Distant Past
Encyclopedia
"Distant Past" is the 78th episode of the ABC
television series, Desperate Housewives
. It is the eighth episode of the show's fourth season and originally aired on November 25, 2007.
The episode title Distant Past was taken from the title of a bit of underscoring
in Stephen Sondheim
's film score for Alain Renais's Stavisky
.
Edie reads that the mayor is missing and tips off the police that Gabrielle and Carlos were having an affair. Gaby denies it, claiming that Edie's just being spiteful because Carlos dumped her. Just then the police get a call: Victor's been found alive. They escort Gaby to the hospital, where she's relieved to find that Victor says he has no memory of his accident, not even of being on the boat. After the police leave, he grabs her by the throat and tells her he remembers everything.
Bree insists on having baby Ben share their bed, which means no sleep and no sex for a cranky Orson. Bree explains that she doesn't want to make the same mistakes she made with her first children, which Andrew overhears and takes as his cue to move out of the house so Bree won't be reminded of her past "mistakes." In an attempt to get Andrew to move back home, Bree visits him at his new apartment with his favorite home cooked meal. Andrew refuses to come home and reveals that his real motive for moving was to start his own life and give his mother the opportunity to begin her new life with Orson and Benjamin. Bree admits that her real fear is parting ways with Andrew on bad terms again and is surprised to learn that Andrew had already forgiven her for abandoning him two years earlier. Even more, Andrew thanks his mother for "forcing him to grow up". Bree then realizes that she had been oblivious to the fact that her once angry teenage son became a mature and forgiving adult. This conversation implies that the dark chapter in Bree and Andrews' lives has officially closed. In a final twist of irony, Andrew insists that Bree use a coaster for her beverage, which nearly moves Bree to tears.
Bree asks Tom how he and Lynette dealt with the lack of sex when their kids were young and he explains how they got creative in finding other places to make love. Bree books an appointment with Orson as "Mrs. Zimmerman," and tells him she "has a cavity she needs filled," and drops her raincoat, revealing nothing underneath, to Orson's delight.
Lynette feels guilty about having run her mother off, so she's glad when her former stepfather, Glen, helps track down Stella. She refuses to come back to live with Lynette after she called her a bad mother. Lynette is prepared to list all the terrible things Stella did, starting with her cheating on Glen, the only stable parental figure Lynette ever knew, when Glen says it's time they tell Lynette the truth. He didn't leave Stella because she cheated on him, he left because he realized he's gay. This changes everything for Lynette, who now can understand her mother's drinking and all the men in her life. She asks her mother to come back once more, but Stella is sure she'll just mess things up again. Glen offers to let her stay with him, as he's lonely since his partner died and he has a free guest room. Stella is thrilled to accept and Lynette is pleased to have both parents back in her life.
Mike needs more pills, but his dealer, a student named Barrett, has raised the price. Barrett shows up at the house to collect and Susan, hearing he's a college pre-med student, decides he'd be a perfect match for Julie.
Sylvia, a woman from Adam's past, shows up and he angrily tells her she already ruined his life once. Mike is over fixing a
leak, so she leaves, for now. Mike agrees not to tell Katherine, if Adam writes him a prescription for painkillers. Adam really can't, being a gynecologist, so he asks Orson to write one for him. Orson is reluctant and Mike says it's not just the stress and financial burden of being a "suburban dad," but continued pain from the time he was run over by an unknown driver. Orson, clearly feeling guilty, writes the prescription.
When Mike hears that Barrett was at the house, he calls and orders him to stay away, but doesn't realize Susan's already invited him back. Mike finds Barrett chatting happily with Julie and blurts out the truth: he's his drug dealer. Susan assures Julie that Mike's addiction is a thing of the past, but Julie isn't so sure: She saw Mike filling a prescription just that morning.
That evening, Mike sneaks out to his truck when Susan says she'll be in the shower, but she's really watching him out the window. As Mike sleeps, Susan inspects his truck and her worst suspicions are confirmed when she finds the bottle of pills—and sees who prescribed them.
(Dana Delany
), Dylan Mayfair (Lyndsy Fonseca
), Danielle Van De Kamp (Joy Lauren
), Preston Scavo (Brent Kinsman), Porter Scavo (Shane Kinsman
), Parker Scavo (Zane Huett
) and Kayla Scavo (Rachel Fox) do not appear in this episode.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television series, Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
. It is the eighth episode of the show's fourth season and originally aired on November 25, 2007.
