Free (Desperate Housewives)

Infobox television episode
Title = Free
Series = Desperate Housewives


Caption =
Season = 4
Episode = 17
Airdate = May 18 2008
Production = 417
Writer = Jeff Greenstein
Director = David Grossman
Episode list = List of Desperate Housewives episodes
Prev = The Gun Song
Next = You're Gonna Love Tomorrow

"Free" is the 87th episode of the ABC television series "Desperate Housewives". It is the seventeenth episode of the show's fourth season, and the second half of the two-hour season finale.

Guest starring

*Nathan Fillion as Adam Mayfair
*Kathryn Joosten as Karen McCluskey
*Gary Cole as Wayne Davis
*Justine Bateman as Ellie Leonard
*Tuc Watkins as Bob Hunter
*Kevin Rahm as Lee McDermott
*Gale Harold as Jackson Braddock
*Ellen Geer as Lillian Simms
*Josie DiVincenzo as Female Police Officer
*Hailee Denham as Dylan Davis
*Kaili Say as Juanita Solis
*Daniella Baltodano as Celia Solis
*Scotch Ellis Loring as Uniformed Cop

Plot

Katherine goes to the police station to report Adam as missing. She has a flashback to the last time she was in a station years earlier, when she tried to report Wayne's spousal abuse. The police woman taking her statement tells her to run away since Wayne, her ex-husband, has connections and her reports of Wayne abusing her will not be processed. So Katherine packed her bags and took Dylan to move in with Aunt Lillian. Back to the present time, she tries to tell the police that Wayne kidnapped Adam and that she is in danger but they do not listen. She comes home and starts to pack hastily but her daughter stops her, and questions her. She tells her the truth, leaving Dylan running out of the house angrily.

Katherine later comes in during a poker game by Bree, Lynnette, Gabrielle, and Susan to cancel herself out in catering the commitment ceremony of Bob and Lee, leaving Bree having to do all her work by herself. After this, the other housewives (except Bree) smile knowing that she can be sometimes not trustworthy and as a result, Bree forces Lynette, Susan and Gabrielle to help her. Bree struggles to make the ceremony a success but refuses Orson's help. Later, she is told by the ice sculptures that they cannot deliver the sculpture on time, forcing Bree to retrieve the sculpture by herself. On her way back, her car's tyre punctures and she cannot replace the tyre on time as the ice sculpture is melting. So she used a stroller to transport the sculpture and she is picked up by Orson. Bree and Orson later reconcile as the ceremony is in progress.

Susan receives a good news from Julie that she will be leaving for an internship in the summer, but Susan refuse to let her go. She lies about the family's financial problems, causing Julie to be upset. Later, Susan tells Julie that she is not prepared to let her go and she feels that she still needs Julie's support during times in need. Julie replies that Susan is a much stronger woman now and does not need her support as much as she used to.

Gabrielle is told by Carlos that she needs to stop overspending as their financial problems persist. Later, Gabrielle is asked by Ellie to retrieve a teddy bear from the closet. Gabrielle finds the teddy bear holds $118,000 inside it. When Ellie calls again to ask about the teddy bear, Gabby lies that she did not find it. Ellie threatens Gabrielle before going to the Solis' to get the money. They call the police to their house as they worry Ellie might do something dangerous to them. When Carlos goes upstairs to get his coat, he realizes that Ellie is already in the house. He warns Gabrielle, who rushes upstairs to get the money. Ellie and Gabrielle fight over the money and Roxy the dog breaks up the fight by biting Ellie. Ellie then runs away from the police and blends into the crowd at the commitment ceremony.

Meanwhile, Bob and Lee have differing opinions about which ice sculpture is to be used at the wedding reception. Bob wants to have a cherub whereas Lee wants to have an enchanted castle. Initially Lee gives in to Bob's wishes but Tom advises him to stand up for himself or else he will be ruled over for the rest of his life. Hence, Lee demands to have a castle sculpture. When Lee finds out that his wants are not granted, he confronts Bob. This leads to a huge argument between them and they decided to call off the ceremony. Lynette and Tom overhear their argument and decide to take action against it so that the efforts of Bree and everybody else does not go to waste and they don't lose their money. Tom tells them that if they cannot decide over small decisions that they might as well not marry at all. He also tells them that they should ask themselves whether they love each other so much that no problems can possibly tear them apart. Bob and Lee reconcile and the ceremony continues. At that point, Lynette realises that her marriage with Tom is strong as they aren't torn apart and kiss each other before returning back to the wedding ceremony.

Later at Susan's house Katherine asks her if they have seen Dylan but with no success. She comes home and is confronted by Wayne, and runs to get the gun but fails and is kept as hostage. He wants her to tell him what really happened to Dylan but she refuses, saying Wayne won't have an alibi when and if she turns up dead. Just then Ellie comes in and, not able to see Katherine or the gun, she threatens Wayne with a kitchen knife to let her hide. He pulls a cushion over the gun and shoots Ellie in the lung and she drops dead without even a sigh. Realizing he can use her as an alibi, he prepares to shoot Katherine. He is interrupted with a knock on the door by Bree, who is also taken hostage. He threatens to torture Bree, which forces Katherine to tell Wayne the truth about Dylan.

