Desperate Housewives: The Complete Third Season—The Dirty Laundry Edition

Some wags are saying that this show's best days are already behind it, and that before long the writers will become more desperate than the housewives. I'm not prepared to go quite that far, but the 23 episodes of the 2006-07 third season collected here confirm that quality control has slipped. As always, the sexy sirens of Wisteria Lane—Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria), Bree Van De Kamp (Marcia Cross), Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), and Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan)—were busily scheming, but without the zest of previous seasons (although it could also be that as viewers became accustomed to all the scandalous goings-on, the series lost its “guilty pleasure” appeal). The most interesting narrative threads this year involved Susan's current lover, Ian (Dougray Scott), and Bree's uneasy relationship with new husband Orson (Kyle MacLachlan). This six-disc boxed set boasts loads of extras, including featurettes (on the final episode, a Latino version of the series, a profile of Longoria, and favorite moments from season three), a blooper reel, and deleted scenes that, frankly, were more interesting than some of the stuff that aired. Recommended, overall. (E. Hulse)