Home Is The Place

Sound
In Desperate Housewives, whilst onscreen diegetic sound is used to create a sense of realism, non-diegetic sound is also used almost continuously throughout an episode to create a certain mood which would have a certain effect on the audience.

Here, I have picked out a few scenes in where I thought the music was effective in reflecting a certain mood.

The First scene (0.58secs)
The scene begins with mostly diegetic sound being the dialogue between the two mother in-laws having a conversation. Just as Alex’s mum says ‘I call Christmas’ however, the non-diegetic orchestral music seems to appear in the background. The slow paced plucking of strings adds to the awkwardness of the situation and emphasises on how Malina brings a smooth conversation to a halt. The pace of the music seems to increase as things get more tense between the two women showing how the conversation changes into an argument as Bree says ‘Malina this is childish’. The staccato melody, with short and rigid notes, gives the audience a sense of uneasiness between the two characters and adds to the meaning of the dialogue. The minor key also indicates the seriousness of the situation. In between, the music pauses for a second or two of awkward silence. It then becomes more melodious when the two sons return which shows how the women try to cover-up the awkward situation.

The Second Scene (9.53)
This scene again begins with a conversation between Lynette, Tom and their son, Porter’s lawyer, but ends on a harsh note which is reinforced by the solemn music. It first appears when the lawyer says ‘just find him’ as if to emphasise his abruptness and anger. The strings appear to be playing soft lengthened notes in a minor key to reflect the disheartened and emotional parents who are desperate to find their son. The effect of this on the audience would be to empathise with the parents as the music helps us feel their sadness. The music then slowly fades out with the fade down to black to indicate a change of scenes.

The Third scene (29.00)
In this scene the music is used to enhance the mysterious conversation that Dave seems to be having with himself in a way that makes it seem extremely spooky. From the moment Edie gets out of her bed, the slow paced strings create a horror film effect as she walks down the stairs with curiosity. The lengthened music also causes the audience to be suspicious as to who is whispering downstairs, drawing them in to the scene itself. It suddenly gets louder as Edie screams causing the audience to jump. Again the lengthened string notes create a creepy atmosphere making Dave seem very suspicious. At the end of the scene, Edie’s shocked reaction is emphasised by the orchestral drums which heighten the audiences’ fear of Dave on her behalf.