Acquaintances of Gabrielle Solis

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The following are fictional characters in the American television series Desperate Housewives. They are all family members and acquaintances of Gabrielle Solis, one of the protagonists of the series.

Immediate family

Carlos Solis

Victor Lang

Victor Lang (John Slattery) is the deceased second husband of Gabrielle. He tells his chauffeur to intentionally rear-end Gabrielle's car so he can meet her. He tells Gabrielle he wants to make it up to her by taking her to dinner, and she accepts. After dinner, she tells him that they will never see each other again, to which Victor responds that he one day will marry her. After noticing how the females around look at Victor at his rally for mayor, Gabrielle decides to have sex with him in the back of his limousine. After 24 hours of waiting for Victor to call, she makes him jealous at his rally by kissing another man. Later, when Gabrielle refuses to answer him after a number of calls, Victor visits her house and confesses his love for her. After spending the night together at Victor's house, Victor asks Gabrielle to marry him. She does not give him a straight answer but after a violent press conference emerges from comprising photos of Victor and Gabrielle in an elevator, Gabrielle comes to Victor's rescue and accepts his proposal.

After being given a parking ticket by a meter man, Gabrielle is told by her caterer that she will not have to pay for anything else if Victor is elected mayor. Later she is arrested for kicking the meter man. Victor angrily scolds Gabrielle for making a big spectacle for his image as the newly elected mayor. After being shown Gabrielle's bruised wrist from her fight with the meter man, Victor hires two men to go and beat the meter man to a pulp. When Gabrielle discusses wedding plans with Victor, she is shocked to learn the press will be at their wedding and that most of Victor’s efforts is all about his image. Gabrielle becomes worried that marrying Victor will be a mistake. In the season finale "Getting Married Today", it was revealed that Victor drives himself in hopes of receiving respect from Milton Lang, his father. It is Milton's hope that Victor will eventually become Governor, despite Gabrielle's direct opposition. Shortly after they wed, Gabrielle overhears Victor and his father talking. In the conversation Victor reveals to his father that he only married Gabby so that he could win the Latino vote and that he plans to run for Governor.

In the fourth season, Gabrielle tells Victor that she is not happy and must know where she stands with him and she suggests they go away for a week together however Victor can only give her a week in April and Gabrielle becomes disappointed. In the third episode of the fourth season Victor learns from an argument Gabrielle has with Katherine Mayfair about the affair Gabrielle had with her teenage gardner John Rowland and Victor later tells Gabrielle that this matters greatly to him and asks Gabrielle if money would keep John quiet. Later in the episode Victor questions Carlos to how he reacted when he found out about Gabrielle sleeping with the gardner, Carlos tells him that they are all human and everyone makes mistakes however Victor tells Carlos that if Gabrielle ever did that to him then he would "take care" of the man and make him "vanish" due to him being extremely wealthy. This seems to startle Carlos as he is currently sleeping with Gabrielle. In "Now I Know, Don't Be Scared" Gabrielle tells Victor she is leaving him but after his father blackmails her to stay married to him until an election is over as a divorce will hurt his political image, she agrees but when she is picked up in a limo she finds Victor inside and she tells him to his face but he says he loves her and rips out all his schedule for the next month so he can spend it with her. After Gabrielle heads off to do Yoga the next day, an angry Edie drops by and shows Victor the photos of Gabrielle and Carlos kissing.

In "You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover", Victor takes Gabrielle out for a boat ride and tells her that he knows everything. Fearing for her safety, Gabrielle knocks Victor off the boat and goes back to Carlos. Carlos and Gabrielle go back and save Victor. But when Victor tries to kill Carlos, Gabrielle once again knocks him off the boat. Then Carlos and Gabrielle send the boat off on a no-crew mission to hide the evidence. In "Distant Past", when detectives come to Gabrielle's house and question her about Victor's whereabouts, Gabrielle tells them what happened between her and Victor. But later, detectives are informed that Victor was found alive and in the hospital. Gabrielle goes to the hospital and sees Victor, and Victor humiliates Gabrielle by saying, "I remember everything. I think I will rest now. I'm gonna get all the strength I need."

