and answers it, and a cheerful Susan cheerfully says "Hi, neighbor. Invite me in for wine so I can get out of unpacking". Gaby says "Susan, hi. I was just about to got out. Raincheck?", before closing the door on Susan's face.
She then heads back to the window, picking up her purse in the process, and notices Alejandros's gone.
Susan heads back to her house, where Mike is still unpacking, and he asks her what she's doing there, considering she missed her friends so much. Susan says "Yeah. Still do", and then just sits there with her arms crossed.
Act II

The girls finally welcome Susan back to the lane.

Susan and friends share a heart-warming moment.

However, at the store, the two of them immediately realize what Doreen is selling is not their type: it appears to be S&M styled clothing, which Renee claims she wouldn't wear even to a drive-by shooting. Bree tells her Doreen is watching and they are there to lift up her spirit. Renee calls Doreen up and tells her they love her clothes. Bree backs her up, defending that the clothes are very expressive. Doreen is glad, and tells them she was starting to think the boutique was too edgy for Fairview, considering the way the clothes have been selling. Bree grabs some tops, some jeans and a skull purse, intending to buy them on the spot. Doreen asks her if she wouldn't rather try them on first, and Renee insists that she does so. Bree has no other option.

Bree's cover is blown.
Moments later, Doreen rings up the purchase and tells them they have just made her day. Bree replies that she made theirs too, as she's checking herself in the mirror dressed in a completely anti-Bree attire. When Doreen gives her the credit card back, she reads it and says "Thank you so much... Bree", to which she responds "You're welcome, Doreen". Doreen goes to get the paper bags with the clothes in them and asks her how she knows her name, and Bree says she doesn't, but Doreen isn't fooled, and tells her she just said it to her. Bree says she read it on her name tag, but soon realizes that Doreen doesn't have one. As she tries to rush out, Doreen overhears Renee saying "That's why we don't check out the wife". Doreen then understands that Bree and Chuck are an item now. She asks her if they came to get a good luck at the wife of the man she's screwing, and Renee answers that Bree is a class act, not that one could tell at the moment with her dressed in such clothing. Bree tells Doreen that Chuck hasn't slept with her yet and he won't while he's still married, and both Doreen and Bree can't believe her. Bree defends that he has high ethical standards, and so does she. Doreen apologizes for misjudging her, and she accepts her apology and tells her that she hopes, both for her sake and Doreen's, that she and Chuck can reach an understanding so they can all go on with their lives. Doreen says she thinks they just might, and Bree says "Wonderful". She and Renee leave and Doreen calls Arthur, her attourney, and tells him to tear the agreement she had said she'd sign, as she now thinks they can do better.

Gabrielle confronts her stepfather in the woods.

Act III
Back at the Solis house, Carlos tells his wife he doesn't want to go the progressive dinner (which he doesn't get) due to having been on the road for a week, and because Bree will be there. Gaby asks how long his hatred towards Bree will go on, and he says for as long as his mom is dead. Gaby replies that it could be forever. He says she should go by herself, and he'll get back to the office and catch up on some work. Gaby tells him to forget Bree, as he doesn't even have to talk to her, the party is about doing something nice for Susan. Carlos then comes back to the bedroom and asks her why she has a gun, to which she promptly responds that Alejandro found her. Carlos says "What? I thought he was dead!", and Gaby responds that he's alive. He asks her what Alejandro wanted, whether he laid a hand on her and why she didn't call him. Gaby tells him he's gone, she took care of it. Carlos starts to ask her if she killed him, to which Gaby answers that she could have, after all, she had the gun pointing at him, but she couldn't go through with it, she just needed to know that she could. Carlos holds her in his arms and tells her it wouldn't have been enough for him. After what he did to her, he would had shot him like a dog.

Renee starts her bender.


A depressed Renee sings "My Funny Valentine".

