Ep 21. Bargaining

Bargaining is the twenty-first episode of the fifth season of Desperate Housewives. The episode starts with Lynette and Tom trying to keep their marriage intact as they go through a rough patch. Tom is attending therapy sessions with Jane and Lynette is trying to ease things over between them. In the meantime, their son Parker has joined a new soccer team, and Lynette throws herself into preparing for his games.

As Lynette deals with Parker's soccer, the men on Wisteria Lane band together for a poker game, putting their rivalry aside for the night. Bree is the host, and when Katherine arrives, there is a bit of awkwardness between her and Bree. Susan comes in later, and they continue their love triangle drama as Susan is now officially seeing Jackson. However, Susan can't help but still have feelings for Mike, and the situation gets more complicated when Mike unexpectedly shows up.

Meanwhile, Gabrielle is trying to make a living as a model again, but is finding it difficult since she's well past her prime. Her modeling agent tells her that she's too old to model for clients, which frustrates her. She and Carlos go out to dinner with another wealthy couple, and Gabrielle is inspired by the wife's youthful appearance. She decides to try Botox, and although it hurts, she's happy with the results.

Lastly, Dave and Edie continue to battle it out, with Dave attempting to get closer to Susan. When he shows up at her house unexpectedly, she confides in him her struggles with Jackson. Dave tries to use this information to his advantage, but Susan is not fooled and quickly shuts him down.

Overall, the episode touches on a variety of different storylines, with the focus on Lynette's struggle to save her marriage. The men of Wisteria Lane coming together for a night of poker is a nice change of pace, and the love triangle between Susan, Jackson, and Mike is still ongoing. Gabrielle's desire to remain young and beautiful adds humor to the episode, while the tension between Dave and Edie amps up the drama. However, despite all these different plotlines, the heart of the episode is really Lynette, as she tries to come to terms with her difficult marriage and finds a glimmer of hope for the future.