History Characters / DesperateHousewivesHousewives

* HighVoltageDeath: She is killed when she accidentally catches some damaged power cables while trying to get out of her car, which had crashed into an electricity pylon.

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Played with. While Beth has many DarkSecrets (notably, her parentage), when she genuinely falls in love with Paul, she reveals herself to be too sweet for anyone, and even kills herself in a variation of a HeroicSacrifice, shooting herself at the hospital so Susan can get a kidney.

** Like Gaby, she was a more materialistic, extremely wealthy, glamorous woman of color who was also ButNotTooBlack.

* {{Wrath}}: A consistent FatalFlaw for Bree is she responds to being challenged or provoked in ''any'' way with DisproportionateRetribution, which tends to drive a wedge between her friends and family - particularly in regards to Andrew, and the situation constantly escalates between them as they build up resentment towards each other over the constant {{Blackmail}}, insults and manipulation.

* FashionModel: She was an archetypal example in the past, apparently, as a dim and superficial model. She occasionally goes back to it, but mostly to [[{{Aesop}} learn her lesson]] about how she's better off in Wisteria Lane.

* TrophyWife: Was this to Carlos at first, as a FashionModel who married a rich CEO [[FourthDateMarriage after their third date]]. But their relationship eventually evolved and they become a HappilyMarried couple in later seasons.

* ConvenientMiscarriage: An odd example that is both played straight ''and'' subverted in that because she was pregnant with twins, one of them died in-utero.

* FeminineWomenCanCook: She is a brilliant chef, as everyone remarks, and she also has the best feminine façade.
* FieryRedhead: When she wants to be. Slightly averted as Bree is arguably the most reserved and demure of the housewives.

* GagBoobs: Her increased cup size due to her pregnancy in season 6 became a fodder for some jokes.

* WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant: Although Rex's family name reveals a Dutch heritage, Bree's maiden name, "Mason", is British. As she explains to her (Jewish) marriage counsellor when he questions her preference for carrying on as normal, despite obvious problems:
-->"We're [=WASPs=], doctor Goldfein. Ignoring the elephant in the room is what we do best."

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: An InUniverse one occurs in a flashback-heavy episode. The other housewives (including a still-alive Mary Alice) invite Gabrielle to their weekly poker game, and she spends the entire time bragging about her former life of luxury, one-upping the rest of the women, whining about how "low class" Wisteria Lane is, and generally being a royal pain. She thinks the meeting went well, but when Wisteria Lane's beloved handyman tells her the truth about the housewives' reactions, she's humbled and goes back to the women with an apology and a confession about how difficult things have been for her lately.

* SuperOCD: There were hints of this, especially in the early seasons, but it was never explored very much. She also referred to her quirks in terms of "anal retentiveness" and not "obsessive compulsiveness".

* WidowWoman: [[spoiler:She is the only character not to end up obviously married to someone else after Mike's death - Bree found love, Gaby and Carlos and Lynette and Tom stayed married, but Susan seems to have stayed single.]]

* [[CrazyJealousGuy Crazy Jealous Girl]]: Let's just say she didn't take losing Mike to Susan between season 5 and 6 very well. So much so that she becomes literally crazy and ends up interned in a psychiatric hospital.

* [[MrViceGuy Mrs. Vice Gal]]: She's as vain and materialistic as Gaby, initially.

* WidowWoman: Her husband Gilbert died while he was watching TV. She got the idea to put his body into a chest freezer in her basement to conceal his death and prevent his ex-wife from inheriting his pensions, as he forgot to change the papers in favor of Karen, who he was married to for much longer.

* [[MommasBoy Mommy's Girl]]: She does everything her mother says without discussing, initially. Until she warms up to Paul.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Bree obviously suffers from some form of obsessive-compulsive disorder, but the writers shy away from any official diagnosis.

-->''"She used to see herself as a career woman. And a hugely successful one at that. She was known for her power lunches, her eye-catching presentations and her ruthlessness in wiping out the competition. Lynette gave up her career to assume a new label: the incredibly satisfying role of full-time mother."'f'

* BaldnessMeansSickness: Exploited. Lynette's twins put bubblegum in their brother's hair, so she had to shave it off. People assumed he had cancer, which Lynette used to play on their sympathies.

* BigDamnHeroes: Saved Celia during the airplane crash episode and also Anne of domestic abuse in 5x08.

** After Lynette demands room in Karen's basement during the hurricane, which Karen had already agreed to share with Ida, Tom realizes Ida's pet cat is also in the basement with them and he's allergic. When Ida refuses to put the cat outside, Lynette waits until Ida falls asleep and proceeds to put Toby outside, ''in a hurricane'', herself. Karen calls her out on it.
** When Tom's mother Allison comes to stay, [[StayInTheKitchen she starts annoying Lynette by trying to each Penny to cook, waits on Tom and the boys hand and foot and comments that when she was married to Tom's father, she had the house spotless and dinner waiting on the table when he came home every day.]] Lynette retorts that obviously this didn't count for much when he cheated on her and walked out. [[DudeNotFunny The entire family reacts with appalled silence]] and Allison leaves the room in tears. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Even Lynette is disgusted with what she said.]]

-->'''Susan''': You're going to be okay, Edie.\\
'''Edie''' ''[voice over]'' Susan Mayer, wrong again.

* SympatheticMurderer: [[spoiler:She is force to kill her first husband Wayne due to his being a DirtyCop with [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections friends]] who will either get him off or make sure he gets very little jail so he can return to kill her.]]