"Cheeseburger?"
Act IV

Susan and Lynette walk down the lane, headed to the latter's house. Lynette tells her friend she had seen it coming, she just never pictured it'd be that night. Susan tells her she's very sorry, and asks her how is she even keeping it together. Lynette tells her right now she's just thinking about making salad for 15. Susan tells her she knows hard it is, but whatever should happen Lynette will get through it because she's still got her friends... and Tom. Yes, because they head inside and Susan notices that Lynette's husband is in the kitchen preparing the salad. She then says they don't need three people to make a salad, so she will be going back to Renee's and they can get together later on. She leaves. Tom asks his wife if she wants to get the forks, but Lynette asks him where he's been, and Tom reminds her that the recipe called for mandarin oranges, so he went out to get some, liked she had asked him to. She says she'd asked him the day before, and she'd gotten some herself earlier. Tom says he didn't know that, so now they have extra. She tells him she didn't see his suitcase, and Tom says it's in the closet. Lynette says she'll get the forks, because people will be coming soon.

People are surprised to see Renee and her date: the bartender.

Renee wastes no time with her date.
Bree goes outside to see Chuck, who is on the phone with his wife. Bree prepares to tell him about her visit to Doreen's boutique, but Chuck stops her speech, and tells his wife that she can take both the money and the lake house. It'll all be worth it if it means he can finally get rid of her for good. Bree says he shouldn't have done that, but he insists he had to, he couldn't let that drag on for one more day. Bree says it's not right of him to give up a vacation home just so that they can have sex. Chuck says that's not why he did it: the lake house is full of memories of her, and it'd make no sense to hold on to it, particularly when he plans on building new memories with Bree. But also, he wants to have sex with her. Bree tells him they will as soon as the party's over, and they kiss. Chuck then asks her how many courses there are left, and Bree smiles and says they can skip the salad. They rush back to her home, and right past Alejandro. Chuck greets him with a "Good evening", and the man replies in the same manner.
Back at Lynette's, Renee wants to tell Karen the story of how she and Edgar met, but McCluskey says there's no need, because they were all there when it happened an hour before. Lee takes Renee on a sidebar, and asks why she is with that guy. Renee tells him "that guy" is the best thing that ever happened to her, and if he doesn't mind his manners he might just not be invited to the wedding, which is an option she's considering because she can totally see herself as Mrs. Renee... and then she is reminded that she doesn't know Edgar's last name, so she tells Lee she'll be right back.

Act V

Bree and Chuck are done having sex, and exchange compliments. Bree then notices the time, and realizes she should had taken the chickens out of the oven twenty minutes before. She hopes it's not too late, but then the smoke alarm goes off and she panicks. They rush downstairs, and the kitchen is filled with smoke. The chickens are all burnt, and the guests arrive immediately. They get out of Lynette's house, with Roy asking Karen if they have to move again. She tells him they're heading over to Bree's for the main course, and he asks her if this is supposed to be fun, to which she answers "Not fun, Roy, just free". Renee tells Edgar they really should go and he does the watch bit, joking it's that "time". Renee isn't too thrilled over his repetition, and he says she used to love it when he did that. Renee says that people change.

Bree's roast poussins become a little too roasted.
When the guests arrive, Bree tells Chuck to button up his shirt, but he no longer has buttons due to the fact that she ripped them off. The two of them enter the living room, and Bree explains to her guests that the oven malfunctioned and thus the chickens are burnt, something that happened when Chuck and her went to the cellar to get some wine. Roy asks Chuck what's wrong with his shirt, and he explains that he took off his shirt to fan away the smoke, and waved it so vigorously that all the buttons came off. Mike quietly asks Susan if he should offer to loan him a shirt, and Lee tells him not to dare to do such a thing. Bree and Chuck rush off to buy chickens elsewhere, and the former tells her guests to enjoy the wine as they will be right back, and they finally leave, sporting big smiles.

Renee holds her best friend in her arms.

