'Desperate Housewives' finale: Satisfying ending?

Tonight, television doesn’t just lose a legend: it loses four. Despite how your feelings about ABC’s outgoing dramedy may have fluctuated over the years, there’s no denying that the four women at the center of the soapy, frothy Desperate Housewives have given modern hour-long television a new definition, and tonight–after eight seasons–all that ends. But how?!

I’m not out to predict the twists and turns that will no doubt occur on the long-awaited series finale of the Sunday night staple, but rather, I pose a different question: what would have to happen tonight for you to be fully satisfied with the show’s swan song? A major shake-up? flash forward? Or a neat resolution for each resident of Wisteria Lane?

I’ve been a Desperate fan since day one, and I know that not every loose end will be tied up the way I expect it to be (and certainly, I long ago realized that a twisted Murphy’s law applies to my expectations of Desperate‘s plot lines, as very few of them have ever turned out the way I’ve seen fit). But tonight, I’ll hope for a broader conclusion. For me to be satisfied with tonight’s finale, I’ll need to see some kind of scandal for the future, something that tells us that nothing will change on Wisteria Lane–that there will still be petty squabbles, shocking mysteries and plenty of deaths, disasters and dinner parties down the line, even if we’re not around to see them.

I don’t necessarily need to have every housewife’s arc wrapped in a pretty little bow. I suppose you could say that I just want the show to stay true to its thematic mission statement; that is, for everyone to simply stay Desperate. Then again, the reappearance of a few familiar faces coupled with the unpredictability of Gaby’s conscience, Tom and Lynette’s marriage, Julie’s pregnancy, Karen’s health and Bree’s murder trial may be enough to deliver an outrageous punch and send the show spinning in a fun, new direction for the unseen future–which is exactly what I want to see.

However it turns out, I’ve had a fantastic time watching these magnificent, ridiculous wives for eight years. Regardless of how it all ends, gratifying or not, tonight I’ll be saying a bittersweet goodbye to my favorite Sunday night show, and after so many seasons spent on Wisteria Lane, I’ll always be desperate for more.

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