The perfect soap has an imperfect return. The second season of “Desperate Housewives” was effected by the sophomore slump with the fascinating plot strands from the first season going nowhere. The mystery of Betty Applewhite (Alfre Woodard) with someone chained in her basement just couldn’t compare to the juicy first season of the popular series. Things do take some interesting turns as Carols (Richardo Chavira) goes to prison. That doesn’t stop him from bickering with his wife (Eva Longoria) in couples’ therapy in during visiting days however. The second season lacks the compelling mystery at the heart of the first and that story arc was the engine that drove the series. With a weaker engine “Desperate Housewives” moves slower and is less compelling. The performances are as always quite good. The second season of “Desperate Housewives” isn’t bad—it’s just more of the same with less creative stories for the cast to work with. ---

Image & Sound:

I’m going to quote from my review of the last season of the show as the results are about the same: Buena Vista has pulled out all the stops providing a top notch transfer. Skin tones are natural and while there’s an occasional hint of edge enhancement, the transfer is top notch. The vivid, bright colors and sharp image quality make this one of the best transfers (aside from “Lost”) that I’ve seen this year for a network TV show. The 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound mix has great presence and while it doesn’t use the format quite as well as an action series, there’s lots of detail that can be heard. ---

As with the previous season set this one has a lot of very nice extras as part of the package. Desperate Husbands: See the men of Wisteria Lane "dish" on TV's hottest housewives. Complete unaired storyline featuring Teri Hatcher. We get a featurette on TV's most iconic housewives: Debra Jo Rupp (That '70s Show), Shirley Jones (The Partridge Family), Marion Ross (Happy Days). There’s also an interview with creator Marc Cherry and his mom (who he claims is his muse and, if that’s the case, it’s deserted him for at least part of the second season). Directing Desperate Housewives: An episode from Concept to Completion provides a unique look inside the production of the show. “Cherry Picked” features writer/creator/producer Marc Cherry’s favorite scenes from the second season. There’s also a featurette on the costume design on the show as well as deleted scenes with optional commentary from Marc Cherry. There are also a number of solid audio commentaries throu ghout the set as well. ---

Final Words: