Desperate Housewives is an amazing show with amazing actresses, which all stand out. But, there is one in particular who shows great skill.
Susan Mayer is a sweet, klutzy and fun woman who only wants to be happy. Her husband of fourteen years, Karl, cheated on her and they have been divorced for two years. Her support system is her fourteen year old daughter Julie, who sometimes appears to be the mother. However, her love life changes when she meets Mike Delfino at Mary Alice's wake.
Mike is the streets hunky new neighbour, and Susan falls for him straight away. The two of them fall in love, all to be crushed when Lynette finds dead Martha Huber's jewlery in Mike's garage. When she reluctantly allows her friends to phone the police, Mike is taken to jail. But, Susan then realises that the night Mrs Huber was killed is the night that she and Mike first slept together. She is his allibi, however, Susan than finds out that Mike was convicted of manslaughter and drugdealing for three years and leaves him, screaming one of my favorite lines 'Mike, stop talking, because you might let yourself back in my heart and i don't want you anywhere near my heart'
Susan is miserable for a long time, and desperate to find out that Mike is innocent. She is one again lucky, and finds out that Mike was not a drugdealer and he killed a cop in self defence. She goes back to Mike and they move in together. Again, Susan just cannot catch a brake since Mike may have a son, Zach, who tried to kill both of them.
Susan cannot risk being around Zach since he is semi-stalking her daughter Julie and has hurt Susan multiple times. She tells Mike that they can't move in together, but they can still date. She goes off crying, but knowing that she did the best for her daughter.
Susan finally accepts Zach and she and Mike go back into there whirlwind relationship. But, when both are looking for a missing Zach, Susan finds him. He attempts to swing a piece of wood at her, so Susan tells him his real father is in Utah and she gives him money too. But, she knows if mike finds out, he will never forgive her.
Mike does find out, just as Susan is trying on her mother's wedding dress since mike admitted that he might pop the question. Mike leaves a crying susan in my favorite dh scene ever, and here we receive amazing acting from teri. which is truly priceless, and we see that she now cannot live without mike.
Susan tries dating doctor ron, since mike has completely sealed the door to their relationship, even though he still loves her. Doctor Ron tells a anastasia-filled susan that he loves her, and she replies with 'I love mike'. Well, thats that! She then goes back to karl who lied to her and she goes back to hating him.
Then, finally, she and mike go back to being together, since as she told sophie in season one 'don't you get it? morty was just one in a long string of guys. Mike was the one.' Mike is even planning to propose, but, he is hit by a car before he gets the chance, and susan is left thinking that he no longer cares.
I wrote the above because all of that makes susan what she is. Forever cursed, but somehow lucky. What she has found with Mike is something they were both stupid enough to lose, but now that they found eachother again (and hopefully mike is alive) neither will give up.
I also love Susan's relationship with Julie. I think they have a strange mother-daughter relationship but certainly the best one. they are best friends and trust each other with about everything. And are both mothers in a weird way.
Overall, i think teri hatcher is brilliant as susan, and that is why i gave her a ten!