Bang (Desperate Housewives)


"Bang" is the 54th episode of the ABC television series Desperate Housewives. It was also the seventh episode of the show's third season. The episode was written by Joe Keenan and directed by Larry Shaw. It was broadcast on November 5, 2006.
Due to time constraints, the opening credits were completely cut from the episode.

Episode Description

The episode begins with Carolyn Bigsby shooting at her husband Harvey in the grocery store he owns because he has been having an affair. He locks himself in his office, and she holds the supermarket shoppers hostage.
Earlier that morning, Lynette Scavo discusses her nightmare from the previous night about Mary Alice Young with Susan and Gabrielle.
Bree Van de Kamp confronts her husband Orson Hodge about the police report from the night he supposedly beat his first wife Alma. He convinces her that she suffered her injuries due to a fall after attacking him. Bree reveals that Carolyn gave her the report, and Orson mentions that Carolyn's husband is cheating on her.
Nora Huntington tells Lynette and her husband Tom that she is moving to Mexico with Kayla, her daughter with Tom, despite their opposition.
Gabrielle and her husband Carlos are settling the final terms of their separation. Carlos reveals that Gabrielle seduced him in order to stall the divorce as she believed he was coming into some money. The judge decides Carlos gets everything in the house and Gabrielle only gets the house. When they arrive home, each tries to destroy the property left to the other in the settlement.
Bree tells Carolyn that Harvey has been cheating on her. She rings Harvey at the supermarket, and tells him she knows about Monique. He tries to tell her that Monique is dead. Carolyn then goes to a drawer and takes out a gun. Harvey calls Susan about what happened.
Nora begins threatening Lynette to not apply for custody of Kayla. The two begin fighting when a gunshot is heard. This brings the story to the point at which the episode began. After Carolyn finds she can’t get into Harvey's office, in which Edie Britt has also taken refuge, she turns around and takes the horrified shoppers hostage, including Lynette, Nora, Julie Mayer, Edie's nephew Austin McCann and new resident Art Shepherd.
Gabrielle tells Carlos she hates the people they’ve become and that she could easily be in Carolyn’s place at the supermarket. He agrees that they should stop being “those people”.
In the supermarket, Nora tells Carolyn that Lynette is trying to steal her child. Lynette then says that Nora tried to seduce her husband. That hits too close to home for Carolyn, and she immediately shoots Nora in the chest. As Nora is dying, she asks Lynette to take care of Kayla for her. Lynette says she will raise Kayla as her daughter.
Carolyn quarrels with Lynette about Nora and about Harvey. Carolyn eventually tries to shoot Lynette, but Art throws a can at Carolyn, knocking her off her balance and making her only shoot Lynette in her left arm. After dropping the gun, Carolyn and Austin struggle for it and one of the hostages picks it up and shoots Carolyn in the head. The hostages are released, and reunited with their loved ones waiting outside.
In the hospital Lynette has a final dream of Mary Alice. Lynette asks Mary Alice if she is okay; Mary Alice says she’s fine but Lynette knows she is lying. Mary Alice says she has to “enjoy this beautiful day, as we get so few of them.” As Lynette turns around, Mary Alice has disappeared. In a voiceover, she says that it is the last time Lynette would ever dream of her and for her sake she is grateful.

Reception

"Bang" received critical acclaim. The Futon Critic listed "Bang" as the 40th best television episode of 2006. In 2015, Gavin Hetherington of SpoilerTV reviewed the episode as one of the best episodes of the series, as well as the best disaster episode of the show. He also claimed that Felicity Huffman deserved an Emmy win for her performances in this episode and "Something's Coming".

International titles