Release Date: 9/4/07

The Show

We all should have seen it coming. As soon as Stifler from the “American Pie” movies introduced the term, “Milf,” to the mainstream pop vocabulary, things were going to take a turn in media. Sure, we still have the teeny bopper starlets that appeared to be getting younger and younger a few years ago like Lindsay Lohan, Ashlee Simpson, Amanda Bynes, and throw in aging Britney and Christina for good measure, but who knew that actresses hovering around the 40-year old age mark would be the newest sex icons? Desperate Housewives proved to be the ratings juggernaut ABC so desperately needed, led by a cast of older, yet scandalously sexy actresses.

The series follows the women of Wisteria Lane: Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), Lynette Lindquist Scavo (Felicity Huffman), Bree Mason Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria), and Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan). The show is a great mix of dark comedy, suspense, and plain out soap opera fun. Personally, the show never caught on with me until that whole Monday Night Football incident that got me curious. After that, I was certainly hooked as each of the women clawed, seduced, and manipulated to their ends.

As you can probably tell, I’m probably not the target demographic for this show. And it could be presumed that male audiences are watching the series simply because of the beautiful women. However, shows like that lose their appeal after a few episodes, whereas Desperate Housewives has something else going for it, which is essentially everything. Pretty faces can only get you so far, but when you have good writing and good acting, you’ve got a winner.

The set includes all 23 episodes from the third season with a Play All option found on each disc.
Disc 1
1. Listen to the Rain on the Roof
2. It Takes Two
3. A Weekend in the Country
4. Like It Was
Disc 2
1. Nice She Ain’t
2. Sweetheart I Have to Confess
3. Bang
4. Children and Art
Disc 3
1. Beautiful Girls
2. The Miracle Song
3. No Fits, No Fights, No Feuds
4. Not While I’m Around
Disc 4
1. Come Play Wiz Me
2. I Remember That
3. The Little Things You Do Together
4. My Husband the Pig
Disc 5
1. Dress Big
2. Liaisons
3. God, That’s Good
4. Gossip
Disc 6
1. Into the Woods
2. What Would We Do Without You?
3. Getting Married Today

The DVD

The main menu comes with a very involved introduction and music that plays throughout against animated backgrounds. The transitions utilized make the entire experience very seamless and overall, this is a very well executed system that scores on style and functionality.

The video transfer is offered in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Format. The picture looks brilliant with vivid colors and strong details. This transfer is free of flaws and grain. With the stylistic direction that the show contains, it would have been a shame if the picture wasn’t perfect, and it’s definitely nothing short of that.

The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0. The sound certainly surprised me as there was plenty of positional sound. The 5.1 actually gets some use and it wasn’t entirely frontloaded like I had expected. The dialogue is crisp and clear while the music and sound effects come through with sharp clarity. Subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish.

The Extras

The 6-disc set comes in a fold-out digipak encased in a great looking glossy clear plastic case. Also included inside is an episode guide. Overall, this was an excellent job on packaging and does well to complement the discs that are loaded with a considerable amount of bonus options.

On Set with Eva offers a 6-minute piece featuring interviews with the cast and crew speaking on Eva. Backstage looks are offered as the cameraman follows Eva around set.

Here Comes the Bride runs a little under 8-minutes and offers the cast and crew speaking on their experiences shooting the wedding scenes from the season from the writing to characters.

Amas de Casa Desesperadas offers a 6-minute featurette that curiously compares the series to its Latino version counterpart.

Desperate Moments is an 8-minute retrospective piece that features the cast and crew offering their thoughts and memories on the season and its moments. Following the same vein, Cherry Picked: Creator Mare Cherry’s Favorite Scenes featuring Marc Cherry’s opinions and experiences.

Rounding out the bonus options is 6-minutes of Deleted Scenes and 3-minutes Bloopers.

Final Thoughts

Desperate Housewives – The Complete Third Season – The Dirty Laundry Edition proved to be another strong outing on DVD. Fans will no doubt continue to be amazed and enthralled by the season and will keep coming back for more with the bonus options.

- Morris Tang