The episode title Distant Past was taken from the title of a bit of underscoring
Underscoring
In film production, underscoring is the playing of music quietly under dialogue or a visual scene. It is usually done to establish a mood or theme. In a play, sometimes incidental music is used for this purpose....
in Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
's film score for Alain Renais's Stavisky
Stavisky
Stavisky... is a 1974 French film drama based on the life of the financier and embezzler Alexandre Stavisky and the circumstances leading to his mysterious death in 1934. This gave rise to a political scandal known as the Stavisky Affair, which led to fatal riots in Paris, the resignation of two...
.
Plot
Victor has been missing for two days and Carlos wants to tell the police what happened and plead self defense. Gaby convinces him to keep quiet since no one will suspect they were on the boat with him. The police find Victor's empty boat and question Gaby, who tries to plant the idea that Victor was despondent over her leaving him and possibly suicidal—a tough sell since the complete lack of fingerprints on the boat points to foul play.Edie reads that the mayor is missing and tips off the police that Gabrielle and Carlos were having an affair. Gaby denies it, claiming that Edie's just being spiteful because Carlos dumped her. Just then the police get a call: Victor's been found alive. They escort Gaby to the hospital, where she's relieved to find that Victor says he has no memory of his accident, not even of being on the boat. After the police leave, he grabs her by the throat and tells her he remembers everything.
Bree insists on having baby Ben share their bed, which means no sleep and no sex for a cranky Orson. Bree explains that she doesn't want to make the same mistakes she made with her first children, which Andrew overhears and takes as his cue to move out of the house so Bree won't be reminded of her past "mistakes." In an attempt to get Andrew to move back home, Bree visits him at his new apartment with his favorite home cooked meal. Andrew refuses to come home and reveals that his real motive for moving was to start his own life and give his mother the opportunity to begin her new life with Orson and Benjamin. Bree admits that her real fear is parting ways with Andrew on bad terms again and is surprised to learn that Andrew had already forgiven her for abandoning him two years earlier. Even more, Andrew thanks his mother for "forcing him to grow up". Bree then realizes that she had been oblivious to the fact that her once angry teenage son became a mature and forgiving adult. This conversation implies that the dark chapter in Bree and Andrews' lives has officially closed. In a final twist of irony, Andrew insists that Bree use a coaster for her beverage, which nearly moves Bree to tears.
Bree asks Tom how he and Lynette dealt with the lack of sex when their kids were young and he explains how they got creative in finding other places to make love. Bree books an appointment with Orson as "Mrs. Zimmerman," and tells him she "has a cavity she needs filled," and drops her raincoat, revealing nothing underneath, to Orson's delight.
Lynette feels guilty about having run her mother off, so she's glad when her former stepfather, Glen, helps track down Stella. She refuses to come back to live with Lynette after she called her a bad mother. Lynette is prepared to list all the terrible things Stella did, starting with her cheating on Glen, the only stable parental figure Lynette ever knew, when Glen says it's time they tell Lynette the truth. He didn't leave Stella because she cheated on him, he left because he realized he's gay. This changes everything for Lynette, who now can understand her mother's drinking and all the men in her life. She asks her mother to come back once more, but Stella is sure she'll just mess things up again. Glen offers to let her stay with him, as he's lonely since his partner died and he has a free guest room. Stella is thrilled to accept and Lynette is pleased to have both parents back in her life.
Mike needs more pills, but his dealer, a student named Barrett, has raised the price. Barrett shows up at the house to collect and Susan, hearing he's a college pre-med student, decides he'd be a perfect match for Julie.
Sylvia, a woman from Adam's past, shows up and he angrily tells her she already ruined his life once. Mike is over fixing a
leak, so she leaves, for now. Mike agrees not to tell Katherine, if Adam writes him a prescription for painkillers. Adam really can't, being a gynecologist, so he asks Orson to write one for him. Orson is reluctant and Mike says it's not just the stress and financial burden of being a "suburban dad," but continued pain from the time he was run over by an unknown driver. Orson, clearly feeling guilty, writes the prescription.
When Mike hears that Barrett was at the house, he calls and orders him to stay away, but doesn't realize Susan's already invited him back. Mike finds Barrett chatting happily with Julie and blurts out the truth: he's his drug dealer. Susan assures Julie that Mike's addiction is a thing of the past, but Julie isn't so sure: She saw Mike filling a prescription just that morning.