During a tornado, Victor finds Carlos in his house. Carlos tells Victor that he and Gabrielle never meant to hurt him, and Victor answers by shooting at him. Carlos escapes and Victor tracks him down. Carlos and Victor fight it out. During the fight, the tornado sends objects hurling about. Carlos knocks Victor out and escapes to a nearest house. But just as Victor is about to kill Carlos with a leadpipe, a flying fencepost impales Victor in the chest, killing him instantly, mere seconds before Carlos was knocked out cold.

Juanita Solis

Madison De La Garza as Juanita Solis

Juanita Solis (Madison De La Garza) is the eldest daughter of Gaby & Carlos. Although told she was barren, Gabby gave birth to Juanita in the five-year-jump between the fourth and fifth seasons. Juanita has a weight problem and shares many personality traits with her mother but is upset because she's not as pretty as Gabby. She is somewhat of a neighborhood bully and is named after her late Grandmother, who she also looks like, according to Carlos after he got his sight back. At her birthday party, Gabby forced a monkey to work overtime, but it ended in disaster when the clown popped a balloon in the monkey's face. She is currently being home-schooled by her mother because she swore in a play and got expelled when her mom protested the punishment.

Although she was born during the 5 year jump and MJ was born before, Juanita is 7 and MJ is 6, as said by Mike in the 9th episode of season 6.

Celia Solis

Celia Solis (Daniella Baltodano) is the youngest daughter of Gaby & Carlos. Like her sister, Celia was born during the five-year-jump. She is quieter and more soft spoken than her older sister. At one point, she responds to every question Gabrielle asks with a nod, prompting Gabrielle to say "I should really get you tested".

Extended family

Ana Solis

Lucia Marquez

Lucia Marquez (Maria Conchita Alonso) is Gabrielle’s mother. She offered to be their surrogate mother when Gabrielle realizes she can’t get pregnant due to injuries sustain from the fall down the stairs. The plan did not hatch however when Carlos came to know her accusatory character. Like Susan’s mother, she has been married at least four times.

Juanita "Mama" Solis

Juanita "Mama" Solis (Lupe Ontiveros) is the deceased nosy mother of Carlos, who was convinced that Gabrielle was cheating on him with another man, she had obtained photographic evidence of the affair moments before being accidentally run over by Andrew Van de Kamp. She remained in a coma for five months before awakening, only to fall to her death down a flight of stairs at the hospital. Before dying Juanita told a nurse of Gabrielle’s infidelity; however, the nurse couldn’t hear her because she was wearing headphones and listening to loud music. Gabrielle and Carlos named their eldest daughter after her.

Connie Solis

Connie Solis (Liz Torres) is Carlos's aunt, who took him and his mother in when Carlos's father left. She was also raising a granddaughter before Carlos and Gabrielle agreed to take her.

Milton Lang

Milton Lang (Mike Farrell): Victor’s father who had big expectations in his son’s political career until Victor was killed trying to kill Carlos. In "Welcome to Kanagawa", Gabrielle attends Victor's funeral. Milton tells her about the affair between her and Carlos. He also tells her that everything Victor had is in Milton's own name. Finally, he tells Gabrielle it is time for her to leave the church and that if she does not leave right away, he will be telling all those people about her committing adultery. Gabrielle leaves the church without incident.

Season 1 introduced acquaintances

John Rowland

Jesse Metcalfe as John Rowland, Gabrielle's (Eva Longoria Parker) teenage gardener.

