Desperate Housewives Recap 8.16 "You Take For Granted"

Confession time: I've watched Desperate Housewives since it debuted in 2004, and have only been truly shocked during one moment � the death of Bree's husband at the end of season 1. That doesn't mean that the show hasn't had moments throughout its run that I've really liked or that have been shocking, but in terms of 'unpredictable'surprises, Rex'�s death definitely tops my list.

That being said, tonight's 'big death'reveal would've been much more compelling and surprising had the news not previously leaked all over the Internet earlier in the week during the much covered Nicolette Sheridan trial. The hour's plot was set up in such a way that anyone from supporting to main character could have gone based on their situation, and I don't think (at least until the end) that anyone would've suspected Mike Delfino � or any of the Desperate Housewives husbands, for that matter. Nonetheless, it was still sad and heartbreaking to see the untimely demise of someone who has been both a part of the cast and the Wisteria Lane landscape for so many years.

While we mourn, let's recap how the events of tonight went down. We begin with an official welcome, as Bree is finally inducted back into her group of friends and tells them everything. Lynette asks if she knows whys Orson acted the way she did, and Bree explains Orson's obsession with her. She then expresses her guilt over the fact that she believes Orson killed herself, while the girls remind her that it wasn't her job to save him � he wasn't the man she once loved. Gabrielle points out that their nightmare is finally over with the letters being the last piece of the puzzle to be put to rest...but did she speak too soon? Of course she did, because the next thing we see is mail from Orson arriving at the Fairview police department.

Bree runs into Mrs. McCluskey and Roy, and they tell her that they just came from the doctor who told them Mrs. McCluskey's cancer has progressed faster than they expected. Bree asks if she can do anything, and Mrs. Cluskey says yes � she can help kill her. Bree is obviously shocked, but a calm Mrs. McCluskey explains that since cancer is a bully, the only way she'll win is if she chooses to die first. Despite Bree's 'heartless'nature, she doesn't know if she's comfortable killing her friend. But with Mrs. McCluskey's insitance, she eventually agrees.

Tom arrives home to find Lynette putting together a 'bitchin'party'for Penny (no doubt inspired by her desire to be the best mother as she is now contending with 'new mom" Jane) � and things don't get better when Tom admits he wants to bring Jane to Penny's party. Meanwhile, Carlos has bought the girls a cat, much to Gabrielle's dismay. Is this the first pet we've seen on Wisteria Lane? I honestly can't remember. Regardless, Carlos says he realized in rehab that there is nothing more important than taking care of his family. When Gabrielle gives him a gift - a new tie to wear for his first day back at work - Carlos seems to realize for the first time that he has to go back to his office life. His mood drops drastically, although Gabrielle doesn't notice.

Over at the Delfino household, Susan is trying to seduce Mike, who has other things on his mind � namely the loan shark who he had a not-so-nice run in with last week. Susan naturally becomes concerned when she learns the reason behind Mike's distractedness and the two go to the police, explaining that they need protection. Unfortunately, the police say they can't do much, although they do call out Mike for owning a gun without a permit.

Meanwhile, Carlos'behavior becomes stranger when he refuses to wear a tie � something extremely out of the ordinary. Gabrielle soon gets a call from Carlos'secretary saying that he's been acting 'a little strange.'A little strange would be an understatement, as Gabrielle comes down to the office to find out that Carlos has been giving away the company's money to help random people. Carlos tells Gabrielle that he decided to make work 'a place he wants to be."

Penny's birthday (complete with trampolines and hula hoops) really is turning out to be a 'bitchin'party'� in fact, it might be the snazziest party on Wisteria Lane in 8 years. The party is soon thrown into whack, however, when Jane shows up with her photographer niece. Her gift to Penny is apparently photographs that will eventually go into a scrapbook album. Lynette is obviously irked by this (as evidenced by the fact she quite literally photobombs every single picture of Jane and Penny) and the two finally have it out, with Lynette telling her she's not part of the family. Jane is evasive in her response and finally admits that Tom asked her to move in with him. Lynette confronts Tom when he finally shows up and asks why she couldn't have heard it from him instead of his new girlfriend. When the talk immediately turns to lawyers and 'next steps,'Lynette seems to finally realize that this isn't just a trial separation � it's for real.

Bree is still trying to figure out ways to keep Mrs. McCluskey from killing herself, although Mrs. McCluskey is persistent and says with or without Bree, she plans to succeed. Bree tries to talk to Roy over pie that turns out to be "suicide" pie and in an amusing moment, Bree is soon rushing to the emergency room with Mrs. McCluskey and Roy in tow. Bree finally gets Mrs. McCluskey to understand why killing herself is a bad idea, and with some support from Roy, she decides to abandon her plans. Meanwhile, Jane shows up at Lynette's house wanting to apologize, although Lynette is too angry to accept anything sincere. When Jane accidently chokes on a cheese ball and Lynette hesitates to save her (I actually believe some of that may have been out of panic) Jane becomes upset at the fact Lynette apparently froze up and storms out.

At home, Gabrielle finally gets Carlos to open up about his strange actions. Carlos explains that his counselor in rehab talked about his father, who destroyed lives during Vietman without even knowing why. Carlos admits he wants to quit his job and possibly become a counselor � Gabrielle, obviously, does not approve of this idea because it would mean they would have drastically less money. Their conversation is interrupted by Juanita who has crawled onto the roof to look for the cat, and after a tense moment, Carlos manages to save her. Carlos later admits to her that he's miserable at work and needs a change, and then calls her out for being selfish. Any ideas where this is going to go? I feel like it's a little odd that Carlos would get a random "life change" so close to the end of the season, but maybe that's just me.

Susan and Mike share a nice moment on their porch, where Susan admits that she remembers what drew her to Mike in the first place � and that she loves that he takes care of people. Mike tells her about his family, how his dad beat his mom and how he'd hear it happening as a child. It made him not want to walk away from people in trouble. He then admits that he's scared that he never told Susan how much he loves her, and knowing what was to come, it was a heartbreaking moment between the two who really, despite their ups and downs, have had quite the nice life together and who loved each other tremendously.

Props to Desperate Housewives � who gave one of their main and beloved characters a send off that was worthy of reminding the viewer why Mike was such a huge part of the show for so long. The montage of clips and memories (mostly dealing with Susan and Julie) was a nice way to pay homage to his character, and maybe it's because I know we're close to saying goodbye to this show, but I admittedly teared up more than once in the final two minutes.

What did you think of the episode? Do you think anyone else will go before the end of the season, or will this be the 'big'shocker before the series signs off in 2 months? And given all of this, how do you think the series is going to end?