That evening, Mike sneaks out to his truck when Susan says she'll be in the shower, but she's really watching him out the window. As Mike sleeps, Susan inspects his truck and her worst suspicions are confirmed when she finds the bottle of pills—and sees who prescribed them.
International titles
- Czech: Dávná minulost (Distant Past)
- French: Erreurs de jeunesse (Youthful Indiscretions)
- French Canadian: Tapis dans l'Ombre (Hidden in the Shade)
- German: Treibgut (Flotsam)
- Great Britain: A Distant Past. The episode name slightly dithers from the one used in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere because it has added the word A to the beginning of the title.
- Hebrew: שגיאות מהעבר (Shgi'ot MeHaAvar; Mistakes from the Past)
- Hungarian: Távoli múlt (Distant Past)
- Italian: Un Passato Lontano (A Distant Past)
- Polish: Odległa Przeszłość (Distant Past)
- Spanish: Un pasado triste (A Sad Past)
Ratings
This episode attracted 18.64 million viewers in its original US airing. 13.86 million viewers watched this episode in the UL, finishing 3rd in the week it was aired.Cast
Although credited, Katherine MayfairKatherine Mayfair
Katherine Mayfair is a fictional character created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry for the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...
(Dana Delany
Dana Delany
Dana Welles Delany is an American film, stage, and television actress, producer, host and health activist.After various roles in the early career, Delany garnered her first leading role in 1987 in the short-lived NBC sitcom Sweet Surrender and achieved wider fame in 1988–1991 as Colleen McMurphy...
), Dylan Mayfair (Lyndsy Fonseca
Lyndsy Fonseca
Lyndsy Marie Fonseca is an American actress known for playing Colleen Carlton on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and The Restless, Dylan Mayfair on the ABC series Desperate Housewives, and Ted Mosby's daughter on How I Met Your Mother. She also played Katie Deauxma in the 2010 superhero film...
), Danielle Van De Kamp (Joy Lauren
Joy Lauren
Joy Lauren is an American actress who is best known for playing Danielle Van de Kamp, on the hit ABC Comedy-drama Desperate Housewives....
), Preston Scavo (Brent Kinsman), Porter Scavo (Shane Kinsman
Shane Kinsman
Shane Kinsman is an American child actor who typically plays a rambunctious twin alongside his identical twin brother Brent. He played Kyle Baker in the 2003 film Cheaper by the Dozen and its 2005 sequel Cheaper by the Dozen 2...
), Parker Scavo (Zane Huett
Zane Huett
Zane Alexander Huett is an American child actor.Zane is most famous for his featured role on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives playing the role of Parker Scavo, the younger son of Lynette and Tom Scavo. He plays the youngest Scavo boy, yet is older by six months than the actors Brent...
) and Kayla Scavo (Rachel Fox) do not appear in this episode.
Awards Notes
- Shawn PyfromShawn PyfromShawn Caminiti Pyfrom is an American actor who has appeared in several television series and movies, and is best known for his portrayal of Andrew Van de Kamp on ABC's Desperate Housewives-Life and career:...
submitted this episode for consideration of his work in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor - Comedy SeriesPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Comedy SeriesThis is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.-1950s:*1954: Art Carney – The Jackie Gleason Show as Ed Norton*1955: Art Carney – The Jackie Gleason Show as Ed Norton...
" for the 2008 Emmy Awards60th Primetime Emmy AwardsThe 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards was held on Sunday, September 21, 2008, at the newly opened Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. They were hosted by Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Ryan Seacrest and televised in the United States on ABC.The Creative Arts Awards...
. - Richard ChamberlainRichard ChamberlainGeorge Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
also submitted this episode for consideration in the category of "Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy SeriesPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor - Comedy SeriesThis is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.-1980s:Outstanding Guest Performer In A Comedy Series*1986: Roscoe Lee Browne – The Cosby Show as Dr...
" for the 2008 Emmy Awards60th Primetime Emmy AwardsThe 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards was held on Sunday, September 21, 2008, at the newly opened Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. They were hosted by Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, and Ryan Seacrest and televised in the United States on ABC.The Creative Arts Awards...
. - Polly BergenPolly BergenPolly Bergen is an American actress, singer, and entrepreneur.-Career:Bergen appeared in many film roles, most notably in the original Cape Fear opposite Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum...
also submitted this episode for consideration in the category of "Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy SeriesPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress - Comedy SeriesThis is a list of winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.-1970s:Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Series...
", which resulted in a nomination.