Those riveted by the more recent plotlines involved in episodes of Desperate Housewives watched in horror as a tornado whipped through Wisteria Lane. In the wake of the disaster, the main characters of this popular ABC drama were left battered, bruised, and—in one case—blind.
That’s right; a disability has infiltrated yet another media-based world marked by seemingly flawless characters with perfect bodies. And it appears to be the perfect twist for a primetime soap with a truly contemporary take on “happily every after.”
Carlos Solis (played by Ricardo Chavira) isn’t the most upstanding Desperate Housewives character. He’s been known to blackmail, tamper with birth control, and cheat, to name just a few of his indiscretions. He also isn’t afraid to lie by omission. In fact, when he was knocked on the head and rendered unconscious during the tornado, he lost his sight but didn’t bother to tell the woman he loves (Desperate Housewives character Gabrielle).
In the midst of the tornado on Wisteria Lane, the writers’ strike hit Hollywood and Desperate Housewives, among other shows, was put on hiatus. In the show’s absence, many viewers have been left to speculate about whether or not Carlos’ disability will be a permanent part of the show. Or, will Desperate Housewives writers and producers adopt the popular television form of disability—one in which the disability comes and goes and sometimes comes again, just for effect?
According to Entertainment Weekly, Carlos’ blindness is permanent. In a recent look forward at the show, EW wrote that, “Gabrielle will learn that ex-hubby Carlos was permanently blinded in the tornado—but not before Carlos tricks her into remarrying him.” We may have a better idea of whether or not the rumor is true on April 13 when Desperate Housewives is scheduled to bounce back from the writers’ strike and again appear on television.
One thing we know for sure: his vision isn’t the only thing Carlos has lost. The large amounts of money he had hidden away and stored in off-shore accounts also went down the tubes. The combination of a blind and broke character has done one thing successfully already for Desperate Housewives: it’s created a lot of suspense and generated plenty of questions.
In addition to wondering about the disability’s affect on Carlos, there are also questions about how Gabrielle will react. It seems unlikely that she may be able to overcome the greed and shallowness that her character embodies. Sure, in the beginning the couple agreed to stick together for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. But when his doctor suggested that Carlos might give his partner more credit and believe that she will accept the disability for what it is, Carlos responds by saying, “You don't know Gabby.”
While we don’t ultimately know whether Gabby will stay or run in the face of a disabled husband, we do know that she’ll struggle with the reality of disability infiltrating her glamorously glitzy world. And considering some of the more negative stereotypes we’ve seen plague disabled characters on the small screen, this new version of Carlos could be downright worrisome.
Will the campy, comedic and dramatic world of Wisteria Lane do more harm than good to the disability community? Tune in to find out and in the meantime, viewers will have to hope that the Desperate Housewives writers get the blind version of Carlos right.
Desperate Housewives will hit televisions again on April 13 at 9 p.m. on ABC.
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