Tonight, ABC aired the two-hour series finale of Desperate Housewives; actually a pair of episodes, titled “Give Me the Blame” “Finishing the Hat.” After eight seasons and 180 episodes, I believe Desperate Housewives is the longest-running primetime series with all female leads. It beat Charmed by two episodes. Quite an accomplishment.

ABC has reason to be very thankful to this TV series. When Desperate Housewives and Lost came on the scene in 2004, they were fresh and buzz-worthy shows that really gave the network a boost.

In tonight’s episodes, there was, as you might expect, lots of closure.

After fighting cancer, Mrs. McCluskey (Kathryn Joosten) was in her final days, decided to take the rap for Alejandro’s murder, and succeeded in ending Bree’s trial. She dies as Julie’s baby is being born and has Roy (Orson Bean) at her side.

Ben (Charles Mesure) refused to rat on Bree during the trial, spends some time in jail for contempt but is eventually freed. On the way to her wedding, Renee’s (Vanessa Williams) wedding dress is ruined when Julie’s water breaks in the limo. Thanks to Gaby (Eva Longoria), she gets a new one, arrives late to her wedding but still walks down the aisle.

Bree (Marcia Cross) is initially angry with Trip (Scott Bakula) for some of his actions during the trial but eventually relents and lets him back into her life. In a flashforward, we learn that Bree moved away from Wisteria Lane with her new husband Trip and, with his support, went into politics and was elected to the Kentucky State Legislature.

Gaby and Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) both nearly confessed to Alejandro’s murder, each proving how much they care for one another. Gaby is given a promotion at work and we find out, during the flashforward, that Carlos helped her start her own successful personal shopper website. That led to a successful shopping TV show of the Home Shopping Network and the two moved to California where they live in a big house and continue arguing with each other, happily ever after.

Lynette (Felicity Huffman) and Tom (Doug Savant) finally get back together. Katherine Mayfair (Body of Proof’s Dana Delany) returns to Wisteria Lane and offers Lynette an intriguing job — working for her successful frozen food company in New York. In a flashforward, we learn that she took the job and the two (presumably with their kids) live in a penthouse overlooking Central Park. Lynette eventually plays with her six red-headed grandchildren there.

Susan (Teri Hatcher) tells her friends of her plans to sell her house and to move away so that she can be close to Julie (Andrea Bowen) as she raises her daughter. Julie goes into labor and has her baby with Porter (Charlie Carver), Tom, Lynette, and Susan in attendance.

As the movers (including series creator Marc Cherry) take her things, Susan shares one last poker game with the ladies. They promise that they’ll get together to play poker again someday but we’re told they never do.

As Susan leaves the house, she meets and welcomes the new owner, Jennifer — a young wife who looks a lot like her. She assures Jennifer that things never get boring on Wisteria Lane.

In her car, Susan asks MJ (Mason Vale Cotton) and Julie if they’d mind if she took one more drive around the neighborhood. As they do, we see the ghosts of dozens of residents from years past, looking on as she drives by. The last is Mary Alice (Brenda Strong), the neighbor whose suicide began the series.

In the last scene we see Jennifer quickly go into her new home, take a wooden chest out of the box she was carrying, and lock it in a cabinet. Apparently some things never change. There will always be lots of secrets on Wisteria Lane.

What do you think? Was this a fitting end to Desperate Housewives? Did they miss something? Would you like to see a new Wisteria Lane series someday?

Image courtesy ABC.