"Every Day a Little Death" is the 12th episode of the ABC

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...

. The episode was the 12th episode for the show's first season. The episode was written by Chris Black

Chris Black (screenwriter)

Chris Black is a screenwriter and television producer, from Toledo, Ohio, notable for writing and producing mainly science fiction and action series, although he also was a part of the production team of the dramedy Desperate Housewives during its first two seasons.Black has produced and wrote...

 and was directed by David Grossman

David Grossman (director)

David Grossman is an American film and television director known most notably for his work on the ABC series, Desperate Housewives which he also serves as co-executive producer, his first series as a producer....

. It originally aired on Sunday January 16, 2005.

Plot

The people of Wisteria Lane find out the fate of Mrs. Huber. Lynette tries to get into a yoga

Yoga

Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...

 class by claiming that her son, Parker, has cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

. Edie plans a funeral for Martha and she and Susan are the only mourners. When Susan learns from Felicia that Martha kept a diary, she is forced to tell Edie the truth about the house fire. Bree gets closer to George but decides to call it off after she sends him to the hospital by accidentally shooting him in the middle toe. Carlos arrives home on house arrest

House arrest

In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...

 which is something Gabrielle had not expected causing a few marriage strains.

Title reference

The episode title Every Day a Little Death comes from a song in the 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...

 musical, A Little Night Music

A Little Night Music

A Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...

.

International titles

• Finnish: Joka päivä pieni kuolema (Every Day a Little Death)
• French: Avant qu'il ne soit trop tard (Before it's gonna be too late)
• German: Asche auf mein Haupt (Mea Culpa! / lit.: Ash On My Head)
• Hungarian: Halj meg egy kicsit minden nap! (You die a little every day)
• Italian: Si muore un po' ogni giorno (You die a little every day)
• Spanish: Cada día, una pequeña muerte (Every Day a Little Death)