Desperate Housewives - Look Into Their Eyes And You See What They Know

So Edie has made her last snide remark and, despite all her faults, she wasn't the worst and I, for one, will be sorry to see her go. Sure, she was brash and loud and in your face but she was also worthy of pity most of the time.

What we liked about Edie
For me Edie represented all the things you'd never be brave enough to do yourself. You championed her guts and self-confidence yet couldn't ever imagine yourself reacting the same way in the same circumstances. She gave off the impression that she was unshakeable and yet there was an intense vulnerability about her. I think her ability to hide behind her very glamorous mask was great - silly at times, maybe, but brave all the same. Edie was also one of the most quick-witted characters in the show. She had a sharp tongue and she wasn't afraid to be heard speaking her mind. It was often her downfall but that was what was most likeable about her. She seemed to care very little about public perception but deep down she wanted to liked, much more than she would ever let on.

What we hated about Edie
Edie was a straight-talker – which is fine if you're watching her in a TV set from the comfort of your couch but you wouldn't want her as a friend if she was going to be as brutally honest as she often was. Imagine walking up to her and getting one of her "you look hideous" lines. You'd keel over if you were easily offended. She also had no morals – again great if you're watching from afar or are in the relationship for the fun factor but not so great if she's robbing your husband or poisoning your child's mind or getting drunk and spilling all your secrets all over the neighbourhood.

Farewell to Edie
This week's tribute show (complete with the customary trip down memory lane) captured most of the ingredients that made up Edie's colourful personality and the little stories that all of the Housewives told really showed what she was made of – tough stuff… but a bit soft underneath the hard shell. For me the scene with Travers wasn't as emotional as it could have been. Sure, he hasn't seen her in years (at least ten judging by how much he aged since his last appearance!) but you'd have expected some kind of mourning. Was a tear too much to ask for, even after Mrs McCloskey's story? Speaking of the lovely Karen, she also got the best line of the night when she told Gaby off for not censoring her story. "In hindsight maybe you shouldn't have told that part of the story"… eh, you think?

On an aside, did all the housewives just happen to happen mini-urns in their houses when it came to dividing up the ashes? How odd is that? And now to sum Edie up in one word… I think it would have to be "vivacious"… or if I'm going to pull a 'Susan'… "larger than life".

Linda McGee

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