Short Story Club


  1. Dreams Do Come True
  2. Endless Game
  3. Ready To Die
  4. The Risk


In My View


  1. Living A Value Based Life
  2. Self-Care In A Crisis
  3. Baby Girl Expectations
  4. My Feminist Journey
  5. The Experiential Diary


Fragments


  1. The Importance Of Basquiat
  2. Get To Know Steve McCurry
  3. The Passage That Changed Me
  4. Let’s Talk 1984
  5. Literature So Black
  6. Dave The Storyteller
  7. 10vs10 A Lockdown Tale of Enjoyment
  8. Views
  9. An Ode To Insecure
  10. Michaela Coel Is The Goal
  11. The Elite Desperate Housewives
  12. Ugly Betty: Was It Really Love?
  13. 90s Black Cinema


Poet’s Corner


  1. Breakdown
  2. Delusions Of Grandeur
  3. Helen Of Troy
  4. Crush
  5. Truest Self
  6. What Do I Want?
  7. Rise
  8. Best In The Multiverse
  9. A Complex Affair with Misery
  10. I Did The Love Game Wrong

Let's Watch Desperate Housewives



In 2004 Marc Cherry’s Desperate Housewives hit our screens and shined for the 8 seasons that followed. The show centred a group of housewives on the fictional suburban street of Wisteria Lane, where we followed the lives of Bree, Gabby, Lynette, and Susan. The suburb was an epicentre of desperation and a bizarre amount of crime. The show highlighted how even the nicest of places, the most pristine of pictures are riddled with the most gruesome secrets, nastiest lies, and complete madness. However, alongside the bad, there was a lot of good and that was shown using the dynamic female friendships presented, the depictions of enduring love, perseverance and also the mass amounts of humour.


Why Was It Brilliant?


The show centred women in its own way; not a particularly familiar setting, but we were invited into this world in a way that made us feel connected because of how the characters were present. There was something relatable about each of the women, their struggles and how they banded together in order to deal with their life struggles. It was a show that aimed to shatter the illusions of suburbia and the perfect life. We had women of different backgrounds all ending up in the same place and they found a way to co-exist and generate bonds in a meaningful way, as well as build tensions and frictions that are natural in life.

In terms of drama, it was truly a show that gave! There were plenty of storylines that served mystery and intrigue. Throughout the seasons we were gifted a mixture of long storylines that were the main focal point, but they were intertwined with individual ones to form a nice balance.


What did the ‘desperate’ actually mean?


The desperation we saw play out on screen usually stemmed from frustration or being pushed to breaking point. Each of our protagonists would behave in peculiar ways in order to challenge what was being thrust upon them. It was reactionary desperation for the most part, but it did play into the comedic element of the show and provided plenty of entertainment.


Does It Stand The Test Of Time?


With shows created in the 2000s, there are many problems in hindsight that could be learned from. We lived in a different society and the things we see as problematic now, were more accepted back then. Despite the areas that might make it a ‘cancellable’ show now, it was a show that demonstrated uniqueness and there it a reason for its success and why it’s still beloved by fans of the show.

I can only praise the show for what it meant for its time and how it shaped my view on dramadies that centred women. They could be playful and fun, as well as heartfelt and tragic. I believe that it’s hard to formulate what they did with Desperate Housewives today, because it was one of a kind. From the extremely human protagonists to the wacky storylines to the moments that are forever etched into our memories, there’s a reason why people still talk about it today.