Years ago Katherine moved to Wisteria Lane to hide, but was found out by Wayne. Wayne dropped by to give Dylan a doll and a bicycle while Mary Alice was babysitting her. She gets angry and takes the doll from Dylan as she sleeps and places it on top of a cabinet as a sign that Wayne is not welcome there. Wayne and Katherine get into an argument, which ends with Katherine hitting Wayne with a candlestick. He leaves to get medical treatment as Aunt Lillian tried to comfort Katherine. Later, Katherine is awoken when a scream is heard. Aunt Lillian points to the lifeless hand of Dylan sticking out from a fallen cabinet, where Katherine had placed the doll. Katherine cries and they both later decide to bury the body in the woods. If they had reported the death Wayne would use it against her to claim that Katherine was trying to keep Wayne from taking Dylan. Katherine goes to a Romanian orphanage and adopts a girl who has a striking resemblance to Dylan, whose mother had died of childbirth and father was murdered.

Back in the present, Wayne is outraged about the truth and is about to shoot her when Adam knocks on the door. The two fight out of view, but Adam manages to wound Wayne. Katherine holds Wayne at gunpoint while Bree treats Adam's wounds. Wayne taunts Katherine, saying his friends on the force will ensure he will get out, and that he will never leave her alone. Katherine, realizing the truth of this, shoots Wayne in his chest, finally killing him. Bree rushes out of the house and asks her three friends to provide an alibi for Katherine. The police question the four women and Katherine is in a trance-like state. The police conclude the shooting was in self-defense and release Katherine. As she walks out of her house free she looks over the police line and sees her friends (Susan Delfino, Bree Hodge, Gabrielle Solis and Lynette Scavo) looking at her smiling. Katherine's daughter, Dylan, comes out of the crowd to confront her, in a loving way.

Five years later, the housewives still gather to play their weekly poker game, with Katherine joining the other housewives (as the fifth member). After the game, they all return to their homes. Gaby, still caring for a blind Carlos, has let herself go, and is now the mother of two young girls who are named Juanita and Celia. Bree, reunited with Orson, is now a successful cookbook author, and her son Andrew is her assistant. Lynette is still married to Tom, and their children are out of control: Preston has just been arrested for breaking into a car and taking it for a "joyride," while Porter has already served time in a juvenile detention center. Katherine is elated to hear that Dylan has just gotten engaged, but there is no sign of Adam. Finally, Susan arrives home and kisses an unidentified man who is not Mike (the character, named Jackson is portrayed by Gale Harold).

Quotes

Bob to Lee:

"Remember how you said I should tell you when you start acting like Faye Dunaway in the boardroom scene from Mommie Dearest?"

Bree:

"'Muddling through' isn't going to cut it. The gays run the social scene in this town. If we screw this up, we'll be lucky to get a job catering Friday Fish Fry at the Elks Lodge."

Bree to Orson:

"Don't you dare throw your calligraphy skills in my face when you know I'm at a low point."

Bree:

"Lynette, I wish I had time to be more tactful, but I don't. Your swan is pathetic and I'm firing you from napkin duty."

Bree to Katherine:

"Katherine? It's Bree. We need to talk now!!"

Carlos:

"Hey, Universe? Bite me!"

Gabrielle:

"Come on, we're never gonna have kids. Shoes are my kids! Let me be the mother I was meant to be."

Julie:

"You're a secure, confident woman now. You're ready to spread your wings and fly. Frankly, my work here is done."

Susan to Julie:

"I am so proud of you! I'm going to need a bumper sticker right away so I can start annoying all the other parents."

Trivia/Notes

*The title comes from a song from Stephen Sondheim's musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"
*This episode got 17.44 million viewers in its original US airing.
*As in the previous season's finales (with the exception of the third season finale where only attempted suicide occurs), someone dies.
*Mary Alice is seen in this episode, her second appearance this season.
*This is the final episode of the series to credit Andrea Bowen (Julie Mayer), Lyndsy Fonseca (Dylan Mayfair), Joy Lauren (Danielle Van De Kamp), Brent Kinsman (Preston Scavo), Shane Kinsman (Porter Scavo), Zane Huett (Parker Scavo) and Rachel Fox (Kayla Scavo) as regular cast members. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-05-18-desperate-housewives_N.htm Time's really flying for the 'Housewives' - USATODAY.com ] ] All of the characters, excluding Danielle and Kayla, make their last appearances in this episode. Danielle made her last appearance of the series in episode 4.06, Now I Know, Don't Be Scared, while Kayla last appeared in the previous episode, The Gun Song.

International Titles

* French : "Amies pour la vie" (Friends Forever)
*French Canadian : "Un Rituel" (A Ritual)
*Italian : "Liberi" (Free)

References