"You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" is the fifth season premiere episode of the American comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and the 88th episode overall. It originally aired on September 28, 2008, in the United States on ABC (American Broadcasting Company). The episode was written by series creator Marc Cherry and directed by Larry Shaw. "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow", as well as all subsequent episodes, takes place five years after the events of the fourth season finale following Cherry's decision to revamp the series with a time jump.
In the episode, Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) returns to Wisteria Lane after a five-year absence with her new husband, Dave (Neal McDonough). While Susan (Teri Hatcher) hesitates to make a romantic commitment to Jackson (Gale Harold), Lynette (Felicity Huffman) struggles with her defiant teenage children and her husband's midlife crisis. Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) deals with her daughters' weight problems and Bree (Marcia Cross) faces the ramifications of her success.
"You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" received mostly positive reviews from television critics, most of whom agreed that the time jump refreshed the show. According to Nielsen ratings, the episode drew over 18 million viewers, making it the most-watched show of the night and the second most-watched program of the week across all networks.
Plot
Background Desperate Housewives focuses on the lives of several residents living on Wisteria Lane. In recent episodes, Susan (Teri Hatcher) and Mike Delfino (James Denton) celebrate the birth of their son."Free". David Grossman (director), Jeff Greenstein (writer). Desperate Housewives. ABC. May 18, 2008. Season 4, no. 17. Bree Hodge (Marcia Cross) chooses to raise her grandson while her daughter, Danielle (Joy Lauren), attends college."Now I Know, Don't Be Scared". Larry Shaw (director), Susan Nirah Jaffee (writer), Dahvi Waller (writer). Desperate Housewives. ABC. November 4, 2007. Season 4, no. 6. She also issues an ultimatum, telling her husband, Orson (Kyle MacLachlan), that she will leave him if he does not turn himself into the police after committing a hit-and-run. Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) struggles with Carlos' (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) permanent blindness."In Buddy's Eyes". Larry Shaw (director), Jeff Greenstein (writer). Desperate Housewives. ABC. April 20, 2008. Season 4, no. 12. Also, Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) leaves Wisteria Lane after the other residents shun her for her malice."Mother Said". David Warren (director), Chuck Ranberg (writer), Anne Flett-Giordano (writer). Desperate Housewives. ABC. May 18, 2008. Season 4, no. 15.
Episode "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" takes place five years after the aforementioned events. Important plot information that takes place during the time jump is revealed in flashbacks. Orson has completed his prison sentence and the success of Bree's catering company has provided her the opportunity to write her own cookbook. Her business partner, Katherine Mayfair (Dana Delany), resents how Bree's success has changed her and intentionally sabotages Bree's television interview, further straining their friendship. A flashback reveals that Danielle married a lawyer and coldly took her son away from Bree. Meanwhile, Lynette is frustrated with Tom's (Doug Savant) relaxed approach to parenting their rebellious teenage sons, Porter and Preston (Charlie Carver and Max Carver, respectively). She encourages him to employ more disciplinary actions.
During the time jump, Susan and Mike were involved in a car crash that killed a mother and her child. As a result, the couple divorced and now share custody of their son, M.J. (Mason Vale Cotton). Susan engages in a sexual relationship with her house painter, Jackson Braddock (Gale Harold), but keeps their romance a secret from her friends and family. Jackson seeks a more substantial relationship, but Susan is wary of such a commitment following her divorce. Elsewhere, Gabrielle has been raising two overweight daughters, Juanita (Madison De La Garza) and Celia (Daniella Baltodano), and has also lost her own figure as well. Gabrielle tricks Juanita into exercising by driving away and making Juanita chase after her car.
After five years of absence, Edie returns to Wisteria Lane with her mysterious husband, Dave (Neal McDonough), who seems to have a calming effect on his ill-tempered wife. Later, Dave receives a phone call from Dr. Samuel Heller (Stephen Spinella), who reminds him that monthly check-ins are a condition of his release. After the conversation, Dr. Heller reviews a taped therapy session in which Dave threatens to get revenge on the man who destroyed his life.