John Rowland (Jesse Metcalfe) was employed by Carlos and Gabrielle as a gardener. Gabrielle, having become bored with her husband never being with her, decided to seduce her teenage gardener. The pair embarked on an illicit affair which encountered several difficulties. The most prolific of these difficulties including Gabrielle's mother in law, Juanita, who is introduced in episode 1.05 (Come In, Stranger). However, Juanita was hit by a car driven by Andrew Van de Kamp after discovering the affair in episode 1.07 (Anything You Can Do). The hit and run placed Juanita into a coma. John became overwhelmed with guilt and went to confession before the following episode (Guilty). However, he became entranced once again by Gabrielle and may have conceived her unborn child (which seems to be true, since Mary Alice alluded to it when they were having sex.) He found out about this in episode 1.21 (Sunday in the Park with George) and started "freaking out". He demanded to see Mr. Solis but Gabrielle refused. Instead, John arrived at Carlos's gay hate trial in episode 1.23 (One Wonderful Day) and told him "he got the wrong guy". "Didn't you think it was strange that you had the only lawn on Wisteria Lane that needed to be mowed three times a week?", he said. Carlos went mad and attempted to attack John but it looked like he was attacking Justin - the gay person he beat up previously.

After what happened at the court in the previous season, Gabrielle breaks up with John. John goes and look for new housewives to be with intimately, and starts having an affair with 41 year-old Joan. Upon finding this out, Gabrielle destroys Joan's garden, and shuts John out of her life. John is not seen again until early in the third season. According to his dialogue in episode 3.03 (A Weekend in the Country), he is doing well and is very rich and successful with his gardening company. He was engaged to the daughter of the Sinclair Hotel owner, Tammy Sinclair. About half a year later, in episode 3.17 (Dress Big) Gabrielle tells Edie Britt that John is married. A few months later he met Gabrielle at a hotel owned by his father-in-law and realized that he still loved her He constantly fights with his wife over the fact that she wants to lead his life. He tries to get back with Gabrielle, but she refuses because his wife is pregnant and she is with Carlos. Carlos, who overhears this, soon realizes he is not unlike John used to be and finally forgives him. John then asks if he thinks Gabrielle is happy. Carlos replies "I think so." In the episode "Don't Judge a Lady By Her Lover", the Solis family goes out to dinner and finds out that John is the owner of the restaurant. Much to Ana's interest, John mentions that he received a large settlement from his divorce from the hotel heiress.^[1]

Yao Lin

Yao Lin (Lucille Soong) is Gabrielle and Carlos' Chinese housekeeper, who was constantly on Gabrielle’s case due to having to keep lying to Carlos from revealing her affair and not doing a very good job when it came to housekeeping. She was eventually fired in Love is in the Air when Gabrielle came to the final straw with Yao Lin and admitted that they were having financial problems. After this, Yao Lin runs into Gabrielle when she is working at the cosmetic counter and demands a makeover, the perfect humiliation.

Ashley Bukowski

Ashley Bukowski (Emily Christine) is a 9-year-old homeschooled girl who catches Gabrielle and John kissing. She instinctively knows how to blackmail, as she is able to get Gabrielle to buy her expensive gifts. Her first demand is for Gabrielle to buy her a new bike and then teach her how to ride it properly. She lives with her mother Sheila Bukowski.

Jonathan Lithgow

Jonathan Lithgow (John Haymes Newton) was the Solis family's cable guy, and gay. Carlos mistakenly thought he had an affair with Gaby, and due to this Carlos beat him heavily. He later turned up as a witness when Carlos was prosecuted for gay bashing.

Father Crowley

Father Crowley (Jeff Doucette) is the priest at the local Catholic church. Gabrielle is openly rude to him. He first appeared on Guilty when he prayed for Juanita, who was in a coma at the time. John told him about the affair, so Gabrielle wanted to straighten things out with him. Crowley tells her that if she doesn’t repent, she will go to Hell. Gabrielle responds by saying, "Aren’t you just a ball of fun?" His next appearance was in "There Won’t Be Trumpets" when he was at Juanita’s funeral. He looked back when Carlos & Gabrielle were fighting. Gabrielle says to him, "Eyes front, Padre!" He appeared on "Fear No More" when Gabrielle confessed her pregnancy and her unawareness of who the father is. He tells her to be thankful since children are a blessing. Gabrielle scoffs and walks away. He appeared on "There’s Something About a War" when Gabrielle asked him to transfer Sister Mary. He was the one who informs Gabrielle in "Silly People" that Xiao-Mei will be staying with them briefly. He most recent appearance was in "Marry Me a Little" when Gabrielle forces Juanita to work at the soup kitchen where Father Crowley was volunteering.

