Desperate Housewives: Let's hope they never come for my pink flamingo

I'm just guessing here, but did some crazy fan kidnap the writers from season one of Desperate Housewives, keep them in a closet for a couple years, then give up trying to write the show himself and release the writers this year? Because that's kind of how it seems. And while much of the credit is obviously due to the writing (and its addition of a gay couple to the neighborhood), an equal amount should be given to Dana Delaney, who is a perfect fit for Wisteria Lane. Seriously, she has brought this show back from the brink. And tonight's episode was a great example of this season's return to form.

The biggest conflict of the week arrives in the form of a big, noisy, metal, artsy (the bad kind), expensive fountain. From Finland. In the middle of Bob and Lee's front yard. Bree's quote, I think, summed it up best: "Of all the gay men in the world, we have to get the two without taste!" I have to say, I find it a little surprising that the homeowners association had been inactive since Mary Alice's death. If there ever was a neighborhood where such an organization would thrive to an unhealthy degree, this is that neighborhood. The battle over the fountain quickly escalates, with the help of Katherine and Lynette, into a battle of fascism vs. libertarianism. And I have to say, tidy lawns and full nights of sleep are all well and good, but who picks on a tree house inhabited by the children of someone with cancer? Yeesh.

After Susan casts the tiebreaking vote for Katherine as homeowners association president, it seems a foregone conclusion that Wisteria Lane will turn into that episode of The X-Files where a monster killed anyone who didn't comply with homeowners association regulations. But interestingly, Katherine's husband points out that if times got tough, they'd want to have friends. (In the same conversation, incidentally, she vaguely references his losing control and what happened in Chicago.) Thus, Katherine goes around and makes nice to everyone, including Lynette, who calls her "one complicated lady." True that, Lynette.

When Katherine tries to make nice with Bob and Lee, though, they drop this week's big bomb: they know what she did last summer in Chicago. Or rather, what her husband did. Apparently, Bob's ex is on her husband's old hospital's board, and everyone's still talking about what happened. Katherine says that people are just telling vicious lies, but Bob and Lee, who are totally hardcore, don't give in. The fountain stays, and we're still left wondering again what, exactly, happened in Chicago. I'm hoping it's not just that he took liberties with a patient. That seems way too obvious for an OB/GYN.

In other news, I love Gabby and Carlos's plot. Which is just as much a surprise to me as it is to you, believe me. I spend the entire episode fearing that Victor's PI would find out about the affair, thus leading Victor to kill Gabby and Carlos. With the revelation that the PI was actually Edie's, I now fear that the sorry couple will suffer a fate far worse than death. Let's hope Carlos's accountant is working fast! Although this definitely gives Edie yet another avenue for blackmail, aside from the financial one. She has to know that Victor would totally destroy Carlos for this.

I also enjoyed the closure John's appearance brought. Though the "Carlos and John are the same!" anvil was dropped a little too heavily, it gave us a deeper glimpse into Carlos's mind, and allowed for that hilarious conversation in the hotel room about the sordid details of John and Gabby's affair, while Carlos hid in the closet. Finally, can we all agree that PI or no PI, the six month plan never would have worked? Given past evidence, there's no way Gabby could have gone without action for that long. Just sayin'.

Last, but not least, we have Bree's predicament. She finds out that Grandma busted Danielle out of the shockingly irresponsible convent in which she was confined, and that Danielle is now determined to stay at Grandma's retirement home and raise the baby there. I loved how Andrew set Bree straight about Danielle's true nature. I also enjoyed Bree and Orson's strategy for getting Danielle to leave Grandma. Not only did they bribe her with promises of Florida and a convertible, but they pointed out the disadvantages of living in a retirement home. Which really should have been obvious to Danielle from the get-go, but I'll cut her a break since she'd been living with nuns for the past few months.

All in all, yet another highly entertaining episode! Even if we didn't get to find out what was written in Aunt Lily's deathbed confession. I'm totally getting into this season, you guys. Totally.