Desperate Housewives Episode 8.20 Lost My Power

When Susan learns about a soapbox derby at school, she offers to help her son build a car. MJ is less than enthused with the project. Susan, however, is totally into it. She turns down Lynette's offer to have Tom help her out. This is the kind of thing Susan feels she needs to do on her own now that Mike's gone. She actually does a decent job building the thing. Too bad an oncoming truck crushes it moments after completion. SPLAT!

MJ pushed the car into the street on purpose. He's embarrassed to be the only one to show up at the race with a mom, not a dad. Susan gets this. That's why she swallows her pride to finally ask for a helping hand. Actually, she gets eight helping hands from four of her friends. Tom, Bob, Lee and Ben are waiting for MJ in the garage to make a new car for the soapbox derby. They're his own personal pit crew to help him design a vehicle that looks like a Corvette. That happens to have been his dad's favorite car.

Tom's boss, Gregg (guest star Reed Diamond), wants to know if Lynette would be interested in going out with him. He believes she's the exact kind of woman that most men are looking for out there. Lynette initially turns down Gregg's offer, but reconsiders after catching Tom kissing Jane in his office. The two of them have a decent time at dinner. Most of the conversation revolves around different ways to mess with Tom and Jane.

Penny lets her mom know that Tom still hasn't filed the divorce papers. Gregg continues to help Lynette make things difficult regarding Tom's relationship with Jane. Things are working out great until the bossman's latest move. Gregg is sending Tom out of town for awhile. Actually, he's transferring him to India for a year. This is devastating news for Lynette's Operation: Get Tom Back.

Carlos used to be a man of power, but he's been humbled by his 12-dollar an hour job trying to help recovering addicts. Gaby, on the other hand, is thriving in her position as a personal shopper. Dollar signs are cha-chinging in her eyes once she meets Doris (guest star Doris Roberts). The wealthy new widow is looking to spend her dead hubby's money. Gaby is just the person to help her do this. Actually, so is Carlos. He convinces Doris to donate gobs of cash to his charity. There goes Gaby's commission!

Gaby is furious with her hubby's altruistic attitude. She exacts her revenge by renovating his office to lead Doris to believe he spent the money she gave him in a less-than-ethical way. This leads to a big brouhaha between Gaby and Carlos. He accuses her of sabotaging his efforts of doing something that matters. She accuses him of being a shark that always needs to win. Perhaps that's true. Unfortunately, it's not who Carlos wants to be.

Renee realizes that her fiance is being less than truthful with her about the body they found at his construction site. She was already in a marriage that was ruined by secrets. She's not about to go down that road again. Ben assures her that he's not keeping secrets to hurt her. He's doing so to protect her. Renee accepts this for now. But once they get married, they'll share spousal privilege. Ben can come clean then. Renee will be sure to make him glad he did so on their wedding night. That'll work!

Bree and her attorney, Tripp (guest star Scott Bakula), discuss their pretrial strategy over lunch. The conversation indicates that these two have very little in common, but that doesn't mean they aren't truly enjoying each other's company. Things get awkward in court when the prosecution announces their intent to call all the men Bree slept with in recent times. Tripp needs to know all the details. He even reveals some of his more embarrassing exploits to put his client at ease. Bree appreciates this and finally comes clean.

Bree gives her friends an update on her case. It's obvious she's developed a little crush on her lawyer. Bree finally admits that she finds Tripp attractive, but it's probably not the best time to act on these feelings. That's why she turns down a dinner invitation from Tripp. Actually, she only turns down the offer initially. Tripp keeps pressing and Bree finally gives in. Hey, the heart wants what the heart wants, right?