Dress Big

"Dress Big"

"Dress Big" is the 64th episode of the ABC television series, Desperate Housewives. It is also the seventeenth episode of the show's third season. The episode was written by Kevin Etten and Susan Nirah Jaffee and directed by Matthew Diamond. It aired on April 8, 2007.

Nicollette Sheridan chose this episode for consideration in the category of “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2007 Emmy Awards.

Plot

After Gabrielle's wardrobe is ruined by a plumbing leak, she asks Victor if she can borrow one of his ex-wife's dresses. When Victor refuses, Gabrielle steals a few dresses and wears one of them to an event that Victor attends. Victor's ex-wife is also at the event and notices Gabrielle wearing her dress.

Edie decides that Carlos doesn't just make a great fill-in father for her son, Travers, he'd be a great boyfriend too. She decides the best way to put the moves on him is through his relationship with Travers, so she invites him over to the house and instructs Travers to go to bed early. Carlos is about to go home, so she snaps a piece off a model airplane for him to fix. He quickly realizes she's hitting on him and tells her he's not looking for a party girl—especially one who uses her son as date bait. She says she'd like him to see her for who she is, and with this she drops her bag, takes off her shirt, skirt, shoes bra, and finally her underwear. Edie, now fully naked, is hugged by Carlos and they have sex the next morning, and Edie is still naked.

Cast

Although credited, Bree Hodge (Marcia Cross), Julie Mayer (Andrea Bowen), Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan), Danielle Van De Kamp (Joy Lauren), Preston Scavo (Brent Kinsman), Porter Scavo (Shane Kinsman), and Parker Scavo (Zane Huett) do not appear in this episode.

Josh Henderson (Austin McCann) who was a series regular since the beginning of the season is no longer credited.

Series continuity

This is the episode where Mike Delfino's amnesia weakens enough to allow his memory of Susan to return.

Ratings

This episode had 15.7 million viewers on its original airing, and is the lowest rated original airing of an episode from third season.

Title reference

• The episode title, Dress Big is a song taken from the Stephen Sondheim musical, The Frogs.

International titles

• Español: Vistete Bien (Dress Well)
• French: L'objet du désir (The subject of desire)
• German: Kleider machen Leute (Clothes Make the Man)
• Hebrew: להתלבש בגדול (Lehitlabesh BeGadol; Dress Big)
• Hungarian: Ruha teszi az embert! (Clothes Make the Man)
• Italian: Dietro il vestito (Behind the Dress)
• Polish: Prosto z szafy (Just From the Wardrobe)