The pilot introduces us to the beautiful neighbourhood of Wisteria Lane.We meet Mary Alice Young, the narrator, as she goes about her day as a housewife, doing her chores and taking care of her house.That is, until she takes a gun from a box hidden in a closet and shoots herself with it.
After attending her funeral, her neighbours decide to unravel the season’s mystery: what drove Mary Alice to her suicide?
The pilot premiered on October 3, 2004.
Tropes appearing on this episode:
- The Ace: There are a couple on Wisteria Lane.
- Bree is the most prominent, and she is introduced in such a way.Bree's many talents were known throughout the neighborhood. And everyone on Wisteria Lane thought of Bree as the perfect wife and mother... Everyone, that is, except her own family.
- Mary Alice herself is also shown to be a fantastic housewife and friend, and her only fault is lying about her size.
- Bree is the most prominent, and she is introduced in such a way.
- Action Prologue: Downplayed, but the first scene is Mary Alice’s suicide: the episode doesn’t get any more shocking than that.
- Anger Born of Worry: When asked, Susan says she's mostly angry that Mary Alice didn't come to her friends for help.
- Bait-and-Switch: After Mary Alice’s death, we focus on what seems a red bloodstain only to zoom out as her neighbour tastes a bit of it. She spilled some tomato sauce.
- Bloody Hilarious: The visual gag where Ms. Huber tastes some red liquid right after we see Mary Alice’s death.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Despite Lynnette's resourcefulness and nerve, her kids are very cheeky, chaotic and difficult to manage.
- Broken Ace: Despite Bree's skills and hard work, her family is very unhappy with her coldness and rigidity.
- Control Freak: Part of Bree’s problem; it’s obvious that the dinner conversation is not just about dinner.
-
Crosses the Line Twice: This episode establishes the series’ tone and sense of humour with witty dialogue and black comedy, sometimes both. - Dissonant Serenity: Mary Alice cheerily narrates her own death.
- Driven to Suicide: Mary Alice, in the very first scene.
- Driving Question: At the end of the episode, the very last line sums up this season’s mystery:Susan: ‘’Oh, Mary Alice, what did you do?’’
- Establishing Character Moment: One for each of the housewives.
- Mary Alice is narrating her day and doing her chores.
- Martha Huber hears something suspicious in her neighbor's house and has a ready-to-go excuse to drop by and snoop around. After finding out she's dead and calling for help, she simply decides to keep Mary Alice's blender.
- Lynnette is trying to negotiate with her kids using Santa as leverage.
- Bree is taking two baskets of muffins to the grieving Paul and Zach. After giving them clear instructions, she reminds them that she will want the baskets back.
- Gaby is arguing with her husband.
- Susan's awful mac and cheese is almost uncovered by a gust of wind while she has a talk with Julie.
- Edie Britt swiftly shows up at Mike's house at the same time as Susan, ready to start a relationship, having prepared some sausage puttanesca.
- Everytown, America: Wisteria Lane, which is reportedly in Eagle State.
- Family Versus Career: Lynnette's backstory.
- Fashion Model: Part of Gaby’s past, as seen in the flashbacks.
- Feminine Women Can Cook: Bree is an excellent cook who won't stop preparing fancy meals.
- First-Episode Twist: At the very end of the episode, we see that someone wrote a letter to Mary Alice that probably incited her suicide.
- Fish out of Water: Bree in the diner.
- The "Fun" in "Funeral": Mary Alice's funeral is crashed by Lynnette's children sneaking into her living pool.
- Happy Marriage Charade: Part of what ticks Rex off about Bree is her insistence on always pretending that everything is fine.
- Housewife: Despite the title, probably only Bree, Lynnette and the late Mary Alice could be considered housewives. Gaby doesn't need to work but she doesn't do any chore either, spending most of her time shopping, and Susan has a job as a children storybook artist, which allows her to work from home.
- Kids Play Matchmaker: Julie sure wants Susan and Mike to get together, so much so that she investigates him.
- Lemony Narrator: Mary Alice is particularly sassy in this episode.Gabrielle: Guess we found the skeleton in her closet!
Mary Alice narration: ‘’Not quite, Gaby. Not quite.’’ - Lethal Chef: Susan's cooking skills are... Not good.
- Mike: I just refuse to believe that anyone would mess up macaroni and cheese.(beat)Mike: How did you... It tastes like it's burned and undercooked.
Susan: Yeah, I get that a lot.
- Meet Cute: Mike and Susan's first encounter is very awkward but they're both obviously charmed with each other.
- Mistress and Servant Boy: Gaby's affair with her teenager gardener, John Rowland.
- My Beloved Smother: It's clear that Bree cares more about keeping her image of the perfect family than about making her children happy, even refusing to concede on something as simple as a dinner course.
- Nosy Neighbor: Martha Huber.
- Not Wanting Kids Is Weird: Implied to be part of Lynnette’s problems: she wasn’t ready to raise three rowdy kids, but she can’t bring herself to admit anything of the sort.
- Parents as People: Three out of the four main characters are parents, and we see their struggle to raise their children as well as they can.
- Pretty Little Headshots: Mary Alice's head, aside from resting in a pool of blood, has nothing unusual about it, despite having just committed suicide by shooting herself in her temple.
- Proper Lady: Bree is very traditional and always tries to behave as such.
- The Rival: She’s not an antagonist per se, but we can see that Edie will be a thorn on Susan’s side for the remainder of the season.
- Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Bree doesn't get why her iron-fist-in-velvet-glove parenting style can't make her family happy.
- Stepford Smiler: Everyone to an extent, but particularly Mary Alice and Bree, who won't even let her husband see her cry.
