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Desperate Housewives
S5.E13
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IMDbPro

The Best Thing That Ever Could Have Happened

  • Episode aired Jan 18, 2009
  • TV-PG
  • 43m
IMDb RATING
9.3/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
Beau Bridges in Desperate Housewives (2004)
ComedyDramaMysteryRomance

Local handyman Eli Scruggs dies from a heart attack on his last day of work and the housewives remember moments when he affected their lives.Local handyman Eli Scruggs dies from a heart attack on his last day of work and the housewives remember moments when he affected their lives.Local handyman Eli Scruggs dies from a heart attack on his last day of work and the housewives remember moments when he affected their lives.

  • Director
    • Larry Shaw
  • Writers
    • Marc Cherry
    • Bob Daily
    • Jordon Nardino
  • Stars
    • Teri Hatcher
    • Felicity Huffman
    • Marcia Cross
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    9.3/10
    1.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Larry Shaw
    • Writers
      • Marc Cherry
      • Bob Daily
      • Jordon Nardino
    • Stars
      • Teri Hatcher
      • Felicity Huffman
      • Marcia Cross
    • 16User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Top Cast24

    Edit
    Teri Hatcher
    Teri Hatcher
    • Susan Mayer
    Felicity Huffman
    Felicity Huffman
    • Lynette Scavo
    Marcia Cross
    Marcia Cross
    • Bree Hodge
    Eva Longoria
    Eva Longoria
    • Gabrielle Solis
    • (as Eva Longoria Parker)
    Nicollette Sheridan
    Nicollette Sheridan
    • Edie Britt
    Ricardo Chavira
    Ricardo Chavira
    • Carlos Solis
    • (as Ricardo Antonio Chavira)
    Doug Savant
    Doug Savant
    • Tom Scavo
    Kyle MacLachlan
    Kyle MacLachlan
    • Orson Hodge
    Dana Delany
    Dana Delany
    • Katherine Mayfair
    Neal McDonough
    Neal McDonough
    • Dave Williams
    Shawn Pyfrom
    Shawn Pyfrom
    • Andrew Van De Kamp
    • (credit only)
    Brenda Strong
    Brenda Strong
    • Mary Alice Young
    James Denton
    James Denton
    • Mike Delfino
    Charlie Carver
    Charlie Carver
    • Porter Scavo
    • (credit only)
    Max Carver
    Max Carver
    • Preston Scavo
    • (credit only)
    Joshua Logan Moore
    Joshua Logan Moore
    • Parker Scavo
    • (credit only)
    Kendall Applegate
    • Penny Scavo
    Kathryn Joosten
    Kathryn Joosten
    • Karen McCluskey
    • Director
      • Larry Shaw
    • Writers
      • Marc Cherry
      • Bob Daily
      • Jordon Nardino
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    9.31.8K
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    Featured reviews

    10MadLane_Original

    Best episode of the entire series and one of the best on TV

    This was without a doubt one of the best episodes i have ever seen, some may disagree but this somehow just touched in such a way that i doubt it can be watched without you going emotional, it truly felt like some great writing and directing you would't normally expect in any besides endings or intro episodes of a season, wish they still made tv series and episodes like this now a days, 10/10 without a shadow of a doubt.
    10isajademarilyn

    Very moving Beau Bridges

    Writers had imagined an amazing 100th episode, and casting Beau Bridges was brilliant.

    Can you watch this episode without crying?

    They managed the impossible, create a new character and make us care as if he had always been on the show.

    Mary-Alice's memories were the most emotional. When she met Eli, you could feel a genuinely good and sweet man, humble and caring. When she sees her shoe with the tape to hide the hole, and offers him to fix her broken vase.

    "Ma'am, you don't have to do that" Eli replied.

    All the tears, I was fighting to keep inside ... I became an instant fountain.

    Truly one of the best episodes of the show, focused on a unique character, the amazing Beau Bridges.
    5kookyflegm

    Just a Filler Episode

    so far season 5 has been pretty fantastic, compared with 3 and 4.. so this last episode came as a total disappointment .. it was a total fluff piece, with no relevance to plot whatsoever, it doesn't add anything to any of the characters .. and there's no point in making you care about some random stranger, who you create and kill off in the same episode .. it's more film than TV!

    i do understand that sometimes series need filler episodes, they all do it, but then again, i don;t understand why they put it just before they have (YET ANOTHER) break .. breaks in the flow are annoying enough, without presenting your audience with a total anticlimax as the last thing they remember .. at least one would expect a minor drama, if not a cliffhanger .. which leaves you excited and gasping for more (as was the fire in the nightclub before the Christmas break)

    in a nutshell, disappointing!

    (and what is happening to Jackson? i thought he was making a full recovery from his accident and was going to be back??)
    10woodkmw

    Lovely, heartwarming episode on the importance of one life

    I thought this particular episode was outstanding. In fact it had me crying through half of the show. Yes it is true that this episode did not add to the regular plot theme of the 2009 season but it was in my opinion one of the most highly memorable episodes of the entire show. It was just so touching. It follows the life of one particular man who is not a regular on the series, and how he has touched the lives of most of the women who are regulars on the show. I thought Beau Bridges did an excellent job with the part and also, while all the women gave great performances I particularly liked that of "Susan." The scene where she is crying on her home staircase after going through yet another failed marriage is just heart-rending and the dialogue between her and the handy-man is something that will stay with you long after the show ends. Both turned in excellent performances not just in delivering the dialogue but to watch the change come over "Susan" when she hears how the handy-man views her and to watch the subtle change come over her face when she is pulled into a different realization. The episode is meant more as a story to reflect upon. It deals with the importance of each person's life but also how each person can have such a great impact on touching the lives of others.
    10annieroob

    Tissue time

    When a neighborhood handyman, named Eli Scruggs, suddenly passes from a heart attack away one day before his retirement, the residents of Wisteria Lane come to realize just how much he affected their lives. Gabrielle recalls how Eli helped her make new friends when she first moved in, including her friendship with the late Mary Alice Young. Lynette remembers how Eli came to her aide when she was overwhelmed in raising her four wild kids, and as a result, neglected Penny. Susan remembers on how he repeatably helped her stay sane and was always there for her as a shoulder to cry on each time a man walked out of her life and was the only man who accepted her slightly-insane and neurotic personalty. Edie looks back on their "special friendship" she had with Eli at numerous times. Finally, Bree thinks fondly of how a small gesture Eli once made that helped get her to where she is

    Such a moving episode tissues at the ready.

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    Drama
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    Mystery
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    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This is the 100th Episode!
    • Goofs
      Susan gets Eli to change the locks after Karl leaves her, but in Season 2 he lets himself in and tells Julie that he still has his key.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards (2009)

    Top picks

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 18, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 3, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Cherry Productions
      • ABC Signature
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 43m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital

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