Helen Rowland

Helen Rowland (Kathryn Harrold) is the mother of John Rowland. Helen first appears in episode 9 when she finds out that a woman of Wisteria Lane is having an affair with her son, John. She suspects it is Susan after seeing them together, and slaps her and rips her dress up at Gabrielle’s fashion show. Susan knows Gabrielle is the true person who slept with John which ruptures their friendship throughout the episode. Gabrielle eventually confesses to Helen, shortly afterwards the police show up, but they came for Carlos, not Gabrielle. Susan holds Gabrielle in her arms, consoling her as Gabrielle wept over what she has lost. Helen appears again, this time together with her husband Bob, to make Gabrielle send John to college and stop his gardening business. Gabrielle tries to stop him but John only proposes to her with his grandmother’s engagement ring. Gabrielle refuses and convinces John to not be with her. John rebels anyway and keeps going at his gardening business. When Gabrielle fails to help, Helen still threatens to reveal her secret. Helen gets her revenge on the Solises because she works at the adoption agency where Carlos and Gabrielle try to adopt a baby, but are unsuccessful.

Mr. Steinberg

Mr. Steinberg (Mark L. Taylor) is one of the top persons of Sacred Heart Hospital. He offered $1,600,000 to Gaby in order for the Solis not to press any charges towards the hospital concerning their neglections in the death of Juanita. Gaby accepted, but didn’t tell Carlos. Carlos, however, did find out, as Mr. Steinberg later showed up at the Solis house.

Season 2 introduced acquaintances

David Bradley

David Bradley (Adrian Pasdar) is the sleazy Solis family lawyer who tries to convince Gabrielle that her marriage is a complete disaster and that she should divorce her husband. He is a known womanizer. He was shot at by a crazy client, and then decides he is in love with Gabrielle and doesn't want to help Carlos get out of jail anymore. Gabrielle tries to convince David that he is not in love with her by suggesting they should have an affair. When David agrees to that, Gabrielle proves him that if he is willing to share her then he is not in love with her.

Vern

Vern (Alec Mapa) is Gabrielle’s gay best friend and personal shopper. She begins coaching girls for the Snowflake Pageant at the salon which Vern owns. Vern has yet to be seen in a relationship with anybody in the series.

Sister Mary Bernard

Sister Mary Bernard (Melinda Page Hamilton) is the blonde Catholic nun who helped getting Carlos released from prison without doing full time. She and Gabrielle instantly clashed, because not only is Mary pretty, she also blames Carlos' problems on Gabrielle’s excessive materialism. As the Sister grew up on the South Side of Chicago, she came to be a tough rival for Gabrielle, regarding Carlos' affection. The Sister and Carlos later became involved with the church’s relief effort to Botswana. Initially, the church did not have enough money to afford to send the Sister, but as it changed the Sister went there in charge of the operation. Upon her return from from Africa, Gabrielle further maneuvered to distance the Sister from Carlos, resulting in a fight with Gaby in the local church, and a reassignment to a parish in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Xiao-Mei

Gwendoline Yeo as Xiao-Mei.

Xiao-Mei (Gwendoline Yeo) is an illegal immigrant from China, sold by her uncle to Maxine Bennett (an acquaintance of Bree's) as a domestic servant. After being liberated by the authorities, she is brought to the Solis home by Father Crowley. After Lily is taken away from the Solises, they begin to explore the idea of surrogacy. This coincides with Xiao-Mei's need to avoid deportation, which the ICE and INS have been threatening Xiao-Mei with since her liberation from Maxine Bennett's house. Believing she has found a way to have her cake and eat it too, Gabrielle convinces Carlos that Xiao-Mei's surrogacy would solve both problems. However, Xiao-Mei does not understand the process which Gabrielle and Carlos are proposing and she is in denial when they tell her she is going to have a baby because she is a virgin and thinks that she will be worthless if she doesn't preserve her virginity until marriage. Gabrielle convinces her that experience is what men want and Xiao-Mei agrees to have the baby.

