Remember Paul?

"Remember Paul?"

"Remember Paul?" is the seventh season premiere episode of the American comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and the 135th overall episode of the series. It aired in the United States on September 26, 2010 on ABC. In the episode, Gaby will finally find out that Andrew ran over her mother-in-law 11 years ago, which will affect her friendship with Bree in a major way and Paul Young returns to Wisteria Lane.

The episode was written by series creator Marc Cherry.

Plot

Felicia Tilman was pulled over for speeding and was arrested for having no identification, prompting Paul Young to be freed and able to return to Wisteria Lane. Paul's lawyer visits him as he gets ready to leave his cell. He hands over his settlement check and Paul admits that all he wants to do is go back home. When he returns to Wisteria Lane, Mrs. McCluskey is first to see him and starts frantically to inform her neighbors.

Bree tells Gabrielle that Andrew hit Carlos's mother. She gets emotional, not because of what exactly she has been told, but because now she feels pressured to tell Carlos, and she knows that his anger will get out of control and he'll do something bad. She wishes Bree had never told her.

When the housewives discover the news that Paul Young is back, they discuss him on the porch, and he comes out and offers to tell them how he has been released. Inside, he reveals his grudges toward them because no one attended his trial or visited him in prison. Later, in an ironic moment, Paul goes to visit Felicia in jail. She states her sentence is two to five years, eighteen months with good behaviour. She tells Paul she wants to make sure he is either back behind bars or dead for what he did. Paul decides to let her know that these conversations are recorded. But after he puts down the receiver, he finally admits the crime to her by mouthing through the glass.

Lynette has been neglecting housework for the baby, and her kin are beginning to complain. They get a phone call from her old college buddy Renée Perry (Vanessa L. Williams) and she announces, without even asking, that she is coming to visit. When Renée arrives, having married to a high-paid baseball pro and living the high life, they fall into old habits of making sassy insults at each other, claiming it's part of their 'friendship'. Renée views Lynette's life as desirable, pathetic, and shocking, as this very different as it is not at all how she expected the Lynette that she knew to end up. Lynette herself has known this for years, and it hurts that someone else has finally vocalized it. Renée mentions that she hasn't booked a hotel yet so Parker suggests that she just stay in the house. Lynette doesn't want this, but Renée accepts happily.

The Delfinos move into their new home, an apartment. Susan assures MJ, and herself, that this is only temporary. To help speed along the road to recovery, she has been making homemade jewelery, which is later revealed to be ugly and too big.

Susan drops off the security deposit to the landlady and mentions that her family is experiencing financial troubles. She invites her in for tea. Inside, Maxine recounts how her late husband's illness drained them. But she overcame by being strong and starting her own business, which helps suffering women just like she and Susan start over. It becomes clear she isn't referring to the apartment complex, and she tells Susan that she would be perfect as an employee for this business. Susan is intrigued, as she could definitely use any extra side-money anyway. She reveals her business -- a porn website in which female attendants of the building do chores in lingerie for the camera. Needless to say, Susan is apalled. The landlady reasons that it really isn't that bad, as there is no nudity and no sex. She also says the patrons of this site are overseas, so she wouldn't have to worry about anyone she knows finding out. Susan is amazed at the salary, but still storms out.

Orson packs up his belongings from Bree's house with the help of his physical therapist. He is not malevolent, but wanting the best for both Bree and himself. Bree is very sad and does not want this. After he leaves, she comforts herself by getting up from the couch to look over old family photos. She notices some peeling wallpaper, and it refuses to stick. She eventually gets frustrated and vents by tearing all the wallpaper in her house down. Later, she hires a young contractor, who will help her to reinvent her empty home, symbolic of reinventing her empty life. She is ready to be adventurous but her idea and his idea of that word are not the same. Orson is outside and she excuses herself. He hands over the division of assets and Bree learns that he is now going out with his physical therapist. Bree is flustered. Orson tells her sadly that they were unhappy for so long, and at this age they can't allow happiness to simply pass them by. Bree goes back inside in a daze. In a suggestion, he says that Bree would look hot against a certain color, and says that Bree has options and can do whatever she wants. Bree looks into his face and mumbles an agreement.

Susan is pitching her less-than-perfect homemade jewelery to the others at Lynette's house, and Lynette introduces Renée to them. The pair begin to exchange banter again in front of the other women but the conversation turns sour when Renée hints that Lynette has not lived up to her college award of 'Most Likely To Succeed'. Lynette discusses the incident in the bedroom with Tom later that evening, and wonders why she would come just to criticise her life. Tom encourages her to confront Renée and boot her out.