Susan gets emotional during her toast.
At her house, Gaby gets some napkins from a chest, and when she turns around Alejandro pops up and says "Hola, Gaby". She is scared, and drops the napkins to the floor. She asks him what he's doing there, and he said he knows she told him not to come back, but he's betting she won't be so tough without her gun. He puts his hand under his coat, near his heart, to indicate that's where he's concealing the gun. He then takes off his hat and throws it away, and Gaby becomes even more scared.
Act VI

Gaby reminds Alejandro that she had told him to leave, which he claims he did: he got 50 miles out of town, but he just couldn't stop thinking of all the things she said, she made him sound like a monster. She insists she only said the truth, but he tells her he almost had to laugh at her claim that she was a virgin. Gaby is shocked that he would think otherwise, but he reminds her of the skimpy skirts and tops she wore, then referring to her old self as "little slut". Gabrielle calls him a "sick bastard" and tries to get past him, but he grabs her and throws her against the chest, after saying that it was his turn to do the talking.
Carlos comes home and sees them through the window, instantly noticing his wife is in panick. Inside, Gaby tells Alejandro to stay away from her, and he reminds her of that night they spent together in her room. He grabs her by the wrists, and she tearfully begs him to stop. Alejandro then explains that he had to cover her mouth so her mother wouldn't hear how much she was enjoying it.
Alejandro drops to the floor after being knocked over the head.

The girls come in and notice the body on the floor.
Epilogue

The chest.
The dessert course is taking place at Gaby's house, and the guests seem to be enjoying themselves. Bree approaches Chuck, who tells her this has been fun, he likes her friends. Bree tells him she's glad, and then she notices a bit of blood on the candlestick Carlos used. She rubs it off with a napkin right under Chuck's eyes, saying, with a smile, "Strawberry sauce gets everywhere". During Mary Alice's subsequent voice-over, Chuck and Mike have a talk, Lee consoles Renee with a kiss on the forehead, Carlos holds Bree's hand in appreciation over the decision to help him out, and Gaby talks to Karen, who puts her plate over the chest. Gaby stares at it, and thus it is implied that is where they are keeping Alejandro's body.
![]() | There are many things that bind friends together: sharing a laugh over an embarassing incident, comforting each other in times of need, finding it in our hearts to forgive. But the thing that binds friends together the most is a secret that changes everything.
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Mary Alice Young |
Production
"Come on Over for Dinner" was written by executive producer Bob Daily and directed by series regular Larry Shaw. Marc Cherry (series creator) was originally planning to end his run on the show after this episode, as he had begun work on another series for ABC. However, ABC did not to pick up his new show, and so Cherry decided to stay on with Desperate Housewives for another season. Although, it has since been announced that Cherry has indeed stepped down from his position to rework his concept for a new show, while Bob Daily takes his place.
Reception
The episode was watched by 10.27 million viewers (making it the least viewed season finale in the series' run) and received a 3.1 rating in the key demographic,[1] as well as gaining mixed reviews from critics yet overwhelmingly positive opinion from fans. Christian Blaulvelt, recapper/reviewer for EW.com, praised the ending of the episode (and the season) and the possibilities it offered for season 8, saying "the fact that all the Housewives are going to be involved as partners in crime in next year’s caper instantly makes it more compelling than anything this show has given us in years. Finally, DH is getting back to basics, crafting a mystery that utilizes the entire ensemble rather than splitting the cast into a web of barely-connected, tangential story-threads." [2]
Trivia
- This episodes marks the first time since the second season finale that executive producer Larry Shaw served as director for the very last episode in a season.
- The network broadcast featured unified credits for the consecutive airing of two episodes, this and the previous. Several credited performers appeared in only one of the two episodes. Although credited in this episode, Mark Moses (Paul Young) and Madison De La Garza (Juanita Solis) are absent. Charlie Carver (Porter Scavo) and Joshua Logan Moore (Parker Scavo) are too absent, and are therefore not credited.
- This is the 150th episode to feature Marcia Cross (Bree Van de Kamp), due to a 7-episode absence in season 3 because of her maternity leave.
- The final scene may be a nod to Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope", where a dead body is hidden in a chest throughout an entire dinner party, and it also constitutes a nod to the mystery that started the series: Deirdre Taylor's chopped up body was stuffed in a chest as well.
- This episode marks the second season finale in the series that the housewives cover up a murder.
Bloopers and continuity errors
- When Doreen Vance calls her lawyer, Arthur, on the phone, she starts talking immediately after dialing. There wouldn't be enough time for Arthur to answer the call or for it to go to voice-mail.
Quotes
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Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.
References
External links
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