Desperate Housewives: Season 2 DVD: Review By Courtney O.

Our favorite ladies from Wisteria Lane are back for a second season in Desperate Housewives: The Complete Second Season. Filled with everything we loved about the first season, this cult classic unfolds with all the mysteries, deceit, sex, murder, and of course, the slap-stick humor we have so come to love.

Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) finds herself in a sticky love triangle with Mike Delfino (James Denton), the plumber across the street, and her ever-pursuing ex-husband Karl, the man Edie is planning to marry. Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), moving on from the unexpected loss of her husband Rex, begins dating her pharmacist, who, of course, secretly killed her husband so that he could have her all to himself. Her son Andrew is no unruly teenager-he is downright rotten. More tension builds between them over his sexual preference and soon he wages war against Bree, accusing her of child abuse. From all the recent stress, Bree ends up developing a little drinking habit; then a relationship with her AA sponsor. Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) ends her sexual relationship with her teenage gardener and decides to give her marriage to her husband Carlos a second try. Right before Carlos is released from jail, Gabrielle falls when an intruder surprises her in her home, and loses the baby that Carlos so painstakingly deceived her into conceiving. They decide to adopt from a stripper, a natural choice. Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) and her husband switch roles as she returns to her life as an advertising exec. He soon enough joins her, and all the fun and games lead to marital rocks and control issues. Paul Young (Mark Moses) returns to Wisteria Lane along with his son Zach, only to be haunted and terrorized by the late Martha Huber's scary nurse sister. And lastly, the least interesting house on Wisteria Lane is occupied by the Applewhites. Here, Betty and her two sons have a secret, but we're not telling.

At the end of Season Two, a new character is introduced-Kyle MacLachlan as Orson Hodge, the dentist. We have loved him dearly ever since Twin Peaks. He charms his way into Wisteria Lane and yet also is responsible for an unfortunate near-fatal hit-and-run. Whoever could it be?

The folks at Wisteria Lane always have something brewing. It's time you pay a visit.

Unaired Story Lines

Exclusive, unseen Susan Mayer and Lynette Scavo story lines. Great stuff for the true fan as you get to see some footage you never have before. Not terribly important, but definitely worth a look and a glimpse inside the creation factors of the show. Definitely the part of the special features that defines this set as "extra juicy."

Desperate Role Models

Iconic TV housewives share their wit and wisdom with the women of Wysteria Lane. Pretty unique feature and pretty entertaining at that as the creators of the show track down Joanna Kerns ("Growing Pains"), Marion Ross ("Happy Days"), Shirley Jones ("The Partridge Family") and Michael Learned ("The Waltons") to talk about the changing roles of housewives on TV today. Great stuff.

Marc & Mom - Interview with series' creator and his mother, the muse

From his beginnings in an Orange County suburb, the creator Marc Cherry talks casually alongside his ma about all his childhood memories that spawned Desperate-namely acts of desperation and frustration with being a wife and a mother. It's interesting to see which memories of acts of desperation actually ended up making their screen debut.

Directing Desperate Housewives - An episode from concept to completion

Eight to nine days for 48 finished minutes of film? We see it all in a matter of minutes. We go through it all from location scouting, transportation, rehearsals, actual filming, to editing and soundtracks. It's very interesting to see everyone talk so candidly about the process, letting us into the director's mind, and seeing the whole process unfold.

Deleted Scenes

A large collection of scenes that didn't make the final cut. Many of them are similar to what was included in the show, but still very interesting to watch.

Fashion and Couture

An intriguing look into the fashion ideas behind the wardrobes of our ladies on Wisteria Lane. From custom designs to Beverly Hills to Target, costume designer Christine Adair selects and creates the perfect outfits that tell us so much more about the characters. We learn about the creation of several outfits, from Lynette's white suit, to Edie's polka dot dress.

And much more...

Family friendly widesreen (1:78:1) enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions. The colors are fantastic and saturated with cinematic goodness.

Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The sound is great and the soundtrack is as always, the strings we love to hear.

Slathered in juicy cherries, the six-disc set is packed with fun and surprises. A fancy plastic cherry-studded sleeve encases a four-fold DVD case filled with images of our girls from Wisteria Lane inside and on the back cover. Inside the first fold, sits your very own perfume sample!

These housewives are pieces of every woman--the critical, the silly, the obsessive, the nurturing, the responsible, the vulnerable, and, last but not lease, the conniving. The show is terribly addictive, so watch with caution.