Lynette presents Renée with a phone book and advises her to look up a hotel and a taxi. Renée opens up. Her husband was having an affair with his agent's assistant. She found out and confronted him, saying me or her. He gladly chose his mistress and left. Now Renée's already fragile life is falling apart. Lynette says she can stay as long as she likes.

Mike tells Susan that he has been offered a temporary job on an oil rig in Alaska and is considering taking it so that they can return to the house in Wisteria Lane more quickly. But Susan doesn't want him to because it is dangerous and just a wild idea. Mike says he doesn't want to either, but there are no good options in their situation. The next day, she visits Maxine's room and accepts the job, and begins posing for the camera soon, while no one else is home.

It turns out that the Solis family is the one harboring the switched baby, and she is Juanita. Carlos is quite furious, and when Jack, one of the hospital's lawyers assigned to this dreadful task, says that the hospital hasn't tracked them down, Carlos forbids him from telling Gaby anything. Jack insists that he has a legal obligation, which prompts Carlos to say he will deliver the bad news to her himself, but really doesn't want to because it would devastate her. Later, Carlos explains to Juanita her namesake, for she didn't get to even see her grandmother. Gaby watches them from the door. Then she tucks her in, and they go into a hypothetical conversation in which Gaby says her life would be ruined if something were to happen to Juanita. Carlos watches on from the door.

Carlos shows up at the hospital giving Jack an ultimatum: either he ends the operation to fix the problem and pretends like this didn't happen, or Carlos will file a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the hospital, which he is sure he would win. Jack states that he doubts the process can be stopped now.

Gaby informs Bree that she's definitely not going to tell Carlos. Bree suggests that he deserves to know but Gaby explains that he is so happy right now, with the marriage being the best it's ever been, the children growing up wonderfully, and a great job, and she couldn't ruin that, preferring to pretend like it didn't happen. Gabrielle and Carlos continue their lives, each keeping an important secret from the other.

In the streets, Lee and Paul have a conversation. Paul wants to buy the house across the street, his old house. Lee comments on how weird this is, but Paul says he has a good plan.

Felicia sticks up a newspaper cutout of Paul on a wall of her cell. Her roommate says he looks like a killer and it is a shame he was released. Felicia replies it's all for the best, as now he can receive the punishment he's entitled to. Then she tells her a secret, that Paul will be dead within six months, according to her. Her roommate asks she can make sure of that, with her being in jail, and Felicia contests that while Paul has no friends on Wisteria Lane, "I do".

Production

"Remember Paul?" was written by series creator and executive producer Marc Cherry. It marked the debut of Vanessa L. Williams as Renée Perry, an old college rival of Lynette Scavo. Williams was offered the job after her recent starring role as her Emmy Award-nominated character Wilhelmina Slater ended on ABC's Ugly Betty. It was announced on May 18, 2010 that she would be joining the show; this news came after Cherry had announced he was looking for a new troublemaker to fill the void left by the demise of Nicollette Sheridan's Edie Britt. The episode will also mark the return of season one's primary antagonist Paul Young, as well as Felicia Tilman.

Reception

Early reviews for the episode have been generally mixed. Neal Justin of the Star Tribune said, "the premiere is packed with the zippy zingers that made us fall in love with the dramedy in the first place," accrediting the series' improved quality of season six to the return of Mark Moses as Paul Young. He also commented that Vanessa Williams gave "a repeat performance" of her character on Ugly Betty. John Griffiths of Us Weekly gave the premiere a negative review, awarding it only two stars. He stated the show had turned into "a run-of-the-mill sitcom" and criticized the writers for not being able to develop material to match the "venerable cast capable of great things." He called the Paul storyline "corny" and the switched-baby storyline "as compelling as a manicure," and commented that both Williams and Brian Austin Greene deliver underwhelming performances.

Notes

• With this episode Vanessa L. Williams (Renée Perry) and Darcy Rose Byrnes (Penny Scavo) join the main cast. Meanwhile Mark Moses (Paul Young) re-joins the main cast, for the first time since season two. Recurring cast memembers since season four Kevin Rahm (Lee McDermott) and Tuc Watkins (Bob Hunter) are credited as regulars for the time.
• Brenda Strong can be seen as Mary Alice Young in this episode. Her first physical appearance for season seven and her fourteenth physical appearance in the show's run.
• The episode sees the return of Felicia Tilman, played by Harriet Sansom Harris. Felicia has not been seen since the second season episode No One is Alone, which left fans lobbying for her return ever since.
• This episode was watched by 12.83 viewers on its first original airing in the USA, On "ABC". Despite being the most watched episode since You Gotta Get a Gimmick, which aired on January 10, 2010, this episode is also 10% down from last season's premiere.