Susan is surprised, and not pleasantly so, when she finds out who Edie’s new boyfriend is—her ex-husband Karl. Meanwhile Lynette goes back to work, leaving Tom at home in charge of the house, which turns out to be a better plan in theory. Lynette has a problem of getting Tom to keep the house clean on a more daily basis. Bree’s mother-in-law, Phyllis (guest star Shirley Knight), continues to drive Bree crazy with her melodramatic grieving in public places, and Carlos makes an unusual request to Gabrielle after his life is threatened behind bars.