Catching Carlos in the master bath before the appointment at the fertility clinic, Xiao-Mei slips off her robe to reveal that she is wearing nothing, and then scoots into bed as Carlos turns to stare at her and she gives him the classic 'be gentle' line. Carlos, dumbfounded, is then jolted from his stunned stupor by Gabrielle, who is not happy that Xiao-Mei has misunderstood and less happy that Carlos did not instantly correct her misconception. Later on, Gaby starts suspecting Xiao-Mei is sleeping with Carlos and takes her to the hospital to check if she is still a virgin. When Gaby finds out she is not a virgin anymore, she puts baby monitors in her house to check on Carlos and Xiao-Mei. While she is at Lynette's house, Lynette's baby monitors picked up on a frequency Gaby was waiting to listen to. She hears Carlos and Xiao-Mei having sex in the car, and she runs to her house to find them there. After finding that out, Gaby kicks Carlos out and asks for a divorce. Gaby got more than she bargained for as she was forced to watch over Xiao-Mei as her pregnancy grew difficult, causing some tension between the two to the point she even ran away once. Her water broke at Bree's wedding and she gave birth to a black baby boy as the Solis's embryo had been accidentally switched. It is presumed, Xiao-Mei returned to China.

Eugene Beale

Eugene Beale (John Kapelos) is the shady owner of an adoption agency – the only one who was willing to try to find a children for Gaby and Carlos; but only after they offered a huge sum of money. After showing the Solis' several photos of potential birth mothers (all of which were too unattractive for Gabrielle) he finally introduced them to the stripper, Libby Collins.

Libby Collins

Libby Collins (Nichole Hiltz) is a pole-dancer in a strip club who offers to give her baby to Carlos & Gabrielle, but changed her mind when she found out they were Mexican. However, she changed her mind yet again after they bribe her with gifts (in reality she didn’t care that they were Mexican but had pretended to in order to receive a bribe). In the end, she changed her mind once again and took the baby back.

Frank Helm

Frank Helm (Eddie McClintock) is Libby’s boyfriend. He now raises Lily with Libby, although Lily’s biological father is Frank’s brother Dale.

Lily Collins

Lily Collins-Helm (Faith and Hope Dever, uncredited) is the baby Gabrielle and Carlos adopted for a short while in season two, from stripper Libby. The baby was taken away when her birth parents changed their mind about the adoption. This left Gabrielle heartbroken.

Season 4 introduced acquaintances

Ellie Leonard

Justine Bateman as Ellie Leonard.

Ellie Leonard (Justine Bateman) becomes Carlos and Gabrielle's tenant late in season four. Carlos and Gaby need to bring in a little more money so they decide to rent out one of their extra rooms. It is revealed that Ellie is a drug dealer which shocks Gabrielle as she likes Ellie very much. After discovering this, Carlos and Gaby go to the police. Gaby initially has second thoughts as she considers Ellie a friend, but the police say they would get Carlos off his probation if Carlos and Gabrielle helped them organize a sting against Ellie and her supplier. The Solises agree and the cops bug their house. However, on the day the sting is supposed to go down, Ellie tells Gabrielle about how horrible her life has been and how she considers Gabrielle and Carlos family. After this, Gabrielle, who can see out the window, sees the cops getting ready to arrest Ellie's supplier, who's on their front porch. As the police arrest Ellie's supplier, Gabrielle pulls Ellie close to her and tells her to go out the back door and run. Ellie does so. She later calls Gaby and asks her for a teddy bear her dad gave her, which has a large sum of money inside. Gaby discovers the cash and decides she and Carlos could use it more. And we see the old Gabrielle come out. Ellie later returns to the Solis household for her money and gets in a scuffle with Gabrielle. She runs again, this time to the Mayfair house where Wayne is holding Katherine at gun point. Wayne then hides the gun behind a pillow and shoots Ellie in the chest, killing her.

