Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
The Applewhites arrive on Wisteria Lane, where Betty keeps her son Caleb confined in the basement after he is linked to the murder of Melanie Foster. The other women face upheaval in their own homes: Bree grieves Rex and begins drinking, while Susan’s on-and-off relationship with Mike competes with her renewed involvement with ex-husband Karl. Lynette returns to advertising and clashes with her demanding boss Nina while Tom adjusts to being the parent at home.
Gabrielle’s pregnancy ends in miscarriage after Caleb breaks into her home; she and Carlos later adopt baby Lily, only for the birth parents to contest custody. They turn to their maid Xiao-Mei as a surrogate after losing Lily. Bree’s romance with George turns dangerous: she discovers he poisoned Rex, and he dies from an overdose while she withholds help. Andrew’s conflict with Bree peaks when she leaves him at a roadside stop; he remains away from home as grief and drinking culminate in Bree’s psychiatric hospitalization.
The finale revisits the women’s first days on the lane while Betty’s secret collapses. Betty discovers that Matthew, not Caleb, killed Melanie. Warned by Betty, Bree escapes the psychiatric hospital to protect Danielle. Matthew threatens Bree with a gun, and police shoot him dead. Betty and Caleb leave Fairview. Lynette discovers Tom’s daughter Kayla, and Gabrielle catches Carlos having an affair with Xiao-Mei. Susan and Mike plan a romantic dinner, but Orson deliberately runs Mike over before it can happen, leaving him critically injured.