It’s been over a decade since we watched the moving vans roll down Wisteria Lane for the last time. Honestly, the way Desperate Housewives I Guess This Is Goodbye wrapped up the saga of Susan, Bree, Lynette, and Gabrielle still feels like a gut punch. Most TV shows stumble at the finish line. They either leave too many loose ends or try to be so clever that they forget why people started watching in the first place. But Marc Cherry didn't do that. He leaned into the melodrama.
The 2012 finale, titled "Finishing the Hat" and "Give Me the Blame" (often referred to by fans by its poignant closing sentiment), wasn't just another episode. It was a two-hour marathon of closure. You’ve got a wedding, a birth, a death, and a trial all colliding at once. It’s chaotic. It’s messy. It’s exactly what life on that fictional street in Fairview was always about.
The Trial of the Century (In Fairview, At Least)
The stakes were weirdly high. Remember, the whole eighth season was built on the foundation of a cover-up. After Gaby’s stepfather, Alejandro, was killed in the Season 7 finale, the ladies spent an entire year losing their minds over the secret. By the time we get to Desperate Housewives I Guess This Is Goodbye, Bree Van de Kamp is basically on the sacrificial altar.
She was willing to go to jail for a crime she didn't commit. That’s peak Bree. Marcia Cross played that role with such a stiff upper lip that when it finally started to tremble, you felt it. The courtroom drama could have been cheesy, but the intervention of Mrs. McCluskey changed everything. Karen McCluskey, played by the late, great Kathryn Joosten, was the secret soul of the show. Her "confessing" to the murder while she was literally dying of cancer was a masterstroke of writing. It wasn't legally sound—any real lawyer would tell you that—but emotionally? It was perfect.
Kathryn Joosten was actually battling lung cancer in real life while filming these scenes. That's why the weight of her performance feels so heavy. It wasn't just acting. She died only twenty days after the finale aired. Knowing that makes the scene where she passes away while listening to "Wonderful! Wonderful!" by Johnny Mathis almost impossible to watch without a box of tissues.
The Four Paths Forward
People always argue about which housewife got the "best" ending. It’s a debate that never really dies.
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Susan Delfino was the first to leave. After Mike’s death—which I’m still not over, by the way—she needed a fresh start. Watching her drive away while the ghosts of the street stood on their lawns was a haunting visual choice. It gave the show a supernatural touch that called back to Mary Alice Young’s narration. Speaking of Mary Alice, Brenda Strong’s voice is the glue that held all eight seasons together. Hearing her final monologue about the secrets of the suburbs felt like a warm, albeit slightly creepy, blanket.
Then you have Lynette and Tom. Their reconciliation felt earned because they were so toxic for so long. They moved to New York. Lynette finally got to be the CEO she was meant to be, proving that a "happy ending" for a woman in 2012 could involve a boardroom and not just a nursery.
Gaby and Carlos ended up in California. Gaby got her own shopping channel! It was the most "Gaby" ending possible. She turned her vanity into a career, and Carlos supported her. It was a complete reversal of their Season 1 dynamic where he was the provider and she was the bored trophy wife.
Bree’s ending was the most surprising for some. She moved to Kentucky, got married again (to her lawyer, Trip), and was elected to the state legislature. It showed that she finally stopped caring about what the neighbors thought and started focusing on what she could actually achieve.
Why the Poker Game Matters
The final poker game is the scene that sticks. It’s just four women sitting around a table.
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They promised to stay in touch. They promised to keep playing. But as the narrator pointed out, they didn't. They never all sat together again. That is the most honest thing Desperate Housewives I Guess This Is Goodbye ever did. Life happens. People drift. You think you'll be friends forever with the people you live next to, but then someone moves, someone gets a new job, and suddenly it’s been five years since you spoke. It’s bittersweet. It’s real.
Most fans wanted a "Happily Ever After" where they all lived in a retirement home together, but Marc Cherry chose realism over fantasy. It hurts, but it's why the finale stays in your head.
Technical Brilliance and the Ghost Walk
The "Ghost Walk" is a legendary piece of television history. As Susan drives out of Wisteria Lane, we see dozens of characters who died throughout the series. Martha Huber, Rex Van de Kamp, Edie Britt (though Nicollette Sheridan didn't actually return due to the infamous lawsuit, they used a lookalike/stand-in), and of course, Mike Delfino.
The logistics of that scene were a nightmare. Getting that many actors back, even for a non-speaking cameo, was a feat. It served as a visual "thank you" to the fans who had been there since 2004. It reminded us that Wisteria Lane wasn't just a set; it was a graveyard of secrets.
The Final Mystery
The very last scene introduces a new housewife moving into Susan’s old house. She hides a jewelry box in a cupboard with a look of pure panic. The cycle begins again. The show tells us that while these specific stories are over, the "desperate" nature of the suburbs is eternal. There will always be a secret. There will always be a housewife with something to hide.
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Lessons from Wisteria Lane’s Exit
If you're revisiting the show or watching the finale for the first time, look for these specific nuances:
- The Lighting Shift: Notice how the lighting on the street changes from the bright, satirical "Technicolor" of Season 1 to a more muted, cinematic tone in the finale. It reflects the loss of innocence.
- The Wardrobe Choices: Bree is wearing her signature pearls, but Gaby is in high-end business attire. The costumes tell the story of their growth.
- The Music: The use of the original theme song elements during the final montage is a deliberate nostalgia trigger.
To truly appreciate the impact of Desperate Housewives I Guess This Is Goodbye, watch the pilot episode immediately after. The contrast between who these women were—Susan the klutz, Bree the perfectionist, Gaby the cheater, and Lynette the overwhelmed mother—and who they became is staggering.
The best way to honor the legacy of the show isn't just to rewatch the highlights. It's to recognize that it paved the way for every "prestige" dramedy we have today. Before Dead to Me or Big Little Lies, there was a street called Wisteria Lane.
For those looking to dive deeper into the production, track down the behind-the-scenes interviews from the Season 8 DVD sets or the "Cherry Picked" segments. They reveal how close the cast actually was during those final days, despite the tabloid rumors of feuds. Seeing Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross break character during the final wrap is just as emotional as the episode itself.
Next time you find yourself scrolling through streaming services, don't just skip to the end. The journey to that goodbye is what makes the final "I guess this is it" so powerful. Wisteria Lane might be a set on the Universal Backlot, but for eight years, it was home.