Season 5 introduced acquaintances

Virginia Hildebrand

Frances Conroy as Virginia Hildebrand.

Virginia Hildebrand (Frances Conroy) is a lonely but very rich old woman. She was one of Carlos's clients while he was working as a masseur. Carlos accidentally gives her an orgasm while giving her a massage, which prompts her to hire him as her personal masseur and planning to go on a trip to Europe for two months, but Carlos rejects the proposal. Virginia then asks Gabrielle to be her personal shopper in Europe and asked to bring the girls as well. Later, the Solises spend their weekend in Virginia's house, and while the Solises are watching a movie, Virginia joins in by cuddling with Gaby and Carlos in the bed, which makes them very uncomfortable. The next morning, Gaby is shocked when Virginia asks the girls to call her "Grandma", Gaby freaks out and decides to leave. During Celia's birthday party, Virginia drops by to fetch Celia to go buy a doll. Gaby refused and after Virginia's insistence, Gaby lost her patience and shoos her out. Furious, Virginia called the country club's manager to get Carlos fired. Virginia visits the Solises once again, and informs them that Carlos's job has been restored. Carlos then reveals to Gabrielle that the Solis will inherit her fortune, which prompts Gaby to get into Virginia's good side. As Gabrielle is leaving to a party in a club, Virginia drops by to fetch her with her limousine and later tells her to send her daughters to a private school. Gabrielle declines Virginia's offer and tells her she makes the decision for her children and does not want any of her fortune. Despite their misunderstanding, Gabrielle helped Virginia out of the burning club.

Bradley Scott

Bradley Scott (David Starzyk) is Carlos's former boss and employer. Thanks to a chance encounter with Gaby, Brad offered Carlos a job shortly after his sight returned. After Carlos was hired, Gaby accidentally discovered that Brad was having an affair. He bribed Gaby (and ultimately Carlos) with a large bonus payout in an attempt to keep Gaby from telling Maria, his wife, of the affair. Brad became too dependent on Gaby, however, and began using her as an alibi to hide his affair from his wife. This became too much for Gaby to have on her conscience and she backed out of the bribe, demanding that Brad confess to his wife or else she would do it herself. Brad tells Maria about the affair and she stabs him in the back, killing him.

Maria Scott

Maria Scott (Ion Overman) is the wife of Bradley Scott and friend of Gaby. Maria was at first shown to resent her husband and expressed her want for a divorce. However, their marriage was seemingly saved when Carlos began working for Bradley. This caused Maria to be extremely grateful and she began a friendship with Gaby, unaware of her husband's affair and the bribe he successfully offered the Solis's. However, the guilt becomes unbearable for both Gaby and Carlos once Maria becomes pregnant and asks them to be Godparents. Ultimately, Brad is forced to tell Maria the truth and she murders him.

Lucy Blackburn

Lucy Blackburn (Lesley Boone) is Carlos ex-girlfriend and ex-roommate. She is hired by Carlos as vice-president of the company in which he is president after being promoted to Bradley Scott's post. Lucy proves herself to be very strict, and clashes with Lynette, who also works in the company. Lynette asks Carlos to talk to Lucy and try to get her to tone it down, but Lucy eventually finds out that it was Lynette who complained to Carlos. Gabrielle visits Carlos at work and takes Juanita and Celia to work and has Lynette watch them while she talks to Carlos. When the girls want to play with Lucy's figurine collection, Lynette allows them to and when Lucy sees them she mistakes them for the cleaning lady's and yells at her. Carlos decides he wants a different future for the company and fires Lucy, which pleases both Gaby and Lynette.

References

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

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