Production "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow" was written by series creator and executive producer Marc Cherry and directed by Larry Shaw. Filming for the episode was scheduled to begin on July 7, 2008.De Leon (June 15, 2008). "Desperate Housewives: What's Next for Katherine Mayfair?" . BuddyTV. Retrieved May 28, 2011. The episode is the first to fully employ the five-year jump, which was introduced in the final two minutes of the fourth season finale.Moore, Frazier (May 18, 2008). "ABC's 'Desperate Housewives' wraps fourth season" . Fox News. Retrieved May 21, 2011. While developing the fifth season, Cherry began brainstorming ways to revamp the series. He stated: "The soap tends to build up, and I wanted to get back to where we were that very first season, where it's just the problems of some ordinary women and they were small and relatable." Cherry credits the producers of Lost for the idea of the time jump.Gicas, Peter (September 23, 2008). "Desperate Housewives: More Time Travelin'" . E! Online. Retrieved May 21, 2011. The writers hoped the time jump would also help them avoid repeating mistakes they made during the show's poorly received second season, during which they relied heavily on storylines from the previous season.Keck, William (May 19, 2008). "Time's really flying for the 'Housewives'". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2011. Cherry said that the time jump would be permanent, with executive producer Bob Daily clarifying that some brief flashback scenes would be used to enhance the storytelling and provide context for current plot lines.Pierce, Scott D. (July 30, 2008). "Cherry repeats plans for 'Desperate' end". Deseret News. Retrieved May 21, 2011.Scarpa, Gina (August 18, 2008). "BuddyTV Fall 2008 Preview: Desperate Housewives" . BuddyTV. Retrieved May 28, 2011. Cherry had originally wanted to do a ten-year jump, mostly to age the young characters into their teenage years in order to open up more storyline possibilities."Marc Cherry at the Paley Center". YouTube. July 9, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
The writers ensured that although they were changing the storyline circumstances, the characters remained the same with minimal changes to their personalities.Del Castillo, Valerie Anne (August 4, 2008). "'Desperate Housewives' Producers Share Some Upcoming Season Secrets" . BuddyTV. Retrieved May 28, 2011. According to series writer Matt Berry, the time jump allowed the writers to work with the characters "without most of the baggage they'd accumulated in the earlier years, and put them into starting places so we could move them forward and build in new story arcs."Hendrickson, Paula (January 15, 2009). "'Housewives' returns to splendor" . Variety. Retrieved May 29, 2011. For this reason, the writers treated the season premiere as a pilot, in which, according to Daily, they "could give the women a new drive." Daily identified the Susan character as having undergone the greatest change, stating that she has given up on looking for a "fairy-tale romance" and is emotionally distant in her new relationship. He also stated that the character of Gabrielle has dealt with the biggest change in terms of her circumstances, as she continues to deal with her husband's blindness and their financial problems. Actress Eva Longoria had to gain weight and wear additional body padding for her character's new storyline.Diaz, Glenn (August 5, 2008). "Desperate Housewives: Eva Longoria Answers the Fat or Pregnant Question" . BuddyTV. Retrieved May 28, 2011. Dana Delany stated that her character, Katherine, who was portrayed as an antiheroine in the previous season, is more relaxed following the time jump. However, Delany clarified that while Katherine is now friends with the other characters, she and Bree would become frenemies as a result of their business partnership. Nicollette Sheridan, commented that Edie, who played an integral role in the season's mystery story arch, is "a lot more conscientious about things [this season], without losing her comedic edge.""Fall TV Press Tour: Desperate Housewives Scoop!" . TV Guide. July 18, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
Several casting changes were made as a result of the five-year jump. Neal McDonough's involvement was announced in July 2008.Armstrong, Jennifer (July 25, 2008). "Inside the New TV Season: Every Night is Ladies' Night" . Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 20, 2011. McDonough did not audition for the role of Dave Williams, but was offered it after meeting with Cherry.ABC.com's "Ask Desperate Housewives: Season 5, Part 11". YouTube. May 4, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2011. Gale Harold continued appearing as Jackson, Susan's new love interest, after appearing briefly in the flashforward segment at the end of the fourth season.Mitovich, Matt (July 18, 2008). "Housewives Exclusive: What's Up with Susan's New Fella?". TV Guide. Retrieved May 28, 2011. The roles of the Scavo children were recast in order to reflect their new ages following the time jump. Charlie and Max Carver replaced Brent and Shane Kinsman as Preston and Porter, respectively.Batallones, Henrik (July 17, 2008). "Desperate Housewives: Five-Year Jump Brings New Cast, Clean Slate" . BuddyTV. Retrieved May 28, 2011. The Kinsman twins appeared in a flashback in this episode. Joshua Logan Moore was cast as Parker, a role previously played by Zane Huett, and Kendall Applegate joined the cast as Penny, who had previously been portrayed by several toddler actresses. Despite their casting announcements alongside the Carver twins, Moore and Applegate did not appear in "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow". The flashforward segment at the end of the fourth season also introduced Kaila Say and Daniella Baltodano as Gabrielle's daughters, Juanita and Celia, respectively. Only Baltodano continued portraying her role for the fifth season; Say was replaced by Madison De La Garza during the summer hiatus.Mitovich, Matt (August 6, 2008). "Housewives' Gaby Will Play Mom to Teen Queen's Sis" . TV Guide. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
Andrea Bowen, who starred as Susan's daughter, Julie, departed from the cast, as her character left for college at the end of the fourth season. Teri Hatcher expressed disappointment in the producers' decision, but Cherry stated that Bowen would return in the future.De Leon, Kris (May 29, 2008). "'Desperate Housewives' Star Devastated Over Her On-screen Daughter's Storyline" . BuddyTV. Retrieved May 28, 2011. Joy Lauren, who portrayed Bree's daughter, Danielle, and Lyndsy Fonseca, who played Katherine's daughter, Dylan, also left the main cast, although the former appeared in the season premiere as a guest star.De Leon, Kris (May 26, 2008). "Desperate Housewives: More Cast Members Might Be Out for Season 5" . BuddyTV. Retrieved May 28, 2011. Because the fourth season ended leaving Mike's whereabouts unknown, James Denton's return to the series was questioned during hiatus. Denton stated in May 2008 that producers would not make a decision on his character until mid-June and that he was preparing to find work in case his contract was terminated. It was later confirmed that he would return to the series.Diaz, Glenn (July 7, 2008). "James Denton Returns to Desperate Housewives - Single" . BuddyTV. Retrieved May 28, 2008.