As the second season opens, Mike returns back home to discover that Zach is holding Susan hostage and must find a way to rescue them both. Lynette decides to interview for an account executive position at a top ad agency, since Tom has agreed to stay home with the kids. Her potential boss becomes skeptical, so Lynette goes all out to impress her. Rex's mother, Phyllis, comes in for his funeral and ends up driving Bree crazy. Gabrielle starts feeling guilty about being unfaithful and starts visiting Carlos in jail.

Susan gets an unpleasant shock when she discovers just who Edie's new boyfriend is and then she and Mike struggle to find out where their relationship stands now that she knows his secret. Meanwhile Lynette goes back to work, leaving Tom at home in charge of the house, which does not suit Lynette's liking when she returns. Phyllis continues to irritate Bree with all of her melodramatic grieving, and Carlos makes an unusual request of Gabrielle, which she is not pleased with.

Bree's mother-in-law, Phyllis, ends up getting her in serious trouble with the law. Susan tries desperately to try and accept Edie's new role in Julie's life. Meanwhile, Lynette's boss ends up making her miss Parker's first day of kindergarten, and Gabrielle ends up meeting John again and is not too happy about what she sees.

Gabrielle causes a prison riot after she pays a visit to Carlos. She soon meets a lawyer and becomes attracted to him. Lynette discovers that Parker has his very own imaginary friend, and Susan puts her feelings aside and decides to help Mike search for Zach.

Susan's book agent and close friend gets into some financial trouble. Meanwhile, Lynette is forced to go out to bars night after because of Nina's man-hungry ways. Bree decides to re-bury Rex even though the police are still suspicious of her. Gabrielle decides to hire lawyer David Bradley to defend Carlos, but Carlos does not want him after seeing him with Gabrielle.

As Carlos continues to serves his jail sentence, Gabrielle tries desperately to free him. Meanwhile, Mike and Susan face a crisis in their relationship, and Paul Young returns and goes to the police about Mrs. Huber's death. Bree ends up going to a romantic hotel with the ever persistent George.

Gabrielle does not want any of her old friends to know that she is pregnant. Susan finds some comfort in ex-husband Karl when his relationship with Edie hits the skids. George proposes to a horrified Bree at an engagement party staged by George and his mother, Francine. Meanwhile, Lynette and Tom's kids end up accidentally watching their neighbor's homemade porn video and the two have to decide what to do about their relationship with them.

The neighbors are panicked about the intruder loose on Wisteria Lane and a neighborhood watch it soon formed. Susan learns shocking news about her father at her mother’s wedding. Bree’s so-called engagement to George hits a bump, which does not please George. Gabrielle finally learns how to let go, with the help of someone unexpected.

George begins to stalk Bree as Susan tries to start a relationship with her once presumed dead father. Meanwhile, Lynette takes charge of office politics and gets more than she bargained for. Gabrielle is more than jealous of Carlos’ new confidante, and Betty tries to help Caleb.

Lynette tries to get a daycare center in place at Parcher & Murphy. Gabrielle and Sister Mary end up fighting about Carlos' mission of mercy trip to Africa. Meanwhile, Susan's newly discovered father finds himself into some trouble. Bree brings Andrew back home and reveals what George did to Rex, which does not shock Andrew at all. Finally, Zach returns.

After Lynette catches Gabrielle kissing Tom, she becomes furious and it ends up throwing a wrench into their friendship. Mike tries bonding with Zach, which Paul finds threatening. Andrew decides to blackmail Bree who ends up getting help from Karl. This happens as all of the Wisteria Lane neighbors are becoming even more suspicious of the mysterious Applewhites.

After a number of bad dates, Susan finally ends up meeting Dr. Right. As for Gabrielle, she is shocked when some old pictures turn up of her on the Internet . Tom becomes scared when his kids come down with chicken pox, for it turns out he has never had the disease. Meanwhile, Bree ends up getting arrested and after months of not hearing from him, Mike Delfino gets a message from Noah Taylor.

Dr. Ron tells Susan that she requires surgery, but Susan does not know if she wants him to be the surgeon or not. Meanwhile, Bree and Betty learn that they actually have much more in common than they thought, as they both find out about Danielle and Matthew's relationship. Gabrielle and her arch-enemy Sister Mary Bernard face off once again, this time in church.

Bree decides to do a little investigating at Betty's house and ends up finding out about Caleb. Karl and Edie try to get Susan to marry a gay man so she can have the insurance to have her surgery. Soon afterward, Karl ends up making Susan an offer that she just can't refuse. Tom decides to try to please his new boss, which ends up causing chaos around the office for Lynette. Gabrielle becomes attached to a new Chinese maid who Carlos helped save from a slave employer.

Edie's convinced she's going to get engaged to Karl, but he has his eyes on Susan; Bree's problem with alcohol escalates as Lynette finds out about it; Carlos finally learns more about why Gabrielle and her mother have such a delicate relationship.

Carlos and Gabrielle decide to adopt, but quickly come to the conclusion that it will be more difficult than either had expected. Susan finally has her surgery since got her much needed medical insurance. It turns out that Tom is having more diffculty at the job because he must now take orders from his boss and his wife, Lynette. Bree and Andrew end up in a full out war over hear drinking. Noah Taylor, who is dying, finally learns more about Paul Young and his biological grandson Zach.

Susan decides to invite Dr. Ron over to meet Karl after he ends up finding out about their arranged marriage. Gabrielle and Carlos try to find a beautiful baby to adopt. Meanwhile, Bree decides to join A.A. to try to try to get back at Andrew for his extortion.

Gaby and Carlos finally learn the truth about their baby. Lynette is forced to give a deposition in a hearing about Bree's drinking. Bree ends up getting a little too close to her AA sponsor, Peter. Edie and Karl have their engagement party. Paul Young finally has to face the music of Wisteria Lane.

Gaby and Carlos end up winning temporary custody of Lily. Bree is shocked when her father and her step-mother come to town and decide to become mediators in her relationship with Andrew. Meanwhile, Susan discovers that Karl is once again back in her life.

Karl decides to break up with Edie, but she has no idea that Susan is the other woman in his life. Lynette tries to help Ed out in his sex life. Bree discovers that Peter has another kind of addiction. Meanwhile, Gaby is shocked when Lily's father comes back to claim her.

Tom ends up getting fired. Bree and Andrew situation reaches a dead end. The private detective that Edie hired finds out all about Karl and Susan.

Felicia Tilman has more in store for Paul Young, Bree reaches the end of her rope, and Susan must start over.

Through flashbacks, it's the first chance to see moving-in day on Wisteria Lane for Bree, Susan, Gaby and Lynette, and just how Mary Alice Young brought them all together. Meanwhile, back in the present, Bree gets some frightening news, Susan moves into a trailer, Lynette discovers Tom's secret and all is not well in the house of Solis.

Through flashbacks, it's the first chance to see moving-in day on Wisteria Lane for Bree, Susan, Gaby and Lynette, and just how Mary Alice Young brought them all together. Meanwhile, back in the present, Bree gets some frightening news, Susan moves into a trailer, Lynette discovers Tom's secret and all is not well in the house of Solis.